The Sheikh’s Mail-Order Bride: Halabi Sheikhs Book Three Read online

  4

  Danny watched Jayne as she watched the city. Her enthusiasm was infectious—her undisguised wonder as a tall ship launched forth, sails snapping in the wind, her swooning bliss as she bit into a fresh fig at the bazaar. Noah put on an even better show, snapping his little disposable camera at everything in sight. They did a slow circuit of the old district, admiring the stately homes with their walled gardens, the graceful arches that had once marked the entrance to the city center.

  “And down here,” he said, starting down a tree-lined path, “the scene of my parents’ first date.”

  “Really?” Jayne followed him, eyes alight with curiosity. She’d set Noah in his stroller, but he was fumbling with the straps, eager to be free.

  "Don’t worry. This one’s completely kid friendly. You can let him stretch his legs.”

  Jayne set Noah on his feet as the botanical gardens spread out before them, the warm scent of bougainvillea filling the air. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “I was picturing some desert, but the city’s so green, and now this.” She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “It smells like dessert. Good enough to eat.”

  “They do sell edible flowers in the gift shop.” Danny grinned. “But don’t nibble the rosehips off the bush. They take a dim view of that.” He strode up to the information booth and grabbed a couple of audio guides, one for him and one for Jayne. “You can scan the QR codes at some of the exhibits, and it’ll give you a rundown. The bird of paradise, native to South Africa, resembles a colorful bird in flight—all that sort of thing.”

  “Nice professor voice,” said Jayne. “You sound like David Attenborough.” She stopped in front of a tree with a fat, twisted trunk and scanned its code, kneeling down so Noah could share her headphones. “Oh, it’s talking about you! Your family, I mean.”

  “My great-great, uh...very-great grandfather.” He smiled. “He brought this olive tree from Tuscany and founded the gardens around it. Or that’s the story, anyway.”

  “Noah. Don’t.” Jayne caught him as he attempted to scale the tree, but Danny just laughed.

  “He’s okay. He wouldn’t be the first kid to scramble up that tree.” He looked up at its branches, wide and solid and so inviting. “My sister and I spent a whole afternoon up there, hiding from our parents. We’d have camped out all night, but Edlyn dropped her bracelet, and Bas saw her jump down to get it.”

  “Foiled again, huh?”

  “Yup.” He scooped Noah into his arms as he went toddling by and carried him over to the next exhibit. “Want to hear about the royal doves?”

  “Bah.” Noah pointed over his shoulder, past the fountain, to the hedge maze. “Bah.” He squirmed free, sliding to the ground.

  “Noah!” Jayne reached for him again, reining him in by the sleeve. “No running. This isn’t that kind of park.”

  “It’s okay.” Danny took Noah’s hand and started toward the maze. “In fact, it’s tradition. That maze is for the kids. We all ran about in it when we were little. Edlyn used to trap me in there, trick me into following her, and she’d lead me around in circles.” He sighed, shrugging off his nostalgia. “You’ll meet her soon. She’s the good twin, never gets in trouble. Not like me.” He dropped Noah’s hand as they approached the maze. “Hey. Race you.”

  “Wait!” Jayne grabbed for Noah, too late. He was off like a shot, Danny giving chase. They did a lap around the fountain, Noah giggling uproariously, scrambled over a low fence, and tore across the lawn. Noah took a tumble halfway there, tripping over his feet and skidding across the lawn. Jayne held her breath, bracing herself for his shriek, but it never came. Danny jogged up behind him—“Hurry up! Gonna catch you!”—and Noah bounced to his feet, still in the race.

  Danny hung back, panting loudly, letting the little boy outpace him. Noah turned, saw he’d won, and raised both arms in triumph.

  “Ha, ha, ha! Lopo!”

  “Slowpoke, yeah, that’s me.” Danny doubled over, pretending to catch his breath. “Or you’re too fast. Olympic hopeful, there.”

  “Maybe save the races for the park.” Jayne trotted up behind them and stooped to wipe Noah’s hands. “Slow down a bit, huh? You don’t want to get us kicked out.”

  “Aw, no one gets kicked out for that.” Danny crouched down and pulled a candy bar from his pocket. “Littering, though, that’s a serious offence. What do you do with your wrapper when you’re done?”

