Shadow of Love (30 page)

‘
Where are we?’ Her tolerance for surprises was running very low at the moment.

‘
I thought you needed to have that missed lunch, Emily,’ he said quietly, looking at her before returning his gaze to the traffic. ‘And I imagine that you would prefer to have it somewhere outside the hotel, with no immediate danger of running into Layla, isn’t that so?’

She was speechless. Her choice of not telling the truth about what transpired had been in vain. He knew exactly what had happened and let her pretend, without as much as blinking. She wasn’t sure if she was more angry or relieved. Angry because he had manipulated her like some silly child or relieved that he didn’t believe Layla and her lies.

‘
How did you know, James?’ She asked now, barely aware of the spectacular views of lavish gardens outside the car window. What mattered now was to find out what prompted him to remain silent.

‘
I’m not as naïve as Layla might want me to be.’ He shrugged dismissively, turning into a smaller side street, a large building with the English name ‘Allenby’s Palace’ sitting at its end. ‘She made the mistake of rushing things too much to make them believable. She was calling the hotel with the news that she lost you only minutes after Salim placed his own concerned call, asking for directives. He didn’t like the area you were going into and was afraid to be held responsible for whatever might happen. He called to talk to her father, who was at the meeting. She didn’t know about it, unfortunately for her. So when she called, alarmed, after just a few minutes, telling me how you were missing and they had spent a good deal of time trying to find you, I was sure she had lied.’

He brought the car to full stop and remained seated, turning to her as he continued.

‘
I didn’t want her father to be embarrassed in front of everyone. It’s not a good thing to make an Egyptian lose face, especially if it involves his unmarried daughter. So I played along, setting out to find you. In the end, it didn’t matter how you got lost, I just knew I had to find you.’

She swallowed, preparing herself for what would follow next. She didn’t have to wait long, because he pressed on, his eyes on her face.

‘
What makes me curious, though, is the fact that you covered for Layla, Emily. Why? You certainly didn’t have to concern yourself with her family and the embarrassment she would have caused them. So, why?’

‘
I wasn’t sure if you would believe me, mostly,’ she whispered, unable to hold his gaze. She looked away, trying to distract herself with the gorgeous view outside. ‘Plus, it doesn’t really matter, as you said yourself. You found me, and I’m safe. I’ll be gone in just a couple of days, so there’s no point in causing trouble that would haunt you and your business in the future.’

‘
You actually decided to let her get away with it because she might cause me some trouble?’ If he had been calm before, her confession definitely changed that. Incredulous, he stared at her for a second, before shaking his dark head. ‘Honestly, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, except maybe for Steve letting me get off easy when I entered the world of youth crime at the age of twelve.’ He laughed, his voice light and lacking the constant darkness that crept into it each time he mentioned the older man.

She blinked, surprised, tiny tendrils of hope sprouting in her soul. Maybe he could overcome the sadness that Steve’s passing away had triggered.

‘
Where are we?’ She asked, eager to distract him from any gloomy thoughts, her hopes to have him healed too fresh to be jeopardized by further probing. ‘I feel like I’ve stepped back in time.’

‘
In the district of Kafr Abdu. It used to be the main district for the British military and their families, starting with Marshall Allenby, appointed to be the High Commissioner of Egypt in 1919. Hence the restaurant.’ He pointed to the large house, grinning. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they still served potpies and sausages in blankets here. Now, many Egyptian wealthy and prominent choose to live here—scientists, artists, doctors, businessmen, you name it.’

They got out and walked toward the building, Emily’s delighted eyes went over the white walls with black beams that brought back images from home. She could see how it served expats as a meeting point even today.

‘
The road we took is the famous Rosetta Avenue, even though the name had been changed, of course. It connects the west and east, going all the way to the top of the hill where the Marshall built his residence. It was an artery for traffic back in the days, I think.’ James pushed the door open and they walked in; the dark paneled walls, dark red upholstery, and huge fireplace with a mantel filled with Victorian knickknacks transported them back to the green island.

‘
Wow, that’s something.’ She laughed, momentarily forgetting her worries and Layla. ‘It’s like a ten times bigger and ten times better version of my own restaurant back home.’

They took a seat next to a window, enjoying the view of the garden, a rampage of climbing roses dressing it with a curtain of blazing red blooms.

Music was playing in the background, some impossibly romantic piece from the turn of the century, sweet and poignant. Emily looked at James, still not perfectly at ease with the happier, lighter aura that seemed to be around him ever since he found her in the souk.

Was it because he worried about the trouble she would cause him if she got lost or, even worse, harassed? Or did he realize in two days they would be back home, leaving that place behind?

She had no answers, unfortunately. James seemed to have plenty of questions, though. He asked her a lot of them over the delicious meal, both of them opting to forgo the typical English fare and try some of the delicious fusion dishes that combined the Old World and the local cuisine.

‘
So, what do you like most about your restaurant, except, of course, the fact that it’s been your family’s business for generations?’ He asked over a cup of strong coffee, the dash of cinnamon and vanilla added to the brew filling her nostrils with delicious fragrance.

‘
It’s much more than that.’ Full to the point of bursting, she felt mellow and didn’t mind sharing some of her more intimate thoughts. Or maybe it was the fact that the music was seeping slowly into her body and mind, charming her into a surreal state of happiness that didn’t ask for whys or whens.

‘
It’s where I grew up, where I have had my place ever since I can remember,’ she tried to explain, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands. ‘All my best memories are bound to that place. My mother and father, for once. When I think of them, it’s always there, in the kitchen or in the garden, working together and laughing. They had a good deal of fun together, you know?’

