Page 56 of Our Now and Forever

Before Snow could form a rebuttal, Carrie returned to the table, doing the same side maneuver she’d used before. “What did I miss?”

“Snow’s in denial,” Lorelei said.

“Lorelei’s being a pain in the ass,” Snow said.

Carrie’s eyes shifted between the two for several seconds before saying, “So I didn’t miss anything. Good. We need to order. I’m starving.”

The air had turned chilly by Friday, when Spencer had agreed to show Caleb around the Ruby during the lunch hour. Leaning against his Jeep, Caleb contemplated the bright red marquee of the theater looming in front of him as he waited for his tour guide to arrive, but his mind remained on his wife.

His beautiful, happy wife.

Snow had recommended he give the new Mexican restaurant a call about advertising, which had resulted in landing his first new client and finding the best Mexican food he’d tasted since a trip to Galveston a couple of years before. While greedily devouring his taco, Caleb considered all the ways he would thank his wife for her suggestion, most of which involved her naked and moaning his name.

“Are you eating that food, or making mad, passionate love to it?” Spencer asked as he stepped out of his truck.

After finishing his current bite, Caleb said, “Have you tried Mamacita’s yet? This is amazing.”

The man in the cowboy hat shook his head. “Not yet, but Lorelei is demanding I take her there tonight, so it must be good.”

“Worth every penny,” he assured Spencer. Caleb wrapped up the rest of his lunch and wiped his hands on a napkin. “Thanks for doing this on your lunch hour.”

“Not a problem.” Spencer pulled his jacket tighter as he led Caleb to the theater entrance. “As you heard at the meeting, we used the money raised in October to repair the roof, so at least we won’t go through another winter with Mother Nature wreaking more havoc on the interior.”

“That was all raised with a festival?”

Spencer slid a key into the lock. “You bet. Lorelei put the whole thing together, and we got lucky when Wes Tillman signed on as entertainment. He provided a lot of equipment for free and gave a sizable donation that helped us hit the goal.”

“Wes Tillman? The guy who’s won nearly every award Nashville gives out?”

“The one and only.” Spencer opened the door and stepped back to let Caleb enter first. “There’s no electricity,” he said, drawing a small flashlight from his back pocket. “But this is enough for you to see what we’re up against.”

“Does Tillman live here?” Caleb asked as he took in the busted concession counter in the center of the lobby. “I thought he was from Texas.”

“Wes lives outside of town. He’s married to a local disc jockey and holds little jam sessions over at the Second Chance Saloon.” Dust danced in the beam from the flashlight. “If you’re a fan, I think he’s got a show coming up on Wednesday.”

Snow said she didn’t sing anymore, but the train that had derailed her dream was their marriage. If they were going to work, he didn’t want her hating him in ten years for taking that away from her. A star like Wes Tillman would have connections. Connections that could put Snow’s singing dreams back on track. And if he heard Snow’s voice, Caleb had no doubt Wes would be a willing benefactor.

Making a mental note to put in some calls, Caleb said, “Thanks. I’ll look into it.”

As the tour continued, Caleb grew to understand the magnitude of this project. The screen, seats, and scarlet curtains draped along the walls were all a total loss.

“How does the balcony look?” he asked, tucking a piece of foam back inside a ripped seat.

“Better than this, actually. But you can see now the extent of the project.” Spencer pointed the flashlight at the ceiling. “You still want to get involved?”

Following the beam of light, Caleb nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

Spencer must not have been expecting that answer. “Really?”

“Really,” he said, meeting his friend’s eye. “Did you think I’d see this and walk away?”

“I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest,” Spencer replied. “I don’t mean to butt into your business, but are you planning to stick around here in Ardent Springs? I got the impression from Snow when you first showed up that your visit was temporary. This project isn’t going to be done in a couple of months.”

Was Caleb’s stay temporary? Or would he be living in Ardent Springs come this time next year? The questions kept coming up, and the more he ruminated on the subject, the more he landed on the same answer.

There would be no leaving Snow, that was a given, but the original plan had always been to move his wife back to Louisiana with him. At some point in the last couple of weeks, without Caleb realizing, his plans had changed.

“I can’t give any guarantees, but as of right now, I don’t see us leaving anytime soon.”

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