The Sheikh's Priceless Bride Read online

  “Albert runs this program as a place for kids to go after school, while their parents are at work. At lot of the kids here have parents that work two jobs or an early evening shift. Albert keeps the place open later than other after-school programs so those kids have someplace safe to go rather than be at home by themselves or running amuck around town.”

  They dropped off cookies and muffins for the kids, and Jacqui took a minute to greet the children, bending down to chat with a group at a table working on spelling quizzes.

  Albert stood next to Khizar, both men watching the baker. “She’s something special, let me tell you.”

  Khizar nodded. “I can see that.”

  Jacqui, overhearing them, tried not to blush. She gave one little girl a one-armed hug and waved bye to the kids.

  On the way to their next stop, Jacqui directed Khizar down a street next to a park. She pointed out a few monuments to the city’s history, and told him a story about the historic church across from the park.

  At some point in their city-wide adventure, Jacqui realized that she was having fun. More fun, really, than she’d had in a while. Khizar was good company—talkative, amusing, attentive. He obviously had a good heart, which Jacqui appreciated.

  He asked questions about the city as they drove from place to place, and Jacqui found herself being both tour guide and historian as she told him about her town. Milwaukee had a long and storied history, and Jacqui enjoyed sharing it with someone who was so interested.

  When all the food was handed out, Jacqui gave Khizar directions back to the bakery. When he stopped the car in front of her shop, he insisted on her waiting to get out so that he could open her car door.

  Standing on the sidewalk in front of the door, Khizar took her hand.

  “Thank you, Jacqui, for helping me today. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Jacqui blushed, a little flustered by the attention, but didn’t pull her hand away. “I’m happy I could help. I had fun today, really!”

  Khizar took a deep breath, like he was trying to decide if he should ask her something, so Jacqui waited. She was surprised at his question.

  “Jacqui, I know this is a bit presumptuous, but would you have dinner with me this evening?”

  Jacqui studied him. Sure, they’d spent most of the afternoon together, but she wasn’t sure why he would ask her to dinner. Her uncertainly must have shown on her expression, because Khizar worked to convince her.

  “I already have a reservation for dinner and it’s not a problem to change it to two people. As you are officially the only person I know in Milwaukee, you’d be doing me a favor by keeping me company this evening.”

  Jacqui cocked her head to one side. “I thought you were here on business?”

  He conceded her point with a nod.

  “I am. Although I have meetings set up and have talked to my contacts over the phone, I haven’t actually met any of those people yet. You, I know.” Khizar gave her a charming smile. “You, I like, too. I’m sure I’ll enjoy talking business with those people, but you, I think I just like talking with in general.”

  She thought about it and couldn’t think of a reason not to say yes. It was just dinner, and it would be nice to have a meal with a handsome man.

  “Okay, yes. Dinner would be nice,” she said.

  He nodded once, pleased.

  “Excellent. I can pick you up here in, say, two hours?”

  “That works for me. I’ll see you here at six, then.”

  Khizar let go of her hand and left her to unlock the shop. He waved as he drove away, and for a long moment, all Jacqui could do was stare after the car.

  Not the way she’d expected her day to go, that was for sure. Most of her days followed the same agenda: get up too early, work hard, worry about whether or not she was going to be able to pay the rent, fall in bed exhausted and stressed and not able to sleep.

  Nowhere in her normal schedule was there time for a simple thing like a date.

  Usually, that was fine. Friends had tried to set her up on blind dates here and there, but Jacqui usually waved them off. She’d have time to date when either the shop was successful, or when it wasn’t.

  But there was something about Khizar. The handsome, wealthy businessman thing definitely worked for him, but Jacqui was more intrigued by the idea that he wanted to help people. How he’d chosen her bakery, she didn’t know, but regardless, she’d had fun that afternoon.

  Jacqui rushed into the bakery, finished her tasks for the day, ran to the bank with the day’s deposit, and then home to quickly change for dinner. She made it back to the bakery in record time, and was waiting for Khizar when he arrived.

  Once again, he insisted on opening her car door, and made sure she was buckled up before he pulled out into traffic again. They chatted as he drove through the city, and when he pulled up in front of the restaurant, she peered out her window.

  A valet opened his car door, while another valet opened hers. She slid out of the car to see that they were at by far the best restaurant in the city. Khizar held out his arm and she took it, a little intimidated by the opulence of it all.

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I’m counting on you to walk me through Milwaukee food, Jacqui.”

  Something about his tone made her relax, and Jacqui found herself enjoying the experience of being catered to by the restaurant staff as they walked in. Apparently, Khizar was somebody important, and she decided to just go with it and have fun.

  The two were seated immediately at the best table in the house, and a cadre of servers descended on them with water, menus, and bread.

  Jacqui looked up as a server asked if she would like a cocktail. She wasn’t quite sure what to answer, but Khizar spoke up quickly.

  “I was planning on ordering wine with dinner, but we can start with that if you’d rather.”

  “Yes, please, that sounds perfect.”

  Khizar expertly ordered a bottle of wine, and the server scurried off to fetch it. Another server explained the specials to them, and then left them to make their decisions.

