Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (8 page)

“I knew that already,” Holly said with a smile. “Next week I’ll show you what I’ve been working on.”

The warehouse door opened. Emily, the owner of a fashion boutique beside Angel Wings Café, wheeled a large clothes rack inside. “Hi, everyone. Where would you like this?”

The next twenty minutes was a mixture of laughter, last-minute preparations, and hope that the auction would be a success.

Hannah and Claire arrived with other members of the art collective. Everyone would be pitching in to help guests find paintings they were interested in, serve the finger food and pour drinks.

Tommy and his mom, Andrea, arrived on time and with more food.

“You didn’t need to bring anything,” Hannah said quickly.

“We wanted to help. My husband will be here soon with more food.” Andrea passed Holly a tray of pastries. “We can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing.”

“We’re happy to help. I’ll take this across to a table.” Tommy looked happy in his stroller. He had his favorite toy dangling from the edge of the frame and another soft toy in his fist.

Hannah and Nick took Tommy and his mom on a tour of the exhibition. Holly stood by the entrance with a bundle of catalogs in her arms, ready to welcome their first guests. She didn’t have to wait long.

Doris Stanley and her husband Jake were next through the doors. Mrs. Stanley was wearing a deep aubergine dress with a softly pleated skirt and long sleeves. Holly looked at her lime-green shoes.

“You don’t think they’re too much, do you?” Mrs. Stanley whispered. “Jake preferred my silver shoes, but I wanted to be a little more artsy.”

“They look very artsy and comfortable,” Holly said with a smile. “Would you like a catalog to take around the exhibition with you?”

Mrs. Stanley shook her head. “I went online and looked at the electronic version. Isn’t the Internet a wonderful thing? We’ve already chosen the painting we’re going to buy, haven’t we Jake?”

Jake, resplendent in a charcoal suit and green tie, nodded at his wife. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make, mind you. You’ve got a lot of high-quality paintings on offer. We still need to decide on a second choice if the painting we want is sold to someone else.”

“If you need any more information, head toward the people with red name badges,” Holly said, pointing to the badge on her shirt. “They know where everything is and how to help you.”

Another couple walked into the warehouse and the Stanleys moved away.

Mia, Hannah, Nick, and Claire took small groups of people around the exhibition space. They talked about the artists, their work, and any interesting information about their paintings.

When Holly heard Nick say a few words to Tommy’s family and friends about the auction, she realized it didn’t matter how much money they raised. What mattered was that everyone was here because they cared about Tommy. And that, Holly had learned, was more important than all the money in the world.

Hannah stood beside Holly. “It’s going well, so far,” she whispered. “Mia’s going to stand by the entrance. She’ll catch the next wave of people as they come through the doors.”

“We’ll need more catalogs,” Holly whispered. “I’ll get some out of the storage area in a few minutes.”

Hannah nodded toward Nick. “Mia’s granddad seems to be enjoying himself.”

Holly looked across the room. Nick was talking to Tommy’s grandmother. “I’ll take a platter of food around the room when more people arrive.”

“Come and get me when you’re ready to circulate,” Hannah said. “I’ll follow you with glasses of wine.”

While they were talking about the paintings on display, Holly went to the storage room to find more catalogs.

“It looks as though you could do with a hand.”

Holly glanced over her shoulder. Daniel was standing in the doorway. On anyone else a black dinner suit and white shirt would have looked too formal. But on Daniel, it was perfect.

She picked up another handful of catalogs and ignored her pounding heart. “I’ll be okay. We’re expecting a lot more people in the next half hour, so I thought I’d find more catalogs.”

“Just say,
thank you, Daniel. I’d be happy to accept your help
.”

“You’ll miss the best time to see the paintings if you help me. Once everyone arrives you won’t be able to get close to them.”

“I’ll survive. I’ve already gone online and had a good look. Mia said you’re taking guided tours. Do you have time to show me around?”

Holly handed Daniel half the catalogs. “We need to take these to Mia first. If there aren’t many new arrivals, I’d be happy to take you on a tour. Is there anything in particular you want to see?”

“Your painting.”

Holly stumbled. “I didn’t donate a painting,” she lied. “I’m giving my time, instead.”

“That’s a shame. I was hoping to get an insight into how your mind works.”

“You don’t want to know,” she muttered. She looked around for Nick. Mia, Hannah, and Claire knew not to tell anyone the name she painted under. Nick, however, was a different story. If she could get away from Daniel for five minutes, she’d warn him not to say anything.

She looked around the exhibition space and saw Nick standing with Claire and Tommy’s grandmother.

Turning to Daniel, she piled all of her catalogs on top of his. “Would you be able to take these to Mia while I see Claire for a moment?”

Daniel balanced the catalogs in his arms. “Sure. I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back soon.” Holly made a mad dash across to Claire and Nick. While Claire was explaining how the auction would work, Holly grabbed hold of Nick’s arm and pulled him aside.

“Someone’s come to the auction that I hadn’t expected to see. His name is Daniel. I told him I didn’t have a painting in the auction.” She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “It’s really important that he doesn’t know who I am.”

Nick’s bewildered frown turned to one of despair. “You should be proud of who you are and what you have achieved. If a man can’t celebrate a successful woman, he’s not worthy of her affection.”

“I am proud. I’ll tell him who I am eventually, but not tonight.”

“I don’t like the sound of this man.”

Holly glanced over her shoulder. Mia was talking to Daniel. “Please, Nick. When I know him a little better, I’ll tell him. I promise.”

