She pulled out a jewel-toned cylinder with an odd top. It was about five inches high, and the outside was covered in raised trees. The three feet on the bottom had been wrapped to try and prevent nicking, but she tore that wrapping off as well and set it on the table.
“Nice. Orange Tree hatpin holder in…blue?”
She held it up to the light to see the proper color, then shook her head. “Green. I have a little collection of hatpins, so I figure this’ll work to hold them. But this isn’t one of the pieces I was really excited about. Just a pickup because the price was good.”
Aras raised an eyebrow. “How good is good?”
“Well…these are from a random auction, not a specific carnival glass auction. So…ten bucks, plus shipping.”
“Jesus.” He laughed at that. “Well let’s see what else you pulled.”
They pulled apart the new finds. She had two different animal sculptures. A lavender covered frog, and a Hen in Nest bowl in blue. Two mid-sized Morning Glory vases as well, both in purple. The other two pieces were apparently a pair. She unwrapped them both together.
Aras sucked in a breath that was much sharper than he would have anticipated. “That isamazing. Do you have the cups?”
She snorted. “Not yet. They’re impossible, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled.”
She set the punch bowl on top of its base. It was a green, stippled Grape and Cable punch set, and the iridescence on it was absolutely crazy. Finding them stippled, with the glass textured all over, was a rarity. “You can’t tell me you got away with this for under five-hundred.”
She shrugged. “It was a good auction.”
“If you can get the cups, that’s…thousands?”
“Probably in that range. You can see why I want to display it. Maybe in the living room?”
“I’m on board.” He could already see how to do the lighting on it. And in green… “Does it glow under a black light?” Not all green carnival did, but some absolutely would. This looked like it might have been in the right range—not bright yellow like Vaseline glass, and not pale enough to be a true ice green, but a sort of Granny smith bright hue—that it could.
“I haven’t tested it.”
“I will.” He stopped himself. “If that’s okay. If it fluoresces, I want to make sure we can show that off properly.”
“It’s fine with me.” She patted him on the back. “I’m glad I wound up with someone on this job who gets it.”
“Yeah, he’s great like that.” Dane walked up, which made Aras unduly fidgety and nervous. “Very understanding.”
“You keep heaping praise on me, I’m liable to vomit all over.”
He turned in time to see Dane roll his eyes. “Kyle saw you were trying to get into the bathroom for something. We got the shots in there that we needed for now.”
“Thanks.” He looked over at Caroline. “Flag down Evander and tell him he’s going to have to work this into your living room design. And if he gives you any crap, send him to me.” A piece likethatdidn’t deserve to be tucked away in a special room. It deserved to live.
Chapter twenty-five
Dane
Oncethey’dhookedbackup, this time in Dane’s hotel room, he launched in. “So I saw you geeking out over glass today. Very sexy.”
“Oh yeah. I’m sure it twiddled all your bits to hear me talk about stippled grapes and fluorescent glass and shit.”
“It certainly twiddled one of them.” Dane could hardly believe how much easier their relationship, their banter, was since that one conversation the other night. It was a damn sight better than the awkward, fumbling conversations they were having before. It wasfunto be able to flirt and trade innuendo.
It was also fun for Dane to see how many times he could get Aras to roll his eyes. Like he did at that comment. “You should be studied. You’re obsessed with your dick.”
“I’mobsessed with my dick?” Dane scoffed as he emptied his pockets out on the dresser next to the TV. “Remind me real quick—”
“Yes, I’m the one who wanted to go upstairs after I saw your dick pic. But I don’t bring it up nearly as much as you do.” Aras toed off his shoes, then headed for the bathroom. “Pizza so we don’t have to go anywhere?”
“I’ll find a place.”
