Like a deflated balloon, air escaped from her lungs in one rush. She met his gaze, sadness flickering in her eyes. She swallowed and took a loud breath that didn’t quite seem to stick, as she immediately gulped at another. The self-satisfied fool flaunted his win with a cocky grin, and a rush of indignation washed over Seth. Marie wanted that piece. And she deserved it after the late nights she’d put in repainting the disaster room, the long hours she’d spent kneeling in the dirt preparing the flower bed, and all the times she’d put up with his sharpness. He elbowed her as the auctioneer called, “Going once.” “Do it.” Her eyes flashed. “We won’t have enough money to get the other things we need.” He stared straight into her eyes, willing her to see that he understood how much she needed this win. “It’ll be enough. Do it.” “Going twice!”
