Page 24 of Worlds Apart
“No. Winters are kind of cold and slushy. It usually snows, but then it melts and gets all dirty. Then it freezes.”
He frowned. “So when is a good time to visit?”
“Roughly two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall.”
His eyebrows went up. “Why did your country choose a place with unpleasant weather as its capitol?”
“I really don’t know.”
He considered when he could possibly visit her. The fall was coming and the camp would slow down. Perhaps the fall window of pleasant weather was a good idea. It was still months away; he wished he could see her tomorrow. Next week. Next month at the latest.
“I miss you.” He took a deep breath. “Thank you for texting every morning. It’s lovely to wake up and see a message from you.”
“Thank you too.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I love getting your messages when I wake up too.”
“I have to leave for my meeting if I don’t want to be late. Have a wonderful night and sleep well.”
“Video chat in my morning?”
Martin smiled. “That sounds perfect.”
“Okay. Um…tutaonana.”
“Whaaat?” Martin laughed. “Listen to you!”
“Did I get it right? I was trying to say ‘see you later.’”
“You got it; you sound great. Are you learning Swahili?”
“Alice sent me a program to learn, so I’m trying.”
“I love it.” He felt his heart melt even more. She was wonderful and he wanted her every day. All day. “Tutaonana, Sunny. I wish I didn’t have to go.”
“Go, go. Don’t be late for your meeting. I’ll talk to you in my morning.”
He hung up the phone and immediately sent her a flower emoji. She sent him one back, then he rushed out the door and headed to meet his father.
* * *
“Your earnings are consistent.”His father paged through the print-outs in a manila folder. “The challenge will be to increase visitors during your shoulder seasons to bump up the average to make it through the off-season.”
Martin flipped through the PDF of the profit and loss statement on his tablet. “We’re uniquely advantaged with that because we’re partnered with the local landowners. Grazing the cattle through the conservancy keeps the tall grass down, which makes the grazing animals content to stay longer. The populations aren’t huge, but the big draws are consistent and Errol and I think that discounted rates during that time will attract more bargain-minded visitors or repeat guests who would be more interested in the resident populations of wildlife. The elephants stay. The lions stay. The cheetahs are always there.”
His father grunted, which was all that Martin had come to expect as far as feedback went.
John Karanja had been skeptical of the loan Martin had requested for the business, so Martin had been forced to put his father’s name on the business in order to get the loan. It was still better than going to banks, though Martin was trying desperately to get outside funding so he could buy his father’s portion of the business and finally have something that was all his own.
“The Karanja name stands for quality, professionalism, and a level of elite service.” His father was still staring at the P&L. “I have been impressed by the quality of your furnishings, your social media presence, and the experience you are providing. The food has excellent reviews and the service has gained a consistent reputation for quality.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Father.”
“And yet, I hear a rumor that you formed a relationship with a guest while she was visiting the camp.” He looked up and Martin saw the disapproval in his father’s gaze. “You are not Errol Canberry, Martin. You cannot take liberties like this and your mother would be embarrassed if she knew. We didn’t raise you to carry on with guests. That’s not the kind of family you come from.”
Martin lifted his chin. “I met Susannah Randolph as my camp manager’s school friend. The fact that she was a guest at the camp was—”
“Incontrovertible.” His father snapped the folder shut. “Undeniable. Martin—”
“No.” He raised a hand. “I am not going to put my relationship with Sunny in the same category as Errol’s affair-of-the-month, and I won’t have you thinking that it’s anything like what you’re imagining. Sunny is a very special woman, and we are taking time to get to know one another.”
