Page 38 of My Turkish Fling
There was a story there, and I’d pry it out of him. I had to. I had to know what I was up against.
I handed him my car keys. “My car is just around the corner.” I pointed past him at the next street corner. “Wait for me.”
Bracing myself for impact, I stepped into the restaurant. Len sat at our table, browsing his phone.
“I thought you ditched me,” he said with a wide smile as I appeared in front of him.
Len knew how to smile, I thought with a pang. His current grin was tinged with panic, but it was there. I’d seen his entire set of teeth during our first dinner.
“No, I’m not ditching you, but I have to go. I got a call from my son. He needs to talk… he sounded quite upset. I promised I’d call him back soon. Thank you for the dinner, it’s been lovely.” I took a step back, smiling like my life depended on it.
It wasn’t a total lie. I did need to call my sons and check how they were doing with the idea of a new sibling. Shaun had insisted everyone was thrilled, but I had my doubts.
“I understand. Kids come first.” He stopped at the bar to settle the bill, refusing my credit card, then followed me to the door. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
I nearly threw up in my mouth. “No, no! You don’t have to. It’s right around the corner.”
“It’s dark out there. Of course, I will.” He held the door for me.
My stomach in knots, I led him down the street towards my car. How could I get rid of him before he saw the Turkish man in my passenger seat? There was absolutely no explanation I could give for the presence of Emir.
This was a nightmare.
I stopped a few meters away from my vehicle, gesturing at it. “Made it here safely, thank you!”
Len’s eyebrows sailed up. “That’s a nice ride!” He stepped closer to investigate my Lexus, its golden paint shimmering under thestreetlight.
Why couldn’t my car be a boring-as-fuck silver Prius? My stomach tightened into a hard ball as Len ran his hand along the roof, muttering something in appreciative tone.
From my vantage point, I could see the exact moment Emir noticed him. His eyes flashed and he knocked on the window, casting a furious glare at Len. The pastor yelped, stumbling backwards. “There’s a man! Janie, there’s a man in your car!”
“I know. It’s Emir. My… farmhand.”
“Farmhand?”
Emir stepped out, joining us on the footpath. “You must be Len.”
He stuck out his hand, and Len shook it, looking like he’d seen a ghost.
“Emir Erkam.”
Len introduced himself. Then he took a breath, turning to me. “Janie. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’m having a hard time understanding why your… farmhand is sitting in your car while you’re out on a date.” He scanned Emir’s outfit, taking in the shiny, black shirt and dress pants. Absolutely nothing about him said ‘farmhand’.
I winced. “He needed a ride back from town, so I said he can wait in my car. Sorry, I should have told you. I bumped into Emir outside when I checked on my parking.”
Emir nodded. “I don’t have a car. I’m only visiting New Zealand. From Turkey.”
Len tilted his head, still confused. “Ah, okay. That’s far.”
“Anyway, we need to go. Thank you again. It was lovely to meetyou.” I offered Len my hand, but he pulled me into a hug.
Over his shoulder, I caught the look on Emir’s face, and it made my blood chill. As Len released me, he caught my eye, and smiled.
Please don’t say we should do this again sometime.
“We should do this again sometime.” Len’s eyes shone with hope.
“No, you won’t.” Emir’s deep, low growl stole the air from my lungs.
