Page 28 of Isn't She Lucky
“Oh,” I say.
What else did he tell you?
“I’m Pearl, by the way.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You as well.”
“Um…so, what do you do around here?”
“Anything Kasim needs me to. I wash clothes, cook, clean, run errands—”
“My mother used to be the maid for his parents.”
“I know.”
“Right. He’s told you a lot about me, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Good morning,” Kasim says as he enters the kitchen, his unwavering gaze fixed on me.
My eyes are on him just as heavily because the sight of him is playing with my insides. He’s perhaps the most handsome man I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. He’s wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants – super laid back and casual.
“Good morning.”
“I see you’ve met Pearl.”
“Yes. She was just telling me how much she knew about me already.”
He grins and says, “Pearl, you have to keep some stuff between us.”
“I see that.”
“By the way—no need to cook any breakfast this morning. I’ve arranged for other plans. As a matter of fact, why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”
“Really?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well,” she says, taking off her apron. “You ain’t got to tell me twice.”
He turns to me and says, “We’ll have brunch in the garden.”
“We don’t have to eat together just because I’m here.”
“Of course not. However, we do need to discuss some things, so…right this way,” he says, leading me outside.
To my surprise, there’s a chef out here cooking, and drinks are already on the umbrella-covered table for us.
He pulls out a chair for me, and after I sit, he says, “The food will be ready shortly.”
Kasim sits down and takes a sip from his glass while his eyes stalk my features. His gaze is unrelenting. Intentional. I suppose he’s adjusting to what’s new about me. I can’t lie – I’ve done the same to him because so much is new. So much has changed.
I blink away from his trance and nervously thread my fingers.
“How did you sleep?” he asks, breaking the awkwardness.
