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The door opened and he turned to see Janna enter. She kept her gaze lowered, as if she were nervous, and it allowed him a chance to study every inch of her gorgeous appearance. Hafa had done an excellent job of helping his little American dress the part.
The skirts of her long, pale blue gown swirled around her ankles like ocean waves, their hue a perfect match for her light azure eyes. Her long blonde hair was artfully styled into a sleek French twist, with a few stray curls left loose to graze her shoulders. Everything about her looked perfect, except for one missing item. “Where is your hijab?”
“You mean the headpiece your maid wanted me to wear?”
“Our customs state your head should be covered.”
“Yes, but I’m only visiting. I’m not from your country. Therefore, I’m not subject to your rules.”
Rules or not, there were many things he would like to indulge in with her and none of them involved a hijab. Tonight was for them to get to know each other better. There would be plenty of time for her to become acquainted with their customs later. He took her elbow and steered her toward the patio doors once more, wondering when the temperature had risen in the dining room. “Of course. This way, please.”
They walked out onto the veranda, and she halted, looking around. “I thought we were having dinner?”
“We are.” He led her around the corner and to a small ramp that climbed into the trees.
“Up there?” She gave him a skeptical look. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” He took her hand and led her up onto the ramp, keeping her beside him in case she stumbled on her high heels. “Be careful.”
They ascended the ramp and his amusement at her reaction grew. By the time they reached the top and stepped off onto a narrow deck high above the gardens below, her eyes were wide and sparkling and her cheeks were flushed a lovely pink and Nassir couldn’t ever remember seeing a more beautiful sight. Her voice all but vibrated with astonishment. “Wow! A treehouse?”
“Yes.” Nassir grinned, her excitement contagious.
“It’s so cool!” Janna grabbed his arm. “Can we go inside?
“Of course. That is where we are having dinner.” He pushed open the doors, then waited for her to enter. A candles glowed from every available surface and vibrant jewel-toned couches and throw pillows filled small seating areas around the four corners.
Two male servants and an older chef in white garb stood by another doorway. They bowed when Nassir entered then began preparing for the feast. Nassir escorted Janna to one of the sitting areas and settled them on a soft velvet loveseat of deep sapphire blue.
Janna gazed around in obvious awe. “This place is amazing.”
“You have my permission to come here whenever you would like.” She seemed more relaxed tonight and he wanted her to remain that way. A relaxed, happy woman would make a relaxed, happy bride. And a happy bride said yes to her groom’s proposal.
“Thank you.” Janna smiled. “I appreciate the offer.”
He was about to respond when his cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out to find several messages filling his screen. He’d felt the damned thing vibrate on the way up here, but had thought if he ignored the calls they would stop. Apparently, he’d been wrong.
“Do you ever take a break from work?” she asked. “You always seem to rush from one emergency to the next.”
“Work is my escape. My solace from…well, everything. It’s always been this way.”
“Always? Even when you were little?”
“No. That is true. But things change. People change.”
“Or things change people,” Janna replied.
Nassir narrowed his eyes, “Come with me.” He grabbed her hand and led her over to a balcony looking over the gardens.
“You see the grand fountain over there? When I was younger, like most seven year olds, I thought I was invincible. I climbed right to the top and jumped off - pretending to be my favourite superhero. At that age you do not account for short legs or the distance between the tiers of the fountain.”
She gasped and laid her hand on his forearm. “What happened?”
“I landed with my leg beneath me on the wall of the bottom fountain. Broken in three places.”
“Ouch.” Her expression filled with genuine concern. “At least you didn’t have any long term effects from it.”
“No. Everything healed as it should, but it happened at the beginning of the summer. Which meant I had to stay inside and rest for the next three months. The pain was excruciating. To get my mind off of it, my father suggested I use the time to apply myself to my studies and get ahead of my classmates. He told me that focusing my mind would help me deal with the pain.”
