Page 14 of The Pearl Sister
He left the room and I swore loudly. A whole day gone! Which meant I’d almost certainly lost the booking at my new hotel when I hadn’t turned up at lunchtime to check in. To add to it, because I’d slept so long, I’d have to go through jet lag all over again, plus my weird werewolf host probably thought I was special needs or something.
Why was he being so nice to me? I wasn’t stupid enough to think there wasn’t an ulterior motive. After all, he was a man and I was a woman . . . at least to some people. But then, ifthatwas what he wanted, it would mean he fancied me, which was beyond ridiculous.
Unless he was desperate and anybody would do.
I dressed in a kaftan I didn’t like because it was almost a dress, but it was all I had, given most of my clothes were still at the laundry. Once outside, I surreptitiously locked the door behind me and hid the key in the planter next to it, because my world was in that rucksack.
This place was probably even more beautiful at night than in the day. Lanterns hung from the low roofs, giving out a soft light, and the water around the onyx Buddha was lit from beneath. There was a fabulous scent of jasmine from the massive planters, and even better than that, I could smell food.
‘Over here!’
I saw an arm waving at me from the terrace in front of the main pavilion.
‘Hi,’ he said, indicating a chair.
‘Hi. Sorry I slept so long today.’
‘Never apologise for sleeping. I wish I could.’
I watched him sigh deeply, and then, as I really didn’t think I could carry on calling him the Werewolf, considering he’d been – so far anyway – kind to me, I asked him his name.
‘Didn’t I tell you the other day?’
‘No,’ I said firmly.
‘Oh . . . just call me Ace. What’s yours?’
‘CeCe.’
‘Right. A nickname, like mine?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What’s yours short for?’
‘Celaeno.’
‘That’s unusual.’
‘Yeah, my pa – the guy who adopted me – had this weird fixation with the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades. Like, the star cluster,’ I explained, as I usually had to.
‘Excuse me, sir, okay to serve now?’
The maid had appeared on the terrace, with a man wearing chef’s whites standing behind her.
‘Absolutely.’ Ace led me to the table. ‘What can I offer you to drink? Wine? Beer?’
‘Nothing, thanks. Just water’ll be fine.’
He poured us both a glass from the bottle on the table. ‘Cheers.’
‘Cheers. Thanks for saving me today.’
‘No problem. As if I don’t feel bad enough living in this place all by myself, there’s you sleeping on the beach.’
‘Up until yesterday, it was my choice, but that bed is just fantastic.’
‘As I said, you’re welcome to it for as long as you want. And before you refuse, I’m not just being kind, I’d actually appreciate the company. I’ve been alone here for nearly two months now.’
