Page 68 of Her Cadillac Cowboy
She slowly withdrew her hand from his.
The movement sent sizzling charges up his arm.
Her head dropped. She went to the sink and began washing the last of the dishes. “I’m sorry, Josh. You know I wouldn’t ask to rent the Caddy if I weren’t desperate.”
“So tell me.” He picked up the towel and dried.
“The key to setting Carson’s back on its feet is the new RV department. I’ve got the space, and a new deal with Mega Motors is in the works.”
“That’s why you were having dinner with Marty?” Josh told himself he just wanted confirmation.
“Yes.”
An absurd burst of relief struck him in the chest. She hadn’t gone out with Marty because she was interested in him.
“Marty called and told me that Mega is concerned about our marketing plan. We don’t have a marketing manager on staff at the moment, and I’ve been doing all of that work in addition to my dad’s.”
“I knew you’d been working too hard.”
She waved an impatient hand at him. “Please, I need to get through this.”
He nodded. It had to be difficult for her to ask a McKinley for anything, least of all the Caddy.
“Anyway, Mega wants a year-long advertising plan with a big opening splash, something that will draw customers for a month or more. After several tries, I came up with a plan that they approved, but I need the Caddy for the splash.”
“What’s the offer?” He stowed the last of the dishes.
Sara rinsed the sink. “Two hundred a day plus a loaner. We pay all cleaning and maintenance costs as well as provide extra insurance.”
“What’s the extra insurance for?”
“The car will be on display at Carson’s downtown showroom for a month.”
“Is extra insurance unusual?”
“No, but filling it with one hundred dollar bills is.”
“That’s a lot of money. Why?”
“When the month is over, the person who can guess the correct number of bills wins a free RV. Any ties will have the winner drawn at random.”
“I’d rather have the money.”
“A lot of other people would rather have a free RV.”
“And all Carson’s gets is increased traffic in the showroom for a month.”
“We get that and more. The registrations for the contest provide us with a potential client base for the RV department. We’ll also get some direct sales from the increased showroom traffic.”
“Sounds good to me. Mega has approved?”
“I’m pretty sure they will if I can get the Caddy from you.”
“Why not some other classic car?”
“Cadillacs have always been associated with luxurious travel and top- quality products. Mega wants that association. Besides, that Caddy is special. It’s one of a kind, and it has community history.”
“You know what kind of history you’re talking about?”
