This Very Moment (2 page)

Standing next to her, the charity administrators, Elaina Rinehart and Troy Stutts, also greeted guests, elaborating on their aspirations to help the children. Elaina leaned toward Kylee during a brief lull, her short dark hair shining in the bright lights. “These people are perfect,” she said. “They really seem to care. Troy was right when he said you were the one we should contact to raise the money. You’re a wonder. I bet they love you at church fundraisers.”

Kylee grinned and whispered back, “Actually, my church doesn’t have a lot of those—except for the scouts. But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Wait
until I show them the video and bring out the children.”

“I can’t wait!” Elaina giggled like a school girl.

Kylee forgave Elaina’s enthusiasm; she had received similar gratitude from many of the charities she had worked with over the years. Children’s Hope would finally be in a position to help children who had been waiting years for a new face and outlook on life. Neither woman had any qualms about accepting donations. The wealthy had a certain amount of money they needed to donate to charities for tax purposes and it might as well go to theirs.

Then she saw him.

The first thing she noticed about the man was that he was alone. He had wavy black hair, cut short against his scalp, and inscrutable deep brown eyes. The tuxedo he wore was of the latest style and he carried himself with sureness and purpose. His expression was pleasant enough, but she noticed that the muscles in his jaw were tight and twitched every so often as though his outward mask flickered, threatening to reveal an inner truth he would rather hide. Yet how could she possibly guess all this from a stranger’s face?

Pulling her thoughts back to her duty, she smiled at him as she had the others. He took her proffered hand in his cool grip and suddenly she knew him. “Guillaume! How wonderful to see you! How long has it been?”

“Kylee.” His voice was far from cordial. “How dare you use Nicole to get me here. How dare you!” Rage and contempt emerged from behind the mask.

“What are you—” Kylee glanced down the line at the oncoming guests. The people greeting Elaina were looking her way, interested in what might come next. “Come over here and we’ll talk about it.” She tried to pull her hand from his tightened grasp.

He shook his head and stayed where he was. “Why? Aren’t you proud of your tactics? I wouldn’t be either. Using a dead woman to sell one more ticket for your charity. But that’s okay, isn’t it? Because it’s for the children. The rest of us don’t matter—as long as you get your money.”

Kylee watched him helplessly. “I don’t understand what you mean. Please, Guillaume.” She took a step backward, but he refused to release his grip.

“Kylee, what’s going on?” Elaina asked with a false smile that showed all her teeth. “Do you need me to call security?”

They didn’t have anyone on security, but Guillaume couldn’t know that. “No,” Kylee answered. “I know him.” At least she had once. But why was he acting so odd, and where was Nicole?

Nicole!

Kylee’s heart seemed to skip a beat. Had he mentioned a dead woman?

“Nicole,” she said, unready to believe. “Where is she?” She looked past Guillaume, searching, hoping to see Nicole’s attractive, eager face. Perhaps this confrontation had been a joke and Nicole was watching her even now, ready to laugh the moment away. Kylee could forgive the unseemly jest because she longed to see her friend again. But only the faces of the interested guests met her gaze. Kylee turned to Guillaume, her eyes filling with tears. “You said someone died. Was it Nicole?”

His face lost much of the fury as he stared at her. “Yes. She’s dead.”

“I—I didn’t know.” Kylee blinked hard and backed away again. This time he let her go.

Without a word to Elaina, Kylee fled the room as fast as her fitted silver gown would allow. She heard someone come after her and knew it was Guillaume. Unlocking the door of her temporary office, she whirled on him. “Why?” She threw the word like a knife.

“I thought you knew.”

“You should know me better than that. I was her friend!”

His shoulders slumped as he answered jaggedly, “I was just so angry. I thought I had put it all behind me. I came to America with a new name and started a new life, and then to see her name on the envelope—”

“So someone had to pay. Is that why you attacked me?” Her voice shook with anger and hurt, but he looked dejected, and Kylee wanted to forgive him. “How long ago was it?” she asked more gently.

“Five years. Two days after we were married. We were on the train at Port Royal when it was bombed in a terrorist attack. She burned to death. There was nothing I could do.” His face was immobile, but the tears in his eyes moved Kylee more than she expected. She took a tentative step toward him, touched the sleeve of his suit.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I shouldn’t have reacted like I did tonight. I wasn’t planning on staying, but I’d like to now—to make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to. I understand.” She wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

His lips twisted into an odd sort of smile, as though the motion pained him. “I want to. Besides, I bought a ticket. Can’t let a five hundred-dollar meal go to waste.”

Kylee felt touched at his willingness to make things right. “Okay, Guillaume. Would you like to sit at my table?”

“I’d like that. But call me Bill, okay? Bill Dubrey.”

“Oh, right. You said you had a new name.”

“What about you, Kylee? Have you changed your name? Your last, I mean. Are you married?”

“No, I’m not.” No use in telling him about her brief relationship with Raymond.

He said nothing further but offered her his arm. Kylee was amazed that she could see no trace of the violent emotions she had glimpsed before. Neither the grief nor the anger was apparent in his demeanor. How could he obliterate them so quickly?

“Wait.” She swiftly checked her makeup in her compact mirror and rubbed off a bit of smudged mascara. After reapplying her powder and patting her short blond hair into place, she hooked her hand through his arm and they walked back into the banquet hall together.

