“Oh no. How long have you been waiting?” she cried.
Raina waved her away. “Just a second. Not long.”
The girl’s shoulders slumped. “Good. There was another lady who made the biggest fuss because I wasn’t here when she got in for her meeting. I think she complained to my boss.”
Raina leaned over and said, “She sounds like a bitch.”
The girl giggled before she seemed to catch herself. She sat down behind her desk and looked up at Raina with a bright smile. “Um, sorry about that. You must be with Davis Development.” She tapped a few keys and then shook her head. “I actually don’t have your appointment until three p.m., but I’m sure Mr. Alexander will make time.”
Raina took off her sunglasses. “I don’t have an appointment, actually. I’m, uh… Well, I’m Nick’s wife.”
The girl’s mouth fell open. “You’re Raina. Ridley’s twin. With the sunglasses, I didn’t realize.”
Raina looked at her closer. “You know my sister?”
“I’m Kaylee,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m in Jackson’s newest group, Divine.”
Raina accepted her hand with a smile. “What a small world. Is that how Jackson discovered you? Were you singing at the office Christmas party when he found you or something?”
Kaylee shook her head. “That would be a much cooler story than the real one. My friend Sasha asked me to sing backup for her group when one of the members dropped out. We did a few small gigs at clubs and several restaurants and Jackson’s assistant saw us at one of them. That’s how I met your sister. At the studio with Jackson.”
“So how did you end up here?” Raina leaned a hip against the desk. She didn’t get the chance to shoot the breeze that often. As weird as it was, it was surprisingly refreshing to just chat with someone.
“Your husband hired me as a favor to Jackson. Which was really nice of him since I’ve never done this type of job before.” She gestured toward the copy machine behind her. “As you just saw.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure everything out.”
Kay blew out a breath. “I hope so. Anyway, let me go peek in his office and see if he’s still on his conference call. It was supposed to end twenty minutes ago but last I knew, they were still on.” She got up from behind her desk and walked to a closed door a few feet away.
Raina closed her eyes and massaged her temples. She’d spent the morning reviewing more footage of her show. Now that she was taking a break from modeling, it was alarming to watch how hectic her schedule had been. She’d been doing it for so long that it had become second nature, but watching from an outsider’s perspective, it didn’t look as exciting and glamorous as it sounded.
The production technicians were trying to cut the material in a way that presented an interesting “story,” they’d explained to her. But Raina was starting to get worried. The network had only picked up the first six episodes of the show. If they couldn’t find enough interesting material to use, they wouldn’t option any episodes after that.
Now that there was no wedding to film, there wasn’t much left for future episodes. Her agent had already called and asked if she and Nick were willing to be filmed, which she’d immediately declined. Steven had been willing to go on air but somehow she doubted Nick would be interested in having cameras following him. He was very poised in front of the media but he also guarded his family fiercely. Having cameras following him would affect them, too.
Something she knew he’d never agree to.
Surprisingly, Raina felt just as protective about her in-laws. Julia wore clothes that were comfortable and fit her round figure, but they were definitely not designer fashions. What if someone made fun of her? Although when she thought on it, Julia would probably deal with a nosy camera crew by just feeding them until they were all good friends.
But what about Bennett? With his slight stutter and awkward demeanor, he could become a target of ridicule. Her hands clenched into fists. It enraged her to think of anyone targeting him because of his association with her.
“Raina, sorry to keep you waiting.”
She turned at Nick’s touch to her elbow. He looked stressed but handsome, as usual. Her eyes traveled over his dar
k blue pinstriped suit. By the time she got back to his face, his eyes were amused.
“Does my fashion sense meet with your approval, sweets?”
She ran a finger down his tie, then moved the knot slightly to the left. “The suit is divine. What’s in the suit is even better.”
Nick pulled her close and whispered in her ear. “I’m supposed to be romancing you and taking you for a civilized lunch. You’re making me want to forget my good intentions. There are so many other things we can do with this hour.”
“Oh no. You aren’t getting out of this that easily. You promised to show me around and then take me out. So…” She grabbed him by the hand and tugged him toward his office. “Show me your world, Nick.”
* * * * *
NICK PULLED OUT her chair and Raina sank down into the wrought-iron seat gracefully. After a quick tour of his office, they’d walked down to a sidewalk café a few blocks from Nick’s building.