  “Tash pan,” said Noah.

  “That’s right. You toss it in the trash.” He looked up at Jayne, wilting a little at her stern expression. He’d brought them here so the kid could have some fun, but she seemed determined to suck all the excitement out of the proceedings. “I promise it’s okay,” he said. “This whole place was designed with kids in mind. There’s even a playground past the pavilions. It’s fine if he blows off a little steam.”

  She seemed to melt at that, nudging Noah toward the maze, but the minute he took off, her frown was back. “I try not to reward him for acting up.”

  “He’s just being a kid.” Danny swallowed, tasting bitter resentment. His own childhood had ended with Edlyn’s accident, his parents turning paranoid overnight. They’d practically locked him in the palace, terrified he’d trip on this, choke on that, drown or fall or get hit by a car. He shook off the memory, offering a lopsided grin. “How about I ask, going forward? If I want to give him a treat?”

  “That works.” Jayne relaxed a little, smiling as Noah poked his head out, only to dart right back in. “Maybe I am being too strict. It’s just, he does this everywhere. One time, we were shopping—I turned my back for a moment, and he’d knocked down a whole rack of reading glasses. He doesn’t get where it’s okay to run and where it isn’t.”

  “I still don’t, sometimes.” Danny winked, then grunted as his phone went off. “Oops. Hold on a sec.” He thumbed the screen open, but it was only Azar.

  Party on the yacht next wk!!!! tons of ladies & drink. coming???? do i even have to ask????????

  Excitement spiked, sharp and galvanizing, not for the promise of chicks and booze, but that feeling he got when he was out with friends. Holding court on the deck, making everyone laugh, he felt like a king. Like someone who mattered. He felt wanted when the invitations poured in, needed when they called to confirm. But this was one party he wouldn’t be attending. He licked his lips and tapped the dictation button.

  “I’ll have to pass on this one,” he said. “I’m courting, or haven’t you heard?”

  Azar wrote back immediately—so ditch her! or bring her! BE THERE!

  Danny glanced at Jayne. She’d wandered over to the fountain and was tickling one of the peacocks under its wings. He stepped back and lowered his voice. “I can’t, man. I’ve got to do this right, or I’m cut off.” He paused, thumb hovering over the Send button. “This is your fault, so if your party bombs, don’t blame me.”

  His phone beeped again, but he ignored it. Azar could entertain his own guests, just this once. It felt good being with Jayne, and as for Noah—

  “Dadada!”

  He stumbled and nearly went flying as Noah crashed into him from behind, throwing his arms around his legs.

  “Whoa, there! Easy, soldier.” He scooped the boy up and set him on his shoulders. Noah let out a whoop, and even Jayne seemed delighted, hurrying over to join them.

  “Look at that, a horsey ride. And you didn’t even have to beg.”

  Noah grabbed Danny’s hair and shook it like a set of reins. Danny set out at an easy pace, walking them under the willows.

  “There’s a pond over this way,” he said. “Plenty of birds to feed. He’s not scared of birds, is he?”

  “I don’t think he’s scared of anything.” Jayne gave a rueful chuckle. “He loves climbing up high at the park, knowing I won’t follow him. He’ll roost at the top of the slide when it’s time to go home. I have to tempt him down with food.” Her hand brushed his, and she smiled. “How about you? Any deep, dark fears?”

&n
bsp; Hurting my family. He pressed his lips together, covering his discomfort with a smirk. “Getting shot down by a beautiful woman. You’re not going to blow me off, are you?”

  “Not today.” It was Jayne’s turn to wink. “Dreams, then? Anything you’ve always wanted to do?”

  “Well, I—”

  “Wait.” Jayne caught his arm, her expression turning mischievous. “Whatever just jumped to mind, don’t tell me that. I want to hear your secret dreams, the ones you’ve never told anyone. The ones that seem ridiculous, but that keep sneaking back.”

  “You first.”

  “I’ve written at least a dozen speeches in my head, thanking the King of Sweden for the lovely Nobel Prize. Now you.”

