“No regrets?”
“No regrets and feeling I lived life to the fullest. Which means even more than I expected before I met Rashid. He’s so fabulous.”
Ella laughed. “So says a woman in love.”
“I know, and I’m so proud of him I could burst, and happy he loves me as much.” She flicked Ella a glance. “How is Khalid these days?”
She gazed at the sea. “I wouldn’t know. He’s on a business trip.”
“Still in Egypt?” Bethanne asked.
Ella nodded. “I have no idea when he’ll be back.”
“I’ll ask Rashid if you like.”
She hesitated. She didn’t want to make demands or have him think she had any expectations. But she did want to know how he was, what he was doing, when she’d get to see him again. Ella almost groaned. She had it bad.
“Please.” Khalid need never know she’d asked after him. When he returned, she’d play it cool, not going for walks, not expecting him to spend time with her. But for now—she wanted any information she could get.
Trying to change the subject, Ella asked about how much flying Bethanne was doing these days and the subject of Khalid was dropped.
That evening Ella was summoned to the main house by the maid for a phone call. It was Bethanne.
“Rashid said Khalid is still in Egypt. He called him to see when he was coming home. Turns out he’s thinking about visiting some of the oil fields in the interior of Quishari before coming home. Stalling do you think?”
“Why would he?” Ella said, her heart dropping at the news he would be gone even longer.
“I could fly you inland, if you like,” Bethanne said.
Ella blinked.
“You know, you could get some great ideas from seeing some of the nomadic people and the colors they use in weaving cloth. And there is an austere beauty of the desert that I find enchanting at all times of the day, from cool sunrise to the spectacular sunsets.”
“It’s tempting.”
“I’ll ask my darling fiancé if we can go tomorrow. That way, when Khalid shows up, you’ll already be there.”
Ella wanted to protest, but she closed her mouth before the words would spill out. She longed to be with him again. Here was a chance to see him in the kind of environments he worked. Not in fire suppression, but as a consultant to oil fields. She’d never seen an oil pump and had only the vaguest idea of how everything worked from discovery to gasoline in her car. It would be educational.
She laughed at her foolishness. She was going to see Khalid! “You’re on. And tell Rashid thank you very much!”
The next morning Bethanne picked Ella up and drove them to the airport in her new car.
The gleaming jet sat in solitary splendor in a private section of the airport. Service personnel scrambled around, making sure the jet was ready to fly. Ella watched with fascination as Bethanne changed her personality into a competent pilot, double-checking all aspects of the plane before being satisfied. She invited Ella into the cockpit, and talked as she went through the preflight routine. In only moments they were airborne. Ella leaned forward to better see the landscape below them. The crowded developed land near the sea gradually grew less and less populated until they were flying over desert sand. In the distance, toward the west, she saw hills, valleys and mountains. The flight didn’t take long, and went even faster fascinated as she was by the sights below.
She knew Bethanne had been half joking when talking about getting new ideas, but Ella already had a bunch of them crowding in her mind. She had brought her sketchbook, but it was in her bag. Her fingers itched to get down the ideas. She would love to capture the feeling of the burning sand, the starkness of the open land. The contrast with the sea and distant mountains.
“Nice, huh?” Bethanne said.
“Beautiful. It’s so lush where I’m from in Italy. And I’ve lived in Alkaahdar since arriving. I had no idea the desert could be beautiful.”
“It’s not to all. But I love it. Rashid tells me if I wish, he will build us a villa by an oasis surrounded by endless desert. I’m still too new at everything in Quishari to wish to change a thing. But the thought tantalizes.”
“I think I should like that, as well. As long as there was enough water at the oasis.”
They circled the town of Quraim Wadi Samil on the edge of an oil field and then Bethanne landed.
Ella watched the pumps on the field with their steady rise and fall as they made their approach. She regretted losing them from view as they landed.
“That’s where Khalid will be tomorrow,” Bethanne said. “Rashid arranged for someone to pick us up and drive us to the hotel. Once I know Khalid’s arrived, I’ll return home.”
“Stranding me here?” Ella said. She hadn’t expected that.
