‘Of course,’ Eve said drily.
But she couldn’t help feeling pleasure in the compliment she had just been given. Each painting she did was a labour of love, and when it left her studio to be sold at Sophy’s gallery it went with great reluctance on Eve’s part to let that part of herself go. She had often wondered what sort of person, just who, would claim her latest and most precious ‘child’; each successive painting had always become the most precious.
Much as it made her feel slightly uncomfortable to think of the man Adam owning several parts of her inner self in that way, she also knew instinctively that the paintings would be cherished by him, that despite being a businessman he was able to appreciate the emotional value of her work and not just the financial; and so many of the buyers seemed to be concerned purely with the financial nowadays.
‘And there’s more,’ Sophy added, with a gleam of laughter in her eyes.
Eve instinctively distrusted that gleam. ‘Oh?’ she prompted warily.
‘Mm,’ the other woman said teasingly. ‘He told me the two of you never had got around to introducing yourselves properly the other evening.’
‘It didn’t seem necessary, the fact that we’re called Adam and Eve amused him enough,’ she recalled with a heavy sigh.
Sophy chuckled. ‘That’s because he had the added insight of knowing his full name is Adam Gardener!’ she announced with great enjoyment.
‘It couldn’t be!’ Eve groaned, briefly closing her eyes, shaking her head as if to shut out the awful coincidence of that name.
‘It is,’ the other woman laughed softly. ‘Think how much more amused he would have been if he had known he was talking to Eve Eden!’
It didn’t even bear thinking about!
‘What on earth were our parents thinking of when they named the two of us?’ she gasped.
‘Well, certainly not that you would ever meet each other!’ Sophy was obviously enjoying herself immensely—at their expense.
And why shouldn’t she? Good heavens, Adam Gardener and Eve Eden—it was too ridiculous to even think about!
‘Well, at least that isn’t likely to happen again.’ Thank goodness. What a topic for conversation they would be if the people she knew should ever realise Adam’s full name and its significance to hers. Goodness knew, her name alone had been a source of amusement for years; the two together would be just too much.
‘If we do go into collaboration with him over an exhibition in New York, he will obviously want to meet you,’ Sophy pointed out practically.
Eve shook her head very firmly. ‘You know very well that I never travel.’
Sophy’s mouth tightened. ‘That’s only because you’ve allowed——’
‘Besides,’ she cut in determinedly, wanting to avoid Sophy saying anything further that was detrimental to Paul, knowing the other woman usually lost no opportunity to criticise him, even if it wasn’t always valid.
She simply didn’t want to travel, it certainly had nothing whatsoever to do with Paul’s aversion to her becoming involved with the artistic set that could become such a threat to their privacy.
‘I’m just too busy working with my grandmother on the arrangements for the wedding in September.’ Not that that was really taking up so much of her time; it was only going to be a small affair, with close family and a few friends.
And, if there was still this animosity between Paul and Sophy at that time, she had the feeling he was going to insist Sophy and Patrick not be included in the latter. It was going to be a serious bone of contention between them.
Sophy arched mocking brows. ‘Is September when Paul has decided the wedding is to be?’
She gave a weary sigh. ‘That’s when we have decided it’s to be, yes.’
The other woman gave a sceptical snort. ‘But I have no doubt the date fits in very nicely with Paul’s schedule.’
‘Well, of course it does.’ Eve was becoming more than a little irritable now. ‘As the wedding can really be at any time, there would be no point in arranging it for when it’s completely inconvenient for everyone involved.’
‘September suits you too, does it?’ Sophy derided drily.
‘Sophy, I know you and Paul don’t get on, but——’
‘That has to be the understatement of the year!’ the other woman scorned.
‘—but he is the man I love and intend to marry,’ Eve finished firmly, glaring fiercely.