  Danny scanned the area, but the path was deserted, no one nearby to judge. Even his security detail had retreated to a respectful distance. “I used to idolize Jackie Chan,” he said. “If they ever made parkour movies, like they do for kung fu, I’d be first in line to audition.” He laughed, a little too loudly. “It’s silly, but I’m out there sometimes, and I make some crazy jump, sneak in some show-off flourish, and I hate that no one saw. I picture it with that Hollywood lighting, maybe the moon in the background—hey. That’s not funny.”

  “It is a little.” Jayne bit her lip on her giggles. “It’s just, when you said the moon thing, I pictured E.T.”

  “That was a great scene. Don’t laugh at E.T.”

  “Okay, but let me ask you—”

  “Oh, no. It’s my turn.” He held Noah’s ankle as he descended to the water’s edge, securing him in position. “What’s the worst date you ever went on, and please don’t say ‘this one’?”

  Jayne grimaced. “He picked me up on a bicycle. Made me ride the handlebars to some clam stand, where we both got food poisoning. Yours?”

  “She brought her mother. Her mother brought a checklist.” He scowled at the memory. “And, trust me, her questions were no fun. She’d dug up every embarrassing thing I’d ever done, and she wanted explanations. Why did I yawn during my brother’s coronation? I don’t know. I was tired? What do you say to that?”

  “Check, please?” Jayne chuckled. “I don’t think I’d have stayed.”

  “In hindsight, I shouldn’t have.” Danny set Noah down and handed him a coin. “See those machines over there?”

  Noah nodded, eyes round.

  “You can get a cup of birdseed and feed it to the ducks. Want to try?”

  “Uh huh.” Noah took his coin and bounded off. Jayne watched with a smile, and she wasn’t the only one. Danny spotted a couple across the water, just about their age, looking on from their bench. The woman smiled and whispered something, and the man squeezed her hand. A groundskeeper passed by, picking up discarded seed cups. He smiled at them too, just as Noah came scurrying back.

  “So, you take just a little, pour it into your hand.” Danny demonstrated the technique, but he felt strange, self-conscious, with the audience across the pond, as though he’d blundered into a role that wasn’t his to play. He shrugged off the feeling and scattered the seed across the water. “Spread it out as much as you can. If you dump it all in one place, the biggest duck’ll get it all.”

  Noah did as instructed, his solemn expression turning to one of delight as the ducks swam in for their treat.

  “I ha’ one?”

  Danny chortled at that and leaned down to ruffle Noah’s hair. “No. These guys are a family. We can’t split them up. But we have some at home, big black and orange ones. Much fancier than these. You can play with them any time you like.”

  Noah threw some more seed, and Danny glanced across the pond again. The young couple was still watching, and he wondered what they were seeing. A family, most likely, a mom and a dad and their cute little boy. That sense of discomfort crept back. Was it right that he play daddy, knowing it was temporary? It felt like an overreach, one that could only end in heartbreak.

  “Dada, look!” Noah grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down to the water. A goose had joined the ducks and was scattering them like chaff. It flapped its big, messy wings, and Noah shrank against him. “Dada!”

  The groundskeeper looked up, and this time, Danny felt himself flush. Dada? That couldn’t be him, not here, not in public. Once that hit the papers, the pressure would skyrocket. He wasn’t ready for that, not even close. He took Noah’s hand and pulled him back from the goose.

  “You know what? Those guys get mean when they’re hungry, snatch the food right out of your hands. Why don’t we go find some dinner for ourselves?” He glanced at Jayne, hoping she wouldn’t spot his desperation, but she was smiling like she thought that was a great idea.

  “Oh, dinner! How about some falafel?” She looked up at Danny. “You have those here, right? He loves them back home. There’s this little Lebanese place—he gets them every time.”

  “Yeah, we have those.” Danny’s good spirits surged back at the prospect of food. “And hummus with ground beef, pita to dip in it, all kinds of finger foods.” He leaned down to tie Noah’s shoe. “I know just the place. Their kids’ menu is so good I still order from it myself. What do you say to that?”

  Noah had plenty to say, babbling cheerfully all the way out of the garden. Danny knew he shouldn’t—it wasn’t fair, letting the kid get too attached—but when Noah grabbed his hand and Jayne’s and wanted to be swung, he joined in without protest, kept it up till his arm ached.

