Shadow of Love (25 page)

‘
Take all the time you need.’ He walked toward the door and turned around to see her once he reached it. ‘Oh, and just for the record. You don’t have to look so panicky anymore, my sweet. Our ride to Alexandria won’t be as private as you might be afraid of. Layla will join us, since she is starting her internship with the company tomorrow. So there will be someone to keep me from behaving inappropriately again.’

He smiled and closed the door behind him almost noiselessly, leaving her sitting on the bed as motionless as one of the Egyptian statues she remembered seeing in the museum. She should be happy, she thought. Layla’s presence would make it impossible to transgress into anything more than planned. She wasn’t the most observant person in the world, but Emily could tell that the other woman would do her best to have James’s attention directed to herself, no matter what the cost. Which should have made Emily very happy, she told herself firmly, only to be disappointed.

Because she wasn’t happy at all. Instead she felt as if she had lost something incredibly precious, allowing it to slip through her fingers. Panic that she had never experienced before gripped her, her legs itching to get up and run after him before it was too late. She wanted to yell that he had it wrong, so terribly wrong. It wasn’t him that she was afraid of in the end. Not now and not before. She could see it clearly now, her lips still tingling from his kisses.

The only person she was afraid of was right there, in that room. And she had no idea what to do about it. No idea at all.

‘
Madam, is there anything else you might need?’

The smooth voice of the slim man in a white uniform forced Emily back to reality. An almost childish awe had filled Emily ever since their car pulled into the circular, well-lit driveway and James opened the door for them to
Amal.
Amal
—which meant
hope—
was absolutely breathtaking, the five-story white building combining Arabic and colonial architecture with flair she could have never imagined possible.

It wasn’t the grandest or most opulent of the hotels in its part of town; the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean were filled with equally impressive venues. They were in the Montaza district, near the legendary Montazah palace and gardens, famous throughout the world.

She had listened absentmindedly to James’s descriptions, distracted by the way Layla watched her from the back seat of the car. James again refused to use the chauffeur, against his grandmother’s wishes, judging by her rather frosty approval of his independence. In the end, Emily found herself in the front seat next to him, with Layla’s eyes burning holes in her back.

Arriving at the hotel distracted her enough to forget the other woman and even James, for that matter. Walking into the hotel with the restaurant taking up most of the main floor felt like a rite of passage, her high-heeled shoes clicking against the black and white mosaic of the main lobby. The Old World charm made her think of days when caravans still roamed the desert, and its atmosphere pulled her in almost magnetically.

Cleverly combined with the intricate art of the Orient, the end result was absolutely beautiful, making her think wistfully about all the shortcomings of her father’s place. Not that she would trade it for anything, she thought instantly, her deeply embedded loyalty to where she had grown up gaining an upper hand without as much as an ounce of fight. Still, the place was magical, and she felt excited about exploring it after James left both women in the capable hands of his manager and excused himself for the next two hours.

She cast a quick glance at Layla, who was engrossed in conversation with a corpulent older gentleman James had introduced as the hotel manager. Left alone, she wasn’t quite sure what to say to the elegant, gorgeous girl that represented every man’s dream of beauty, mysterious and alluring. Luckily, the manager filled in the silence before she had to as much as say a word, his never-ending stream of explanations and anecdotes leaving little space for her own awkward interference.

They toured the restaurant, the kitchen welcoming them with delicious, fragrant smells that had her mouth watering, her appetite suddenly restored. This part was particularly interesting to her, her eyes going over its practical layout and making a mental note to herself to implement some of the ideas in her restaurant back home. Layla was mostly quiet, rarely adding to the conversation. Emily couldn’t shake the feeling that her presence here had very little to do with her interest in hotels and entertaining. The true reason for her being here was James, his promise to return soon and take them both out for supper one of the rare moments when Layla’s face positively lit up.

