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Yes, I am.
Wow. Paul blinked. Wow.
Noah glanced pointedly at his brother s hand. You can let her go now, Paul.
What? Oh, sorry. Releasing her hand, Paul straightened. What are you doing
here?
She s here for me.
Paul shook his head. He cast an accusatory glance at Noah. I hate you. You know
that, don t you? I ve never liked you.
That s a bit harsh.
Isabeau raised an eyebrow. Am I missing something?
Paul s a fan of yours.
And?
And he s a no-good, stinking rock singer, Paul exclaimed.
Beneath his palm, her spine straightened to its full height all of five foot three
inches. She was going to tear into Paul. And damn if that didn t do something for him.
He s only joking. He loves me.
I m not, Paul argued, but his grin belied his words. You re& what could you
possibly see in him?
Isabeau turned her gaze to Noah. She looked him over, slowly, intensely. A smile
curved her lips, warmed his blood.
Paul s brow furrowed. I don t want to know, do I? Forget I asked.
Isabeau s smile broadened.
Noah tried to laugh, but the sound stuck in his throat. Come on. I ll introduce you
to the rest of my family before Mum sends anyone else looking for us.
****
I like your family, Isabeau said, a few steps behind Noah as he led her up the
stairs to her room for the night. She glanced at the photographs that lined the wall on
her right, thinking she should take the time for a closer look. Perhaps tomorrow, after
the funeral.
I believe the feeling s mutual.
You re a lot like your father.
A bit of an understatement. It was shocking how much like Colin Clark his son
was. Not only did they share the same build, the same striking green eyes and
charming smile, but both had similar temperaments.
Paul, on the other hand, was a different story. Your brother is a character.
Yeah, he is, Noah replied dully.
She glanced up at him. What is it? What s wrong?
He stopped in the middle of the second floor hallway, and checked over his
shoulder. She did the same, even though she knew everyone else remained
downstairs.
Paul isn t himself. He s not usually so quiet, not like Dad and me.
If today was Paul quiet& wow. He d bantered good-naturedly with his younger
brother more than once today, getting Noah to laugh. Spent over an hour talking with
her about music, his likes and dislikes, and its effect on his life. There d only been a
few times that he had grown quiet, appearing to become lost in thought. I thought he
was very talkative.
He s usually more like Mum.
Oh, she replied as understanding struck. Emily Clark was anything but quiet.
Kind and gregarious, she was a lady who could talk a person to death. Isabeau already
had a great fondness for her. Your mother s wonderful.
Noah smiled and gestured for her to precede him into the room I wish I knew
what was wrong with Paul.
Noah, everyone handles grief differently.
It s more than that. There s something going on between him and Anne.
Yes, there was. And although she d only just met the couple, she had her suspicions
about what that something was.
When Noah had introduced her to his sister-in-law, she hadn t been surprised by
the woman s stunning beauty, or the fact that Noah wasn t the only Clark who
apparently preferred blondes. She had been surprised that although Anne was
genuinely kind to Isabeau, she grew distant whenever her husband was near. Then
there were the times Anne would go pale as a sheet and rush from the room. Although
Paul showed concern as he tracked his wife s abrupt exit, he never followed her.
Has she said anything about Her words died abruptly as Noah closed the door,
stepped past her, and pulled his shirt off over his head. What are you doing?
Getting ready for bed. I m exhausted.
He looked exhausted. But that wasn t what had her mind blanking. She managed
to drag her eyes away from all that naked skin long enough to take in the room more
completely. Her suitcase rested atop the full size bed, evidence that she was meant to
sleep in this room. However, the black leather duffel bag she d watched him hurriedly
stuff clothes into the other day sat on the floor, next to a dresser topped with a
scattering of his personal items. Is this your room?
Yes.
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