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‘Dinner,’ he corrected. ‘It is seven in the evening, not the morning. According to the maidens you were alsoresting your eyeswhen breakfast and lunch were served.’
Oh, she was so embarrassed! She was about to make some quip about the tea he had forced on her being a sedative, but Maggie knew that had nothing to do with her sleeping for so long.
‘I trust you were comfortable, then?’ he checked. ‘Given how long you slept.’
She could hardly deny it, but instead of answering she filled a goblet and took a drink. Ilyas offered her a flat bread which Maggie took and then covered with some meat.
She took a bite. It really was delicious, spicy yet sweet, and the meat was so tender it simply melted on her tongue. It was hard to swallow, though, for she could feel his eyes on her and Maggie knew there was much to be discussed.
‘How are you involved with Suzanne?’ he asked.
‘I met her while travelling,’ Maggie told him, and decided it was time to be more honest and stop covering for Suzanne. ‘We were both rooming at the same hostel. Last night she left for Dubai. I believe she was meeting her boyfriend there.’
‘Do you know him too?’
Maggie shook her head. ‘She just said she was catching up with Glen.’
‘How long ago did you meet her?’
‘A couple of months ago. We worked at the same bar for a few weeks and then we parted ways. We caught up again here in Zayrinia but it was by chance.’
‘You’re sure of that?’
‘No,’ she admitted, for despite her mammoth sleep she had also been doing a lot of thinking. ‘I did say to her a while back that I had been hoping to come here near the end of my trip but I never gave dates. I had to save up—it’s been a working holiday,’ she explained.
‘What do you do back home?’
‘I work in a café,’ Maggie said.
‘For how long?’
‘Since I was fifteen, though I was just part time then, so...’ She did the maths. ‘Nine years.’
‘You must like it.’
‘I do. The staff are great and it’s more like...’ She hesitated. ‘Well, my boss is like family, really.’
‘Good,’ he said, and she liked it that he did.
All too often people asked why she didn’t look for something different or assumed she must be bored working there, but the truth was she was more than happy with her job. The café had been the most constant thing in her life. ‘It’s a chocolate café.’
‘A chocolate café?’ Ilyas checked.
‘Iced chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate biscuits, chocolate everything.’
‘You must be sick of chocolate?’
‘Never.’ Maggie smiled. ‘And believe me when I say I’ve tried to be.’ Then she stopped smiling. ‘Is this relevant?’
‘Not really,’ Ilyas said, and then he frowned, but at his own lapse, for usually he stayed very much on topic. Yet it was pleasant speaking to her, interesting finding out more about this rather intriguing woman. ‘You said you have worked while overseas. Doing what?’
‘More cafés.’ Maggie shrugged. ‘And a few bars. That’s where I met Suzanne.’
‘So how did you end up on my brother’s yacht?’
‘Suzanne said she had a plus-one invitation for a snorkelling trip.’
‘A snorkelling trip for tourists aboard the royal yacht?’ Ilyas’s response was wry and then he met her eyes. ‘That was sarcasm, by the way.’
