"No problem. The last one is the one I need," Zara replied.

As they talked, Pete Toby, who sat diagonally behind them, watched with barely contained resentment. She rested her hand on her lower abdomen and scrunched up her face. "Jack, I feel sickish. I'm going to go to the bathroom." Jack's frustration momentarily flickered in his eyes. "What's the matter? The auction will be beginning shortly." Pete Toby, a first-time auction goer, noticed that everyone was dressed in casual attire, and it would be a nuisance if she should accidentally bump into someone. She lowered her gaze. "I don't know. Maybe it's the air conditioning. It is too chilly."...