by Cara Albany
Had she seen the sudden change in the color of his face? Because he had felt the blood drain from his features at the very thought of helping out.
"That sounds wonderful," he said hesitantly and not at all convincingly.
"Fine," Yasmina replied. She gazed down the narrow passageway between the tents. "Let's see. Where can we start? I know. I have just the place in mind," she said.
Sayid nodded. He knew, from his previous conversations with Yasmina that she had a wicked sense of humor. Perhaps she looked upon this as a golden opportunity to show the sheikh a side of life which he didn't see very often.
Hesitantly and very reluctantly, Sayid followed Yasmina and worried if he had let himself in for more than he had bargained for.
CHAPTER TWELVE
At first, Amber couldn't believe her eyes. She stood at the top of a low rise and gazed down at the long, narrow pit which had been dug to reconstruct the water way into the northern part of the town. It was a deep depression in the hard, sandy earth. A long channel had been dug in the earth, and it stretched all the way from a natural water supply to the north and toward the town. Pipes were being laid by workmen. The whole area was a hive of activity and right there, in the middle of it, was the last person she'd ever have expected to find.
Sayid.
Amber stood at the top of the of the hill, her hands thrust against the side of her hips. Sayid hadn't noticed her. He was too busy doing what came naturally, she observed. Sayid was instructing the other men in the work. He pointed into the pit and issued some instructions in the Qazhar language.
As was to be expected, the men who were working with the water pipes nodded obediently and did their sheikh's bidding. Apparently satisfied that his instructions had been followed, Sayid nodded sagely and watched as the men worked.
Amber shook her head in disbelief. She wondered how Sayid had even come to be here. It was late in the morning. Amber had been busy at another part of the camp when Yasmina had come up to her and spoken to her. Yasmina had said that if Amber went to where the water pipes were being laid, she might find a welcome surprise awaiting her.
It had certainly been a surprise, Amber reflected. Whether it was welcome was another thing entirely.
Then, as if sensing her presence, Sayid turned and looked up at the top of the hill. He saw Amber and immediately smiled at her. For her part, Amber refrained from smiling back at him.
Sayid started up the hill toward her. He reached the top and halted by her side. "Surprised to see me here?" he asked.
She quirked a brow at him. "I don't know what to say," she replied.
"Why don't you ask me what I'm doing?"
She shook her head. "I'm not sure I want to know," she drawled.
Sayid peered down at the men working below. "Those men are great workers."
She squinted at Sayid. "And they seemed quite happy to follow your instructions," she said acidly.
She saw Sayid glance warily at her. He didn't respond immediately to her comment. Instead, he continued to watch the work being done in the shallow pit.
After a few long moments he finally asked: "When are all the families due to move back into their homes?"
She narrowed her eyes. "You noticed they're still here in the camp?"
He frowned at her. "I didn't realize there were still so many of them here."
Amber glanced down at the workers. "That stretch of damaged pipe is the last repair we need to make to the water supply. After it's repaired, we'll be able to reconnect the water. Then the families can move back into their repaired homes. Almost all of them are nearly completed." She lifted a brow. "But you already know that, right?"
He nodded and, once again, said nothing in response.
She hoped he would be satisfied with the details of her explanation. He looked suddenly thoughtful, as if he hadn't quite realized the magnitude of the work which had been done. Especially in his absence, while he'd kept himself at a distance from the work. At least that was how she saw what he'd been doing until she'd confronted him at the palace.
"It is most impressive," was all he could say eventually.
Amber gazed at him. Her eyes met his steady gaze. "I'd say you were right. I think it's more than impressive. I think it's a testament to the spirit of the people of this town."
He nodded. "I am humbled by that spirit. And proud of it."
He didn't seem entirely sincere when he said that, Amber told herself. In fact, that had sounded like the old Sayid. The one who saw himself as somehow apart from it all. Maybe that was why he'd come here in the first place. Perhaps he was trying to prove something to himself. Had she stung him into action? Had her criticism hit home?
She still wasn't completely persuaded.
"Where have you been working this morning?" he asked suddenly.
She frowned. "You really want to know?" she snapped.
He nodded. "Yasmina gave me a very detailed guided tour. I saw many things I haven't witnessed before."
"Yasmina and you seem to get on quite well," Amber observed.
He furrowed his brows. "I told you before. She and I have a great deal in common. Family wise. It was only natural that I should accept her offer."
"Her offer?" she asked.
"When I arrived I couldn't find you," he explained.
"You were looking for me? Why?"
He peered at her. "I had some time to think about what you said," he replied. "And I came to the conclusion that you were mostly right."
"Mostly?" she snapped and lifted a brow at him.
He smiled. "Okay. Completely right," he admitted. "Yasmina offered to show me what was really being done here."
"I would have thought she'd have sought me out,"Amber said.
"Yasmina was anxious that I see it all for myself," he said.
"So what do you think?" Amber asked.
Sayid sighed and gazed back at the rows of white tents, the temporary accommodation for the displaced families. "As I said. I am humbled by this more than you can imagine," he said.
