Page 7 of Fake It Til You Break It

Jasper snorted, somehow making it sound elegant, and shook his head. Without a word, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and retrieved his cell phone so he could scan the QR code.

“How much did you bid?” I asked when he finished.

“Twelve.”

“You overpaid by about ten dollars, but fair, I guess.”

He turned his head and arched one manicured eyebrow.

“Wait. Twelve hundred?” When he continued to stare at me, I nearly choked. “Twelvethousand?”

“Keep your voice down,” he warned, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. “Let’s look at some other pieces.”

Although I didn’t harbor much hope that things would get better, I hadn’t expected them to get worse. Yet, I spent a solid ten minutes trying to make sense of a black dot the size of a pencil eraser set against a puke-green background. The title didn’t help either, sinceCrushcould have been referring to romantic entanglements or a garbage compactor.

For some reason I couldn’t put my finger on, I leaned toward the latter.

One positive thing did come out of the evening, however. The setting didn’t lend itself to casual conversation, which meant we made it through half the exhibit before anyone approached us.

“Jasper, I haven’t seen you in ages.” Draped in emerald satin that hugged her curves, Ms. Elisa Doherty sashayed right into his personal space to deliver air kisses to both cheeks. “We missed you at the fashion show last week, but honestly, you were right not to attend.”

She continued babbling, so obsessed with the sound of her own voice that she didn’t notice the way Jasper’s smile tightened, or how his spine stiffened. Every time he stepped away to put some space between them, she followed to close the gap.

The third time it happened, I had seen enough. Sliding in beside Jasper, I placed a hand on his lower back and angled myself slightly in front of him.

“Ms. Doherty, you look lovely this evening.”

She seemed taken aback at first, surprised that someone would have the audacity to interrupt her. Then her eyes brightened with recognition, and she responded with a girlish giggle.

“Beckett, you are such a flirt, but thank you. As you know, I recently dropped some dead weight.”

I assumed she was referring to her divorce, and while she might be down another husband, her net worth had nearly doubled.

“That must be a relief.” I inched forward a little more, forcing her to retreat another step. “Are you enjoying the exhibit? Anything speaking to you?”

“I have my eye on a couple of pieces. The series is quite tasteful, don’t you think?”

I made a noncommittal noise in the back of my throat as I pointed to the painting behind her. “What about this one? What do you think of it?”

“Oh, this one?” She adopted a pensive expression as she studied the artwork. “You can really feel the emotion in this one.”

Her tone was as dry as the stuffed mushrooms being passed around the room. And that feeling she had? Probably indigestion.

“Yes, it really hits you right here.” I fisted one hand over my stomach while indicating the single swath of beige paint on the white canvas aptly titledUndone. “I especially appreciate the use of negative space. It really lets the whole thing breathe.”

“You are so right,” she agreed. “I see you have an eye for art.”

“I just know what I like.” And this definitely wasn’t it.

“Will you be bidding on it?”

Not even if I could afford it. “Try and stop me.”

She brushed a chestnut curl over her shoulder, and a high-pitched laugh bubbled from her painted lips. “Yes, well, I need to make the rounds. You know how it is.” Her smile stretched a little wider, but her eyes gleamed with predation when they landed on Jasper. “We should catch up soon.”

“Yes, of course.” He pressed heavily against my side now, but outwardly, he appeared calm and composed. “Soon.”

Crisis averted, I watched her leave with a sense of relief and accomplishment. So, I was surprised when Jasper rounded on me the moment she walked away, his eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared.

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