Nick gave a resigned sigh. “You young people confuse me. If this Daniel doesn’t treat you well, he will have me to deal with.”

Holly kissed Nick’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, but there’s something you should know.”

A loud noise at the entrance drew Holly’s attention. A dozen people had arrived at the same time. Mia and Daniel were doing their best to take hats, scarves, and jackets, but there were a lot of people to look after. “I need to help Mia. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Holly felt Nick’s gaze on her as she crossed the room. It wasn’t fair to expect him to pretend he didn’t know who she was. But the artist who’d painted the portrait of Tommy and his grandmother was a mystery to most of the art world. And she wanted it to stay that way.

***

The next hour was a whirlwind of introductions, questions about the auction and the noise that comes with more than one hundred people enjoying themselves. Daniel didn’t get his individual tour, but he did tag along with Holly when she took a group of people through the exhibition.

So far there was good interest in all of the paintings. With the pre-auction inquiries that had been made, Holly was confident they would make enough money to help Tommy’s family.

“Holly, I have someone I want you to meet.”

She turned to Nick and automatically smiled. The man standing beside him was tall and thin. His dark maroon velvet jacket and orange cravat were beautifully tailored. If Holly hadn’t spent time in London and Paris she would have found his clothes a little over the top. But she had a feeling that this guest was more than your average art collector.

Nick placed his hand on the gentleman’s shoulder. “Holly, this is Randolph Dupré. I have known Randolph for more than twenty years. He is the curator at the Gagosian Gallery in San Francisco. Randolph, this is Holly Miller. Holly is the genius behind tonight’s auction.”

Randolph held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you. Your auction is a credit to you.”

Holly glanced at Nick before replying. She hoped he hadn’t told his friend who she really was. “Thank you, but it was a team effort. We have some very talented artists in Montana. It was our chance to help someone.”

Randolph nodded. “It is truly a privilege to use your gifts to make a difference in someone else’s life. I was wondering if you have time to answer a few questions?”

Nick’s face was a cool, calm, mask of secrecy. He wasn’t giving anything away. Randolph had to be the surprise he’d hinted at earlier.

She glanced over her shoulder and looked for Daniel. His friend, Blake, had arrived about twenty minutes ago. She’d left them with Hannah when they’d offered to help collect empty wine glasses. She’d spent the last few minutes checking on Tommy’s family to make sure they were okay.

Holly knew they had only a few minutes before the auction began. “I’d be happy to answer your questions, Randolph. How can I help you?”

“You have an eclectic range of styles in your exhibition. Are all of the artists represented here part of your art collective?”

Holly purposely kept her gaze locked on Randolph. If she looked at Nick, she’d be in danger of showing Randolph how uneasy she was about answering his question. “About seventy percent of the artists are in the collective. We invited artists from across Montana to be part of the auction. They were very supportive.”

“Have you considered other promotional opportunities for the artists after the auction?”

“We partnered with a local marketing company. They scheduled articles about the auction into national art publications. It’s giving individual artists an opportunity to promote their work to a wider audience.”

Randolph nodded. “How would you feel about working with me to organize an exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in San Francisco? It would include five of the artists that are represented at your auction. We would focus on Montana; the landscape, the people, and the wildlife.”

“Your galleries promote some of the most influential artists in the world. Why would you want to exhibit unknown artists’ work?”

Randolph only hesitated for a second, but it was enough for Holly to think there was more to his offer than what he’d said.

“Not all of the artists are unknown,” Randolph said quickly. “At least three have work that has been nationally or internationally recognized by their peers.”

Someone tapped the auctioneer’s microphone.

Holly looked at her watch. “Your offer is very generous Mr. Dupré. I’m definitely interested in talking to you about it, but I need to get back to the auction. Are you going to be staying in Bozeman for long?”

“I fly back to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock. Perhaps we could meet at ten thirty in Nick’s gallery?”

“That would be perfect.” Holly shook his hand. “It was nice meeting you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the auction.”

“I plan to,” he said with a wry grin. “Although, from the interest I’ve seen in a couple of the paintings, I’ll be going home a little lighter in my pocket than I expected.”

She said goodbye before moving to the lectern at the front of the room. Harry Boswell had agreed to be tonight’s auctioneer. Before he’d retired, Harry had worked at some of the biggest auction houses in America.

Every time she thought about the generosity of the people they had approached to make tonight possible, she couldn’t help but feel very proud of their community.

“Hi, Harry. Is there anything you need?”

Harry rubbed his hands together and gave her one of his most charming smiles. “It’s good to see you, Holly. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. If I’m not mistaken, we should have some healthy bidding tonight.”

She hoped he was right. “I’ll leave you to it, then. If you need anything during the auction, just ask.”

Mia joined them. “Already covered. Harry and I have worked out a secret signal for help.”

“It sounds like an FBI operation instead of an auction,” Holly said.

Harry banged his gavel against its sound block.

Holly and Mia jumped.

“Never underestimate the planning that goes into an auction,” he said with a grin. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Mia stayed with Harry while Holly walked to the back of the room. On her way, she reminded anyone who hadn’t heard the crack of Harry’s gavel that the auction was about to start.

The first artwork was ready for its opening bid. In quick succession, the first three paintings sold for well above their reserve prices. As the next canvas was placed on the easel, the excitement in the room grew.

Mia’s oil painting looked incredible. Nick had been speaking with an international buyer. When he’d told the buyer this was the first in a series, he’d been even more interested in acquiring her work.