Chapter 22
twenty-two
MAGS
Mags swore as her tote bounced off her hip again. The repeated blows from a bag that had to equal her body weight had to be leaving bruises. She forced her steps to slow from a powerwalk speed to a fast saunter.
After all, she didn’t need to hurry. She wasn’t late for her meeting with Jonathan. The extra hustle in her step came from nerves.
She might have taken an extra minute on her appearance.
Her wide-legged yoga pants, crew neck t-shirt, jacket, and tennis shoes were all in shades of taupe, casual but on trend.
She wore tiny red rose earrings, and her long, wavy hair was held back by one of her favorite embroidered headbands, red and peach roses.
Hey, why not look cute and rep her business? Speaking of, the printers weren’t far away from Bácús. She could swing by and grab the business cards that Gray helped her design. What was a few more pounds of paper pulling on her shoulder’s tender flesh?
Someday, she would have a real shop where she’d have no need to tote half her sewing paraphernalia around.
Her shoe caught the edge of a raised stone in the ancient-as-hell footpath. “Christ, Mags,” she cursed herself.
She’d known Jonathan O’Faolain her whole life. Where was all this nervous energy coming from?
She also knew how he kissed. “Not helping,” she muttered under her breath.
She was determined to let him have his say.
Whatever that might be. She’d convinced herself that he was on some sort of apology tour for that New Year’s Eve blunder, except he’d been touching her.
Women plastered to his side and handholding had been kept exclusively for his many, many, many other women.
The question was why he was trying to do that to her.
The why of it was driving her mad. She rubbed her palm over the backs of her fingers.
He’d kissed those fingers last night. He didn’t do that with Bébhinn, Gray, or Blair.
Ciar and Dagr would kick his ass if he tried, true, but he didn’t kiss Blair’s hands.
Her life had been way too dramatic lately. Even after Jonathan left her last night, the drama wasn’t done. As Mags had let herself into the apartment complex lobby, she was startled when Nasir stepped from a shadowed alcove near the elevators.
She was used to his blank expression and silence, so when he spoke, she was properly surprised. He also appeared to be very angry.
“I am leaving in a few hours for home,” he spat each word as though he was cursing her instead of discussing his travel plans.
She nodded in acknowledgment. Eze had told her that his father had recalled Nasir to Nigeria. When Mags asked him why they’d sent a bodyguard in the first place, when Eze had never had one before, he chuckled.
“I’m sure it was my mother’s idea, and she got Father to go along with it. Nasir was here to spy on my life and report back. My mother worries,” he added sheepishly. “Mother was very aware of my relationship with Nasir and probably hoped his handsome face might entice me back to Nigeria.”
“And has it worked?”
“Oh, Nasir is an enticement, but I will not be altering my future plans for a person who struggles with fidelity,” he said grimly.
“Has he tried to speak to you? Privately?”
“Yes. I’m well past such nonsense.”
Eze’s clenched jaw and brooding said otherwise. “You’ve been tweaking his nose since the day he got here. You’ve let him believe we are more than we are. Consider speaking to him, even if it is just to bring closure for you both.”
When Eze began to tap his fingertips against his thighs, which he admitted was a way to calm his mind so he could concentrate on mental math, Mags knew the conversation was over. He wouldn’t take her advice.
Nasir had had a similar reaction to her advice the night before. After he informed her of his plans to leave, Mags said, “Eze told me. Safe travels.”
“You are cheating on him with the white-haired man, and Eze is too trusting of you to see it.”
My, my, my. Nasir was definitely letting her have it. Mags was tired and in no mood to caudle. Before she stepped into the elevator, she faced him fully. “I don’t think you give him enough credit, Nasir. He wasn’t too trusting to see when you cheated.”
The man’s eyes rounded in surprised shock. “Cheaters always think everyone cheats.” As she depressed the floor number and as the doors were sliding shut, she couldn’t help but add, “Eze deserved better.” She really despised cheaters.
Bácús was three blocks away.
She was running on little sleep. She’d spoken to her parents for almost an hour. Unsurprisingly, Jonathan and Daniel were their new heroes. Mags agreed.
Her parents were going to be home at the end of next week. They even said they had some exciting news to share, but they wouldn’t tell her a thing until they were face-to-face.
They planned to invite everyone over for a big dinner and expected their daughters to come early to catch up.
As if she wouldn’t be the first one there to greet them. Her parents planned on explaining to their family and friends about getting cancer again. Her mom sighed. “Not that my bald head won’t give it away.”
“You don’t need hair to be beautiful, Mom. Dad thinks so too.”
Mags told Eze before she left the flat that morning about her parents’ homecoming. He insisted that he would buy her plane ticket to Scotland. She’d refused, of course. He refused to take no for an answer. They glared at one another until Jol butted in.
“Eze’s family produces oil and owns a hotel chain. Let him buy you the damn ticket, Margaret.”
“Fine but buy two tickets. My folks want to meet my roommate.” Mags had finally come clean about school, her move. She didn’t, however, burden them with her finances or roughing it on the attic floor.
Bácús was two blocks away.
A frisson of unease zipped up her spine.
She was afraid to hear what Jonathan had to say.
If nothing else, the meeting should answer where in the hell his mind and intentions were.
She wanted to move past him and concentrate on her new life, which, with Eze’s help, had taken a decidedly better path.
She lifted her chin and readjusted the tote straps, which dug into her neck and shoulder, when several things happened at once.
She heard the squealing of tires somewhere behind her, men shouting and a woman screaming, and a wide-eyed Nasir running at her with his arms outstretched.