Wilder could handle.
The journalist had taken his revenge by turning her into a notorious part of the
Logan Dane legend.
She was tall, Jasper noted. In a pair of heels she would look him straight in the
eye.
Her height and slender figure did interesting things to the long lines of her
fluidly draped menswear-style trousers. The pale lime green linen shirt fell elegantly
over small firm breasts.
The sculpted line of her shoulders and spine, together with the easy, energetic
way she moved, hinted at the benefits of a regular physical fitness routine. She
might be careless about her filing habits, he reflected, but she looked as though she
was highly disciplined about her workout.
Goal-oriented . Like himself, he thought
Her interesting, fine-boned face was framed by glossy red-brown hair that she
wore in a casual twist. The sleek designer frames of her glasses emphasized the
perceptive awareness in her wide hazel-green eyes.
Jasper sighed. He knew only too well that it was his dangerous lot in life to be
attracted to intelligent women. The older he got the more pronounced the taste had
become.
"Sorry about the greeting you got when you arrived. We're a little busy at the
moment." Olivia waved a graceful hand to indicate the busy scene on the opposite
side of the windowed wall. "We've got four major events coming up in quick
succession. One of them is a reception for Camelot Blue investors and clients."
He inclined his head. "That explains the giant glowing blue sword-in-the-stone
and the fake cave."
"Uh-huh." She sprawled lightly in her chair. The casual pose belied the glint of
wary assessment with which she watched Jasper.
"What else is on the schedule?" he asked politely.
"Let's see." She held up one hand and ticked off items on her fingers. "We've got
the annual Silver Galaxy Foods Night event, which will be an overnight cruise this
year. A fund-raiser for Eleanor Lancaster—"
He raised his brows. "As in Eleanor Lancaster, the candidate for governor?"
"One and the same."
That event had to have been a major coup for Light Fantastic, he thought. The
conventional wisdom and virtually every newspaper pundit in the state were busy
predicting that Eleanor Lancaster would easily win the election. The event firm that
produced her fund-raisers would be in a very nice position when the client became
Governor Lancaster.
"I'm impressed," he said.
"Don't be." Olivia gave him a cheerful, conspiratorial grin. "I've got an inside
track. My brother, Todd, is her policy consultant and speechwriter."
"Convenient."
She raised one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "Business is business."
He wondered how far she took that bit of philosophy. What exactly had she done
with the fortune in Logan Dane paintings that Crawford Lee Wilder claimed she
had inherited after Dane got run over by a bull?
"I think I've got invitations to every event you've mentioned so far," he said.
"Planning to attend any of them?"
"No. I don't get out a lot."
Olivia looked amused. "You'll probably be invited to the last big production on
my list this summer, too."
"What is it?"
"The annual Glow, Inc., company picnic."
He smiled slightly. "You're right. I expect to be on the guest list. And I will
definitely attend that event."
He turned back to the view out the office window. There was a fair amount of
purposeful activity taking place in the studio, he noticed. An array of tools, art
supplies, and electrical equipment littered the floor. The young man who had been
introduced as Bolivar Chantry was deep into the guts of the control panel that had
recently gone awry.
Zara Chantry was busy at the drafting table. Her wealth of golden blond hair
glowed in the light that filtered through the huge factory loft windows behind her.
Jasper wondered why she looked vaguely familiar.
Two androgynous figures, both artistically thin and terribly trendy, were at work
in one corner. They appeared to be constructing huge foil