  “So, what is the Milwaukee specialty?” Khizar asked.

  Jacqui looked up from studying the menu.

  “Fish fry, cheese curds, brats, and beer. Oh, and frozen custard.”

  Khizar looked down at his menu and Jacqui laughed.

  “This place is far fancier than what most people think of as traditional Milwaukee food,” she said.

  “Then you’ll have to take me to a more traditional place for our next meal together,” Khizar said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had cheese curds or frozen custard.”

  Jacqui tried to think of something witty to say, but his offhand comment about their next meal had her brain spinning. Was he saying that he wanted to see her again, already?

  Finally, she came up with, “Well, then, we’ll definitely have to fix that. I’m pretty sure they won’t let you leave the state if you haven’t had at least one of those things.”

  “What looks good to you?” he asked.

  Jacqui took another look at the menu. It all looked amazing, and she wasn’t likely to have a chance to eat at a place like this again, so she wanted to try something she hadn’t had before.

  “The quail, and I think the parsnip soup. Or the pickled blueberry salad. What are you having?”

  “The duck, or possibly the veal special our waiter mentioned.”

  Jacqui nodded, mostly to herself, and waited for the that little awkward silence that always seemed to fall over the table in the first few minutes of a date. Not that this was a date, necessarily. But if it were, now would be when she’d run out of things to say and he’d look at her expectantly and she would get flustered.

  “Honestly,” Khizar said, “I’m already looking at the desserts, although I can’t imagine that any of them is anywhere near as good as anything in your bakery.”

  Jacqui was surprised. “You tried something of mine?”

  He shrugged, and gave he
r a small, unrepentant grin.

  “I might have snagged a piece of pie for myself along the way when you were on the other side of the room.” He thought for a moment. “And maybe a cookie. Or two.”

  Jacqui laughed. So much for the awkward silence.

  “I would have saved you anything you wanted, you know.”

  “I know, but it was more fun that way. I am impressed with your skill at baking, if I haven’t already said that. You’re really talented.”

  “I wish more of the city shared that view,” Jacqui said forlornly.

  Khizar’s eyebrows knitted together. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  Jacqui tried to explain.

  “Everyone who comes in leaves a fan, for the most part. And customers I’ve catered for almost always order from me again. But my store doesn’t get enough traffic; even good reviews don’t help when there aren’t enough of them.”

  “Of course. It takes some time to get a business off the ground.”

  “It’s been three years.” Jacqui smiled wanly.

  Just then, the server came back and took their orders. Khizar insisted that Jacqui get everything she was thinking about, even if she only tried a few bites of each dish.

  “This is my treat, to thank you for your assistance this afternoon, so please indulge,” he said, and pointed to the different things on the menu that she’d mentioned.

  Jacqui grinned and said, “Only if you order all the desserts you were looking at.”

  “Done.” Khizar looked at the server. “When it’s time for dessert, we’ll take one of everything, and whatever dessert wine your sommelier deems appropriate.”

  The server nodded and hurried away. Khizar grinned back at Jacqui.

  “I had no idea this business trip would be so much fun.”

  Jacqui took that opening to ask more about the still mysterious man sitting opposite her. “You said you own a jewelry company?”

  “Technically, my family owns the business; I’m only the CEO.”

  Jacqui rolled her eyes, but smiled to show she was teasing. “Only the CEO, he says. That’s an impressive job title.”

  “I was brought up in the family business, and was expected to take on the role when my father retired.”

  “Do you like it? Your job, or the business?”

  “I do, actually. Even though I was groomed for it, I’ve been interested in precious gems most of my life. I received a degree in geology at university, in addition to studying business and economics.”

  Jacqui sat back, impressed.

  “I attended culinary school, and took a few business classes. I was so intent on getting the bakery started that I pushed to get my degree as quickly as I could.”

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re quite young to be running your own business by yourself. It takes most people years to get the financing to open a store, or they have an investor as a partner. How did you get your start?” Khizar asked.

  “It’s been my dream to open a bakery since, oh, forever. There was a bakery down the street from my house when I was little, and my father used to walk there with me every Saturday morning. No matter how busy he was, no matter what else he had to do, he would always take me to the bakery for pastries and hot chocolate.”

  Jacqui shrugged. “Now, I realize he was giving my mother some precious time to herself, as well as spending time with me. Those Saturday mornings are one of the few memories from childhood that I cherish.”

  “Your parents must be very proud of you,” Khizar said.

  Jacqui smiled sadly. “I like to think they would be, but they died in a car wreck when I was seven.”

  Khizar leaned forward. “I’m so sorry, Jacqui.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” she waved a hand at him to indicate it was all right. “I think I started wanting to own a bakery because I thought I would feel closer to my parents there.”

  “And do you?”

  “Sometimes. But I also know when it’s time to let something go. I love owning my own business, but I think I may have to go work for someone else soon.”

  Khizar seemed to search for the right words.

  “I don’t know much about your country’s childcare system. What happened after your parents passed?”

