Page 58 of Our Now and Forever

“I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. “Why?”

“Premier is conducting a special auction that includes three other valuable artworks. That means the buyers will be there, and this is the perfect situation to maximize your profits while putting that piece into the hands of a dedicated collector.” Her passion for her trade coming through, the appraiser added, “A piece like that deserves to be in a collection where it will be admired and cared for.”

As Snow recalled, Virginia Bolliver had been appalled upon learning the previous location of the painting, and further astonished that no one involved with the Brambleton estate had a clue of the treasure in their midst.

“Doesn’t an auction like that require some sort of application and review process?” The Premier Auction House had a reputation for selling only the best items with authentication and full documentation of provenance.

“In most situations, yes,” Ms. Bolliver agreed, “but I’ve convinced them to bypass standard protocol for your piece. You have a rare find, Ms. Cameron. I highly recommend you take whatever measures necessary to be here in the morning.”

Well, when she put it that way ...

“I’ll have to find someone to run the store,” Snow said, catching Lorelei’s eye. “Saturday is a busy day here.”

Lorelei caught the hint and raised her hand. “I can do it.”

“But I’m sure I can work that out,” Snow said into the phone. “Could you e-mail the address and other details?”

“Consider it done.” The appraiser sounded pleased. “I’ll see you in the morning, Ms. Cameron. Be prepared for an exciting day. If I’m right, and I usually am, your painting will be the star of the show.”

Without waiting for a reply, Ms. Bolliver hung up, and a second later Snow’s phone chimed, indicating she’d received a new e-mail.

“Wow,” Lorelei said, “that woman doesn’t mess around. Now, who is Ms. Bolliver?”

Snow stared at Lorelei with what she could only guess was a goofy expression. “I believe she just became my fairy godmother.”

If the painting sold for anything near the appraisal amount, Snow could make serious upgrades to the store and still have enough to send money home to her parents. And maybe, even if only for a day, Snow would no longer be the poor nobody that Caleb had brought home to Mommy and Daddy Warbucks.

Chapter 19

“Yes,” Caleb said, staring at the Ruby parking lot with his hands on his hips. “This is the perfect spot.”

Spencer rubbed his chin as he squinted at the empty lot. “Perfect for what?”

“A cruise-in.”

“You mean one of those old car things?”

Caleb gave his new friend a dubious look. “They aren’t old cars, they’re classics, and the people who own them like to show them off. We’re going to give them that opportunity.”

“Now you sound like Coop,” Spencer said. “I can appreciate an old car”—Caleb increased his glare, and Spencer corrected—“a classic car as much as the next fella, but anything that happens in this parking lot needs to go toward the restoration project. That’s not my rule, that’s according to the owners.”

“It’ll all go toward the restoration project.”

That announcement caught Spencer’s attention. “You’re talking about a cruise-in to raise money?”

“I am,” Caleb said. “We can hold them all summer long. This lot is large enough for three sections.” He pointed to the row directly adjacent to the back wall of the theater. “Cruisers over there.” Shifting to the middle section, he added, “Muscle cars in the center, and over on the far side will be the sale lot. We’ll charge a higher fee for those spots, of course.”

“Let me get this straight,” Spencer said, stepping forward and surveying the lot as if trying to picture what Caleb described. “People will pay to park their cars here?”

“They will.” He could see it clear as day, as if the cars were already filling the space. “Once the first event is a success, word of mouth will spread, and by the third time around, we’ll have to turn people away.”

Catching Caleb’s enthusiasm, Spencer said, “What about vendors? People will need to eat, right?”

Liking the idea, Caleb nodded. “People will definitely need to eat. It’s the perfect fundraiser because it’s almost no overhead. Provide a couple generators for the vendors, if they don’t supply their own, and maybe set a little of the entry fees aside as prize money. Award a ‘best in show’ or something. The owners love that, and we can let the attendees decide the winners.”

“Buford would cough up the generators with no problem,” Spencer said, referring to the local hardware store owner and official Ruby Restoration committee chair. “I can’t believe we didn’t see this before. Especially after utilizing the space for the festival.”

“The idea came from Cooper. He told me that the mayor wouldn’t let him use the fairgrounds for something like this.” With a conspiratorial smile, Caleb added, “I bet if we team up, we can coax our mechanic friend into coordinating the whole thing.”

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