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Mark lost any interest in why Tami was so on edge. Instead, he clenched his hands into tight fists.
“What would she want from the attic?”
“I don’t know. She said it had something to do with seeing Tina Champagne in the headlines.” She restlessly shrugged. “I assume whatever she wanted was in her old school things.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know. I had to leave for an appointment before she came back down.” She narrowed her eyes, as if becoming suspicious of his interest. “Does it matter?”
“Of course not.” He flashed his perfect smile, stepping forward to wrap his arms around his wife’s tightly clenched body. He’d worry about Rayne later. For now, he had to remind his wife why she couldn’t live without him. He brushed a kiss over her cold cheek. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?” His mouth skimmed toward her parted lips. “Or how much I missed you?”
CHAPTERTHREE
Salzburg, Austria
Then
After two years of being Nat’s roommate, Rayne had discovered that the one constant was to expect the unexpected. So, when Nat burst into the art room where Rayne was washing out her paintbrushes, she wasn’t surprised. Saturday mornings were supposed to be her private time to concentrate on her paintings, but Nat was too spontaneous to accept Rayne’s pleas for peace and quiet.
Shoving open the door, she waved an impatient hand. “Come on.”
Rayne shook her head, pulling off the smock that had only partially protected her jeans and sweatshirt from the splatters of oil paint.
“I’m busy.”
Nat impatiently marched across the room to grab Rayne’s hand. “I have someone I want you to meet.”
“Who?”
Nat tugged her out of the art studio at the back of the building and toward a side door. “Just come on.”
They crossed the grounds that surrounded the school, seemingly headed toward the white canopy that had been erected along with a dozen tables and chairs near the garden that was just beginning to come into bloom.
Confused, Rayne at last caught sight of an older couple who were directing the numerous uniformed waiters who were moving from the nearby vans to the canopy.
“Wait. Isn’t that your parents?” she demanded.
“Yep. They flew in last night for my birthday.”
Ah. That explained the flurry of activity. Every year Nat’s parents descended on St. Cecilia’s School for Girls on the first day of May to celebrate their daughter’s birthday in grand style. Rayne’s lips twisted in a smile that held a hint of bitterness. Her own birthday had been two weeks before. Her mother hadn’t even remembered to send a card.
“I’ve already met them,” she reminded her friend.
“I want to introduce you to Niko.”
On cue, a tall boy with broad shoulders and a slender waist stepped into view. He had the same golden blond hair as Nat, and the same perfect features. Only Niko’s were sharper, as if they’d been chiseled by the hand of an artist. And even at a distance she could see the dazzling blue of his eyes.
Was that the reason her heart stopped? And why her knees suddenly felt weak? Whatever the cause, Rayne stumbled to a halt, her tummy churning with a sensation she didn’t entirely understand.
“That’s your brother?”
“I know.” Nat heaved a sigh. “Every girl who sees him is thunderstruck. He’s disgustingly gorgeous.”
With an effort, Rayne forced her gaze back to her friend. “He’s your twin, isn’t he?”
Nat giggled. “Exactly. I’m disgustingly gorgeous, too.”
It was true. There were times when Nat didn’t seem quite real. She was too beautiful, too vivacious, too . . . everything.