Elaina and Troy were still greeting people at the door. It took Kylee only a few moments with the waiter to rearrange the name tags at her table, where a few guests were already seated. “I need to welcome the rest of the people,” she told Bill, after she had introduced him around. “I’ll be back soon.”

He gave her a wry smile. “Take your time.”

“We’ll keep Dr. Dubrey company,” said Mrs. Boswell. “I have a little surgery I’ve been meaning to discuss with him.”

“Oh, you know Bill?” Kylee asked.

“Not really, my dear, though I feel as if I do. My friend Audrey has simply gushed about what he did for her.” Mrs. Boswell gave Kylee a conspiratorial smile, but her voice carried to everyone at the table. “A facelift, you know. She positively looks ten years younger.” She focused on Bill while her husband and the other guests continued to nibble on their appetizers. “I’ve asked around and you have quite a reputation, Dr. Dubrey. They say you are simply the best.”

Bill smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Kylee excused herself and hurried to the entrance, wondering at what she had learned. She knew Guillaume had been studying to be a doctor when she had known Nicole, though she didn’t recall anything about plastic surgery. Nicole had told her that after their initial bout at separate colleges, she and Bill had rediscovered their childhood love and had become engaged. While he was off in America, specializing in one thing or another, Nicole, a gynecologist, had stayed in France delivering babies—and waiting.

It had been to the hospital where Nicole worked that Kylee sent several of the pregnant charity recipients she was working with at the time. She met Nicole, and they’d become close friends. Kylee remembered Nicole’s sadness at Guillaume’s absence, and how she had attempted to stave off her loneliness by throwing herself into fundraising with the organization Kylee was working for. But Guillaume had returned to France often, and during his visits Nicole tended to be scarce, though on more than a few weekends the three of them had gone hiking or camping together. Kylee had liked what she had seen of Guillaume. He was a nice guy, and perfect for Nicole.

When Kylee had moved to England to work with yet another charity, she was pleased to receive the announcement of their long-awaited wedding. Nicole’s accompanying letter had exuded complete happiness. It was the last communication Kylee ever received from Nicole, despite four subsequent letters Kylee had sent to her in France. Kylee imagined her friend was so content with her fiancé’s return and their marriage that she hadn’t even thought of writing. Now Kylee knew the truth, and it hurt to think that the lively Nicole was dead.

No wonder Guillaume had been so angry.

Kylee glanced at Guillaume—no, it was Bill now—and saw him conversing with the group at her table. He was obviously successful as well as incredibly handsome. If not for her glimpse of the emotions he had shown earlier, she would have never guessed at his former life and the tragedy behind the mask.

When she finally greeted the last of the guests, Kylee headed for her table, leaving Elaina to officially welcome the crowd and introduce the speakers and singers who would entertain them as they ate. After dessert was served, Kylee would make her presentation of the video and the children.

“So, Dr. Dubrey, why haven’t you married?” Mrs. Boswell was saying as Kylee arrived at the table. “Audrey has quite the eye for you, you know. Her two kids are practically in high school, so they wouldn’t be much of a bother. The fact that she’s moved to the same condominium complex as you is really quite convenient. I keep telling her to chase you a bit, you know. Men liked to be chased.” Mrs. Boswell batted her mascara-laden eyes, and Kylee’s sympathy went out to the unfortunate Audrey who had trusted Mrs. Boswell with her heart.

“I’m afraid I’m a born bachelor,” Bill said as he applied crab paste to a wheat cracker. He met Mrs. Boswell’s gaze with a direct stare. “My focus is on my work. I’m much too busy for a relationship.” He took a bite of the cracker and swallowed before adding, “I especially like to work on subjects with your potential, Mrs. Boswell. You’re a perfect candidate for my latest sculpting methods.”

Mrs. Boswell flushed and brought a hand to her well-endowed bosom. “I may come to see you very soon.” She elbowed her husband, who nodded with a distracted smile. Kylee had the feeling that the heavyset Mrs. Boswell did whatever she pleased, with or without her husband’s approval.

Kylee slipped into the chair next to Bill as the waiters began to serve the main course. Usually she would have mingled with the guests instead of eating, in order to personally iron out any problems that might arise, but tonight Elaina and Troy would have to handle that. She owed Bill this much. She had brought him here using Nicole’s name, and then, worse, she had inadvertently set him among sharks—or at least one shark. Kylee felt she should give him as much support as she could muster.

“So how long have you been in California?” Kylee asked.

He set down his fork and looked at her steadily. “Four years.”

“He studied in France, you know,” Mrs. Boswell said. “The French are simply the best at maintaining beauty, aren’t they?” The other women at the table nodded. “But it’s certainly good to be able to go to an American,” Mrs. Boswell added with a sniff. “I don’t trust foreigners.”

Kylee caught an amused glint in Bill’s eyes, and she almost laughed aloud. What would Mrs. Boswell say if she knew Bill had been born in France as Guillaume Debré? Well, Kylee wasn’t about to tell her.

Everyone was blessedly silent after the waiters delivered the food, but only for a few moments. When the talk began again, it turned to politics and the economy. Kylee only partially listened as she studied Bill from the corner of her eye. She had known him fairly well during the two years she and Nicole had been friends, and his appearance was uncannily the same. There were almost no wrinkles around his eyes, and his hair didn’t have even a trace of gray. Underneath the new polish of poise, he still had something boyish and open about him. Was that what had made Nicole love him so deeply?