Excerpt
It was announced this morning in the boardroom,
in front of all the guys.”
“Oh, congratulations, baby! I’m happy for you! Now, how about lunch?”
“Sure, I’ll have lunch with you. However, I’ve invited Talal to come along as
well. Is that okay?”
“Of course, honey. My mom is coming along also, okay?
“I don’t see why not; of course it’s okay.”
“See you at Mario’s at 1:00, love you.”
Emily drives to the mall and finds the flower shop, where she orders a couple
dozen carnations. She asks the clerk to prepare four bouquets for the house using the
carnations and other foliage; carnations are Matt’s favorite flower. When she’s
finished, she goes to the deli and orders the catering for the party—a variety of cold
cuts, sushi, and cheeses. The clerk promises they will be delivered on time.
She has about an hour left for herself, so she decides to get her hair cut and
styled.
One hour later, she arrives at the restaurant. She sits in the lounge for a few
minutes until Jennifer and Hakim come in. They get their table and Talal enters
the restaurant. After being introduced to Emily, he kisses her hand and says,
“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Roberts.”
To Emily, his intonation has a certain melody, which along with his accent,
makes his voice so sweet. Emily feels a strange warmth envelope her.
They sit in a booth, with Hakim on one side next to Jennifer and Talal and
Emily on the opposite side.
Talal is almost as tall as Hakim, with handsome dark features, black hair, and
black eyes with a look of sadness.
The server comes and they order a bottle of Australian Yalumba, a Shiraz
Hakim likes a lot.
“Mom, Hakim was promoted today to the position of Vice President.”
Jennifer exclaims, happily.
“Oh, congratulations, Hakim, that’s very good,” Emily says, and they all raise
their glasses to toast Hakim.
“Thank you, I’m really excited.”
Emily glances at Talal at every possible opportunity and can’t stop feeling
certain warmth all around her. She likes this young man; she likes his features, his
harmonious accent. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Talal, who catches her gaze and
moves a bit closer to her. Soon after, he moves his leg under the table and touches
hers; he turns toward her and gives her a brilliant smile. She smiles back at him.
“What do you do, Talal?” she asks, to clear her mind of her provocative
thoughts of him.
Libros Libertad 