Free Faithful by S. A. Wolfe

as individual pieces. The less expensive, antique jewelry is showcased on velvet trays and being sold off in numbered lots.
    I walk around every table, studying the stunning jewelry which even includes some broken or incomplete necklaces and earrings from the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian time periods. This is exactly what Lauren and I look for—vintage jewelry we can disassemble and repurpose into our own designs.
    “Hey, look what I got,” Cooper says from behind me.
    I turn around to see him brandishing a large sword. Now he really does look like a Viking, and he’s got the attention of every woman in the room.
    “Oh, God, not you, too. What is with you men and weapons?”
    “This thing is so cool,” he says as he puts an arm behind his back and swings the blade upward, ready to duel.
    “Stop it. You’re going to get us kicked out of here,” I whisper loudly to him.
    “I don’t think so. I’m advertising their products. Besides, I dropped a nice little bundle on this beauty.”
    “You bought it?”
    “Hell, yeah.” He smiles, looking pretty proud of his acquisition.
    “What are you going to do with that?” I ask, imagining him cruising around town on his bike with a swashbuckling sword strapped to his side. Oh, good grief. I have to stop thinking of him like that.
    “The blade is completely dull and useless, but it’ll be nice for party tricks.”
    “Perfect.”
    “What did you find?” he asks, sheathing the sword and stepping forward to look at the table I’ve been salivating over.
    “Everything here is fantastic. They have the jewelry set up by the period it’s from. The family that lived here collected some incredible pieces.”
    I feel Cooper’s warmth as he presses against my side to view the velvet tray in front of me.
    “Lauren wants me to get the jet jewelry. Those are these black, Edwardian beaded pieces in this lot. I really want the Victorian silver lockets over there. They’re similar to what you bought for your sister.”
    “Great, let’s buy all these boxes,” he says, and one of the middle-aged auction women standing behind the table gets a little giddy, either over the idea that she thinks he’s buying the whole table or that she has a smoking hot guy standing two feet from her. I’m betting it’s the hottie factor.
    “Are you cuckoo for Coco Puffs? Each one of these trays is anywhere from six hundred to three grand. You’re not buying anything for me, and I’m only buying one lot because that’s what Lauren and I agreed on.”
    Cooper looks at the auction attendant, nods his head to the side towards me, and rolls his eyes, causing her to give him a little laugh. He’s very practiced at winning the female population over, so I smack his side to make him stop.
    He leans down to whisper in my ear. “If you do things like that, people will think we’re more than friends.”
    “Thanks for the heads up.” After I push his face away from my cheek and inform the woman which tray I want, she hands me the lot number and purchase card.
    “I’m going to go pay for my goodies,” I tell Cooper. “Be right back.”
    Heading into the foyer where they have cashiers set up, I turn over my lot number and credit card. After they ring me up and give me a receipt, I return to the dining room to collect my purchase. Cooper is talking up the auction attendant and has her in stitches over something. That kcuffing charmer.
    After I hand her my receipt, she turns over my packaged items to Cooper! I immediately take the bag from him. “I’m ready to go. Lauren will be excited to see this.”
    “Are you sure? There’s more here, and I know you love this stuff.” He sounds so thoughtful and concerned. I have to glance away when a blond lock falls forward, and he has that adorable questioning look along with the ridiculousness of a ginormous sword at his side.
    “I’m sure. I’ve spent my max. And how are we getting that thing home?” I ask, pointing to his