Isaac Jasmine took me to the Old Market first, leading me through a maze of alleyways and stalls and telling me the story of nearly every building we passed. For probably about the sixth time in the last hour, I stopped to admire a doorway, but she never rushed me, just patiently standing at my side with a smile on her face that said she appreciated every tiny detail as much as I did. “How is it that every door here has so much character?” I asked, finally straightening up and falling back into st ep beside her. She laughed. Her rich dark hair glowed under the light of the lanterns starting to come on in the alley. “I’ve been coming here my whole life, and every single time, I still find streets I’ve never walked and shops I’ve never noticed. I think that’s how the doors get their character. This place is just... magic.” She smiled at me over her shoulder as we wandered through the last stretch of the Old Market, and for a second, I almost tripped over my own feet, just staring at her instead of paying attention even to my own body. The way she looked, framed by the buildings, with crooked little balconies behind her, and the energy of the place lighting her eyes, threatened to cut off my air supply. Jasmine had always been gorgeous, but here, she was absolutely radiant. Like whatever energy source she usually operated on was super-charged in this city. As far as I was concerned, the real magic here was her, but hey. I was drunk on the architecture and history of the very streets I was walking, so I k ept that little tidbit to myself. “I knew you’d like it,” she said, then promptly rescued me from buying a rug from an elderly woman who’d claimed she made it by hand. “That’s complete bullshit. It’s printed. You can see it’s printed.” I sighed. “Maybe she’s just really good at painting.” Jasmine laughed. “There’s no way. Besides, how are you going to get it back to Cairo?” “I can ship it.” “It’ll never reach your address,” she said, grabbing my arm and physically hauling me away. “If you want a rug, we’ll find you the real thing.” “That was the real thing.” “No, that was a tourist trap. We’re almost back to the more heavily populated areas. You don’t buy anything here.” “You’re denying me happiness.” “I’m saving you from overpaying for imported crap you can buy on at least two apps on your phone for a quarter of the price.” “Fine, but if you’re wrong, I’m coming back.” She arched a ste ep eyebrow at me. “If I’m wrong, I’ll buy it for you. Now forget about the rug. Better things await.”
“Better than the rug? I doubt it.” “Trust me, Terrazzina Beach is going to knock your socks off.” I only pretended to be disappointed for about a second before I caved. “I’ve read about that. Is it as beautiful in person as it is in the pictures?” “It’s better,” she said. “I literally just told you that.” She dragged me out of the market to a beach where the sky melted into shades of gold and orange while waves lapped the sand and music drifted from the restaurants lining the shore. Strings of lights decorated every outside seating area and Jasmine headed straight for a table right on the sand itself. “I’ve got dinner,” I said before she could even glance at the menu. “As a thank you for everything you’ve shown me so far. It really has been an incredible experience.” “If you’re going to buy me dinner just for showing you around the market, I hope you have some big plans for the rest of the activities on my list,” she joked. “The market is awesome, but it’s also nothing in comparison.” “Now I’m intrigued.” I leaned forward across the table, holding her dark, glittering gaze and wondering why I suddenly enjoyed spending time with her so much. God knows, I never used to. “What have you got up your sleeve, Jasmine Saad?” “You’ll just have to wait and see.” She smiled innocently, then ordered food and drinks in Arabic without asking for any input from me. When our waiter finally left, I narrowed my eyes at her. “What are we getting?” “Everything,” she said, and I thought she was joking until a mountain of food arrived with our drinks. Colorful cocktails were set down between platters of fresh seafood, spiced rice, breads, dips, and a few other things I couldn’t name. Naturally, she just smiled at me as she waved at the spread. “Bon appetit. I know it looks like a lot, but trust me, we’re going to finish it.” I eyed the amount of food she’d ordered but didn’t question her. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I got here, it’s that I trust you.” “You do?” I shrugged. “Weirdly, yes.” “Why is that weird?” she asked, laughing as she started dishing up. “I’m a very trustworthy person.” “Maybe, but I didn’t think so when I first met you back in Chicago,” I said honestly. “I actually thought you were a bit of a brat.” I braced myself in case she threw a prawn at me, but instead of taking offense, she laughed. “A lot of people think that. I wonder why.” “Yeah. In retrospect, so do I, but I’m pretty sure it’s because you want people to think that’s exactly what you are.” For a second, she just stared at me. Then she shrugged and started eating. “Alright, Mr. Thayer. If we’re getting de ep, I hope you’re ready to play ball because I won’t hold back.”
