“Not really.” Ani sighed. “But a spa day would be lovely. I could do with a massage.”
“If that is what you want, I will buy you the full package when we get back.” Rehaj snorted. “But I would much prefer to spend my time here doing as I please.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t like Ani had much choice, so she stretched her legs out in front of her, careful not to let her toes touch Rehaj, and pulled the brim of her sunhat down a bit lower. “So, where do you call home, Rehaj?”
He raised a dark brow. “I am from…the Middle East.”
Ani laughed. “Way to be vague. That’s like me saying, I’m from America.”
“Where in America?”
“I asked you first.”
“Touché.” Rehaj laughed, then quieted, his handsome face becoming serious, as if he was about to tell her something difficult. “Fine. I am from Djeva.”
She was no geography major, but she kept up with world events. Still, that was a new one. “Sorry. I’ve never heard of it. Is it close by?”
“Relatively,” Rehaj said, sitting up. “About a hundred miles or so to the east. And you? Where in America are you from?”
“Texas. Dallas, to be precise.” She did her best not to stare at his body and failed. “What do you do for a living?”
His shoulders visibly tensed. “I am in civil service.”
“Oh. So like government work then, huh?” Ani wiggled her toes and caught Rehaj turning his head to follow the movement. “What’s Djeva like?”
“It’s beautiful. Small, but proud. We have a little bit of everything there.” As he talked about his home country, his love for his land was evident in his voice and his expressions. “There is desert and mountains, a seafront area and even caves. My younger brother recently opened a wildlife preserve.” He chuckled and shook his head, sending his windblown dark hair shimmering in the sunlight. “If my father could have seen that, I’m not sure if he’d be amazed or want to turn over in his grave.”
Her heart pinched. “I’m so sorry about his death.”
“Thank you.” For a moment, Rehaj looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. “And what about you? You said you have a younger sister. What of your parents?”
“Both are living. They run a charity for women and children around the world to provide healthcare and education. My mother is the spokesperson. She travels all over giving speeches and seminars. And my father handles all the behind-the-scenes stuff and supports her.”
“And you, Ani. What is it that you do?”
“Me?” She stared out to sea. “I’m being groomed to take over the charity from my parents one day.”
“And this is what you want?” Rehaj asked, lowering his glasses again to pierce her with his narrowed gaze. “You do not sound passionate about it.”
“I’m fine. It’s fine.” Liar. She wrapped her arms around herself and drew her knees into her chest. Running the charity was a big responsibility and she should be grateful to have the opportunity. Never mind that she’d dreamed of being a writer since she’d been a kid or that she’d actually written several screenplays that she kept hidden beneath her bed at home. That was a hobby. It could never be anything more than that. Right? She shrugged. Besides, who was Rehaj to say what she was or wasn’t passionate about. He didn’t know her, any more than she knew him at this point. “The charity does a lot of great work around the world. I’m honored to be a part of that.”
It was her stock answer, the one she gave anytime the media asked her about it. Though lately, the focus of their questioning had been on her break-up with Marcus. Since his recent wedding, maybe they’d stop asking. Her chest ached with loneliness again and she winced.
Rehaj noticed. “That is a sore spot. I am sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She rested her chin on her forearms atop her knees. The front of their boat tapped against the rocks of the shoal and a spot of bright yellow glimmered from a crevice near the top. Ani scowled. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” Rehaj turned and spotted it too. He crawled to the front of the boat, then leaned past her to grab it, his warm skin smelling of coconut oil and sweat and clean male and her insides quivered. He grabbed the envelope and pulled it down to hand it to her. “Open it.”
She did, then squealed with delight. “Ha! It’s a clue. It says to go around the bay to a heart-shaped coral reef for our next clue.” She giggled. “Maybe I don’t suck at this as much as I thought.”
Rehaj grinned along with her, then nudged her shoulder with his. “Ani, darling. I doubt very much that you suck at anything. You are far too kind and smart and beautiful for that. But since you’ve uncovered one clue, perhaps we should make a run for the prize after all. What do you say?”
Stunned for a moment at his high praise, Ani just blinked at him. He’d known her for a day and a half and already he’d made her feel more worthy than Marcus ever had in a decade. At last, she nodded slowly. “Uh, sure. Let’s do it!” She picked up her map again and got her bearings. “Right. The shoal is here, so you want to head over there then veer right.”
As Rehaj started the engine again and they took off in a cool spray of salt water, Ani couldn’t help but smile. Maybe confidence didn’t have to come from a bottle or tube or something you put on after all. Maybe it was something you felt, inside, with the right partner by your side.
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