Chapter 43

They started in the library, where the more obvious pieces were displayed. Gage hung back as Christopher inspected the Edwardian rocker that had caught his eye from the start. Christopher talked through everything he did, explaining the various parts of the chair, pointing out the flaws in the wood and assembly, exactly as he had at the store. Gage fell into the rhythm they’d established the first time, even pointing out a repair in the faded cushion that Christopher had missed. When Christopher praised him, Gage flushed and passed all the credit to his mother and her sewing.

They finished the first two rooms in less than forty-five minutes. Christopher made one last note on his phone about a console from the forties that was too damaged to be worth the trouble, then slid it into his pocket.

“Your turn,” he announced. “What jumped out at you from the catalog when you were looking through it?”