“I’m an open book.” She snorted. “You’re really not, but okay. Here goes. Why are you so much more easygoing than your brother? Colin acts like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders because of what happened with your family, but not you. Why?” I blinked hard a couple times, but when I finally opened my mouth, the answer came easier than I’d expected. “I think it’s because I’m the only one who was somewhat relieved when our money vanished.” Her mouth dropped open. “What?” “Is that really so hard for you to imagine?” “You’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions. Your father is in prison for just about every white-collar crime a person can be convicted of. How on earth did that make you happy?” “I didn’t say it made me happy. I said I was relieved, and I really was.” I chewed the bite of spectacular seafood I’d just taken, washing it down with a sip of my surprisingly strong cocktail before I managed to get a hold of my thoughts again. “If we hadn’t lost our money, I’m not sure I would have pursued a career in engineering.” She didn’t interrupt, so I k ept going, still finding all of this coming out a lot easier than it should’ve. “Obviously, I’d rather not have a father in prison and I definitely would’ve preferred if my younger brothers hadn’t had it so much harder than me, but all things considered, I’m choosing to look on the bright side.” “The bright side being your career?” “Y ep.” I ate another bite of my food, unable to stop now that I’d started. She really might’ve been right about finishing all this. As we ate, I told her more about my family than I’d probably told anyone before. Usually, I played this kind of thing pretty close to the vest but not with her. Not tonight. “When it all went down, everyone acted like it was the end of the world,” I said. “In a way, I guess it was. It was definitely the end of life as we’d known it, but it also led us to where we are now, which is life on the other side of all that.” “Like what?” she asked. “What wouldn’t you have known?” “What it feels like to have this kind of freedom,” I said. “We never would’ve had to figure things out for ourselves and we never would’ve been forced to think about what we really want to do.” “And that’s a good thing?” she asked finally. I shrugged. “It’s the thing we have, but yeah. It’s actually pretty good. Especially now that they’ve found the money. Ryan, Holden, and Wyatt will have their trusts restored, which means they’ll also have the financial freedom I never did.” “What about you? Isn’t your trust being restored?” “Honestly? I don’t know and I don’t care. I’ve been making my own way in the world and I’m doing pretty well now.” “But it’s millions,” she said. “Presumably, anyway. You really don’t care?” “It all still feels a little surreal,” I admitted. “The FBI finds an account after all these years and it finally turns out to be the missing money? That’s not something I could process quickly.”
“Hasn’t it been months?” “Yeah, but I’ve had other things on my plate,” I said. “Colin and Jane have been carrying all that. They deserve the peace they’ll have now. I do know that. I also know that Wyatt and Holden will get to make decisions about their futures without having to worry about how much it will cost. I’m not sure about Ryan, but he seems happy exactly where he is, and frankly, so am I. That’s about how far I’ve gotten with figuring things out.” She looked at me like she’d discovered an alien species, but there was something a lot softer in her expression too. It was almost like I could see her guards sliding down, all that self-in volved defensiveness flickering for a moment before her eyes were shining in a whole new way. “You worry about them,” she said. “Your younger brothers.” “Yeah, all the time,” I admitted, surprised I was saying any of this at all. “After my dad’s arrest, we were all shocked. We were all worried, but Jane had already gained access to her trust fund, Mom still had some money left in her accounts, and there were some assets in her name we could sell. None of us knew at the time how long the whole thing would drag on, so I think we all thought we would be okay.” “Were you?” “No. By the time Holden had to start thinking about college, the money was pretty much gone. He and Wyatt had long since learned that even the simple things needed to be budgeted for. New sneakers. A night out. The rest of us didn’t have that.” “Neither have I,” she said softly. “I can’t even imagine it. That’s probably bad, right?” “Nah, I don’t think it’s bad. I think it just gives a person a bit of a different perspective on life.” I smiled at her across the table. “What about you? What do you want to do when you grow up?” She laughed. “You know, I never really thought about it until I had to, but I enjoy just existing in the present.” “For now, but what about in the future?” I asked. “Come on. I showed you mine. It’s your turn.” She sighed, but after taking another long sip of her cocktail, her cheeks grew a little pink and she just blurted it out. “One day, I’d like to settle down and have a family. Just live a quiet, private life, but that’s a hard ask in my social circles.” “Why?” I asked, genuinely confused. “If that’s what you want, you should go for it.” “Oh, I will, but I’m going to have to get through a truly ridiculous amount of roadblocks to make it happen,” she said. “There are traditions in my family that they’re not so eager to let go of, and that’s not even to mention what will happen to my career as a model once I get pregnant.” “Fuck it,” I said. “If that’s not what you want long-term anyway, then does it really matter?” “No, but that’s only because I know it’ll be worth it.” She was growing more and more animated by the second as she spoke. “There are so many traditions I want to start once I’m a mom. I want Friday dinners, and holiday pancakes, and matching pajamas at Christmas. I want
