Page 22 of An Heir For Her Enemy

“Really?” They entered the dining room and made a beeline for the buffet. “What if we need to look for directions or call a cab?”

“We’ll just explore.” Delaney took a plate and began filling it with fruit and a few pastries. “People did travel before cell phones, you know.”

“Thank you for the history lesson.”

“Wow, being without your phone is making you snappy. We’re entering phase one of the withdrawals.”

“I’m not having withdrawals. I’m not as wedded to my phone as you seem to think.”

“Right. And you didn’t give your phone some kind of heartfelt goodbye as you left?”

Logan flashed back to staring at his phone, going back and forth about whether to break the dare and bring it, and decided to say nothing. “The fruit looks fresh.”

“That’s what I thought.” Delaney grinned. “But I’m proud of you for not bringing it. Assuming you don’t have it hidden somewhere.”

“You wound me.” Logan took a piece of bread, a foil-wrapped rectangle of cream cheese, and a few cucumbers, tomatoes, and sliced meat. “I’m a man of my word.”

“We’ll see,” Delaney said again. They made their way to a table by a window that looked out onto the street. Logan set his plate down.

“I’ll get coffee. Do you want some?”

“No, thanks. Just herbal tea, if they have it.”

Logan returned a few minutes later with two steaming mugs. He set the one filled with tea in front of Delaney.

“Don’t you like coffee?”

“I do, sort of, but if I’m being honest, my stomach feels a little off this morning. Maybe it’s the travel. Or maybe it’s the fact that Italians apparently eat deli meat and cucumbers for breakfast.”

Logan stabbed a cucumber with his fork. “I like it. It’s a nice change of pace from sweet breakfasts.”

“Hey, I like savory breakfasts. There’s nothing like a good omelet or some hash browns. This just seems like they’ve gone a little too far.”

Logan chuckled. “To each their own.”

As they ate, though, Logan noticed that Delaney only picked at her plate. Hopefully she’d feel better soon, because being in Rome without being able to sample Italian food would be torture. After they both finished eating, Delaney led the way out of the hotel.

“Where to?” Logan asked.

“I went right the first night, so let’s go left today.” Delaney pointed. “We can play the game I always used to play with my siblings on vacation. Each time we come to a fork in the road, or an intersection in this case, we alternate who chooses the direction we go. I choose that we’ll start left, so at the next intersection, you can decide.”

“What a… fun way of doing things.”

Delaney chuckled at Logan’s discomfort. “It’s nice to set aside your normal habits on vacation, even if it’s a little uncomfortable. I promise, we’ll find our way back to the hotel at the end of the day.”

“My life is in your hands,” Logan joked.

“Let’s see what happens,” Delaney replied with a teasing wink. Logan was a little apprehensive about setting out for the day without any connection to his work or any plan for where to goand what to do, but he was glad that he and Delaney were on better terms. It was worth a little uncertainty.

At the next intersection, Logan chose to turn left again towards a small park. They walked through it, both admiring the fall foliage, before Delaney choose a right turn down a narrow alleyway. It was lined with small shops selling all manner of things, from clothes to jewelry to magnets, and Logan saw Delaney admire a few pieces as they passed.

“Would you like to stop and buy something?” he asked her.

“No.” Delaney cast a lingering glance at the window of a store selling earrings, then tore herself away. “Everything here is way too expensive for me. I can’t afford it.”

“Ican. I’d be happy to buy you something.” Since Logan wanted badly to become a billionaire, he was usually far more careful with his money than most multimillionaires he knew. Yet he’d be more than happy to drop a large sum on a pair of earrings or a dress if it would make Delaney smile that radiant smile of hers.

She shook her head, though.

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