Page 24 of The Rules of Their Red-Hot Reunion

‘Where are we going?’ she asked, half turning to face him.

‘Somewhere where we can talk.’ He flashed her a smile as they crawled down the busy road. His smile could power the sun and there was nothing better than feeling it against her skin.

‘Public or private?’ Aisha asked. She shrugged when his head snapped around. ‘C’mon, Pas, we both know that if we go somewhere private, we won’t do any talking.’

Pasco turned his attention back to the road and Aisha saw the tension in his jaw. ‘Public...dammit.’

Ten minutes later, he pulled into a parking space about five hundred metres down the road from Binta. After opening her door for her, he took her hand and led her across the busy street to a small, old-fashioned dusty-pink double-storey house. There were tables on the veranda and servers bustled around like flies on steroids. Pasco ignored the steps leading up the veranda, steered her around the side of the house and up a flight of steel stairs. He pushed a doorbell and after a few seconds, the door clicked open.

An attractive woman dressed in a short black cocktail dress smiled at them. ‘Hello, Pasco.’

‘Busi.’ Pasco dropped a kiss on each of her cheeks before introducing Aisha.

‘Are you busy tonight?’

Busi rocked her hand up and down. ‘Most of the regulars are at a cocktail party at The Vane, so no, not right now. We’ll pick up later.’

Aisha looked across the mostly empty banquettes and tables to absorb the view. Needing to take it all in, she walked away from Pasco and Busi to reach the veranda, taking in the expansive vista of ocean and sky. She had an awesome view of the Lion’s Head and Twelve Apostles mountains, and a stupendous view of the beach.

‘This is amazing,’ she told Pasco when he finally joined her, holding a whisky in one hand and a huge margarita in the other. ‘What is this place?’

Pasco guided her to a comfortable two-seater couch. ‘It’s called The View, for obvious reasons. It’s a cross between a boutique bar and a private club. You have to be a member to come here.’

‘And do you own this too?’

Pasco sent her a slow smile. ‘I don’t. And that’s why I can relax here.’ He lifted his drink and clinked it against her glass. ‘Cheers.’

‘Cheers.’ Aisha took a huge sip of her drink and sighed when the perfect ratio of sweet and sour hit her tongue. She whimpered and wrapped both hands around her glass. ‘God, you have no idea how much I need this.’

‘So what’s the deal with your family?’

She’d been expecting his question, had even thought up a couple of glib responses to divert him. But suddenly, she didn’t want to lie or fudge, she just wanted to tell him the truth.

‘My sisters are all academics, as are my parents. They are very respected scholars and lecture at the university. They are intensely, ridiculously brainy and I am not. They see success in terms of academic achievements, and I let down the side.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense, Aisha. You’re one of the most organised, logical people I’ve ever encountered. And you have a master’s degree.’

‘In business. It’s one of the most common post-graduate programmes around and nothing special. My sisters are doctors and scientists who, as my parents frequently remind me, are making a difference in people’s lives. I do not.’

He stared at her, his expression intense. ‘That’s not all of it.’

No, it wasn’t. Aisha took another sip of her drink and rested her head against the back of the couch. ‘They are so passive-aggressive, Pasco, I can’t deal with them. Sometimes, I just wish they’d yell and scream and get it out, but they don’t, they prod and poke and whinge and whine.’

‘You seem to have a good relationship with Priya.’

‘I do. She never gave me copies ofMaths for Dummiesfor a birthday present, or a framed photograph of my sisters all holding their PhDs. And she was the only one who took my side when...’ She hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell him about that ugly incident. No, she did want to tell him, she just wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it. She and Pasco weren’t good talkers. Lovers, yes. Communicators? Not so much.

‘Tell me, sweetheart.’

She sipped her margarita and half turned to face him, dragging her eyes off the view. But, honestly, looking at Pasco was as good. ‘After I told them that we divorced, it took a long time for them to reach out to me—well, Priya did, but no one else. Anyway, two years later the lines of communication opened up, but it was very obvious that if I was a disappointment before, I’d sunk to new lows.’

‘I’m sorry.’

She shrugged and blinked away the moisture in her eyes. ‘Five years ago, it was my folks’ fortieth wedding anniversary and I saved up to buy them tickets to visit me in London, as well as a tour of six different cities in Europe. Four-star hotels, private tours, it cost me a freakin’ fortune.’

‘What happened?’ Pasco gently asked, placing his big hand on her thigh. It felt right there, just as it felt right to lay her head on his shoulder.

‘About a month before they were due to leave, Reyka, the sister just older than me, got engaged. And strangely, the only time she could hold the engagement party was smack in the middle of my parents’ trip. I begged her to postpone it. She wanted me to rearrange my parents’ trip, but I couldn’t. I’d already paid for everything and to change dates was incredibly expensive. I just didn’t have the extra money.’

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