Chapter 38
RAINE
I’m buzzing. This town is amazing. If being surrounded by all the art in the castle didn’t make me want to try to paint again, this place does.
Not that I’ve painted much since high school.
It wasn’t a real subject, according to my parents.
But wow, this place . . . it’s so clean.
Not that New York isn’t clean; it’s normal for a city to be a little dirty.
At least, I think it is. I haven’t been to many places other than Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
“What would you like to see? I’m afraid there isn’t much. It certainly isn’t London, Zurich, or Rome,” Evander says.
“Oh, it’s so charming. It’s hard to appreciate something you see all the time.
At least, that’s how I feel about my hometown.
Though it’s not old. It’s interesting to see the flood marker plaques on the sides of the buildings.
” I stare off into the distance and try not to revisit my old childhood fear of being in a house swept away by floodwater.
Which, as an adult, I know was almost impossible since my parents’ house was on top of a large—uh—hill.
Until I saw the Alps, I thought of it as a mountain.
But it’s a baby mountain, comparatively.
“Raine?” Evander takes my hand again.
I’m not sure if he wants to or if he’s just trying to ensure that I don’t accidentally touch Kieren. I snap out of it. “I’m ready. Where to first?” I take a few steps, and we end up next to the cheese shop. “There’s nothing but cheese!”
“Good afternoon,” the shopkeeper says with a smile in his voice. “Sirs.” He inclines his head to Evander and Kieren, and they return the gesture.
There are rows and rows of cheese. And I don’t mean like at the grocery store back home. “This is amazing. I might have to just see if I can get a sublet here.”
“In the cheese shop?” Kieren asks.
“Absolutely!” I jump a little as I say it. I can’t begin to describe how much I love cheese.
“You are American?” the shop clerk asks.
“Yes, I guess it’s obvious.” I laugh.
“I have three cheeses for you to try.” He slides a small plate across his counter. “Emmental, Gruyère, and Appenzelle. You tell me which one you like.”
I try each one slowly. “I like them all. The Emmental is nutty, the Gruyère is so creamy, but I think my favorite is the Appenzelle. I like the tanginess of it.”
His eyes sparkle like I’ve passed an oral exam. “Very good.”
“Please send a wheel of Appenzelle to Cloud Rift,” Kieren says.
I’m still humming about how good it is when I notice there’s a crumb of the Appenzelle on the plate, and I pluck the small piece up and savor it.
“Better make that two wheels.” Evander grabs me around the waist.
“Adieu,” we say as the cowbells on the door ring us out.
“If you liked the cheesemonger, I know exactly where to take you next. It’s not as impressive this time of day, but still.” Evander hurries us past a butcher and a flower shop to a place with a sign out front that says B?ckerei. The window is full of cakes and pastries.
Bells ring as we enter here too. Unlike the cheese shop, there are tables in the back.
And the smell . . . Oh, I’m dead—it’s heaven.
Chocolate, but you can tell from the way its scent lingers that it’s quality chocolate, not the cheap stuff.
And under the chocolate is the tantalizing aroma of good coffee.
Other than an art exhibit or museum, this is my perfect date.
Not date. They’re my . . . I have no idea.
Boss and potential mate—mates. It’s all of them or none of them.
“Have a seat. I’ll place an order.” Kieren steps up to the counter.
“You’re wearing an interesting look,” Evander says as he guides me to the back of the room.
“Am I?” I turn back from where Kieren’s talking to the clerk. “It’s just I didn’t think he’d ever ordered from a bakery counter before,” I say as Evander pulls my chair out for me at one of the four tables, all of which are empty.
“The prince? Oh, he’s able to do a few practical things.”
“Prince. I know it’s his title, but the way you use it sounds like a nickname. Do you have a nickname for Roark, too?”
Evander cocks his head to the side. “I call Roark a—”
“That’s not something we say in public, Evander.” Kieren sits down across from me, his chair pulled all the way out a good foot away from the table, his ankles crossed out to the side away from me.
Evander laughs. “True. I suppose you’ll just have to wait to hear what it is, Raine.”
“I can only imagine.”
A server places a large tray of pastries in the middle of the table and three cappuccinos.
“Ladies first. I recommend the almond croissant.” Evander turns the tray to me, and I take one. It’s sweet, crisp and flaky. It melts in my mouth. And the drink, it has my eyes rolling into the back of my head. “This is better than Tarmart.”
“Tarmart?”
“Oh, it’s a large store. My . . . ex used to like to take me there on Friday nights when they gave out samples.”
“Your friend took you on a date to get free food?” There’s a puff of smoke coming out of Kieren. The clerk behind the counter grunts.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t talk about the inadequate boys you’ve dated while inside a public building,” suggests Evander. “They have strict fire codes in the village now.”
I nod. “But this is lovely.”
“Yes,” Evander says.
But Kieren has pulled back into himself. He eats a small scone while Evander chatters to me about the history of the village.
We head back to the castle, and pulling up to Cloud Rift, I realize the heat wave has broken.
There’s a cool breeze coming from the valley as the sun sets.
The three of us stop outside of the door and watch silently as it sinks below the horizon.
On the way up to my room, I have to pinch myself. I’m more than living the dream.
The new cabinets are stunning. I’m floating around the collection.
It’s hard to categorize when you don’t know what you have.
I’ve managed to get most of the larger pieces into their new homes in the massive pull-out racks.
It feels like I haven’t done much, but when I scroll back through the photos of what the room looked like on the first day, it’s like I’ve been at it for months, not two weeks.
I’m sitting at my computer and finishing up the notes for the day when my phone buzzes.
Wren: Can’t wait to see you.
Me: Same. I’ve got you a really cute room at the inn. I’ll stay with you.
Wren: Fun. Do I get to see the castle?
Me: I’ll show you around the castle when you pick me up. But I got us a room to share in the village.
Wren: Okay! Gotta work, taxiing.
Me: Turn your phone off.
Wren: tongue out emoji. I just did the announcement. It’s just to make Brian in 4b finish his conference call for everyone to hear how important he is. But yes. See you soon.
I’m so excited. She’ll be in Zurich tomorrow morning, and then she’s renting a car and driving into the village.
I’ve mulled it over and over whether she should stay with me in my suite.
There’s plenty of space. I know Leo would make up a room for her if I asked.
But with Evander and Kieren, I didn’t see much other than the cheese shop and bakery.
And I’ve got this weird sense of urgency in my gut that I need to get as much of the project done as possible. If the guys don’t want me around after the ceremony, I want to have enough done for my resumé. Because that’s what always happens: no matter how good a job I do, it’s not good enough.