“Oh, you found the irony?” David drawled.
“They’re painted in egg tempera, aren’t they?” Caroline said, pointing at the label.
Adrian stopped trying to tug her away, giving her a quick appreciative look out of the corner of his eye. He dropped his head back and laughed at the sour look on the trio’s faces.
“She’s got you there, David,” he said.
He sounded relieved, and that tone sent far more reassurance through Caroline than his hand on her back.Set point, Caroline and Adrian. How often did Adrian have to face off against Obnoxious Art Guys? The species seemed pervasive in Boston.
Vanessa snorted, sliding a half step to the left to block Adrian from moving away. “How did you even manage to meet someone new so quickly? I thought Nora kept you on a pretty short leash.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed, but he answered “Through friends” at the same time as Caroline said “Internet.” His next look at her was distressed, but if they were supposed to be lying about it, he could have told her what the cover story was ahead of time. It wasn’t like she’d said she was paying him. She pursed her lips in frustration.
“I read that women look on dating apps for men who are within five years of their own age, but men always want twenty-year-olds,” Jillian said to David. “Do you think that’s true?”
David held up his hands in mock apology. “There’s something so reassuring about twenty-year-olds. Everything’s brand-new to them.”
“You are such a pig,” Vanessa said, shoving his shoulder, though not as though she really meant it. “Also, it’s mathematically impossible for that to work, since the twenty-year-olds are looking for twenty-five-year-olds.”
“Unless you lie about your age,” Jillian said. She gave Adrian a speculative look.
“Everyone does, online,” David said.
“Can I get you another glass of wine?” Adrian asked Caroline as though nobody were speaking about them.
“They actually didn’t have age ranges on the one we used,” Caroline told the group. “I was just filtering for someone with the leatherworking skills to help me repair my riding crop collection. I’m lucky that I got Adrian and not an eighty-year-old saddlery enthusiast.”
Adrian choked. Jillian and David stared at her in confusion. Vanessa openly scowled, even though Caroline thought she’d been objectively funny. But she took those reactions as enough of a win to let Adrian lead her away and back to the bar.
“I’m sorry about that,” he muttered once they were out of earshot.
“Did you beat them in some kind of artist duel?” Caroline demanded. “Accidentally drop paint on their stuff?” They reminded her of the other women on her tennis team, who had theoretically been on her side as teammates, except for the public ranking of who was the best at the only thing they had in common. She bristled, imagining Adrian having to deal with these people at all of his art events.
“No, I—actually, they’re friends of mine. I was on vacation with them in Quebec six months ago. We used to...It doesn’t matter. I used to see them a couple of times a week. Not recently though.”
Caroline halted. “Really?” She would never have guessed that. She was always getting the wrong read on situations, but she would have sworn he didn’t like them from the way he acted. “You guys are close?”
He sighed, rubbing the side of his face. “I don’t know. I’ve known them for a long time. We were at all the same shows, went to the same kinds of places. I went to art school with Vanessa, and she and David were at—” He dropped his shoulders. “So, Vanessa and David were also at my ex’s gallery. Are still there, I assume.”
What she supposed he meant was, they were all friends with his ex. These were the people Tom had worried about. How he’d thought makeup was going to be enough armor to deal with these people confounded her. People who had spent the last ten years acquiring art and sophistication were not going to be impressed by a good smoky eye.
Well, Caroline understood loyalty. They probably felt obligated to be awful to Adrian for a while, especially if Adrian hadn’t shared his side of the story. His expression was bruised as he took another gulp of the wine he’d disparaged.
She ought to go speak with them again. If they were angry because they thought he was dating someone new, Caroline could at least put in a little effort to show that she was not trying to come between Adrian and his mutual friends with his ex. And she hadn’t been very open to their thoughts on the paintings. Their reactions served her right for making assumptions about them.
Adrian turned his head and swore under his breath as he spotted the two newest people at the party.
“Jan and Samantha,” he muttered. “This evening is going to get even better.”
Caroline followed his gaze and spotted the couple of middle-aged art patrons she’d met back at the sushi restaurant near the symphony. She didn’t know why he was cursing though—she remembered them as friendly.
“Should we go say hi?” she asked.
“No, no, save yourself. I do need to say hello to them though, just in case they’re interested in buying another painting someday.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be right back.”
