Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (28 page)

“Holly will know that she needs to stand by her paintings.” Brian nodded at another couple before sidestepping around someone else. “But having a friend exhibit with her could be new for her. If Mia’s paintings are somewhere else, I’d bet money on Holly being with her.”

Daniel knew she’d definitely be with Mia. This kind of event could be intimidating for a new artist and Holly knew how her friend would be feeling.

Brian nudged his elbow. “I see them. They’re surrounded by reporters.” Without warning, he stopped moving.

Daniel followed Brian’s gaze and understood what had startled him. Helena’s portrait had been hung beside Holly’s four landscape paintings.

In Holly’s studio, the portrait was beautiful; in the gallery, it was mind-blowing.

The lighting around the painting revealed another dimension to Holly’s portrayal of her mother. He hadn’t seen it in the studio and from the look on Brian’s face, neither had he.

The tree no longer sheltered Helena from the world. The lighting drew her image forward, unveiling a confidence and determination he hadn’t seen before.

Daniel grabbed Brian’s champagne flute before it landed on the floor. “Are you okay?”

“I never imagined…” He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose. “I’ve spent the last twenty years regretting what I did. How can Holly ever forgive me?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. Your daughter has an incredible capacity for love. The only person you need to forgive is yourself.”

Brian took a deep breath. Before he could say anything, Holly appeared from behind a crowd of people.

Her gaze collided with Daniel’s. She stood silently beside Mia, looking as overwhelmed as her dad.

In that split second, Daniel didn’t know whether he’d done the right thing by coming here. He’d wanted tonight to be special, something she would remember.

“Let’s go,” said Brian. “The media are closing in on her. She needs help.”

Daniel moved quickly. Brian was right. Another group of reporters and photographers were heading toward her. As they neared her exhibit, he overheard someone talking.

He glanced at Brian. “They know who she is.”

“How did they find out?”

“I have no idea.”

A woman holding a cell phone stopped in front of them. “How does it feel to have a famous daughter, Mr. Miller?”

Brian froze.

Randolph Dupré appeared beside them. “Mr. Miller would like to spend a few minutes with his daughter. There’ll be an opportunity for photographs and questions in fifteen minutes.” He placed his hand on Brian’s elbow. “Come with me.”

No one intercepted them as they moved through the group of reporters.

Daniel suspected that had more to do with the security guards hovering around them, than any lack of interest in the two people Randolph was escorting.

Brian caught up with Holly and hugged her tight.

Daniel didn’t know what he whispered in her ear, but her father’s words brought tears to her eyes.

When she hugged him back at least thirty cameras clicked into action.

Seconds later, Randolph ushered Holly and her dad through a concealed door.

Daniel scanned the crowd still hovering around Holly’s paintings. Mia was standing beside another suit-clad security guard, looking every bit as overwhelmed as Holly.

He moved toward her. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

The security guard spoke into a headset, then turned to Mia. “Mr. Dupré has asked if you and Mr. Sullivan would like to join him.”

Daniel looked at Mia and she nodded.

He took her elbow and, guiding her through the crowd, followed the security guard. They walked along a corridor and into a staff room.

Holly sat on a bright blue sofa talking quietly to her dad. Without the mass of red curls hiding her face, her high cheek bones and wide-set eyes looked even more beautiful. She shared the same full lips, the same turned-up nose as her dad’s.

Even the way Brian listened to his daughter reminded Daniel of the way Holly looked when she was focused on something. Brian’s mouth tilted into a smile and Holly laughed.

“Holly told Randolph who she was,” Mia whispered to him. “As soon as the exhibition opened, a group of reporters headed straight toward us. Randolph brought in more security guards, but it was pretty intense for a while. Holly moved around the gallery talking with the other artists. I think she was trying to make sure everyone’s photo was taken.”

“Why did she tell Randolph she’s H. Jones?”

“I guess you’ll have to ask her that.”

Holly patted her dad’s hand, then walked toward Daniel. “Hello, stranger.”

He watched her face closely, looking for any sign that would tell him how she was feeling. “Hi, back at you.”

Mia looked from one to the other. “I’ll keep your dad company, Holly.”

“Thanks, Mia.” She gazed at Daniel. “Dad said you’ve been planning this for weeks.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“I’m glad you did. I told Randolph who I am.”

“I gathered that. How does it feel?”

She took a deep breath. “Scary and exciting. I’m disappointed in myself. I was angry with dad when I chose to paint under my mom’s maiden name. I blamed him for what happened. That wasn’t fair.”

“You were a child.”

“I grew up, but it didn’t make any difference. I should have tried to find him.”

“Sometimes you need to wait for the right time.”

Holly stepped toward him. “You’re doing a good job of making me feel better.”

He wrapped his hands around hers. “What are you going to do next?”

“Randolph has called a press conference in a few minutes’ time. We’ll answer any questions the media might have, then go back to the exhibition. Hopefully, my identity will be old news in a couple of days. Someone else will be in the spotlight, taking up space in the newspapers and magazines.”

Daniel had a feeling it would take more than a few days for the media interest to disappear. Not only had Holly told everyone she was one of the most respected portrait artists in the world, but her dad was none other than Brian Miller. Brian’s reputation for excellence spanned the globe. Once the first stories hit the headlines, others would follow.

Life as Holly knew it would never be the same again.

