“Because then I look like the pouty, petty little girl and I was hoping...” she shook away the rest.
Roman guessed the rest. “You were hoping your intended would show his ass and you could save your pride.”
When she blinked and sent him a sharp look, Roman was sure he had offended her. Then she smiled brilliantly and once again turned her eyes toward the night sky.
“Exactly,” she sighed, regret and defeat tinging the last word. “If only I could get him to show his true colors.”
“Miss Imani?”
Roman and Imani both bristled at the call from one of her family’s guards.
“Do you want me to take you to your father’s table?”
Imani was already shaking her head. “Thank you Roman, but no.”
He nodded, pushed from the bench and offered his hand. Imani stood, unable to stop the bold trip her eyes took over the very broad shoulders beneath his suit coat. Her eyes met his and flared in response to the way he watched her unwaveringly.
“Good night, Imani.”
“Good night, Mr. Tesano,” she appeared gleeful when she saw that he recognized the tease.
Roman watched her leave, all the while wondering how she could be as beautiful coming as she was going. He smiled when she ignored the guard’s outstretched hand, her head high and shoulders straight as she moved regally.
He waited until he could no longer see her and then quickly returned to the dining room. Spirits were high when he got to the table, but he wasn’t interested in joining in with the revelry. Instead, he sat and studied the other side of the room. He could tell the moment the party of men spotted her, for they all stood in acknowledgement of her approach. Imani seemed to be giving none of them the benefit of eye contact.
He watched her go to a broad man with a mountain of salt and pepper hair. The man’s arms were open to receive her. Though he was dressed similarly to the other men in suit coat and tie, he stood out from them in a way that radiated command. The two embraced and Roman saw Imani nod after a few moments as though she agreed with whatever had been said.
Imani and the older man took their seats. Roman noticed the others, including the two brothers he’d had the misfortune of meeting, all standing as if in anticipation. The older man waved, causing the rest to trade glances before taking their places at the table as servers approached.
His observation came to a crass halt when someone threw a napkin at his head.
“You hear us, Rome?” Stone asked. “We ordered you a T-bone.”
“You’re welcome,” someone else called out when Roman showed no sign of gratitude.
“Fratelli!” Brothers! Humphrey called and raised his glass in toast. “Produttivita, piacere e profitto! Salud!”
“Salud!” The others cheered to productivity, pleasure and profit. They drank deeply of their wine and enjoyed.
Roman enjoyed the toast, cheered as loudly as any of his family. Regardless, his focus returned to the girl he was sure would never leave his mind.
~18~
“Eka speaks for me when I’m not present, Imani. You know that, same rules apply to your brothers and any of your cousins who travel with us. Rafiki and Eka are the same age and yet he knows to defer to Eka. Why is this so hard for you, girl?”
“Papa,” Imani scooted closer to the table. “With all respect, I feel that Eka is not the best person to speak for you in this instance.”
“And why would that be?”
As if the fight were going out of her, Imani folded her hands next to the delicate China place setting. Woefully, she studied the intricate design etched along the curve of a cup saucer. If she touched it, she knew she’d feel the raised markings against her fingertips.
The cup was still empty. The restaurant waitstaff had been asked to give them time to chat before taking their breakfast orders that morning. Her father’s laughter brought Imani’s eyes back to his face. Despite her frustration, she could feel her mouth twitch in amused response. Her father was the only man- the only person who could make her laugh when she didn’t want to.
Roman Tesano. The name wisped into her mind as if carried in by a breeze and she cleared her throat.
Hilar Kamande observed his youngest child and the one dearest to him. It was no surprise that she was the one who most frequently tested his patience.
“You know as often as I try, I am still unable to read your mind. I can do nothing to confront what troubles you if you won’t tell me, love.”
Imani went back to studying her hands.
Hilar Kamande went back to reading his paper.
Father and daughter remained that way all of a minute. For Imani, it felt much longer.
“Eka is blind when it comes to his friend,” she said. “He knows what Kapango is, but refuses to see it.”
“What is he, beauty?”
Imani let her silence hold for barely a second then. “He’s not the man who has been dazzling you on the phone.”
Hilar Kamande dissolved into a rousing flurry of full-bodied laughter. “Do you think I’m being... buttered up, my love?”
“Papa he is not what he’s trying to pass himself off as- some ethical businessman ready to be a true husband and admirable father-”
“And you know this, how?”
“Papa...” she despised whining, but circumstances seemed to call for precisely that. “You know the Nassor family’s reputation-”
