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Chapter Five
“You didn’t have to rush over here to the other side of the city from Westminster for some tea and biscuits, love,” Anne said, raising one perfectly quaffed eyebrow back at her. “But I appreciate you returning my dress and necklace. It’s one of my favorite outfits.”
“I can see why,” Brenda replied, smiling broadly at her friend as she sat across from her at the modest café. “I think it always does its job.”
“Did you and Sheikh Rahal...?” Anne began to ask, leaning further across the table with a devilish smirk.
Brenda winked. “First, a lady never kisses and tells. Second, Jamsheed and I talked, too. He’s going through a lot with his sick father back home. It was not just making out.”
“Ooh, but there was some rough-and-tumble? I wasn’t wrong in my suspicions, was I darling?”
She shook her head. “We kissed… A few times, and it was amazing. I won’t say the earth moved because I’m too old for cheesy lines like that, but I will say that it was one of the best nights of my life.”
Anne’s grin widened like a she-wolf ready to pounce. Brenda owed the other woman a lot. Her new found boldness, in part, was based around the philosophy she was trying to adopt, or “WWAD” (What would Anne do). Anne was the brave one, but now Brenda could feel courage steeling her limbs and her heart.
“That sounds like my girl, finally! See? That dress always helps make life worth living. I knew you could do it. Wait, the elder Sheikh Rahal is ill? How sick?”
“He’ll be traveling home for a while.”
“And won’t need maids?” Anne asked, then she cursed. “Bloody hell. What am I supposed to do?”
“He’s going to make some alternate arrangements for the staff, and I’ll see to it you have something.”
Anne frowned. “What do you mean you will?”
“I…” she pulled at her napkin. “He’s asked me to come back to Zomelia. I know it’s rushed, but he didn’t want to give up what we’re exploring early because of distance. He even offered to cover all of Haley’s legal fees from the suit so that I could be free to come.”
Anne’s eyes went wide and she whistled shrilly enough to cause a dog to bark from across the promenade. “I definitely need to wear that dress more.”
She blushed, feeling the scrutiny from her friend. If Anne thought that Brenda really had become a gold-digger, then everyone else would too. “It’s sudden, but you can’t control when your father is sick. You’re the one who said that maybe this was my Cinderella moment and that this could help Haley. I didn’t expect that at all, but it’s an adventure. My whole life, all I’ve done is clean and work and be the responsible one. Now, I can be a little bit more.”
Anne stood up as quick as lightening and walked around the table to sweep Brenda up into a killer hug. “Darling, you misunderstand me completely. I couldn’t be happier for you. I was thinking of taking work in Nottingham and closer to my sister anyway. But you go on and become that queen you were always meant to be.”
Brenda laughed and rubbed at the corners of her eyes. Surely she hadn’t teared up. It wasn’t that she was that worried that Anne would be angry with her. Or jealous. Okay, maybe a little. “I’m not a queen, and it’s just to explore more. It’s not about pressure right now. He needs support while his father’s probably dying.”
“And possibly some orgasms too,” Anne replied, standing back up and scurrying to her seat.
“I’m trying to help him keep it together,” Brenda corrected. “I’m just… This is all so much, but it feels good.
My whole life I’ve never been that girl, and just when I was settling into the idea I’d always be alone, I have this shot to be more. And it’s the most wonderful chance, that feeling of hope.”
Anne grinned and sipped her water. “Then, love, I suggest you go out and snag it. All of it. Get that bloody brass ring and clutch it tight for those of us who want the same thing.”
***
Brenda’s phone blared to life as she pulled her suitcase out of the closet. She’d only just gotten back from breakfast with Anne, but now was as good a time as any to sort out everything she would need for Zomelia. Frankly, she’d have to get some new clothes once she got to the country. London had warm enough summers, but that would be nothing compared to a country that could sky rocket to almost one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit in the highest heat of the sun. Still, she wrestled her largest monster of a valise to her bed when her phone rang. Clicking on the call, she brought the phone up to her hear, too breathless to check the I.D. but guessing who it was anyway.
“Jamsheed, it’s not even noon yet. I love that you’re calling to check on me. That’s the gentlemanly thing to do. Or is it the royal thing?”
“Mom?” Haley’s voice was clouded with confusion on the other line. “Who’s Jamsheed. Wait, royal like in sheikh royal? Are you dating your boss?”
“Technically,” Brenda replied calmly as she sat on the edge of her bed. “He’s not my boss anymore. His dad’s ill and he has to return to Zomelia. All the staff for his London apartment is being dismissed. We started dating last night after we didn’t have other ties between us.”
“Wow, I’ve seen pictures of him in tabloids and even GQ that one time. Go Mom!” Then Haley hesitated on the other end, her breath coming in slow, deliberate gulps.
“What?”
“Well,” Haley started. “He has kind of a reputation.”
