Pyramids and Promises (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 2) (2 page)

“How old are your kids?”

“Ten, fifteen, and seventeen. All girls.”

Poor Jeff. He had no male backup in his house. No wonder he looked exhausted.

“We’ve been here a year and have two boys,” said Marcy. “They’re eight and four.”

“And like they said, we’re the new kids. Only been here six months. Some things we’ll learn together.” Molly looked as green as Jessica felt as they rounded yet another curve on two wheels and screeched to a halt in front of a tired-looking building. Then again, all the buildings around her either looked tired or under construction.

Jessica and the Ms took the elevator. It was small, and there was no way Jeff and the bags would fit with them. He said he’d catch the next one up. Melinda unlocked the door and handed the key to Jessica with a smile.

“You do the honors.” She stepped back so that Jessica could open the door.

Dozens of Gerbera daisies littered every available surface.

Jessica sucked in a breath as all three of the Ms breathed out an excited sigh. Vases full of the daisies vibrantly colored and varied as the rainbow had been expertly arranged. Jessica wanted to back up and shut the door. To her, it was like coming home to a crime scene. Melinda, Marcy, and Molly stood right behind her, and she had no choice but to go inside.

“Someone is very glad that you’re here.” Melinda’s eyes sparkled with delight as she stooped to sniff a pretty pink daisy. Most people would love to receive a welcome like this. But to Jessica, it meant that her problem had followed her straight to Cairo. She knew Rick would find her. They both worked for the State Department. She had hoped it would take a little longer than her flight for him to track down her apartment.

“They are absolutely gorgeous,” said Marcy.

“Gerberas are my favorite.” Molly gently petted yellow petals that matched her dress.

How did Rick get all of this delivered? Jessica shook her head and dropped her bag. State Department. He could get just about anything. If she tried to get another apartment, he would just figure that out and do this again. This, all the flowers, was to remind Jess that he could find her.

She turned her back and wound her way through the rest of her apartment. Her bedroom was flower free, and her kitchen was American, thank goodness. In Russia, it hadn’t been, and cooking was a challenge.

“CLO made sure your fridge was stocked.” Melinda followed her. “They left some cereal and bread in the pantry. We’ll need to take you shopping tonight or tomorrow. We can drive you to the commissary.”

“That’ll be fun.” Marcy clapped.

“I need to pick up a couple things.” Molly nodded.

“We have a commissary?” Jessica asked, surprised. Most posts didn’t have one.

“Yes, it’s a huge perk. A lot of people still order some things from Amazon or Walmart. If you plan it right, you never have to shop at the local markets, but the produce is fresh here. If you buy it at the commissary, it’s shipped in from Europe.”

Jessica leaned against the counter. Her shoulders slumped with exhaustion and disappointment. It had been silly of her to think a move like this would completely free her of Rick.

Melinda gave her an understanding smile. She was obviously the leader of this band of merry ladies. “We’re going to leave you alone. Get some rest and enjoy your beautiful flowers. Would you like to go shopping tonight or tomorrow?”

Jessica rubbed her eyes. “Tomorrow please. Is my internet hooked up?”

Molly nodded. “Yep. The password and things are on your desk.”

“Shall we pick you up at noon?” asked Melinda.

“That would be wonderful. Thanks for being understanding.”

“We’ve all been there, dear. See you tomorrow.”

As soon as they were gone, the flowers went in the trash. It took three bags to get them all. The vases she washed out and lined up on the kitchen counter.

She didn’t call her sister. Rick’s stunt had exhausted her. There had been a card in one of the bouquets. It went into the trash unread. Probably more drivel about how he missed her, and she needed to come home, back to Russia. He really didn’t understand what a divorce meant.

After checking the locks for the fourth time and deciding against pushing her couch in front of the door, she found her new bed, which had been beautifully made up, probably by the three Ms, and crashed.

C
onner preferred his own pool, but the heater had busted, and he’d nearly frozen the last time he tried to do laps. There were several private clubs in Maadi, but this one was the only place where he wouldn’t run into Nour. Unfortunately, it was the most family friendly of the clubs, and so he had to put up with kids screaming and splashing in the pool. There was a woman already swimming in the one lane they roped off for laps. He frowned, grabbed a bottle of water, and settled in to wait as far from the splashing kids as he could.

The lifeguard called adult time, and she was still swimming. He began his laps during those fifteen minutes, with the hopes that she’d be done soon.

She hadn’t finished when the kids descended again. Was she training for a freaking triathlon? Conner tried to maintain his laps, but of course that was impossible. A few people bumped into him, most without an attempt at an apology. He didn’t think it’d be that busy on a Thursday night.

He waited at the edge of the pool. The lane hog finally stood up, her blonde hair hung wet down her back. She smiled at him as she climbed out, and his heart skipped a beat.

Nour.

Here.

The one woman he was hoping to avoid.

He touched her on the shoulder. “Nour.”

Conner hadn’t realized he spoke her name aloud until she blinked those amazing blue eyes at him.

“I’m sorry?” she asked.

His ability to breathe abandoned him. Her voice sounded so light and airy. Definitely not Nour. Her voice was husky, just made for a late night rendezvous. All he could do was shake his head at the woman. She smiled again and walked past him.

