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?
Kylee sighed inwardly and forced herself to think about the speech she would make. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could help the children—and the sooner she could get away from Bill Dubrey and the hurtful memories of Nicole.
END OF PREVIEW. If you would like to purchase This Very Moment, please click here. Or turn to the next page to learn more about Rachel Ann Nunes including her pen name novels..
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RACHEL ANN NUNES (PRONOUNCED NOON-ESH) learned to read when she was four, beginning a lifetime fascination with the written word. She still reads everything she can lay hands on, from children’s stories to science articles.
She began writing in the seventh grade and is now the author of over thirty published books, including the popular Ariana series, The Huntington Family series, Eyes of a Stranger, and Saving Madeline. Her novel Before I Say Goodbye won the 2011 Whitney Award in the general fiction category. Imprints, An Autumn Rain Novel (2010), Fields of Home (2008), and The Independence Club (2007) were all Whitney Award Finalists. Her picture book Daughter of a King was also voted best children’s book of the year in 2003 by the Association of Independent LDS Booksellers.
Rachel and her husband, TJ, live in Utah Valley and are the parents of seven awesome children—three boys and four girls. Rachel writes Monday through Friday in a home office, but she takes frequent breaks from writing to read or swim with her kids.
Rachel also writes mainstream romance under the name Rachel Branton and urban fantasy under the name Teyla Branton. To learn more about these titles, please see the list of books below or visit TeylaRachelBranton.com. You can join her pen name mailing list here. To read about upcoming Rachel Ann Nunes titles, visit http://www.RachelAnnNunes.com or join her emailing list here.
You can also write to Rachel at [email protected].
BOOKS BY RACHEL ANN NUNES
Women’s Fiction
Flying Home
Fields of Home
Saving Madeline
Before I Say Goodbye
The Gift of Angels (novella)
A Greater Love
A Heartbeat Away
Huntington Family
Winter Fire
No Longer Strangers
Chasing Yesterday
By Morning Light
The Independence Club
Ariana Series (and Spin-off)
Ariana: The Making of a Queen
Ariana: A Gift Most Precious
Ariana: A New Beginning
A Glimpse of Eternity: The Story of Ariana’s Daughters
Rebekka Series
This Time Forever (also Mickelle #1)
Ties That Bind
Twice in a Lifetime
Mickelle Series
This Time Forever (also Rebekka #1)
Bridge to Forever
Deal for Love Series (Romantic Suspense)
A Bid For Love
Framed For Love
Love On The Run
Deal For Love: 3 Book Set
Romance
To Love and to Promise
Tomorrow and Always
Where I Belong
A Greater Love
This Very Moment
In Your Place
For Children
The Problem With Spaceships: Zero G
Daughter of a King
The Secret of the King
UNDER THE NAME RACHEL BRANTON
Lily’s House Series
House Without Lies
Tell Me No Lies
Your Eyes Don’t Lie
Hearts Never Lie
Broken Lies
Lily’s House Novellas
Cowboys Can’t Lie
Finding Home Series
Take Me Home
All That I Love
Then I Found You
Noble Hearts
Royal Quest
Royal Dance
Lisbon's Misadventures (Picture Books)
I Don't Want To Eat Bugs
I Don’t Want to Have Hot Toes
UNDER THE NAME TEYLA BRANTON
Unbounded Series
The Change
The Cure
The Escape
The Reckoning
The Takeover
Unbounded Novellas
Ava’s Revenge
Mortal Brother
Lethal Engagement
Set Ablaze
Colony Six
Sketches
Imprints
Touch of Rain
On the Hunt
Upstaged
&n
bsp; Under Fire
Blinded
Short Stories
Times Nine
Table of Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Book Description
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Bonus! Preview of This Very Moment
About the Author
Books by Rachel Ann Nunes
Under the name Rachel Branton
Under the name Teyla Branton
Love On the Run Page 27