Page 27 of An Heir For Her Enemy

Delaney giggled. “Really?”

“Really. I would press them in books to dry them, then put them in a special scrapbook.”

“Okay, I love that. Tell me something else.”

“I think it’s your turn.” Logan raised his eyebrows. “You tellmesomething.”

“All right.” Delaney looked out the window at the Colosseum, considering what she could tell him. “When I was a child, I won my county’s spelling bee.”

“Impressive, but hardly surprising.”

“Iwas surprised when it happened, because I didn’t consider myself a great speller, but all right.”

They smiled at each other.

“So.” Delaney looked around the table. “Should we ask for a menu?”

“There isn’t one. Everyone has the chef’s choice of food, which is different every day. I hope that’s all right.”

“Of course. I just hope we get some good pasta.”

As if on cue, a waiter arrived with a starter of watermelon and mozzarella. Delaney was skeptical about the pairing but fell in love with the unique combination after the first bite.

“It’s your turn to tell me something I don’t know about you.”

“Okay. No one knows this about me, or not many people, at least, but I didn’t grow up with money. At all. My family actually struggled a lot to put food on the table and keep the lights on.”

“Really?” Delaney leaned forward. “I had no idea.”

“Like I said, I don’t exactly publicize it, but that’s why it’s so important to me that I fit in with these wealthy types. I want to prove that, even though I didn’t inherit my money, I deserve it as much as they do.”

“And let me guess — that’s also why you’re chasing the first billion.”

“Right in one.” Logan took a bite of watermelon.

“You know, I didn’t grow up with money, either. My parents worked hard to feed us kids and make sure we always had enough, but they weren’t always successful. We all relied on free school lunches and donated clothes. It wasn’t easy, but it taught me something about working hard.”

“Me too. I think some of these rich people don’t understand what it means to reallyearnsomething. That’s part of what makes it so hard to be around them.”

“For me too. And they’re rarely grateful. Sometimes I want to just shout at my clients that they need to appreciate everything they have.”

Logan nodded. “I’ve felt the same way. How did you manage to go from free school lunches to art consultant to New York’s wealthiest?”

Delaney shrugged. “I got a scholarship for college, which helped a lot. I still worked all the way through, but at least some expenses were covered. I imagine you did the same?”

“No, actually.” Logan chuckled, though it was a bitter sound. “I began investing as a teenager, with money I had earned doing side jobs before and after school. But it still wasn’t nearly enough to pay for college and, even though I applied for scholarships, my writing skills weren’t what they needed to be. So, I didn’t go to college. Instead, I read every book I could get my hands on about investing and growing wealth, and I focused on that.”

“Wow.” Delaney shook her head. “I had no idea.”

“No one does.” Logan smiled at her. “Early in my career, when people asked why I was nineteen or twenty and not in college, I told them the truth. They could never take me seriously after they found out that I don’t have a college education, though, so I stopped telling people.”

“Have you thought about going to college now?” Delaney asked. “Surely, you could pay for it if you wanted to.”

“I could. But I’ve spent so much time learning by myself, through books and videos and conversation, that I don’t think I need college now. Although I suppose an art history degree might do me good for trips like this.”

“Right. Then you wouldn’t need to hire someone like me.” Delaney nodded, but her stomach twisted. Was this trip so terrible for Logan that he wanted that?

“No, but then we’d have more to talk about.”

---