Mila expected Rashid to turn up his nose, but to her surprise, he didn’t even bat an eye as he walked in and sat down. Sahaar must have been active that day for she was moving around with a little more ease than usual. Her arthritis had a tendency to slow her down, and it got worse when she was still for too long.
“How is your business going?” Rashid asked Sahaar as he waved her to sit down. “I’m ashamed to say that I stole some of Liyah’s feteer last week. I actually thought she was going to strangle me, but it would have been worth it. You are a very talented woman.”
Sahaar blushed with pleasure. “I have some, if you’d like to take some back for yourself. Liyah is a sweet woman, but she can be possessive over her food.”
“I won’t turn that down, especially if I can give her a bite and get on her good side.” Rashid winked, and Mila raised an eyebrow. At the wedding, Rashid had been curt and snooty. Now he was almost warm as he spoke to Sahaar.
“I’ll go ahead and get that prepared,” Sahaar said, slow and struggling as she got up from her chair. Rashid immediately rushed to help her, and she gave him a grateful smile. “I’m sure that Mila can keep you company.”
Left alone with Rashid, Mila stared at him. There was something strange in his eye—as if he were appraising her.
He leaned back in his seat, elaborately casual. “You moved back to Dubai before Liyah, correct? How are you enjoying it?”
“I love it,” she said softly, smiling. “It’s warm and colorful and a little chaotic. When Liyah and I were first here, we were too young to really immerse ourselves in the culture, but now things are different. Having a job here lets me feel like part of the city.”
Rashid’s eyebrows went up in apparent surprise. “Dubai is lucky to have you,” he murmured, and then he leaned forward. “What is this about your job irritating you?”
“Not the job,” she corrected. “Just a co-worker—and it’s nothing. Just a little jealousy.” It was definitely not something that she wanted to discuss with a stranger.
“I can see why any woman would be jealous of you.” His voice fell an octave, and she felt a shiver run slowly down her spine. Was he flirting with her?
“Here we are!” Thankfully, Sahaar chose that moment to return, and Rashid stood and nodded his head.
“You are a beautiful woman,” he said, placing a hand on his chest. Sahaar laughed, and Rashid took the older woman’s hand and kissed it. Mila couldn’t help but feel charmed by the gesture. It was nice to see someone else seeing Sahaar for the amazing woman that she was.
Her host-mother shot her a look, and Mila stood to tell the sheikh goodbye. This time, when he turned to her, she clasped her hands behind her back. If he touched her the way he had in the beginning, she might combust.
He winked at her as if he knew her thoughts, and then he bowed his head. “Mila. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing each other again.”
Not likely. Liyah was practically her sister, and Rashid wouldn’t dare attempt to seduce her, would he?
Sahaar followed him out and locked the door behind him. “Mila? What was that? Normally you’re so full of life!”
“I’m just tired,” Mila said as she flashed Sahaar a regretful smile. She didn’t want to tell her host-mother how she really felt about the man.
Sahaar clicked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head. “You must give them notice. You should not do anything that makes you so unhappy, my darling.”
“When I have something else lined up, I will.”
“Mila.” Sahaar reached out and took her hand. “Asad ensures that we have everything that we need. You don’t need to work, darling. This is your home, and you can stay here as long as you want. Take some time and figure out what you truly want to do! We both know that you didn’t move back to Dubai to serve at a lounge.”
Kissing her host-mother on the cheek, Mila embraced the older woman. Her own mother had passed away when she was very young, and she’d forgotten what it was like to experience that maternal love. “I love you, Sahaar.”
She didn’t tell her host-mother that she needed the money. She’d promised her father before he died that she’d see the world, something they’d always talked about doing. They’d even planned a trip when he got sick, but the cancer overtook him so quickly that in a matter of months, he had become bedridden. He hadn’t lasted long after that.
Sahaar wasn’t quite ready to let the topic go. “Liyah and I were talking earlier today, and she suggested that you apply at the resort. I’m sure Asad would hire you.”
That gave Mila pause. It wasn’t a terrible idea, and since the resort was fairly new, it was far busier than the lounge, and she might make more money. “I’ll put i
n my notice tomorrow.”
“Good. You deserve to be happy, Mila. I know you haven’t found what you were looking for when you moved back, but maybe it’s because you haven’t been trying hard enough. You think I don’t see it, but you have adventure in your heart,” Sahaar said softly to her retreating back. “It’s time to fly.”
3
Mila applied to the resort that morning. She told herself that she wasn’t going to put in her two weeks’ notice until she knew that she’d gotten the job, but when she went into work that evening, Fatima was more furious than ever.
“Of course you would use your connections to get a job at the resort,” Fatima spat. “You wouldn’t even stop to think that the rest of us who deserve to work there would get looked over because you happen to know the sheikh. You’re despicable.”