“Hey, he’s good for helping a damsel in distress.”
Ella laughed, growing nervous. What if he was more annoyed than anxious to help? And she wasn’t exactly stranded. She’d be able to take a bus back to the capital city, or even one of the daily commercial planes.
Bethanne arranged for them to go to the hotel that Khalid would use when he arrived. She and Ella checked in and agreed to meet for lunch, then take a short tour of the town.
By dinnertime, they’d both showered, changed and were sitting in the lobby.
Bethanne watched the double doors to the street while Ella sat with her back to them.
“He just walked in,” Bethanne said, smiling. She looked at Ella. “Go say hi and ask him to join us for dinner. We’ll want to hear all about Egypt.”
Ella rose and turned, her heart kicking up a notch when she saw him. He wore a dark suit and white shirt with blue and silver tie. He looked fantastic. She took a breath and crossed the lobby, her eyes never leaving him. She saw when he turned slightly and saw her. For a moment she thought she saw welcome in his eyes. Then he closed down.
“Ella, is everything all right?” he asked, crossing the short distance to meet her.
“Everything is fine. Did you have a good trip to Egypt?”
Khalid’s eyes narrowed slightly, then he looked beyond her and saw Bethanne. She raised one hand in a short wave and grinned.
Khalid looked back at Ella. He hadn’t expected to see her. One reason he’d decided to stop off at Quraim Wadi Samil was to delay returning home. But she was standing right in front of him, her eyes dark and mysterious, shadowed with a hint of uncertainty. He clenched his fists at his sides to keep from reaching out and pulling her into a hug that he might not ever let go.
“We wondered if you’d like to join us for dinner,” she said quickly. “Tell us about your trip.”
“You didn’t come all this way to have dinner and hear about my trip,” he said.
“Actually I’m getting new ideas for more glass pieces. You should see the sketches I’ve done since I’ve arrived. I’m hoping to go to the oil fields tomorrow.” She stopped abruptly.
“With whom?” he asked, feeling a flare of jealousy that someone would show her around.
“You?” she said.
Khalid relaxed a fraction. His voluntary exile for the last week hadn’t done anything to kill his desire for this woman. Now she was right here.
“I don’t usually eat dinner in restaurants,” he said slowly.
She nodded. “I know, eating alone is awkward in public places. But you’ll have me and Bethanne so it’ll be fun.”
Fun? The stares of the other customers? The whispers that ran rampant as speculation abounded?
“I’m glad to see you again,” she was saying. “I’ve missed you at night when I walk along the beach.” Her eyes were shining with more happiness than he’d ever seen before. For another smile, he’d face the horror of others at the restaurant. He’d make sure he was seated by a wall, with the damaged side of his face away from other diners.
“I need to check in, then it will be my pleasure to escort two such lovely ladies to dinner.”
She reached out and touched his arm, pulling her hand back quickly as if unsure of a welcome.
“We’ll be waiting.” With another smile, she turned and walked back to Bethanne.
Dinner did not prove to be the ordeal Khalid had expected. As if in one agreement, the seating went as he wanted. With fewer people having to see the scar, they were more ignored than he normally experienced. For the first time in years, he enjoyed dining out. The food was excellent. The conversation lively. The more he grew to know Bethanne, the more he understood his brother’s love for the woman. Yet his eyes kept turning to Ella. She was feminine and sweet. He detected a difference but couldn’t put his finger on it. Was she more confident? Had the sadness diminished around her eyes?
“So Rashid called and doesn’t want me to wait until tomorrow to return home. I’m leaving right after dinner,” Bethanne said.
Ella looked startled. Khalid watched her as she turned to the other woman. “I thought we’d stay a day so I can see everything here.”
Bethanne looked at Khalid. “You can show her around, can’t you? She wants to see an oil field. You could explain things. And show her the sunrise. I think the colors in the sky are amazing.”
Khalid knew a setup when he saw one. But instead of arguing, he looked at Ella. Another day together suited him. “Fine. We’ll watch the sunrise together, I’ll take you to the oil fields.”