“I’m completely serious.”
“Fine.” She pushed past him and walked into the tent. A mishmash of furniture lined the walls and with items placed in the center of the tent, leaving enough room for one person to walk in a single file line. Her discerning gaze flittered over the furniture. It didn’t take long until something shiny caught her attention behind a large piece of furniture.
“Did you find something?” Sloan leaned over her shoulder. His warm breath tickled her ear.
Her stomach warmed. He was too close. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. It was, however, disconcerting how her body reacted whenever he was near.
She pointed. “There, behind the large headboard.”
Sloan carefully moved the headboard to the side and pulled out a large gilded mirror. He looked up at her and frowned. “The molding around the side is broken.”
“I’m not worried about that. That can be glued back together.” She cocked her head to the side, taking in the gold detailed molding around the rectangular mirror. “Once the molding is fixed I could paint over the gold an antique white.” A smile teased the corner of her lips. “There’s a large empty wall in the kitchen where it would look very pretty.”
“Don’t you think it would be too frilly for a kitchen?”
“I like frilly.”
“I think Allison calls it shabby chic.”
She laughed. “That’s exactly what it’s called. How did you know that?”
“I have to listen to Allison’s incessant chatter about decorating. I guess it was bound to seep into my brain at some point.”
“May I help you, Sloan?” A middle-age lady with short blonde hair and a friendly smile stepped up to them. Despite the casual atmosphere of the event, she wore a purple wrap dress with flats.
“Hi, Mrs. Sims. Grace is interested in this mirror, but it has no price.”
Mrs. Sims looked behind the mirror and tapped a finger to her lips. “I see. I guess since it’s not marked you’ll just have to make me an offer.”
“Are you serious?” Grace’s mouth dropped open.
“Of course.” Mrs. Sims gave her a friendly smile.
“Well, I’m not sure what to offer.” She looked up at Sloan for help.
“How about twenty dollars?” Sloan offered.
“That’s not nearly enough.” Grace gaped. “Look at the detail in the molding.”
“I thought you were good at haggling.” Sloan shook his head and looked at Mrs. Sims. “What would you take for it? Remember, it’s broken.”
“I could take thirty.”
He looked at Grace, waiting for her to argue.
She arched her brow. “I’ll take it.” She pulled the money out of her purse and handed it to the lady.
“I’ll put a sold sticker on it. You can come back and pick it after you’ve finished shopping.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Not a problem.” Mrs. Sims looked between her and Sloan. A sparkle of curiosity shone in the woman’s eyes. “You must be new in town.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even introduce you.” Sloan put his hand on the small of her back. The warmth of his hand seeped through the thin material of the T-shirt and made her want to lean into him.
“This is Grace Witherspoon. She bought the old Hadley place.”
The older lady’s eyebrows shot upward. “Really? I wasn’t aware anyone had bought it. It certainly stayed on the market for a while.”
Grace nodded. “I managed to get a great deal.”
“I hope you know what you’re getting into. That place needs a lot of work.” Mrs. Sims cut her eyes at Sloan. “You’re going to need a lot of help getting that thing in shape. And we have a lot of big strong men that can help.”
Her face heated. “I can manage. I don’t need any help.” She stepped out of the tent and smiled. “I’ll be back to get my mirror in a little while.” She didn’t look back as she strode down the center of the yard sale, passing tents and vendors.
“You okay?” Sloan kept pace with her.
“Of course.”
“You seemed annoyed when Mrs. Sims suggested you needed help with your house.”
She stopped and spun around and looked up into his darkened gaze. “I’m not annoyed, just tired of people thinking I need help. I’m not some weak female that can’t survive without a man.”
He touched her shoulder. “People don’t think that. I certainly don’t think that.”
Her face heated again and she looked away. This time it was pure embarrassment. She shouldn’t have said anything. She should have just kept it inside. What the hell was wrong with her, blurting everything out like that?
“Grace, I . . .” Sloan’s words faded as he looked over her shoulder. His whole demeanor changed and his expression hardened.