Chapter 16
DEJA
On Monday morning, I stood in the kitchen staring at my brother, unable to believe the announcement he’d just made. “I’m sorry, you want me to do what?”
“Fly home with Dad and me tonight instead of staying the rest of the summer,” he repeated calmly but firmly. “It’s not up for discussion, Deja.”
“Why?” I shook my head at him, scoffing as I threw my hands out to my sides.
“Last week, when I asked you why I wasn’t flying back to Cairo with you, you convinced me to stay.
You told me I needed a break because I never take one and that Ashanti would need help flying home with the kids because you’d be in Japan.
Now you’ve just, what, changed your mind? ”
He sighed, shoving a hand into his black hair with aggravation tightening his features. “All of that is still true. I haven’t changed my mind about any of it, but it’s also true that you’re needed back home.”
“I’m needed?” I braced my hands against the counter behind me and held his gaze. “No, that’s not it and you and I both know it. What’s really going on here, Khaled? Is anyone ever going to let me in on the big secret?”
As if the universe itself had decided to frustrate me even further, Khaled’s phone started ringing, and before I could even tell him not to dare take it, he glanced at the screen and held a finger up at me. “This is business. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Hating it when he showed me that fucking finger, I silently threatened to bite it off, even miming the action at him, but he waved me off and walked away. I blew out a harsh breath, letting my head drop forward as I tried to regain control of my heartbeat.
I couldn’t leave tonight. Colin and I were having dinner and I’d really been looking forward to it. If I was on a plane back to Cairo when he was supposed to come pick me up, I couldn’t very well go out with him, could I?
Shit. What a mess.
No one was telling me anything regardless of how many times I asked. Ashanti was the only one who even seemed sorry about it. Gabrielle just kept telling me not to worry. Apparently, it wasn’t a woman’s job.
All the while, behind the scenes, the pieces were moving. I knew that. I could feel it in the tension in the house and I’d seen both my father and Khaled’s expressions sometimes when their phones rang. The ball was rolling and it was happening fast, but they were keeping me firmly in the dark.
I was quite sure I knew what was coming, though. At least a part of it, and that was another reason why this dinner was so important to me. If Colin Thayer was to become my husband, there was a lot he and I had to discuss.
“Go pack, Deja!” Khaled said as he strode past the kitchen, not even glancing at me in his haste to get down the hall to the study.
I sighed but obeyed, knowing full well that if I couldn’t get through to Khaled, I was never going to get through to my father. Whatever they wanted from me, it seemed I would only find out back in Egypt.
After racing upstairs to my bedroom and carefully folding all my clothes, I slid the piles neatly into my suitcase, huffing and puffing in a fit of absolute frustration and rage, but no one cared. Honestly, no one even came past my room.
When I was done packing and had secured everything in the bag, I tossed my suitcase out the door into the driveway, just needing to stomp my feet and vent a little bit. I knew it was childish, but they were seriously testing the limits of my patience.
To my surprise, however, when I walked out after my suitcase, Colin was there, just getting out of his car. Heat rushed to my cheeks when I saw those gray eyes track toward my suitcase first, then slowly drifted back to me.
I was in no way, shape, or form ready for the rest, still in my relaxed state. I was wearing a pair of silky pajamas from my family’s brand, at least, but still, I was barefoot, I hadn’t brushed my hair, and I wasn’t wearing a speck of makeup.
Hell, forget makeup. I’m not even wearing a proper bra. Just a freaking sports top with some support in it under my shirt.
I nearly buried my head in my hands, but instead, I kept my chin up and tossed my hair out of my face, flashing him the most winning smile I could muster. “Good morning, handsome.”
Urg. Why can’t I stop flirting with him, and what is it about him that makes me want to tease him? This is ridiculous.
Colin didn’t seem to mind, though. He cautiously walked around his car, like he was afraid I might fling a suitcase at him, but there was something that looked like it wanted to become a smile playing on his lips.
“Good morning, gorgeous. Running away?”
I blinked back my surprise. When I’d thrown out that nickname, I hadn’t expected that he would even acknowledge it, let alone return it.
As he rounded the car, he picked up my suitcase and set it on the bottom step. I lifted my gaze back to his. “I’m thinking about it. Why? Can you give me a ride?”
He smiled. “Where to?”
“I haven’t quite gotten that far yet.”
“Well, I’d be happy to be your getaway driver this morning.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his light gray slacks, glancing up at the house behind me. “Have you got everything you need, or can I help you carry the rest?”
“Give me five minutes and I’ll be back.”
Within twenty minutes, I was dressed in the outfit I’d set out for the day, doing my makeup in Colin’s car while he drove. I still wasn’t sure where we were going, but I also didn’t really care.
“So, what happened?” he asked mildly. “Are you just hitting your running away era late or was it something else?”
“I’m flying back to Egypt with my family tonight,” I explained as I applied mascara while we waited at a red light. “I was about to call and tell you that I couldn’t go to dinner anymore. I didn’t want you to think I was making up excuses.”
