The rapid-fire monotone of the seasoned auctioneer announcing the pending sale of her armoire, prompted Rayna to turn away from the drop-leaf table she"d been inspecting and take an aisle seat in the third row of chairs facing the platform.
"Do I hear a thousand? Do I hear a thousand?" the tall, bony man barked into the microphone, his observant eyes searching the warehouse filled wall-to-wall with furniture and people. "Come on, folks. This is a fine piece," he prodded. "Do I hear seven-fifty?"
Rayna"s heart shrank with disappointment as she cast a quick look around. So far, no one in the crowd had raised their numbered card to bid.
"Take a good look at it, people," the auctioneer cajoled. "Do I hear seven?" When the bid dropped to five hundred with no takers, Rayna glumly prepared for
