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CHAPTER SIX

MADDIE WAS RELIEVED that she wasn’t seated close to Haki and Pippa at dinner. She couldn’t bring herself to look either of them in the eyes. God help her, she’d always been told she wore her emotions on her sleeve. One of her law professors had even warned her that she needed to work on a poker face if she ever hoped to catch a witness off guard on the stand. She projected with her face. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t do it consciously.

Her mom often reminded her that her facial expressions had been a key part of how she’d communicated back when she couldn’t speak as a child and that she thought it was a beautiful part of her. That it showed honesty. But Hope had a way of finding the positive side of everything. At the moment, the last thing Maddie needed was honesty plastered all over her face. If Haki or Pippa could see what she was honestly feeling or thinking...she’d die. Plain and simple. It would destroy them.

She put another bite of mango in her mouth. Dinner had been a delicious, savory stew with homemade flatbread, and dessert was an array of fruits—so much healthier than mandazi—but she was full. The only reason she kept eating was so she could listen instead of talking. Talking when she still felt confused and guilty and couldn’t focus...yeah, that wouldn’t be good.

The conversation rolled from Jack’s latest findings in his genetic research to the steady flow of donations coming in to help support the orphans, to how Huru and Noah were doing with their studies. Haki said something and his voice seemed to be the only one she keyed into.

She rubbed her hand along her arm where the rough stubble of his jaw and warmth of his breath had inadvertently caressed her skin earlier, at the tree. Even the vibration of his deep voice, when he’d gotten permission to touch her before unsnagging her, had made the hairs along her arms dance. And now...just listening to him... What was wrong with her? No guy had ever had this effect on her, and she wanted the feeling to go away. It was overpowering. It was dangerous. It betrayed Pippa.

She set down her fork and took a drink of water. Maybe she needed a shower or maybe she was still jet-lagged. That had to be it.

“I know what’s on your mind, Maddie,” Pippa called out from the far end of the table. Maddie’s stomach churned.

“You do?”

“Tomorrow? You probably want to sleep because I know you didn’t last night and we need to talk about what time you need to head out, who’s taking you. You know. All that,” she said.

“I’m sorry. You lost me. Out where? I thought you were just visiting,” Niara said.

“I am, but I also have some work to do. For my law firm’s sister office in Nairobi.”

“Cool,” Noah said. “Maybe I should go into law. You get paid for arguing.”

“Well, that’s not all there is to it.” Maddie grinned. She had to give him credit for his unique take on the profession.

“But you get to stand up in court and try to win a case before a judge, right?”