“That’s okay. I’m glad I caught you, though. I knew you were leaving, but I wanted to talk before you did, so your running away was perfect timing. It allowed me to kidnap you.”
“I’m not sure it qualifies as a kidnapping if its consensual,” I said lamely, stunned that he’d known I’d be leaving when I’d only found out less than an hour ago myself. “How did you know? Is there a group chat I’m not a part of?”
As I asked the questions, we pulled into the driveway of a very nice townhouse on the Gold Coast. Colin took a deep breath, evidently needing a moment to collect himself as he parked. “This is my house. I wanted a private place to talk and this is as private as it gets for me.”
I stared up at the quaint townhouse, eager to get some insight into him in a very intimate way—by seeing how he lived. “That’s okay. I’d prefer to speak privately myself and this seems like our best bet.”
He turned to smile at me, then climbed out of the car and came around to open my door. Once again, I was struck by the gesture. There really weren’t many men left who did that kind of thing, but with him, it seriously wasn’t annoying or offensive.
“In that case, welcome to my home,” he said, unlocking the door when we reached it. “I bought the place last year, so there’s still some stuff I want to do, but at least I’ve unpacked all my boxes. Well, most of them.”
Curious to see the place he called his own, I walked in when he waved for me to precede him, immediately surprised by how cozy it was.
He had rugs all over the hardwood floors—quality stuff, too.
Scatter cushions and blankets draped across the backs of massive leather sectionals.
The fireplace definitely seemed well used.
I smiled at him over my shoulder. “This is all yours? It’s huge for just one person.”
I wasn’t even trying to stroke his ego. The space really was large, with high ceilings and wide windows that made it feel even more spacious.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. When I bought it, I was sort of hoping I wouldn’t be living here alone for long, though.”
I stopped walking to glance at him again. “That was a refreshingly honest answer.”
“Should I have lied?”
“No. It’s just not often that people tell the truth about that kind of thing so easily.”
I wandered over to look at the family pictures on the walls and the spines of the many books on his shelves. When I spotted the golf magazines on his coffee table, I smiled and looked back up at him.
“Has your father spoken to you?” he asked.
I frowned. “Spoken to me about what?”
Colin sighed, gripping the top of an armchair he was standing behind.
“The merger between GlobalStar and Thayer Steelworks is actively in the works. Thayer will be acting as a parent-partner for White Water Lily’s labs in the States, but it’ll take about a year to get it all off the ground. The fine-tuning will begin this fall.”
He started to step toward me but then stopped. “Thayer will be expanding our operations into Africa.”
My heart skipped about a million beats. It was great news, but Colin still seemed unsure, gripping the chair like he was going to fall over without it. Despite being over the moon about this news, I ignored the urge to ask him to tell me everything.
“Are you okay?” I asked instead, sweeping my gaze across his chiseled features and realizing he was pale again.
To his credit, he looked me right in the eyes when he answered my question. “Your father would like for us to get married to seal the deal. As far as he’s concerned, it’s already set in stone.”
I chuckled but only until I realized how serious he was. My eyelids slammed shut and my heart started pounding as I tried to absorb that my suspicions had just turned into fact.
“I wasn’t sure Basel was going to tell you right away, but I wanted to talk to you about it in person before I agree to his terms.”
His terms? I could only assume it had to do with my dowry and the weighty expectations an Egyptian engagement brought. Either that, or it was related to business.
As things were, however, Colin didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask. Right now, my father’s terms were the least of my worries.
“At the moment, the plan is that I’ll be coming to Egypt in a month,” he said. “After that, I’ll stay for a few more months, but only if you actually want to marry me.”
I blinked hard.
Arranged marriages weren’t unheard of where I was from. We’d even had several in my own family, but to my knowledge, it wasn’t the kind of thing that was usually left up to choice.
Yet, Colin wasn’t pushy about it. It didn’t even sound like he was expecting me to say yes. What he was really saying was that for the next month, while we were across an ocean from each other, I had time to decide. To really think it through.
“What about you?” I asked. “Have you decided yet?”
“I have.” He gave me a faint smile, but it seemed heavy too. His knuckles were white on the chair and his pallor was off. “Just because I’ve made my decision doesn’t mean you have to rush yours.”
“Will we talk?” I asked. “Over the next month, I mean?”
Colin held my gaze. “We could. If you want to, we could set up a schedule to?—”
“No,” I said quickly, making a decision right there on the spot. “Can I write you letters instead of communicating through calls or texts?”
He cocked his head, a much brighter smile appearing on his lips as he nodded. “Sure, but why?”
I shrugged. “It’s what my dad did when he was courting my mom. Besides, there’s just something different about the written word, isn’t there? And I don’t mean a text. A letter is in a league all of its own.”
For a moment, as I looked back at him, it felt like we were right back in that single day we’d spent together, or back in our own little bubble at brunch when it’d just been us.
Despite the barrage of noise and conversation, Colin had managed to make me feel seen and safe, and he was doing the same thing right now.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’d like that, actually. You know my address now. You’ll just have to give me yours.”