‘
I can see that.’ He nodded quietly, sipping his coffee. ‘Is that why you resisted turning it into the Mediterranean place Marlene had invented?’

‘
I guess the answer is yes.’ She sighed. ‘I know it’s selfish, and most people nowadays are looking for things more exciting than a simple pie or a stew. And it’s fine with me; I have to admit that I would choose a good pizza over blood sausage any day.’ She laughed and shook her head. ‘It’s just that it felt as if we were getting rid of something good, you know. I felt that there was a way to turn things around without changing them so completely. There is this whole revival wave happening in the restaurant business, with people trying to reconnect to the traditional and forgotten. I thought we had a pretty good shot at being exactly that. The house was already there, together with all its history and time-tested recipes. We just needed to market it properly and spruce it up to make it old fashioned but not really old, if you know what I mean.’

He did, and they chatted about it for a while, both of them engrossed in their discussion until he noticed the low, but insistent, buzzing of his phone.

‘
Just a moment,’ he apologized. She finished her slice of the excellent chocolate cake they had ordered for dessert and listened to his voice without understanding a word he was saying. She could only read his face, searching for some clues as to what turn his conversation was taking. Judging by his brows furrowed together and the clipped way he finished the conversation, things couldn’t have been too good.

‘
Change of plans.’ He sighed and ran his hand over his hair, ruffling it with a gesture that betrayed his displeasure. ‘I’m afraid we won’t be able to stay here much longer. My plans to take you sightseeing will have to be cut short, after all.’

He smiled at her apologetically, slipping his phone back into the silk-lined pocket of his elegant jacket. With one sip, he finished the remainder of his coffee, explaining before she had to ask.

‘
The merger we were working toward, and which was supposed to happen tomorrow, got moved to today. Apparently the other hotelier made some private plans that can’t wait and has requested to finish it off today, instead.’ He sighed and waited for her to complain, which she didn’t. ‘When I left the office just two hours ago, it was all still being drawn by our lawyers. Now he’s frantic to have it done. He leaves me practically unable to say no, if I don’t want to offend him and let it fall through.’

‘
Of course, let’s go.’ She nodded and rose from the table, some untold instinct telling her that he would not move until she gave him the signal it was all right. ‘The buildings won’t go anywhere, you know.’

She stopped herself just in time. Luckily, he hadn’t noticed anything, already preoccupied with the project ahead. She thanked her lucky stars, her cheeks burning as she followed him to the car. Because, what he didn’t know was how close she had come to finishing her sentence by saying that the buildings would be waiting for them to come back later, the next time they were in Alexandria.

Which was insane and absolutely audacious, all things considered. As far as James knew, and she was supposed to, as well, there would be no next time. She just had to make her heart and mind remember it at all times.

Which was becoming more and more difficult.

The drive back to the hotel proved uneventful and smooth. James shared with her his thoughts on the merger, explaining that he was hoping to finalize it soon and leave the business in the hands of his two uncles. He didn’t want to be tied to it indefinitely, he said, his dark brows drawn together into one, disapproving line.

His life was in England, his business and computer science degrees allowing him to run his own company evolving around new technologies in the field of data protection and security.

He hadn’t planned on being an owner of a chain of hotels around the world, he told her, his hands on the wheel tightening ever so slightly. He had been involved for the last ten years, fulfilling his father’s wish for him to carry out his vision. But the last year had convinced him that he didn’t want to be in charge of the Egypt-bound empire. The well-hidden, yet palpable, resentment of his family made it an easy choice to gently disentangle himself from the business.

He understood his uncles, he said, smiling lightly at her confused expression. They had devoted most of their lives building up something that he inherited just by the ancient law of blood; his ignorance, western upbringing, and the language barrier in the first year taking a back seat to the fact he was his father’s son. As such, it was he who made all the most important decisions; the fact that he relied on their expertise and help most of the time making it so much harder to accept. True, he did bring his business experience, and it was his idea to put in place the major overhaul of the security systems for the chain of hotels the family owned. He had also implemented a heightened level of computer-related services, something that was lacking in the rather traditional, old-fashioned approach his family had used before.

He would just work on the merger and offer his uncles the position of co-directors, something they had been hoping for ever since they worked for his father. His name would remain together with theirs, which was something he couldn’t change. But otherwise, his impact on the company would be marginal and mostly symbolic.

Kind of like the royalty back home, he grinned at her, his dark eyes merry. It suited him just fine, he joked, as long as there was a place for him to vacation at one of the many hotels his family had built up.

Their arrival at the hotel came almost too quickly. She would have enjoyed finding out more about his plans and dreams for the future, the pretense of being a part of it, even though it was nothing more than that, still filling her with warmth that had nothing to do with the hot Egyptian sun.

He resisted her insistence on taking one of the many yellow and black striped taxis back to his home and summoned a chauffeur, his voice leaving no doubts he expected the man to bring her home safely and quickly. He would be back in a few hours, he explained; her recent stress definitely requiring her to rest away from the hotel, especially with Layla still around. Layla was apparently resting after her own adventure in the souk, waiting for her father to be done with his meeting and take her home.

She saw his mouth tightening grimly and felt almost sorry for the other girl, imagining the confrontation that was sure to happen. He might have gone easy on her father, but she would certainly get to hear what he thought of her diabolical plan.

Nothing too bad had happened, if she didn’t count her scare back at the end of the alley, she thought, ready to ask him to go easy on Layla. She couldn’t hate her, not when she understood what brought it all on in the first place. Jealousy was a terrible thing, she thought, as she felt his lips kissing her lightly before he left her.