Page 2 of Sapphire Spring

“Nas, please. My idea of roughingit is a patio brunch without an umbrella.”

“You’re also very much in love, and Logan’s capable ofconvincing you to go outside your comfort zone now and then.” Naser grabbed thelapels of Connor’s blazer and pulled them nose to nose. “Don’t let him. Therest of us need climate control and a roof over our heads if it rains.”

His best friend kissed him on the cheek, then accepted the handleof his suitcase from Jonas. “We alreadyhave towatchWorld War II documentaries every night before bed. I’m as far outside mycomfort zone as I can go.” He stepped off the curb and started for Logan’sgleaming truck. “Goodbye, everyone. Don’t destroy my hotel. I spent way toomuch time saving it.”

“We all did, sweetheart,” Gloria called after him.

When Logan stepped from the truck to help Connor with hisbag, Naser thought the two men might be about to have words about Connor’stardiness. Instead, Logan enfolded his fiancé in his powerful arms and kissedhim on the forehead.

Gloria let out the kind of sigh little girls make over puppies.

Naser felt a pang of jealousy. He was happy for Connor,truly, but he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he longed for someone to look athim the way Logan Murdoch looked at his best friend. How he was supposed tomeet that special someone was anyone’s guess. He rarely left the house foranything other than work, and he’d pretty much given up on dating apps sincethey all coughed up a never-ending stream of problematic white boys whodemanded he abandon his power-bottom status to conform to their vaguely racistrole-play fantasies of being dominated by a terrorist or sheik.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naser turned to face hiscompatriots.

Gloria, an ample-framed woman, had pulled her hair back atthe crown, letting her black curls cascade on both sides. As always, she worethe placid half-smile known to hotel managers the world over, a smile thatsaid,I will do my best to accommodate even the most absurd request andpretend to accommodate the ones too absurd to accommodate.

Jonas Jacobs, on the other hand—responsible for charmingclients into forking over their life savings on weddings with highprobabilities of ending in divorce—was smirking at him. Jonas had decided to gobald earlier that year, but he still maintained his precisely sculpted goatee beard.He was the only Black department head at Sapphire Cove and had been for years,a fact Connor had been trying to change with more diverse hiring practices. Asalways, his perfectly tailored dark suit was some subtle shade between navy andblack, and he sported an ironed pocket square to match his tie—today they werepurple. The devilish glint in his hazel eyes suggested he was aware of theagenda Naser planned to pursue now that Connor and Logan were gone.

“Well, isn’t this wonderful!” Naser declared.

“That eager to see them go, huh?” Gloria asked.

Naser spread his arms and gave them a bright smile. “For thefirst time in its history, the keys to Sapphire Cove have been handed to threeproud people of color. And all it took was for one white boy to drive away in atruck.”

“Two white boys, actually,” Jonas said. “And if only thatwas all diversity took, darling.”

Gloria tittered. “Also, I certainly don’t mean to step onthis milestone moment for the hotel, butI’mactually in charge ofSapphire Cove, being that I’m the assistant general manager.”

Jonas cleared his throat. “Don’t overthink this, Gloria.Nasis just trying to butter usupso we’ll help him destroy his sister.”

Naser raised a warning finger. “We’re not going to destroymy sister. We’re just going to destroy her event so that it doesn’t destroy thehotel.”

“You know,Nas, I’ve been working withher for a few months now, and I have to say your sister is a very impressiveand successful young woman. Perhaps you should—”

“My sister once hired a troupe of unlicensed fire eaters toperform inside a thatched roof hut for one of her promo events, and they setfire to the hut and a bar table.”

“Fire eaters need a license?” Gloria asked.

“And you, Jonas, just because you’re older and way tallerthan me doesn’t mean you have a right to lecture me on my own family.”

Jonas shrugged. “Come now,Nas.Everyone who works here is taller than you.”

“Gentlemen, please.” Gloria waited until she saw she hadtheir attention. “Now I don’t want to throw gasoline on the fire here. Or fireeater, I should say. But we got some calls late last night that might be relatedto the event, and I thought we should discuss.”

Dread froze the pit of Naser’s stomach. “What kind ofcalls?”

Gloria sighed. “Look, I try to be as culturally sensitive asI can be given that my family’s from Honduras and I’ve spent most of my careerhere being called That Nice Mexican Lady”—Gloria mimed air quotes that couldpunch through concrete—“but what’s agoogoosh?”

Naser’s breath left him in a thin wheeze. His hands went tohis face before he could still them. Not because Gloria had made some terriblefaux pas—because he could see where this was headed, and it ended with him andhis sister wrestling each other into Sapphire Cove’s pool as they called eachother bad words in Persian.

“Oh God,” he heard Gloria say. “Did I step in it?”

“Googoosh isa she,” Jonas said.

Gloria winced. “Oh, so I’m off to a great start. Sorry.”

Naser moaned into his palms. “Why are we getting calls aboutGoogoosh?”

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