This time he did sound sincere, Amber told herself. Maybe seeing the living conditions of the families had affected him, after all.
Amber heard shouting from down in the direction of where the men were working on the water pipe. She saw a flurry of activity. Men were gesticulating to one another. It looked like an argument might break out any moment.
"Looks like a problem," she said.
Sayid followed her gaze. "Perhaps I should go down there."
She peered at him. "You? Why you?"
He looked puzzled. "I gathered the men were happy for me to advise them on the work."
"You? Advise them? What do you know about that kind of work?" she demanded.
He smiled at her. "You'd be surprised at the experience I've gained over the years."
She shook her head. Amber could hardly believe what she was hearing. "And that includes how to lay water pipes?" she asked incredulously.
He faced her and straightened, looking imperiously down at her. "I know you think I'm nothing more than a spoiled playboy prince who hides away in his palace, and that I only come out when I get bored." His brows furrowed. "Or, when I want people to admire me, and show me how much they respect me. But I can assure you I have many talents of which you aren't aware." He uttered that last statement with more than a hint of bitterness.
He sounded hurt, Amber realized. She knew his sarcastic, snarky description of himself was far from the truth. He was nothing like that, really. But, had she gone too far in criticizing him at the palace?
As far as his talents, she could imagine he had many that she knew nothing about. She'd only known him when he'd been a visitor to California. Now, she was seeing him in his own domain, his own habitat, so to speak.
Although he was different from how she'd known him a year before, still there was much she recognized. Much that she admired, and found strangely compelling.
"Maybe I owe you an apology," she said.
Hi
s brows lifted in surprise. "Why?"
She sighed. "Perhaps I was unfair to you. After all, we still hardly know each other, do we?"
His eyes narrowed and he moved closer. When he spoke his voice was low and steady. "How can you say that, Amber? After what happened back at the palace. You and I are closer than you realize. More than you are willing to admit."
Now the conversation had strayed into different territory, she told herself. Dangerous territory.
"Let's not go into that, Sayid," she said.
"Why not?"
She gazed around the camp and then down at the crowd of workers. "I don't think this is the time, nor the place."
As if sensing an opportunity, he moved in to take full advantage. "Then, maybe you can suggest somewhere which might be the right place."
She smiled wryly at him. "You don't give in, do you?"
He smiled. "No. I don't. Ever." His voice was filled with a casual, undeniable confidence. She didn't doubt his determination. Not one bit.
She swallowed nervously and thought for a few moments. She wasn't going to go to his palace. Not after what she'd told him. She had to stand her ground on that. Then it came to her. The safest option.
"You can join me for lunch," she stated.
He tilted his head. "Where?"
"At Ahmed's coffee shop."
He considered that suggestion for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. That sounds like a date. But, instead of lunch, let's make it a dinner date. Ahmed has a menu which will surprise you."
She scoffed. "You really don't give up, do you? I didn't say it was a date."
He smiled. "But you meant it like that, anyway. Admit it."
Amber sighed and glanced down at the workmen, all of whom were still arguing about something. "I think we might need some of the sheikh's diplomacy down there. Don't you?"
He looked down and nodded. "I think you might be right." He gazed at her and narrowed his eyes. "Does this mean that we're work colleagues, now?"
"No, it does not."
He shook his head with pretend disappointment. "And there I was thinking you and I were going to make a really good team."
She shook her head and sighed. "Come on. Let's go and sort that situation out."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
They didn't make it to Ahmed's until the sun was sinking toward the horizon. The cool air of the early evening had settled upon the town when Amber and Sayid reached Ahmed's coffee shop.
When they arrived there, Amber found that Sayid had arranged to have his horse brought his horse down to Ahmed's. It was tied it up securely outside. In contrast to their previous visit, they went inside the establishment. Amber was surprised to find a spacious interior with a dozen tables and a long, wooden bar counter with seats laid out in front of it. They were the only customers.
Ahmed fussed over them both and soon they were seated at a table in the corner. The powerful aromas of cooking were already wafting to them from behind a beaded curtain. Amber wondered what was on the menu.
Noticing her curiosity, Sayid offered to order for her. In spite of any reservation she might have about him doing that, Amber agreed. She recalled the delightful surprise of the cakes when she'd shared coffee with Sayid on the day of her arrival.
Sayid spoke with Ahmed, clearly giving instructions about the food. Ahmed seemed more than happy to agree with every one of Sayid's instructions. Amber watched as Ahmed headed off toward the kitchen.
"What are we having?" Amber asked.
"His speciality," Sayid replied.
She immediately felt suspicious. "Which is what?"
"Trust me," he said lifting a brow.
"I'm not sure I should. Not after seeing the way you dealt with those workmen today."
He frowned. "Why?"
"You were a little mean with them at times," she said. "And more than a bit demanding."
"Mean?" he retorted. "I was just trying to win their cooperation."
She shook her head and smiled. "You were a little rough. Even rude at times."
His brows furrowed. "That is what they expect of their sheikh. I cannot afford to be too friendly toward them. They would be disappointed if I was."
