Heading back to my suite, I began to gather my things. I threw in my clothes and tennis shoes too. Also, I carefully unrolled my quilt, removed the Golden Fruit, and wrapped it in a small towel. I picked up my sad-looking, filthy quilt and popped it into the laundry bag as well.
Placing the laundry bag outside my door, I hopped into the huge bed, luxuri-ating in the soft, plush sheets. I sunk into the goose-down pillows, and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.
The next morning, I smiled and stretched out all my limbs as far as they could go and still didn’t even reach the edge of the bed. I brushed out my hair again and pulled it up into a loose ponytail.
Mr. Kadam was just sitting down to a breakfast of hash browns, toast, and Spanish omelets. I joined him, sipped my orange juice, and chatted about how exciting it was to be heading back home.
Our laundry was brought back pressed and folded as if brand new. Taking some clothes out of the pile to wear, I transferred all the rest of the folded clothing to my other bag. When I got to my quilt, I stopped for a moment to smell the lemony soap they’d used and inspected it carefully for damage. Faded and old as it was, it was still holding together well. I sent a silent thanks to my grandmother. They don’t make them anymore like you did, Gran.
I placed my folded quilt on the bottom of my backpack and put the gada on the side standing straight up. I’d taken the gada out to clean the night before, but I was surprised to find it shiny and spotless, as if it had never been used. Next, I set Fanindra carefully on top of my quilt and put the Golden Fruit right in the middle of her coils. Then I zipped it up, leaving just a part open so Fanindra could breathe. I didn’t know if she actually breathed, but it made me feel better anyway.
Soon it was time to leave. I felt happy, refreshed, and perfectly content until we pulled up to the side of the road, and I saw him and he wasn’t a tiger. Ren had been waiting for us, wearing his usual white clothing and a toothy grin. Mr. Kadam walked over and hugged him. I could hear their voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I did hear Mr. Kadam laugh as he clapped Ren on the back rather loudly. He was obviously very happy about something.
Then Ren changed back into a tiger and jumped into the car. He curled up for a nap in the back while I pointedly ignored him and selected a book to keep myself occupied on the long drive.
Mr. Kadam explained that we would have to stop at another hotel on the way back and that we would be driving all day. I told him that it was fine with me. I had plenty of books to read because Mr. Kadam had bought me a couple of novels at the hotel bookstore as well as a travel book of India.
I napped on and off during the day between chapters. I finished the first novel by early afternoon and was nearing the end of the second book by the time we drove into the city. The car was unusually quiet. Mr. Kadam seemed in high spirits, but he wasn’t sharing, and Ren slept the day away in the back.
After the sun went down, Mr. Kadam announced that we were near- our destination. He indicated that he would drop me off first and then we would have dinner in the hotel restaurant to celebrate.
Inside my new hotel room, I lamented over what to wear because all I had were jeans and T-shirts in my bag. As I was rifling through the same three items for the third time, I heard a knock at the door and shuffled over in my robe and slippers. A maid handed me a zipped garment bag and a box. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t understand English. She just kept saying, ‘Kadam.’
I took it, thanked her, and unzipped the garment bag to find a gorgeous dress inside. The fitted black velvet bodice had a sweetheart neckline, and the capped sleeves and skirt were made of a pearlescent plum dupioni silk. The dress’s snug fit made me look curvier than I really was. It tapered down to my hips and settled over the full plum, knee-length skirt. A belt, made of the same soft material as the skirt, was knotted on the side and pinned with a sparkling brooch to emphasize my waist.
The dress was beautifully made, fully lined, and probably expensive. When I moved in the light, the material shimmered, reflecting several dif-ferent shades of purple. I’d never worn something so lovely, except for the beautiful blue Indian dress I had back at the house. I opened the box and found a pair of strappy black heels with diamond buckles and a matching lily clip for my hair. A dress like this required makeup, so I headed to the bathroom and finished getting ready. I clipped the lily into my hair just over my left ear and finger-combed through my wavy hair. Then I slipped on my shoes and waited for Mr. Kadam.
He soon knocked on my door and admired me with fatherly appreciation. ‘Miss Kelsey, you look beautiful!’
I swirled my skirt for him. ‘The dress is beautiful. If I look good, it’s all your doing. You picked out something fabulous. Thank you. You must have known that I wanted to feel like a lady for a change, instead of a camper Jane.’
He nodded. His eyes seemed thoughtful, but he smiled at me, held out his arm, and escorted me out to the hotel elevator. We rode down the elevator and laughed about monkeys, as I told him about Ren running around with about twenty of them attached to his fur.
We walked into a candlelit restaurant with white linen tablecloths and napkins. The hostess guided us to a section with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lights of the city below. Only one of the tables in this section of the restaur----ant was occupied. A man was dining alone. He was sitting with his back turned toward us as he looked out at the lights.
Mr. Kadam bowed and said, ‘Miss Kelsey, I will leave you to your dining companion. Enjoy your dinner.’ Then he walked out of the restaurant.
‘Mr. Kadam, wait. I don’t understand.’
Dining companion? What is he talking about? Maybe he’s confused.
Just then, a deep, all-too-familiar voice behind me said, ‘Hello, Kells.’
I froze, and my heart dropped into my stomach, stirring up about a billion butterflies. A few seconds passed. Or was it a few minutes? I couldn’t tell.
I heard a sigh of frustration. ‘Are you still not talking to me? Turn around, please.’
A warm hand slid under my elbow and gently turned me around. I raised my eyes and gasped softly. He was breathtaking! So handsome, I wanted to cry.
‘Ren.’
He smiled. ‘Who else?’
He was dressed in an elegant black suit and he’d had his hair cut. Glossy black hair was swept back away from his face in tousled layers that tapered to a slight curl at the nape of his neck. The white shirt he wore was unbuttoned at the collar. It set off his golden-bronze skin and his brilliant white smile, making him positively lethal to any woman who might cross his path. I groaned inwardly.
He’s like . . . like James Bond, Antonio Banderas, and Brad Pitt all rolled into one.
I decided the safest thing to do would be to look at his shoes. Shoes were boring, right? Not attractive at all. Ah. Much better. His shoes were nice, of course – polished and black, just like I would expect. I smiled wryly when I realized that this was the first time I’d ever seen Ren in shoes.
He cupped my chin and made me look at his face. The jerk. Then it was his turn to appraise me. He looked me up and down. And not a quick look. He took it all in slowly. The kind of slow that made a girl’s face feel hot. I got mad at myself for blushing and glared at him.
Nervous and impatient, I asked, ‘Are you finished?’
‘Almost.’ He was now staring at my strappy shoes.
‘Well, hurry up!’
His eyes drifted leisurely back up to my face and he smiled at me appreciatively, ‘Kelsey, when a man spends time with a beautiful woman, he needs to pace himself.’
I quirked my eyebrow at him and laughed. ‘Yeah, I’m a regular marathon alright.’
He kissed my fingers. ‘Exactly. A wise man never sprints . . . in a marathon.’
‘I was being sarcastic, Ren.’
He ignored me and tucked my hand under his arm then led me over to a beautifully lit table. Pulling the chair out for me, he invited me to sit.