Now they were resting at one of the miniscule, intricately carved tables, tall glasses of mint tea having been brought to them by a silent waiter. Layla had finally thawed enough to chat with the manager, while Emily enjoyed the moment of peace, the crisp, fresh taste of the peppermint soothing her throat.

Finally, the manager had to leave them, guests demanding his full attention. He apologized profusely, only their repeated assurances that yes, they were absolutely fine to rest alone for a while allowing him to disappear, his waddling departure the last they would see of him for the evening.

‘
Oomph, finally.’ Layla was looking at her, a mischievous smile playing around her lovely, heart-shaped mouth. ‘I swear, I have learned more about hotels in this one hour than I have so far in all of my life.’

A pearly laugher accompanied her words and gave Emily hope that maybe they would get along just fine. Even though Layla must have believed her to be James’s girlfriend, nothing in her behavior so far hinted at resentment. Maybe it was her parents’ wish to bring the two families together, nothing more.

‘
Well, this is definitely the place to go if one wants to learn something,’ she agreed, smiling back. ‘I have plenty of ideas for my restaurant back home already. And this is just the beginning.’

‘
That must be exciting, to own your own place.’ A touch of wistfulness tinted Layla’s voice as she nodded, her eyes serious. ‘I don’t think it will ever happen to me, though. My parents are too concerned about me coming across as too independent and therefore unsuitable for marriage.’

She sighed and finished her tea, her eyes darkened with sudden emotion. ‘You know, Egyptian men are very contradictory about what they expect from their women. On one hand they expect them to be submissive and homebound, but on the other they enjoy their involvement in business and public life. It’s hard to please both of their expectations.’

Emily smiled encouragingly, not sure what to say. She knew nothing about Egyptian men, as she didn’t consider James one of them. She had a pretty good feeling that he didn’t want to be considered that way, the line he had drawn between himself and his father’s family a very definite one.

‘
Does James mind you running your own business?’ Layla asked, her delicate eyebrows arched tentatively. ‘I hope I’m not prying.’

‘
No, that’s fine,’ Emily hurried to assure the other woman, her smile friendly. ‘He doesn’t mind at all.’

It wasn’t a lie, at least not technically, she thought guiltily. He didn’t mind, if only for a totally different set of reasons.

‘
Good.’ Layla smiled, her face soft and warm. ‘I have to confess something to you, Emily.’ Leaning forward, she put both hands on the table, her slim fingers adorned with many golden rings. ‘When I was younger, I always dreamt of meeting a handsome stranger who would take me away and treat me like a princess. When I first saw James, I thought he would fit perfectly into this dream.’

Emily felt heat rising to her face, Layla’s confession making her feel even more like the fraud she was. Here was a woman, beautiful and perfect for James, admitting she had carried a torch for him ever since they met.

Emily’s presence must have upset the balance, bursting Layla’s bubble of hope to get closer to the man of her dreams. Was it James’s intent? Was her coming along meant to achieve that, as well? To send a clear message to his family that their matchmaking was a waste of time and he would never even consider their choices? If so, he was cruel and cold-hearted, trampling the girl’s heart without as much as a second glance.

But a voice in her head hurried to his defense, his surprise at seeing Layla and her mother too genuine to be staged or premeditated.

‘
Are you serious? I mean, you and James?’ Layla asked again, her voice catching slightly at the sound of their names together. ‘I know that in the West, things go at a different speed than here. People change boyfriends all the time, no big deal.’

She could have humored her, Emily thought, opening her mouth to say that yes, things were different back home, and she wasn’t absolutely sure they would end up together. Thinking about it, it would be a very wise thing to say, leaving him an open gate as to what to say after they broke up in two weeks. Planting a seed of doubt in Layla’s head would pave the way for him to produce a plausible story why she didn’t accompany him on his next trip.

