Page 29 of Afraid to Hope

Loud banging carried back to the kitchen where Natasha was washing her hands after cleaning the counters. Irritated that Bane wasn’t using the key, she quickly dried her hands and rushed to the front door, jerking it open, her expression changing from annoyance to surprise.

Her longtime friends, Gianna and Viviane, stood there with upturned faces.Oh Lord.How soon would Bane be back? The store was only on the next block.

“Ma’am,” Bane called to the diminutive older woman struggling with two large bags ahead of him. He walked more quickly and caught up with her. “Can I help you?”

“I can manage, thank you. I’m almost home.” Bright blue eyes regarded Bane carefully, then smiled at him when she realized he was the strapping, good-looking man who was staying with Natasha.

“Me too. Let me help you,” he said, moving his bags to one hand and taking the two large bags and slowing his pace to match hers. “It’d be hard for me to do anything with my hands this full, you know.”

“I know,” she tittered. “Thank you kindly. You’re American.”

“I am.”

“You’re Natasha’s husband.”

Natasha’s husband.Natasha had shared their cover. Good. “I am. Bane Rua.”

“I’m Clara Gervais. It’s certainly a pleasure, Bane.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Clara. Natasha has told me a lot about you and your husband.”

“Oliver noticed you in the garden, and of course Natasha has stopped in a few times since you’ve arrived. Shared your news. Congratulations!” She paused and faced him. Her eyes were warm and merry and the wavy, salt and pepper hair and the lines of a life well-lived etched into her face did nothing to detract from her beauty. “You married one of the best.”

Bane beamed at her in response. “I agree with you.”

She glanced at the classic metal-studded wood doorwith a small iron Fatima in the upper corner. “We’re here. Do you have time for a quick cup of tea?”

“I’ll need to take a rain check. Natasha was starting to make dinner and I stepped out to get some beer and wine. I told her I’d help, but I’ve been gone longer than expected.”

“The green space connects our home and theriad.You’re welcome to pass through our home instead of going around.” She noted the smaller white sacks nestled within the larger ones he held. “It looks like you’ve been to the bakery.”

“Yeah,” Bane said, touching one of the sacks and making it rustle. “Nat’s got a thing for baklava, so I got her some, and some other pastries for breakfast. I figure it’s a win-win.” He flashed his teeth. “I’m going to go the long way. Come in the way I went out. She doesn’t appreciate surprises.”

“So, you learned that about your new bride?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“I have. And more”—an enormous smile broke over his face—“I’ve got to get back to help Nat, but we’ll talk soon. Have a great evening.” He backed away and pivoted, walking toward the corner.

“I’m looking forward to it, young man. Soon!”

“Hey, you two!” Natasha pasted a welcoming smile on her face. “Wow! This is a surprise!”

“Natasha!” they burst out in unison, pulling her in for a group hug.

“Girls! I had no idea you were back in Morocco. How did you know I was in town?” Although pleased to see them, this was not the best time. She and Bane had details to go over and packing to do, and he had been gone longer than expected. Natasha continued to block their entrance without being obvious.

They talked over one another.

“We knew, but we missed you every time we stopped by,” Gianna said.

“We took another chance you’d be home tonight.” Viviane unwrapped herself from her oversized lightweight shawl and dropped it onto the floor next to her shoes in thesetwan.

Gianna slipped her shoes off next to Viviane’s. “We didn’t see a car parked in front, but we saw Clara a couple of mornings ago in thesouk.”

Apparently they are staying.How the hell is this going to go?“My schedule had been crazy. I’ve been out more than in.”

Gianna was tall, only a couple of inches shy of Natasha’s five foot ten, and lean, almost boyish in shape. Her smoky, dark-blue eyes were still her best feature and her shoulder-length hair was again its natural dark blond shade. “We could have called, but we wanted to surprise you.”

“Surprised?” Viviane asked. Shorter and more compact, she had voluptuous breasts that boys had drooled over for as long as Natasha had known her. She’d maintained the rest of her curves too. Snug jeans and a body-hugging top displayed them proudly now that she had divested herself of the shawl. Viviane’s hair remained dark brown, and she wore it in a short, layered bob. “I brought something to celebrate!” Her dark brown eyes were full of mischief as she held up a brown bag and pushed past Natasha, farther into theriadtoward the kitchen,with Gianna following.

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