Page 13 of Worlds Apart
Oh.
She heard her mother’s voice in the back of her mind.Holiday romances are an experience every young person should have.This could be it. She could have a story, an adventure. A handsome man asked her for a drink while he protected her from lions.
Kind of.
Sunny smiled. “Just give me a few minutes. I’ll put some clothes on.”
Martin’s smile lit up the night. “Of course.”
She was waiting for him to walk away, but he stayed.
Sunny moved to the flap of the tent. “So I’ll meet you at the bar?”
“Ah, no.” His eyebrows went up and he nodded toward the left. “The lions, remember?”
He still had to escort her with the very large rifle.
“Right.” She ducked inside the tent. “The lions.”
* * *
What are you doing?Are you turning into Carberry?
He was silent as he escorted Sunny to the reception tent where the lights glowed and staff and guests were drinking, playing cards, and exchanging stories about the day.
Don’t overreact, Karanja.It was as if he could hear his partner’s cocky British accent in his head.It’s just a drink with a woman, not a marriage commitment.
Sunny walked behind him on the narrow path and he could smell the bright lemon scent of her shampoo in the soft breeze that soughed through the trees.
Talk to her, you idiot.
“How did you enjoy your activities today?” Martin glanced over his shoulder while still sweeping his eyes over the brush to watch for any movement in the grass. “Any notes for your guide?”
“It was amazing. Better than amazing.” She fell quiet and he turned just on the edge of the clearing to see her staring at the sky.
“What is it?”
Her eyes were shining when she looked at him. “You get to see this every night. I wonder if you realize how extraordinary it is.”
Martin reached out his hand. “I don’t make a habit of ignoring the extraordinary.”
Her head tilted to the left for a moment, as if she was listening to something in the distance. This time when the smile overtook her face, it was a slow bloom, like a morning glory opening to the sun.
Extraordinary.
* * *
He wassleepy when he opened his eyes the next morning but he regretted nothing. Though he and Sunny hadn’t been given a moment of privacy the night before, he’d enjoyed seeing her open up with Alice.
They’d played cards late into the night, Alice sharing a simple card game she’d learned in Ethiopia that allowed for conversation and drinks. Ethel had joined them, along with their regular bartender Leboo and Errol. Luckily, his partner was keeping his distance from Sunny, probably because Alice had warned him off.
He rose and walked to the sink to wash his face, examining his unshaven jaw in the mirror. He’d been considering growing out his beard, despite his father’s objections. What could the old man say, after all? He was in the Mara for months, perhaps it was the perfect time to try growing a beard.
Sunny’s skin looks very smooth.
He shook his head at the thought and laughed at himself. She was an American professional on holiday. No doubt, if romance was on her mind, it would be of the fleeting nature and that wasn’t what Martin was looking for.
Even when he was young, he’d been wary of women. Too many lectures from his father about the fortune hunters who might want to ensnare the Karanja heir probably scarred him for life.