  5

  “Here we are.” Danny spun around with a flourish, gesturing at an old sandstone building. “The best dining in Al-Mifadhir, at least by my standards.”

  “I’m inclined to believe you,” said Jayne. The smell drifting out was delicious, warm and spicy, and she closed her eyes to breathe it in. “Something smells incredible.”

  “That’s their special-recipe shakshuka. Sends your tongue straight to Heaven. See, mine’s a ghost.” He stuck it out, and she laughed.

  Inside, the place was crowded, packed to the gills with couples and parties, waiters weaving in and out with steaming trays of food. The maître d’ shuttled them past the crowd, to a narrow spiral staircase leading up to a bright square of light. Jayne froze in her tracks, clutching at Danny’s sleeve.

  “What’s the matter? You okay?”

  She nodded, but her feet had turned to lead. That staircase looked rickety, and that was sunlight streaming down. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she closed her eyes tight.

  “Okay, something’s wrong.” Danny took her arm and guided her to a quiet corner. “Breathe with me, nice and slow.”

  Jayne took a breath. It caught in her throat, and she shuddered. “What’s up there?” she managed.

  “Up the stairs? Just the roof garden.” He did a double take, eyes widening. “Oh, is that it? Your fear of heights?”

  “Yeah.” She looked down, shamefaced. “I know it’s stupid. It’s just one floor. I should be able to—”

  “Don’t do that to yourself.” He stroked her arm, slow and soothing. “Look, you’re not going to have fun here. You could swallow your fear, try to force down some dinner, but what’s the point? This is supposed to be a good day. We’ll go for a walk, pick up some street food instead. How does that sound?”

  “Good, but—”

  “No buts. And don’t you dare be embarrassed.” He shook his head at the maître d’, and they made their way out, Danny’s arm slung over her shoulders. A lump had formed in her throat, equal parts gratitude and humiliation, and she found herself blinking back tears. Danny seemed to be taking her freak out in stride, but this wasn’t how she wanted to be seen or the example she wanted to set for Noah.

  Noah, for his part, didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, bouncing along at Danny’s side. He chattered as he went, one word tumbling over the next till even Jayne couldn’t make sense of his ramblings. Danny seemed to understand well enough, adding his own observations here and there.

  They turned a corner, and a bright string of lights caught her attention, leading to an
array of stands and attractions set up in the square. A confusing mix of scents assailed her nostrils, cooking oil and spices, the sweetness of baked goods. Music drifted from the tents, bright and tinny. A kid ran by with a sparkler in one hand and a sweet roll in the other, and Noah bounced with excitement. Danny looked just as enthused, rising on the balls of his feet to peer over the crowd.

  “We should check it out,” he said.

  Jayne glanced at Noah. His eyes were starting to glaze over, that overtired, overstimulated glare. She shook her head. “Better not. Noah hasn’t had a nap. He’s a little angel now, but give him half an hour, and you’ll see his horns pop out.”

  “Oh, come on.” Danny knelt to look into Noah’s eyes. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

  Noah nodded, but his gaze was still fixed on the sparkler.

  “Just a quick bite and a turn in the bouncy house. He’ll be okay with that, won’t he?”

  Jayne eyed the festival, with its streamers and flashing lights. It was a lot for a toddler, even a well-rested one. “Just a few minutes?”

  “I promise.” Danny took off with a spring in his step, Noah hot on his heels. He stopped at a food cart, not a falafel stand as Jayne would’ve hoped, but one selling some frozen treat sprinkled with nuts and brown sugar. It smelled of rosewater and looked like a mess waiting to happen, and he bought two scoops for himself and one for Noah, who stuck his finger in it immediately.

  “Noah! Use your spoon.”

  “Foon!” Noah dipped his nose in it, sparking laughter from Danny, who did the same.

  “Seriously?” She cast about for roast potatoes, kofta, anything to soak up the sugar, but they seemed to have wandered into Al-Mifadhir’s version of Wonka’s chocolate factory. A cart stuffed with multicolored lollipops fought to out-gaudy an array of candy-petaled flowers. Jayne steered Noah away from those, pointing him toward the petting zoo.

  “Hey, Danny!” A voice rose above the chatter, and a well-dressed man emerged from the crowd, jacket slung over one arm. “I thought that was you.”