“You didn’t eat it all, did you?” Bennett bounded in and pulled up the chair beside Eve. “Done?” Without waiting, he took the rest of her dessert. “The food they pushed on me doesn’t bear thinking about. I could picture the two of you here while I was eating rubber chicken.”

“You don’t look deprived,” Eve noted, and smiled at him. “The main course was exquisite.”

“You always had a nasty streak. Look, after I’ve finished this, let’s go outside. I need the garden and a beautiful woman after hours at that stuffy meeting.”

“If you two will excuse me, then.” Alexander rose. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“Take a walk with us, Alex,” Bennett invited. “After I finish the rest of your mousse.”

“Not tonight. I’ve work.”

“Always does,” Bennett murmured. He reached for Alexander’s dessert as Eve turned and watched the prince leave. She couldn’t have said why, but she had an urge to follow him. Shaking the feeling off, she turned back to laugh at Bennett.

Chapter 2

“When Alexander promised me a tour guide, I didn’t expect it to be you.”

Her Serene Highness Gabriella de Cordina laughed as she pushed open the stage door. “The center’s been a family affair from the beginning. Actually, I think Alex would have liked to take you through himself if his schedule hadn’t been so full.”

Eve let that pass, thinking Alexander would prefer mounds of paperwork and hours of stuffy meetings to an hour with her. “I hate to repeat myself, Brie, but you look wonderful.”

“Repeat yourself,” Gabriella told her. “When you’ve had four children you need all the moral support you can get.” Her dark red hair was pinned up in a sleek, simple knot and her white suit was carefully tailored. She was every inch a princess. Still, Eve thought she looked too young and too fragile to have borne four children. “And you,” she continued, stopping a moment to study the sister of her closest friend. “I remember the first time I saw you. I thought, what a stunning child. Now you’re a stunning woman. Chris has nearly stopped worrying about you.”

“I used to hate that.” She could smile now, remembering the tug of war with her sister during her long, rebellious youth. “Now that I’m older, I find myself hoping she never stops worrying completely. It’s so comforting. Isn’t it strange that family comes to mean more to you as an adult?”

“I don’t know what I’d do without mine. Those few months that I couldn’t remember them, couldn’t remember anything …” Gabriella trailed off with a shake of her head. “It’s taught me to take nothing for granted. Well.” She drew a deep breath and looked around. “What would you like to see first?”