CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lucy lay back on the sun lounger and sighed. She’d spent all morning in the boat’s galley preparing dinner and it felt good to have the sun’s rays on her body again. She closed her eyes and flipped her sunglasses onto her nose.
A shadow fell over her body. She didn’t bother opening her eyes; it could only be Alex. The others were all eating.
“Hey, you’re in my sun.”
“You’ll be getting plenty of sun soon.”
“I’ll be covered from head to foot with an abaya and my tan will suffer.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Hadn’t thought of it like that.” He paused, hesitant and Lucy opened her eyes and turned to him.
“What’s up? Want to persuade me to stay?”
He grinned. “Now, I know that wouldn’t work. You’ll be with your sister for the birth of her child come hell or high water.”
“Yep. And I want to get there a few days early. She’s not due for another week but I don’t want to miss out. I figure I’ll hang around for a while after the birth to help out and then I’ll leave.”
“There’s always a job here, if you want one.”
“You’re too good to me. You’ve found a replacement chef now. You don’t need me.”
“I could have two cooks. Sounds good to me.”
“You don’t need two. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. There’s always work in the Caribbean. I’ll try there first.”
“You may want to stay in Sitra.”
She looked out across the sea she loved so much for its ever-changing moods and constant movement. “No, I won’t. I never stay long in one place. I don’t do ‘permanent.’”
“I thought Razeen might have changed your mind on that point.”
“He’s not interested. I don’t know why you think he is. Anyway, he has nothing to do with my reason for returning. I’m there for Maia and that’s all.”
“He is interested, Lucy. Of course he is.”
“No ‘of course’ about it.”
“He told me.”
Her head snapped round. “What?”
“Razeen is my friend, Lucy, we stay in touch. Particularly after the debacle of the wedding.” He paused. “Do you want to know what happened?”
“No.” She gnawed the inside of her lip to hide her uncertainty. “I know the bare essentials, that’s quite enough.”
“Shame.”
There was a long pause while Alex walked to the mast and yanked a knot a bit tighter. Lucy tried to keep her curiosity tamped down. She fidgeted with her hands, crossed and uncrossed her ankles and then took a deep breath knowing that Alex wasn’t going to go away until she’d asked.
“I shouldn’t think there’s much more to be said.”
“Shouldn’t think so,” he agreed.
“I know the marriage didn’t happen. But as to why? Who knows?” Again a teasing silence. “Alex?”
“I might know.”
“Damn it, Alex, tell me. What happened? Who called it off? Was it Razeen?” She knew it had to have been. After all, he was the one with the power and the one who had no love for his fiancée.
Alex shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Razeen.”
Lucy sat bolt upright, her sunglasses falling to the wooden deck with a clatter.
“What?”
“His fiancée called it off. Seems she was more enamored with a life outside Sitra than one in it. She’s in Paris now, studying at the Sorbonne.”
“He’d have gone through with it then.” The words emerged on a rush of exhaled air. Disappointment bit deep. She’d believed he’d listened to her and called it off. But he hadn’t. It had been the shy and intelligent girl who’d made the break.
“Yes, he’d have gone through with it. He’s very serious about his responsibilities. You should know that.”
“Yes,” she chewed her lip and glanced away. “I do.”
She made herself lie back. Alex walked over to the railing and peered out at the horizon with narrowed eyes. There was only the lapping of the water against the boat and the occasional shout and background chatter of the crew eating lunch in the cabin to break the lengthening silence.
“I thought you two were pretty well suited, you know.”
“Did you?” She tried to sound unconcerned.
“Yeah, I reckon you could have made a good go of it together.”
“Umm. Obviously he didn’t share that view.”
“What makes you say that?”
She sat up and sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps the way he was determined to marry someone else?”