Only, she couldn’t do it. Her mouth closed again, and she swallowed hard, her fingers playing with the pattern of the crisp, linen tablecloth. She was a terrible liar, and in that short moment she realized that saying those words was practically impossible. The realization of what had just transpired hit her hard, her heart thudding against her ribs loud enough for her to fear Layla could hear it.

‘
I’m serious, for sure,’ she said, her voice low and hesitant. The epiphany of what she really felt was nothing like those magical moments in books or movies, where the heroine welcomed her newfound knowledge with tears of joy and dreams for the future. ‘I hope he is, too.’

He wasn’t, and she knew it. It was bleak and brutal to admit it, but it was the truth, and as such she needed to admit it, however painful it might be. She wanted him to be serious, she thought desperately.

‘
Well, then, I hope it works out,’ Layla said gently, her eyes veiled. ‘I will keep looking for my own prince charming, too.’

Suddenly impatient, Layla put her glass down with a bit of too much force, the sound of the glass against the table making a few other guests look their way. It didn’t shatter though, the thick crystal as solid as the rest of the hotel.

‘
I just had an idea.’ Her eyes overly bright, Layla looked at her now, an impish grin dispersing any remnants of brooding from her lovely features. ‘I know you want to see more of the hotel and the way it’s run, and my parents hope for me to do the same. But I thought that maybe tomorrow for lunch we could get away, and I could play your guide for a bit? The souks around here are spectacular, and it would be my pleasure to show you around, if you wish.’

‘
Is it safe?’ She hated to come across as prudish, but she had read enough to worry about their safety on the streets. ‘I mean, just the two of us?’

‘
Oh, gosh, no.’ Layla shook her lovely head, the black sleek bob glistening in the light of the crystal chandeliers. ‘We would have a chauffeur, of course. I don’t think of us going to the lower part, where it’s crowded and dangerous if you don’t know your way around. I had in mind the historical strip with all the antiquity shops, boutiques, and spices. I think you would love it.’

‘
Sounds great,’ she said hesitantly, still not one hundred percent convinced. ‘I’ve always wanted to see a real oriental marketplace, Layla.’

‘
You won’t be disappointed, I promise.’ Layla was beaming now, making it impossible for her to back out. ‘I don’t get out there often enough as it is. There are amazing bargains to be had if one knows how to haggle.’

‘
Well, I don’t.’ Emily smiled back, giving in. ‘I’m horrible at trying to beat the price down, so we will have to rely on your talent, Layla.’

‘
Sounds good to me.’ Layla nodded, her serious face comical. ‘I think my day here is done for now, though.’ Her eyes went past Emily, her dark brows pulled into one line. ‘My father has sent our driver to pick me up, as usual. They are way too concerned for my safety, if you ask me. I guess I will have to take a rain check on James’s invitation for tonight. Too bad, since it would be so much fun.’

Emily turned around to see an older man with a large, bushy moustache making his way toward them, his polite stance making it obvious he was here to fulfill the orders of the Al Jameel family.

Emily felt odd watching him chaperone Layla out of the lobby, her cheerful goodbyes and request for Emily to say her adieu to James fading as they walked away. She would have to get used to the weird word of servants and chauffeurs for the short time she was here, she thought, as she remained seated, her eyes staring into the distance. Still, it was a good sign, wasn’t it?

If they were to embark on their walk around the souks, it was good to know Layla was responsible and level-headed. She thought about telling James about their plans, but changed her mind. It might look as if she hoped for his company, as well, making it impossible to refuse if he was to play the part of the loving and concerned boyfriend. She forced herself to push aside the yearning to visit these places with him, his presence making everything so much more vibrant and worth seeing.

No, she would keep it to herself, the simple rule that omission was not as bad as negation coming to her mind. So what if she twisted things a bit, knowing he wouldn’t ask her about the trip because he had no idea she was planning to take it? She was in the clear, unless Layla opened her mouth and shared her plans with him. Emily had a feeling that wouldn’t be happening; Layla’s interest in James had diminished considerably.