She squinted at him. "You're trying to tell me they wanted you to behave like that?"
"Like what?"
She gasped and then laughed sarcastically. "I nearly died when you shouted at them when they couldn't get those two pieces of pipe properly connected."
He waved his hand dismissively. "I just needed to give them some gentle persuasion."
She scoffed. "I'd say it was a little more than just gentle persuasion."
"That is how things are done out here. It is the custom."
"You mean they want you to treat them like that?"
"It is how tradition dictates we treat those who do our work for us."
"Can I remind you about what kind of work we're doing here," she snapped. "We're trying to rebuild the community. The same one you seem to think over which you should have complete authority."
"I have never made any such claim," he retorted. His voice was surprisingly sharp. She'd touched another one of his raw nerves, she told herself. She wondered just how many of those he had.
She leaned back against the back of the small, wooden chair. "You see, that's what I was talking about. In this day and age, you can't do what was commonplace centuries ago."
"Why not?" he asked. "If it is what is expected."
She sighed heavily and shook her head. "And there I was, thinking you'd changed."
Sayid leaned forward, resting his elbows against the table and gazing intently at Amber. "But I have, Amber. That's where you're wrong."
"And you came to the camp today, to do what, Sayid? Show me that you're not the kind of person I accused you of being?"
His eyes narrowed and she saw a hint of disappointment in them. "You've misjudged me," he said quietly.
"In what way?"
"You accuse me of not understanding the people of this town. And of living in the past."
She tilted her and then lifted a sardonic brow. "I think you just about proved my point today, Sayid."
He frowned. He glanced away from her and she saw his jaw tighten, as if he was trying to control his emotions. "I did not," he said at last looking back at her. "I merely came to try to show you that I am not the kind of person you described to me back at the palace. I am not arrogant. Nor am I indifferent or cold. Especially toward the people of this town."
Amber paused a few moments and reflected on the way she'd seen Sayid react as she'd shown him some of the other work which was being done. She had to admit that there had been times during the afternoon when she'd seen a more reflective side to Sayid's character. And there had even been times when he'd deliberately dismissed any attempt by some of the townsfolk to treat him as if he was somehow deserving of special treatment.
Finally, she thought about one moment, late in the afternoon, when he'd turned to her after witnessing some of the hardship of the children. There had been a serious look in his eyes, one she hadn't seen before. He hadn't said a word, but she'd been certain he'd been affected by what he'd seen.
"I have learned a great deal, today."
She narrowed her eyes. "Really? What?"
His gaze became focused and steady. "I have acquired something very important. A great and valuable prize. Something I did not appreciate before. At least, not as much as I should have."
"And what is that, Sayid?" she asked.
He lowered his head slightly and fixed his gaze upon her. "Having seen you at work today, I now have an even deeper respect for you than ever before."
He paused and gave her a knowing look, as if to emphasize what he'd just told her.
Amber felt heat rush to her face. Had he just complimented her? And had he deliberately done it in such a way as to try and disarm her criticisms of his conduct this afternoon. Or was he simply being genuine?
Amber peered at Sayid, and gazed into his dark
eyes, trying to find the truth. But, his expression was a blank, unreadable mask. He had issued a challenge to her.
"You didn't need to say that, Sayid," she stated, hoping he'd move on.
"I believe I did," he replied. "You were amazing today."
Now she really did feel her face flush with embarrassment. "Please, Sayid. You don't have to pretend."
He squinted at her. "Pretend what? That the woman who I feel the closest to in this world has more patience and compassion and generosity of spirit than anyone else I've ever met?" He narrowed his eyes. "You don't want me to tell you the truth?"
She felt her mouth drop open with astonishment. She'd known he had been observing her carefully throughout the day. But, she'd had no idea he'd harbored such thoughts about her.
"And before you say anything else, I think this is the right time and place to tell you what I think," he said.
Now she knew he was trying to take control of the conversation. He was throwing her earlier rejection of his attempts to talk honestly to her right back in her face.
Was that another aspect of his character she was learning anew? This way he had of never forgetting a slight, never missing a chance to regain the upper hand. Why was it that every moment with him felt like a battle? At times an exquisite, tormenting war, she told herself. It was strangely unsettling, and enjoyable, all at the same time. She'd never known anyone before who behaved with such wilful determination. How could someone who frustrated her so much, also make her feel so alive?
Before she had a chance to say anything, Ahmed appeared through the beaded curtain. He was carrying a tray. He laid down an assortment of dishes onto the table. Amber's appetite had deserted her, and it wasn't revived when she looked down at the steaming starters which Ahmed had just laid out.
Ahmed went to the bar and poured out two small glasses of a dark liquid and placed the glasses next to Amber and Sayid.
Amber forced herself to smile appreciatively at Ahmed, who trotted off, back to the kitchen, no doubt to concoct another exotic serving.
Amber glanced at Sayid. He slid one of the small dishes toward her. "Try this," he said.
She looked at the twisted mass of what looked like batter-covered meat. "What is it?"