  “I was in the foster care system for a year or so, and then I was lucky enough to be adopted by a wonderful couple. They are my second set of parents, and I adore them.”

  “And I am certain they are proud of you.”

  Jacqui smiled. “They are indeed. And they fully supported my plan to open a bakery, even contributed what they could to the cause.”

  “How did you raise the rest of the money?” Khizar was curious, but Jacqui felt like he was asking questions out of a sincere desire to better understand her life.

  “My parents had a few valuables—their wedding rings, a sapphire necklace my father gave my mother, things like that. Nothing big, but together, it gave me just enough to buy equipment and supplies, and pay rent on the store for a few months.”

  Jacqui went quiet and Khizar leaned forward to put his hand gently on hers.

  “There’s something else of theirs, isn’t there? Something you wish you’d kept?”

  Jacqui looked up at him, eyes wide.

  “My father’s pocket watch. My mother gave it to him on their wedding day. It has the word ‘Always’ and their names and the date engraved on it. I didn’t sell it at first, but I didn’t have enough money, and pawning it was the only thing that would cover what I needed.”

  “Is it something you can buy back?”

  “I don’t even know where it is.” She laughed wryly. “Not that I have the money to buy it back right now, anyway.”

  Khizar laid a hand on his heart and said intently, “I have never met another person as worthy of having a little good luck come their way as you are. I am so impressed with your bravery and cheer, especially with the number of challenges you’ve had to face in your life.”

  Jacqui blushed and tried to deflect his praise with a small joke.

  “Thanks, Mr. CEO. I appreciate that.”

  “Really, Jacqui, I’ve had everything given to me in life. I admire your resilience.”

  Then, Jacqui said quietly, “Thank you, Khizar.”

  The server brought their appetizers and Jacqui decided to change the subject.

  “What about you? Where do you call home? What’s your family like?”

  “So many questions!” But he smiled as he said it. “I am from Nudushan, a tiny nation in the Middle East. Right now, I live and work in the capital city, Al Nud.”

  Jacqui shook her head. “I’m so sorry, I haven’t heard of it,” she said as she picked up her fork.

  Khizar waved off her embarrassment.

  “Not many people have; they usually think we’re part of a larger country. It’s a true jewel of the region, though, and rather progressive as well. Because of our small population and rich natural resources, the country is able to support a healthy lifestyle for all our citizens.”

  “I’ve never had the chance to travel outside the United States, but it sounds lovely.”

  “It is a beautiful country,” he said. “And one that appreciates masters of their craft such as yourself.” Khizar lifted his glass toward her in a salute.

  Jacqui had never found herself blushing quite so much in such a short amount of time. “And your family owns a jewelry company there?”

  Khizar nodded. “Among other things. I, well, I’m a member of the Nudushani royal family. My uncle is the ruling sheikh.”

  Jacqui, who had just picked up her glass to take a drink, almost choked on her wine. “You’re a prince?”

  “A sheikh, but, yes.” He studied her expression. “I know Americans can be funny about royalty, but I hope that’s not a problem.”

  Jacqui’s eyebrows climbed up her forehead.

  “No, no problem. That’s just not what I was expecting.”

  He gave her a cocky grin. “O
h, good. I hate being what people expect.”

  She couldn’t help but grin back. “Me, too.”

  Khizar took a bite of his appetizer, a small portion of ravioli with a pesto sauce. He swallowed and pointed at his plate with his fork.

  “This may not be traditional Milwaukee food, but it’s pretty good.”

  Jacqui tried some of her soup and nodded in agreement. “It’s amazing.”

  They ate for a minute in companionable silence, and Jacqui was struck by how easy it felt being with Khizar. She’d known him less than a day, and yet she wanted to share things with him. And she wanted to know more about him.

  “So, what was it like growing up as a prince? Sorry, sheikh.”

  Khizar gave her a forgiving smile.

  “A lot of expectations, but also a lot of privilege. I went to the best schools and traveled around the world before I was sixteen. I also started working in the family business in one way or another as a teenager. I would make public appearances as a member of the royal family, and I began working for my father when I was eighteen.”

  “Is your family close?”

  Khizar nodded. “Very much so. My parents are devoted to each other, and though I’m an only child, I have many cousins and aunts and uncles.”

  “What do your parents do?” Jacqui asked.

  “These days, mostly work with my uncle.”

  Jacqui smiled wistfully. “I always wanted to be part of a big family. My adoptive parents couldn’t have kids of their own, which is part of the reason why they adopted me.”

  “Then you have been a true blessing to them,” Khizar said firmly. “Do they live here in Milwaukee?”

  “They do, and I see them as often as I can. The bakery has kept me busy, but we have dinner every Sunday evening.”

  “I have dinner with parents on Tuesday evenings. I don’t know why Tuesdays—my mother picked it years ago as the night to focus on family, and my father indulges her in everything. So, every Tuesday, I go to my parents’ house. Many times, my cousins or my mother’s sisters join us.”

  “It sounds wonderful,” Jacqui said.

  “It’s a cacophony of noise and food, and yes, it rather is wonderful.”