They entered a large foyer, and Steph saw Mehdi sitting at a table on another wide, sweeping veranda. When he saw her, his face lit up.
“Steph! I hope I didn’t wake you. It’s much nicer to take breakfast on the veranda early, before the heat really settles in.”
Steph smiled broadly. “I slept beautifully, and was awake long before your messenger arrived. Nothing to worry about there.”
“Good,” Mehdi said with a nod, gesturing for her to sit down.
There was another vast spread on the table for her to peruse, and Steph looked up at Mehdi with a sparkle in her eye.
“Let me guess, another series of El Farahn delicacies?”
Mehdi nodded, not looking away from her as he described everything that was on the table. If Steph were the hopeful sort, she might have thought he was looking at her that way because he couldn’t take his eyes off her in her perfectly chosen outfit, but she reminded herself that she was a realist and tucked that hope away.
“We have a very large amount of cinnamon produced in our northern region, beyond the desert. Because of this, many of our morning food options tend to have that spice included. Try this one,” he said, holding out a flaky pastry that was clearly cinnamon dusted.
Steph took it delicately from his fingers and tried a bite. An explosion of flavor erupted on her tongue, and she grinned.
“Now that is sensational,” she gushed.
“Does it taste different to you?”
Steph savored the flavor a little longer, realizing that it did taste different to the cinnamon she was used to.
“It’s not quite the same, though it is definitely better.”
Mehdi nodded. “That is because most of the cinnamon you have in the West is really what we call cassia. It’s a related plant, but it’s not true cinnamon. What you are tasting now is the real thing.”
“So you’re telling me I’ve been eating the wrong spice my whole life and never knew it?”
“Probably. Still, you’re eating it now, and that’s what counts! Try this one next.”
Mehdi had her sample every dish on the table, each one better than the next, before he was satisfied that she had had enough to eat. As the sun continued its rise into the sky, Steph felt herself getting warmer.
“It might be too warm to stay out here for much longer,” she said.
“I agree,” Mehdi said. “You’re still on board for a small excursion today? I think I’ve got just the thing for us to do.”
Steph’s eyes glittered at the possibilities. “Of course. Where are we going?”
“That is for me to know and you to find out. You will get one hint, however. Bring what you would need for a day at the beach.”
“The beach!” Steph squealed, elated.
Growing up in landlocked Vermont, it wasn’t often that Steph got to go to the beach, and when she did, it was a frosty New England one at best. She loved the ocean, and she had hoped for the chance to enjoy it in El Farah. It was as if Mehdi were a mind reader!
He laughed, dabbing the corner of his lips as he stood. “Well then, let’s not wait another moment. Can you meet me at the front of the palace in a few minutes?”
“Heck yeah I can!” she said. Feeling impulsive, she rose and dashed around the table, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a big hug.
Mehdi hugged her back before releasing her with a smile. “What was that for?”
“You must know, my rescuer!” she said, blushing as she turned tail and scurried back to her room, closing the door behind her.
He had felt so good in her arms for that brief moment. It had taken everything in her to let him go. If it hadn’t been for the promise of a new adventure, she probably wouldn’t have. As it was, she found herself back at the armoire, where she picked out a tasteful one-piece swimsuit and some beach clothes to wear over it. Grabbing a towel, she finished her packing within minutes and was out the door, navigating her way back to the main foyer, where Mehdi was already waiting.
He was dressed in swimming trunks and a bright blue shirt, and he looked like he could have been any surfer at a California beach somewhere, not the ruling sheikh of a whole country. Steph liked Mehdi’s beach look. Of course, she tended to like him in anything he wore.