Holly squeezed his fingers. “Are you okay? You look sad.”

“I was just thinking about the future.”

“And it made you sad?”

“Only parts of it. I’d better not take up more of your time. You have a press conference to attend.”

“Will you come with us?”

He looked at Brian and Mia. They were waiting beside Randolph. “I’ll stay with Mia.” He let go of Holly’s hands, frowning when she didn’t move.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

A lump formed in the base of his throat. He looked into her blue eyes and remembered the first time they’d met. There was a vitality and energy about her that had captivated him from their first date. When he’d moved to Montana, he’d been looking for something. Until now, he didn’t realize he’d been looking for Holly.

“Daniel?”

“We’d better go and see Randolph. He’s about to send one of his security guards to find us.”

Holly looked over her shoulder, then back at Daniel. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”

“I would. Let’s go.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and took her across to Randolph.

Holly looked uncertainly at her dad. “I haven’t done this before.”

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “We’ll be with you the whole time. If you don’t want to answer any of the questions, don’t. Randolph and I will step in if we’re needed.”

As soon as the doors to the conference room opened, camera flashes and questions from reporters filled the small space with dazzling light and the clamor of insistent voices.

Holly stood behind the podium and took a deep breath.

Daniel sat at the side of the room with Mia. He’d made a mistake coming here tonight.

This was the beginning of a new life for Holly and he wasn’t sure he could be part of it.

***

Daniel leaned against the balcony of his hotel suite. The view overlooking the San Francisco skyline would normally have impressed him. But tonight, the only thing he could focus on was Holly.

“Are you cold?” Holly held his coat toward him.

He slid his arms into the sleeves. “Thanks.”

“Mia and dad have finished their dessert. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I’m fine. I just needed to get some fresh air.”

“You have a better view of the city from this floor. Was it coincidental that you booked the same hotel?”

“No. Nick told me where you were staying. You did well tonight.”

Holly buried her hands in her jacket pockets. “Apart from when one of the reporters asked if I was single. He looked disappointed when I told him my boyfriend was sitting in the room.”

“Do you realize how different everything is going to be?”

“I expect Mrs. Stanley will be annoyed that she wasn’t the first to know. My class at the community center will be in hot demand. We might even get a little publicity for the students applying for art school scholarships.”

Daniel stared into the distance. “Randolph said that living in Bozeman isn’t going to help your career.”

“He did?”

“There are more opportunities for you in a bigger city. He told me he has a friend in London who could help build your client list.”

“That was nice of him, but I’m happy in Bozeman.”

Daniel turned his back on the view and looked at Holly. “If you decide to move somewhere else, that’s okay.”

“I don’t want to move anywhere else.”

“Not now,” he said. “But in six months or a year’s time, it might be different. You’re a talented artist. You need to make the most of what’s happened tonight.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “Apart from telling everyone my real name, what else happened tonight?”

“You have a famous father. People will have different expectations of you.”

“People?”

Daniel sighed. “The whole world is going to want to know who you are.”

“The whole world can read about me on the Internet. The only people who matter are my family and friends.”

“You’ve got an incredible career ahead of you. I didn’t realize what that could mean until I saw all of the reporters.”

“It means the price of my paintings will skyrocket. The portraits in your living room have probably gone up twenty percent overnight.”

Daniel didn’t trust the gleam in her eyes. “Keep talking.”

She stepped forward and held onto the collar of his coat. “If you’d invested in the four paintings I sold at the exhibition, you could have impressed Mrs. Stanley with your H. Jones collection.”

“I’ve already impressed Mrs. Stanley. I gave her the inside scoop on Blake’s Crazy Love app.”

“Did she bribe you with her chocolate fudge muffins?”

“No, but I’m definitely open to bribery.”

Holly smiled, and for a moment, Daniel imagined that nothing had changed.

“What about corruption?” she asked with a grin.

“It depends on what you’ve got in mind.”

“I could lead you astray at The Palace of Fine Arts. It’s open until midnight for a special exhibition.”

Daniel looked at his watch. “It’s eleven o’clock now.”

“I’ll order a taxi. We’ll be there in less than fifteen minutes.”

“You know I’m going to say yes, don’t you?”

“I’m hoping you’ll say yes.” Holly slid her arms over his shoulders. “You won’t regret it.”

Daniel had a feeling he was going to regret a lot of things after tonight. “Okay. We’ll go to the exhibition. Does Mia and your dad know we’re all heading into town?”

“They’ve already got their jackets on,” Holly kissed his cheek. “Let me lead you astray.”

***

“Don’t you think it’s time you told Holly how you feel?” Blake asked.

Daniel split another block of wood. “It wouldn’t do any good. I’ve already told her she needs to leave Bozeman.”

“I bet that went down really well.”

“She said she’s happy living here.”

Blake walked over to the woodpile and picked up another log. “How long has it been since the exhibition in San Francisco?”

“Two weeks.”

“And during that time has she told you she wants to leave?”

Daniel’s ax sliced through the wood. “No.”

“So what are you worried about?”

“Randolph gave her a list of the galleries who were interested in exhibiting her work. She could have had a two-year schedule planned. Do you know what she did with the list?”

“No, but I’ve got a feeling you’re going to tell me.”

“She looked at the galleries and put a tick beside two of them.
Two
.”