Page 5 of An Heir For Her Enemy

“Oh, all kinds of things. I verify if pieces are authentic, offer advice on which pieces will be good investments, and suggest how to compile a good collection. Basically, I help wealthy people invest in art.” Delaney grinned. “It’s not exactly my dream job, but it pays well, and I get to see a lot of art.”

“Whatisyour dream job, then?”

“Oh.” Delaney blushed. “Nothing specific.”

Logan got the feeling that she wasn’t being entirely truthful, but he didn’t push. “Anyway, I’m impressed. Like I told you at the gallery, I’m clueless about art.”

“See, you said that.” Delaney raised her eyebrows at him. “But it isn’t true.”

“Believe me, it is.”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Everyone knowssomethingabout art. You might not know who painted it or what the style is. You might not be able to identify the period or talk much about symbolism. But you know how art affects you, how it makes youfeel,which is the most important part.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Logan thought back to the pieces he’d seen at the gallery today. None of them had made him feel anything in particular, apart from mildly confused and unsure of which to pick. “How you feel doesn’t have anything to do with how much a painting is worth or where it came from.”

“How much it’s worth isn’t always what matters. Or it shouldn’t be.” Delaney got out her phone and typed something, then turned the screen to Logan. “See this painting?”

Logan took the phone from her, their fingertips brushing, and examined the picture of the painting she’d pulled up. It looked familiar. The painting depicted a man with an extended grayish face, his mouth open in a huge black hole, his hands at his face. There was a swirl of colors behind him.

“Okay…”

“When you look at this painting, what do you feel?”

Logan considered for a long moment, his eyes on the painting. “I feel… overwhelmed. Or, more accurately, I can imagine that this man feels overwhelmed. He’s in a beautiful place, but he’s so busy wrestling his own demons that he can’t see it.”

“See.” Delaney took the phone back from him. She met his eyes with an approving nod. “Youdoknow something about art. How about this one?”

She showed him another picture, of a lake filled with lily pads.

“Okay, clearly this one is calming and peaceful. When I look at it, I feel like I’m looking through a window into a garden from many years ago, a garden that’s been preserved in time.”

Delaney took the phone back again. “Exactly. Everyone knows something about art. Art isn’t just meant for rich people and academics to analyze to death. It’s meant to be enjoyed by real people. It’s created so that people will feel something — and you did.”

“Wow.” Logan was doubly impressed. “I never thought about it like that before.”

“I know.” Delaney grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “A lot of people don’t.”

Just then, their food arrived. Logan had ordered a few things from the menu, more or less at random. He watched Delaney’s eyes widen as the waiter placed jalapeño poppers, nachos, a plate of sliders, French fries, a blooming onion, a side salad, and a chocolate lava cake onto the table.

“I didn’t know what you wanted,” Logan explained, “so I ordered a few things.”

“This will cost a fortune,” Delaney murmured.

“Don’t worry; it’s on me.”

“Oh.” Delaney picked at the label of her beer again, her eyes skating away. “Thank you.”

Logan felt a stab of worry that he’d messed this up. Delaney was clearly uncomfortable at the thought of the food or the cost of it. He’d only wanted to be considerate. Yet Delaney took a breath and grinned, seemingly having moved past whatever had worried her.

“Why the salad?”

“Maybe you wanted something healthy.” Logan shrugged.

“Not so much.” Delaney reached for a jalapeño popper. “Anyway, I’ve talked your ear off about my job. Tell me more about yours.”

“Investing isn’t all that exciting,” Logan said, although it wasn’t true. There was little he loved more than analyzing market trends and making the right call at the right time.

“Tell me about your art collection, then. I go to a lot of these events, but I haven’t seen you around before.”

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