everyone bringing their friends over and no one being afraid of making too much noise.” As she cut herself off, I noticed the families that had been around earlier had mostly disappeared, leaving people closer to our own age to take over the beach. Music grew louder and an impromptu dance floor started on the sand between our restaurant and the next. Since Jasmine didn’t even seem to notice it, I figured it must be something that happened pretty often around here, so I didn’t bother asking. We ordered another round of cocktails, but when she realized I was still waiting for her to tell me more, and that I wasn’t judging her, she started back in, still getting more and more excited. “I want my kids to travel with me and my husband,” she said. “I want to teach them how to love exploring all the odd little nooks and crannies the world has to offer, and then, once they’re teenagers, I can’t wait to embarrass them.” I laughed. “I doubt you’d be capable of that.” “No,” she said loudly. “I’m serious. I’m going to be great at embarrassing them. It’ll build character, but I’ll also make sure they know it’s only because I love them so much.” “I like that answer,” I said, smiling at the way she’d said it, so honest and open that I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the person inside. “I like all your answers actually.” Her eyebrows sw ept up. “Are you serious or are you mocking me?” “I’m definitely not mocking you. I mean it. You made that life sound so good that even I want it a little bit now, and that’s not something I’ve ever even considered before.” She leaned back in her chair with a smug little smile on her face. Her eyes were a little hazy after all the cocktails we’d had. I could see her coming up with probably at least a dozen comebacks to what I’d said, but then the music changed and her eyes lit up. All around us, conversations ended almost simultaneously as the mellow strands of an acoustic guitar changed into something with a heavier, more upbeat rhythm. More and more people got up to hit the dance floor. Jasmine stood so fast, she nearly tripped over her chair. “This is my song!” she squealed, reaching for my arm. “We’re dancing. We have to dance.” “Uh, okay. Go ahead, but I don’t dance.” “You do now.” She grabbed my hand without any hesitation and pulled me up, tugging me straight to the dance floor and immediately winding her arms around my neck. “Loosen up and live a little.” Acting more on instinct than any pretense of coordination, I slid my hands around her hips, inhaling air scented with her perfume. She was so close that I could see little flecks of gold in her eyes I’d never noticed before, but it suddenly made perfect sense that they were there. That’s why it always looks like they’re glowing. “I’m loose,” I said softly as the crowd pressed in around us, thickening as more people joined from the beach.
She smiled up at me, her front warm against my own as she got pushed closer to me. This was more touching than we’d ever done before, and Jasmine was softer than I might’ve thought. She also fit against me in ways that were going to get me in trouble if we k ept this up for too long, but I didn’t do the sensible thing by letting go of her. Over the next few songs, my thigh somehow landed between her legs and our hips ended up pressed together, her arms in the air and her eyes closed as she shouted along to whatever song was playing. When she reopened them as it ended, she was still smiling, but then suddenly, she stiffened and stilled against me. “What?” I had to blink myself out of the trance I’d fallen into from having her so close to me before I realized she was looking at something over my shoulder. Her smile was gone and she sighed before glancing back up at me. “David Maher is here. Have you met him?” I didn’t even turn to look. “Unfortunately, I’ve had the displeasure.” “He invited me to a party tonight.” “You didn’t want to go?” She scoffed. “No. I really don’t like the guy.” “You don’t? He made it sound like you’re practically family.” Her entire face scrunched up. “What? No. Globar Star sometimes does business with his family’s company, but that’s about it. Thank God.” I felt my insides slowly relax. “That’s good to know. I didn’t enjoy my brief interaction with him much either.” “He’s shady as hell,” she murmured, shaking her head before looking back at me. “I hope he didn’t say anything too rude to you.” “Oh, he did. He made a few comments about my family, but I walked away.” “Good for you,” she said firmly. “He was after Deja for a while before she got engaged to Colin. I don’t think I’ve ever been as relieved as I was when that didn’t work out for him.” I blinked a couple times. “He was interested in Deja?” “I doubt it,” she muttered. “I’m pretty sure the only thing he’s interested in is my family’s money.” As soon as she said it, I looked down into her eyes and wondered if that was what the sudden change in him had been about at the gala. It was possible that he was after Jasmine now, still trying to crack the Saad family safe. That didn’t sit right with me at all. “Are you ready to get out of here?” I asked. “I’ve been dying for a walk on the beach and now is as good a time as any, right?” She smiled. “Let’s go pay for our food. Then I’ll show you a little cove right around the corner that you’re going to dream about for the rest of your life.”
I chuckled. “Bring it on.” Five minutes later, the waves were rolling gently across our feet as we strolled along the shoreline. The music was already fading behind us, ke eping David and whatever his plans for the night might’ve been with it. I exhaled a slow breath as we rounded a corner that led to a perfect little inlet, the water so calm it was like a swimming pool. “Wow. This really is going to haunt my dreams. It’s gorgeous.” Jasmine looked over at me, her eyes glittering with the ambient light of the city and the moon. A mischievous smile ghosted across her lips. “So, uh, are you afraid of the water?” “No,” I said, then frowned when her smile only widened. “Why? And why are you looking at me like that?” “Okay, then how do you feel about boats?”