That day at the café, Karim had tried to conceal his reaction at meeting Ella. He had spent most of his adult life around women who were after one thing: his money. None of them cared about him, nor did they want to get to know him for who he was. They were frauds. They were fakes. They were willing to do and say just about anything to get in Karim’s good books.
But Ella was different. She didn’t have an agenda. Her only goal was to plan their wedding and do the best job she could for them. It was her own reputation she was concerned about, not Karim’s. It was so refreshing for him to be around someone who was genuine and pulled no punches. He couldn’t remember ever spending time with a woman like her before.
When he had invited Ella to the island, he had already known that Nadia wouldn’t be joining them. But he didn’t tell Ella that day because he was afraid she wouldn’t come. She seemed to pride herself on her professionalism and jetting off to a paradise island with just a groom might not reflect well on her reputation. But he had promised Nadia he would take care of the details. That was part of their arrangement.
At first, Karim had felt nervous around Ella. At the airport, when he had escorted her onto the plane, he had been afraid she might judge him when she saw the extent of his affluence. He didn’t want to downplay it, for fear that she might see through him, but he didn’t want to seem boastful either. He had tried his best to be himself, something he hadn’t been with a woman in a very long time, if ever. And it had worked. He felt at ease with Ella on the jet and at the hotel. Right until she had asked about Nadia.
That’s when Karim recoiled. Ella and her charm had caused him to let his guard down and reveal the truth about his feelings, or lack thereof, for Nadia. He had come dangerously close to telling her everything, and if he had stayed in that candlelit room with her for another moment, he might have. He knew if he spent any more time alone with her, he would risk revealing the whole sham.
Karim rolled over to his side as he watched the palm trees bounce wildly in the wind. The lights from the resort cast long, crazy shadows across the lawn and Karim listened to the wind howl. He wondered how Ella was doing. She had jumped at every loud bang and he had to assumed that she was afraid of thunderstorms. And yet, he thought, she still ran out in the storm to try and stop him from leaving.
What did that mean? Karim mulled the question over in his mind. Maybe she liked him. Maybe she had the same feelings for him that he had for her. He couldn’t be sure. Unless… No. He couldn’t ask. He wouldn’t. He had already done enough damage. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he had brought her down here and got her stranded by a storm. Ella had no reason to listen to him now.
Karim closed his eyes and thought about all of the work waiting for him back in New York. The thought of work always calmed him. He looked forward to returning and diving head first into his next investment plan. Within minutes, Karim was asleep, his usual dreams of stocks, gold and the market, pleasantly disturbed.
EIGHT
The knock woke Ella from a dead sleep. After hours of fitful tossing and turning, she had finally fallen asleep just minutes before dawn. She sat up and threw her legs to the floor when she heard the knock, but as she moved to stand, a stabbing pain shot through her ankle and she fell back on the bed, wincing as tears sprang to her eyes.
“Miss Jones?” the voice on the other side of the door called.
“Mmm-hmm,” she said through clenched teeth, as a wave of nausea rose in her throat. “Coming,” she said, getting to her feet with the help of the nightstand.
“Oh my gosh,” Ella said with every step. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.”
She crossed the living area to get to the door and looked through the peephole to see Djaron’s smiling face. He raised a gloved hand and waved to her through the hole.
“Good morning, ma’am!”
Ella reached down and unlocked the door, wondering why Djaron was so darned chipper so early in the morning. She turned the knob and swung the door open, motioning for Djaron to enter the room.
“Good morning,” Djaron said as he passed by her. “Can I help you with your luggage?”
“Luggage?” Ella said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. “What time is it?”
Djaron looked down at his watch. “It is 7:30am Eleuthera time, 6:30 NY time.”
“What time are we leaving?” asked Ella.
“The jet is ready now, ma’am.”
Ella nodded and smiled at Djaron. “Of course it is,” she said wryly. “Just give me a minute, please,” she said, and hobbled back into the bedroom.
She returned a few minutes later in a fresh pair of slacks and a light sweater, her hair neatly brushed and pulled into a simple ponytail.
“You look lovely, ma’am,” said Djaron as he took her suitcase.
“You’re a liar,” she said, smiling as she walked out in front of him. “But thank you anyway.”
Djaron smiled as he closed the door behind them. He liked this girl. He had met a lot of women since he had begun working for the Sheikh’s family, and in the decade he had been working as Karim’s assistant, he had met dozens, if not hundreds more. But none of them were like Ella. She was a breath of fresh air in a very stuffy environment.
Ella and Djaron walked down the hall of the hotel and through the front lobby. The sun was shining brightly through the glass entrance doors.
“Wow,” said Ella, stepping out into the warm sunshine. “You’d never believe there was such a bad storm just hours ago.”
“No, ma’am,” said Djaron.