He turned to watch her. The resemblance was striking. He wondered if she could be related to Nour somehow. They had to be. A cousin, maybe. Nour was Egyptian, but her mother was American. Thus the blonde hair and blue eyes. He’d get Tommy to see if the family was having a reunion or out of town guests. As he watched, the woman grabbed a towel and disappeared into the crowd.

He began his laps again, trying to clear his head. That woman left him feeling rattled and agitated. She hadn’t been Nour, but he felt as shaken as if it had been her. He propelled himself through the water, pushing much harder than he should have. If it had been Nour, he’d have looked like a love-sick fool unable to think or speak.

It had been months since he’d actually seen her. Not that it mattered. He’d never get over her. At first, he thought he could, but as time went on, he found his love for her had only gotten stronger.

Thirty minutes later he climbed out of the pool, exhausted and with sore muscles. Tomorrow morning, he would ache like the devil. He dried off and dressed. He might as well grab a drink before he went home. Visions of Nour would be tormenting him for hours. He could get a jump-start on getting drunk before he headed home.

Conner stopped dead on the patio. That woman, the Nour lookalike, sat at a table, alone, with a fruity drink in her hand. While swimming, he managed to convince himself that he was kidding himself about the woman. That she hadn’t looked that much like Nour. But the resemblance was even more pronounced now. He stopped a waiter and asked him for a Tom Collins.

Cautiously, he approached the woman’s table. She had no phone in her hand or a book. Nothing to distract her from being alone. She seemed content just sitting there.

He sat down without asking permission.

“Are you new around here?” he asked before she could tell him to get lost. Her eyes. They were exactly the same heart-stopping shade of blue.

She gave him a tired smile. “Yeah, landed yesterday. Is it that obvious?”

“Not at all. It’s just that if you come here often enough, you start seeing the same faces. Are you embassy?”

“Yep. What about you?”

“Oil. I’m Conner.” He stretched out to shake her hand, but she lifted her glass.

“Jessica,” she said. “How long have you been here?”

“In Egypt, five years. I’ll probably be here for life. Though I suppose I could end up in another part of the Middle East. I like it here.”

That and he would never leave because Nour was here. She couldn’t be his. He knew that now, but there was always an off chance, and he would be here if it came up.

Jessica nodded but didn’t say anything.

“What’s your impression of Cairo so far?”

“It’s loud and chaotic. Honestly, this wasn’t a place I wanted to come.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a dry hot desert with nothing to do.”

Conner shrugged. “I can understand that. But everyone has read about Egypt at one point. Come on, what’s the one thing you’ve always wanted to see?”

“Valley of the Kings.”

She surprised him. He asked almost every reluctant, and even eager, expat he met the exact same question. They always answered—“The pyramids.”

“You know that’s an unusual response.”

She grinned, and he felt his insides warm. It was exactly like staring at Nour.

“Yes, but when I was a kid, I read a book that was set in the Valley of the Kings, and I’ve wanted to see it ever since. I was actually going to try to find a tour guide tomorrow or Friday to take me.”

He thought about telling her that it wasn’t close, but at the last second something possessed him. He changed his mind.

“I could take you.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure, but I have work tomorrow, so it will need to be on Friday. One of the best things to do there is to take a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Queens. But the balloons only go up first thing in the morning. Like five a.m., so if you want to do that, we’ll need to stay overnight near there.”

“I’ve never heard of the Valley of the Queens.”

“It’s right next to the Valley of the Kings. We can’t take a balloon over the Kings.”

Jessica played with her drink for a few seconds. Her blue eyes clouded over, and he could feel her hesitation.

Conner laughed. “I’ll book us separate hotel rooms.”

She let out a breath. “Okay. Sorry, I’m not good at this stuff. I wasn’t sure if you implying something more.”

“Maybe I was.” He gave her a wicked grin, and her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink. “But you looked like you were considering turning me down. So now I only offer you my services as a tour guide. Can I pick you up tomorrow evening around six?”

She nodded.

“Okay, I gotta go.” He handed her a napkin. “Write down your address.”

Her hands were shaking when she took the pen from him. He wondered what had made her so skittish. Though, he supposed he did just offer to take her to a hotel, and they’d only met fifteen minutes before. He’d be careful with her, do his best to draw her out of her shell, find out what her fears were and be better. If he could win her over, and if he couldn’t have Nour, maybe he could have the next best thing.

T
he Ms insisted on helping Jessica carry in her groceries. They had been kind enough to take her around to the best shops. She was able to get most everything she needed and would only have to order in a few things. Jessica tried to head the ladies off at the door. But Melinda wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was determined to make a friend of Jessica, whether her name started with “M” or not. What if they had been the ones to help Rick place all those awful flowers? It would be like him to charm all of her neighbors into working against her.

That was terrible of her. Jessica immediately felt awful as they carried the bags down the hall to her apartment. She had to shake off the suspicion and unfriendliness. The girls were only trying to be welcoming. Kind to the new girl. And Jessica hadn’t felt any of that mistrust when she had agreed to let that green-eyed devil from the pool be her tour guide. He was the one she should probably be wary of. What had she been thinking? Or more appropriately, what had she been drinking? She’d only had one drink. Yet she had no real explanation for why she thought it would be a good idea to go sightseeing with a handsome stranger. For now, she was choosing to blame it on the lure of the Valley of the Kings.