A copse of date palms grew nestled into its shaded side, hidden from view by the direction from which they had approached the ruin, lending a sense of life to what otherwise might have seemed a lonely home for ghosts.
The shadowed beige of the stone blended seamlessly into the color of the sand around it, giving everything the impression not of an ancient structure, but of one built to match the existing landscape.
Impossibly drawn, Rita stepped toward the nearest doorway, fearless, led by her curiosity to see what lay inside.
Jag’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Another time,” he said, “and in daylight.”
Startled, as she always was by the experience of having another person weigh in on one of her decisions, Rita’s face made a moue of disappointment, but she nodded.
What he said made sense.
She didn’t know anything about what the desert held or what might be waiting inside the dark for her.
Leading her by the arm, Jag took her toward a crumbling staircase that led up to the flat square rooftop of a sand-filled rectangular structure.
Her bare feet touched the warm stones with relief, some of their chill dissipating instantly.
As usual, Jag’s next two words indicated his preternatural ability to read her mind. “The stones heat up during the day and hold on to the heat long into the night.”
Rita nodded. It made sense, and for a much more comfortable experience in the nighttime desert.
On the rooftop, Jag laid Rita’s jacket on the ground. Then, beckoning her to come to his side, he lay down on his back, his arms under his head.
Rita sat down and joined him in lying back to look at the stars overhead.
They lay there, alone in the world and quietly together for a time before Rita reluctantly reminded him, “Weren’t you going to call someone?”
He nodded but made no move for the phone that he had carried through the desert and which now lay at his side. “Soon enough. I’m finding, however, right now, amidst the oddity and discomfort of our situation, an unexpected feeling of peace. I want to enjoy it a little longer.”
There was a quiet vulnerability in his voice, and Rita didn’t know why, but something about the words warmed her.
While she couldn’t take credit for the sandstorm, and wouldn’t want to, she had had a part in creating this moment beneath the stars with him, and even facing the devastation of the Ferrari, she sensed that that was an accomplishment.
“What are you thinking about, my princess?” he asked, ever alert to her energetic and mental shifts.
With a sad chuckle, Rita sighed. “The car is ruined.”
Jag shrugged, saying, “I’ll get you a new one.”
This time Rita’s laugh was incredulous. “You can’t just get me a new one,” she said. “There are only so many of them in the world. And that one was one-of-a-kind.”
“It will be one-of-a-kind again when you rebuild it, as I know you will,” he said, unconcerned. “And I will still get you another one.”
Smiling, Rita said, “You know, there is such a thing as having too much money.” She was wearing the pearl belt, and chandelier necklace, huge earrings, and megawatt ring to prove it.
“Impossible,” he said, looking as if she had said the most ludicrous thing in the world. “In the case of the royal family of Hayat, truly. It is not possible to spend through the riches my family possesses in one lifetime. It is why I am so extravagant with our wealth. Well, that and because it enrages my father to see his money enjoyed by anyone other than him. But what other municipality can boast of having world-class hospitals and entertainment venues without having to spend any of their tax revenues? None that I know of. I mean it when I say I will get you a new one.”
The revelation of his wealth was slightly breathtaking, even as she knew this pain was about more than simply access to another car. “It was horrible to see it like that.”
But rather than indulge her, this time he shrugged and said, “It is just a car.”
With a noise of outrage, Rita sat up to look down into his laughing eyes indignantly, saying, “It is not just a car.”
Unrepentant, Jag merely rolled his eyes. “Forgive me. It is a one-of-a-kind NECTAR conversion.”
Smacking his shoulder, she said, “That’s not what I meant.”