He had seen and done things she couldn’t even imagine. No doubt there had been many women along the way. She could imagine him with beautiful, exotic types—of which she was neither. Still, it was nice to know that she could get his attention even for only a minute.
Zara paused in the foyer of the ladies’ room and looked around. She’d never been in a bathroom that had a foyer before. The spacious area was decorated in red and gold with an elegant chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Mirrors covered two walls, stretching down to long vanities. A half dozen tufted stools stood ready, offering a seat to those who wished to repair their appearance. The lighting was intensely flattering and there were trays of hair spray, lotion, tissues and small towels to please even the most demanding guest.
“Not bad work if you can get it,” Zara murmured to herself. She wandered closer to the mirror and studied her appearance. Her bronze-colored dress shimmered in the light. Her hairstyle by Eric had stayed in place. Her lipstick was a little smudged, and there was a dark blotch of mascara just under the corner of her right eye. After sinking onto one of the stools, she wiped away the smudge and dark spot, then reapplied her lipstick. Getting off her feet felt heavenly. She wasn’t used to high heels, not to mention strappy sandal styles. The thin bits of leather looked great but they cut into her feet.
The main door opened. Zara looked up, then stiffened when she saw Sabrina enter. Her half sister wore a dress of pale gold. The fabric emphasized Sabrina’s curvy shape. No padding required, Zara thought glumly.
Cool dark eyes regarded her thoughtfully. Sabrina smiled—it looked a little forced to Zara—then sat gracefully two stools away.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Sabrina asked as she opened her small handbag and drew out a lip pencil.
“Everything is lovely.” Zara pressed her hands together in her lap. “I spoke with Prince Sadik earlier and he was very kind.”
Sabrina finished lining her lips and smiled again. “I doubt he would appreciate the description. My brothers are more interested in being ruthless and arrogant.”
“Oh.”
Zara didn’t know what to say to that. She felt tense and out of place. Rafe’s story about why Sabrina didn’t like her swirled through her head. She hated knowing her only sister by blood resented her being here.
Zara drew in a deep breath and turned to face Sabrina. “I’m sorry about all of this. For invading your life the way I have. I didn’t think that coming here would make trouble, which was naive of me. I should have seen the potential problems.”
Sabrina carefully applied lipstick, then blotted her mouth with a tissue. Finally she put her cosmetics back in her purse and closed it. Only then did she look at Zara.
“Your apology makes me think that you’ve been told something of my past.”
Zara nodded. “Rafe mentioned a few things.”
Sabrina sighed. “I know this isn’t your fault. Intellectually I understand that my father’s delight in having you show up doesn’t take away anything from my relationship with him. But my heart tells me something else. I spent my childhood being in the way both with my mother in California and here in Bahania with Father. It’s difficult to watch him dance with joy when he sees you.”
Zara hung her head. She felt like slime. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.
“Don’t be. Like I said, it’s not your fault. For that matter it’s not my fault, either. My father has come to see that he treated me badly and he’s trying to make amends. I have reconciled to the fact that I’ll never be his favorite. While I was able to convince myself it was because I was female, I could handle it quite well.”
Zara winced. Hassan hadn’t cared that she was a girl. He’d been thrilled just to see Fiona’s child, regardless of gender. For Sabrina that would be rubbing salt in the wound.
“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.
Sabrina smiled. “You don’t have to say anything. This isn’t your responsibility. You came here because you wanted to find something.”
“Roots,” Zara admitted. “All my life I’ve wanted to know about my father. My mom wouldn’t ever talk about him.” She glanced around the foyer and smiled slightly. “But in all my dreams, I never once imagined something like this.”