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2
Jarah observed the young woman quietly as she gripped the railing and rocked back and forth on the large step up to the ledge, murmuring to herself. Hysani had been called away almost immediately after he’d arrived. He’d told Jarah to let himself out, but instead of leaving, Jarah found himself heading up to the roof to get another look at the fiery woman who’d left him standing outside.
Now that she was in the sun, he could see that her dark hair was laced with a brilliant, gleaming red. It was piled on top of her head in a knot, but loose waves had escaped and cascaded down. She looked smaller with her arms wrapped around her waist. A gold necklace with large green stones adorned her neck.
Still striking, but something was obviously wrong.
He thought for a moment about sneaking back downstairs. She didn’t know he was there, and he wasn’t certain this was how he wanted to spend his one day off.
To his own surprise, he cleared his throat and moved forward. “The meal can’t be that bad. Hysani is an excellent cook.”
The woman gasped and whirled around. “You! You really shouldn’t sneak up on people,” she said, “especially when they’re so close to a ledge.”
“You’re in no danger of falling.” He walked over to join her. “Enjoying the view of the city?”
“I was.” She gave him a hesitant smile before she stepped down. “I should get back to work.”
Jarah didn’t want her to leave just yet. “Hysani was supposed to text you. He had to leave. He said you could lock up and take the rest of the day off.”
With a frown, she glanced down at her phone. “Oh, he did. I guess I was a little distracted.”
“You did seem upset.”
“I just found out my grandmother is selling our vineyard. I’ve been traveling at her request, and it seems she just wanted to sell while I was away. She knows I love that place.”
“Sounds like you need a distraction.”
The words surprised them both. Jarah had planned on spending the afternoon and evening with his friend. Now that wasn’t an option.
“Are you offering to take me out?” she asked cautiously.
“I am.” Now that he said it, he was into the idea. She didn’t seem to know who he was, and he found that refreshing. It had been a long time since he’d been so intrigued by someone.
She took a moment to consider and then stood and held out her hand. “I’m Aubrey Bennet.”
Jarah already knew that. Hysani had dropped her name right before he left. It had been rolling around in his head ever since. “Hello, Aubrey. If you like the view, I bet you’ll love where we’re going next. You can see all of Rihamel.”
A smile slowly spread across her face. “That sounds lovely.”
“I’ll drive.”
He’d left his favorite car, the McLaren Elva at home today. He’d wanted to be as anonymous as possible. Not easy to do in a kingdom as small as Rihamel. There were a number of cars at the palace, but on days like today, Jarah preferred his sister’s car. Callista insisted that their wealth made her studies more difficult, and she drove a less flashy car—a silver Porsche Cayenne—so she didn’t draw attention to herself.
She would not be happy when she found out he’d taken it, but he was glad he had. Aubrey barely batted an eye as she slid into the passenger seat.
“Hysani says you’re here temporarily,” he said conversationally as he glanced at her. She was watching out the window almost eagerly, taking everything in. She must not have been out to explore much. “How long are you staying?”
“The job is for four months,” she said as she turned to him. “I hadn’t planned on staying beyond that, although I’m not sure what I’ll do now.”
Her voice broke. He wanted to distract her from the pain because he had no idea how to comfort her.
“Four months is a long time to figure it out. Hysani has traveled quite a bit, so he can give you pointers.”
“How do you and Hysani know each other?” she asked curiously.
“Childhood friends. His parents traveled a lot when we were young, His parents traveled a lot when we were young, and he would come stay with my family while they were away. We’re all close.”
“That’s nice,” she said wistfully. “I was homeschooled, and the vineyard was isolated, so I didn’t have any close friends when I was young. When I enrolled in the public high school, I met Gwen. She was my anchor. It was a strange time for me.”
