“How did you get us in here?” Hannah interrupted his thoughts. “This place is amazing. And I overheard someone mention that the estate sale was by invitation only.”

“My mother is well-connected when it comes to antiques.”

“Please thank your mother. This is amazing.” Hannah’s gaze continued to take in every detail of the estate.

He failed to mention that he might have persuaded his mother with a bit of begging to get a most-sought-after invitation. It had certainly piqued his mother’s curiosity as he usually avoided these things by using every excuse known to man. So when he’d written it off as needing some specific pieces for a project he was working on, she quickly put it together and assumed that it was for Hannah. It appeared his mother and Aunt Birdie had been talking—a lot. Perhaps too much. Definitely too much.

They walked through the spacious rooms. They were quiet for the most part, unless something caught Hannah’s attention. Then she’d tap him on his arm and lift up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. It was much like touring a museum.

In the dining room, Ethan noticed Hannah was no longer beside him. He stopped and turned. The dining room was crowded with people. Thankfully the furniture had been removed, allowing for greater mobility.

He had to lift up on his toes to peer over all of the people. Where could she have wandered off to? And why hadn’t she said anything to him?

And then he spotted her standing in the center of the room. She hadn’t meandered off at all. She’d merely stopped. He followed her gaze to the ceiling where there was a crystal and brass chandelier. Not nearly the size or impressiveness of the chandelier in the foyer. But this six-candle structure with all the crystal dangling from it had certainly caught Hannah’s attention. By the way she was looking at it, he’d hazard a guess that she was in love with it.

He’d seen similar looks on his mother’s face when she’d find a certain piece at an auction and just couldn’t bear to leave without it—no matter the price. He’d also spent enough of his youth at auctions to know the piece would go for a much higher price than Hannah’s lean budget could afford, even if she was to cut everything to the bare minimum.

It took time to work his way back through the crowd that was moving in the opposite direction. It was much like he imagined a fish felt trying to swim upstream. And yet with a bit of patience as he squeezed past a number of people, he was once more by her side.

“Find something you like?” he asked.

Hannah blinked as though she’d been lost deep in her thoughts. “What?”

“The chandelier—I take it you like it.”

“Oh yes. It’s beautiful.” Her gaze moved back to it. “I think I’ll bid on it.”

He didn’t want to ruin her good mood to let her know it would probably sell for a four-figure price. Instead he said, “Let’s see what else we can find.”