Page 9 of The Billion Dollar Bet

Barely able to concentrate on the proceedings she almost the missed the impromptu auction and what the chairperson was saying about it.

“These pieces of art were donated at the last minute,” he said. “But we could not pass up the opportunity to offer them to our guests this evening. We will start with this piece.”

There were several items covered with white sheets set out on the lower platform. Several pieces of sculptures were offered and were quickly taken by some women. A painting of a horse followed and was bought by the president of McKinley Toilet Paper Company.

Then the chair’s assistant pulled off the sheet from a painting of a woman with a bucket on her head as though carrying water. Her child was being balanced on her left hip while her right hand held the bucket in place. Cassie was mesmerized by the details of the water splashing from the bucket and the eyes of the woman as her despair was evident.

The chairperson mentioned the name of the artist which hailed from the Caribbean and proceeded to start the bidding at ten thousand dollars. She would have bought the painting herself if she had the money to spare. Someone beside her mentioned how beautiful the art was.

“Yes, it is indeed breathtaking,” she responded.

Before the chair could call the bid, his assistant leaned over and covered the mike while speaking discreetly in his ear. He then came back with an apology.

“I have been told that this painting has been reserved and will not be made available for this auction,” he said. “My humble apologies.”

There were murmurs through the crowd as the surprise was evident. The chair went on to the call out the pledges already made through the foundation. From that point the event became more of a bore than it was before. To her it seemed like a wasted evening, time she could have spent at her lab.

The rest of the evening was spent listening to dozens of pledges. While this happened, waiters with trays of delicacies meandered through the crowd. Now famished, she took some of the offerings from a waiter. She bypassed the caviar and took a few savory tarts and cheese puffs. After consuming another orange juice she decided it was time to leave.

She was surprised that Devin hadn’t bothered her for the balance of the evening. As she made her way out through the entrance, she was somewhat disappointed that he’d given up his quest to pursue her. It only proved to her that he had only been toying with her all along.

While she awaited the arrival of her car from the valet, she realized she hadn’t seen Professor Cameron in some time. He must have thought that she was with Devin and decided to leave her alone. Upon second thoughts, she realized that he could not have been the one who recommended her for the grant, because she had only interned with him for three months and that was a couple of years ago. There was no way he knew enough about her work. So that ruled him out.

“Miss,” the attendant arrived and interrupted her thoughts. “Your car won’t start.”

“Are you serious?” she asked. “You parked it a couple of hours ago, right? And it was fine.”

“Yes, but something must have gone wrong.”

She shook her head. “I just had my car serviced. It’s in perfect working condition.”

“I’m sorry, can I call you a cab or something?”

“No, take me to my car.”

Now a little miffed that they’d done something to mess up her car, she followed the attendant to the parking area. When she got behind the wheel and tried the ignition, nothing happened. She turned the key again, and again. She got out, and opened the hood, trying to see if there was anything amiss, but the lighting was terrible and she had to pull out her cell phone. With her untrained eye, she could detect nothing amiss, especially from her cell phone light.

Slamming the hood, she locked the car and made her way back to the front of the building while dialing for a cab. The line just opened and the company answered when someone approached her, blocking her path.

“Is everything okay?” Devin asked. “I’m about to leave and noticed that you are coming from the parking lot, with the valet. You also look upset. Did he harass you?”

“Excuse me,” she told the operator on the phone, before removing it from her ear. “My car won’t start. I’m calling a cab.”

“No need. I’ll drop you,” Devin replied, taking the phone from her hand and hanging it up.

She snatched her phone from his grasp. “That’s not necessary.”

But Devin was taking her arm and guiding her to an awaiting car while shooing his friends. “I insist. I’m not leaving you to the devices of a cab driver.”

“Really, I’m fine.”

He was opening the front passenger door of the latest model Mercedes. All she could do at that point was allow him to seat her. She opened her purse and fingered her pepper spray while keeping her key in her hand, just in case. After providing her address, they were on their way.

Chapter 8

With a yawn, Cassie stretched and opened her eyes. The sound of rain on the window pane was relaxing and made her want to remain in bed. It was Saturday. There were a few errands to run, including getting the mechanic to go pick up her car. She was not looking forward to going about town without a ride. She loved the rain. She just didn’t like going out in it unless it was to have a rain shower.

Thinking about the rain brought back memories of her grandparents. Her grandmother used to tell her that her grandfather would insist they take walks in the rain. He would pull her into his arms and dance to the music of the patter of the raindrops, then he would kiss her like there was no tomorrow. She often imagined that she would find a love like that.

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