Page 16 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“Thank you so very much for watching them.” Nina set the kids down and crossed to Rashad. “I really appreciate it, and I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

“Not at all,” Rashad said, though he’d been outnumbered more than he wanted to admit. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, much better.” Nina smiled. “The rest was just what I needed. If you give me a few minutes to get the twins something to eat and settle them in with some entertainment, we can get down to business.”

Rashad should have been relieved to hear her say that. After all, getting down to business was the point of this whole trip. The sooner they could start working, the sooner he could make a plan and the sooner Nina would be gone from his life forever. Yet, strangely, the prospect of Nina and her kids disappearing wasn’t as appealing as it had been even a few hours ago.

Rashad hesitated, unsure of how to answer. He knew the right way forward: he should thank Nina for her suggestion and set up their meeting while she fed her kids. He should be what he always was — ruthless and goal-oriented, not stopping until he got what he wanted.

And yet, a part of him wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted anymore.

CHAPTER 8

NINA

Rashad was being strangely quiet. Nina had just returned from her nap, which had done wonders for her health — she must have been really exhausted. Now, she was ready to get to work, even if that meant an end to the pleasant vacation atmosphere she had been enjoying so far. Yet, for some reason, Rashad didn’t seem as eager to get down to business as she did.

“Rashad?” Nina prompted.

“Sorry. I was just thinking that it doesn’t really make sense to start work now. It’s almost lunchtime. Let’s have something to eat and see where we are.”

“All right, that sounds good to me.” Nina grinned. “I am feeling hungry.”

“Perfect.” Something sparkled behind Rashad’s dark brown eyes, though Nina couldn’t quite put her finger on the emotion. “I’m not sure how hungry Kate and Miles are, though. They had a lot of snacks this morning.”

“No, we didn’t,” Miles said, looking up at Nina with plaintive blue eyes.

Nina chuckled. “Even if you did, it’s still lunchtime and you can have more to eat if you feel hungry.”

“I hope I didn’t give them too many snacks,” Rashad said as they climbed up to the dining area. “They seemed hungry, and I wasn’t sure how much preschoolers eat.”

“Since they’re little and growing, they need more snacks than we do,” Nina said. “I’m sure you did great. Um… you didn’t play Uno, did you?”

“No. They asked about it, but I don’t have a deck on board. Why?”

“No reason.” Nina tossed her braid over her shoulder. “I really appreciate you watching them.”

“It was my pleasure, really. Now, I don’t have much staff here, so it’s on us to prepare lunch. I’ve set aside some pasta, fish, and vegetables if that works for you.”

“That would be great. I’ll help you cook.”

“You don’t have to. Rest, if you’re still feeling sick.”

“I’m much better now, really. Just tell me what you’d like me to do.”

“We’ll help too,” Kate put in.

“Can kids their age help with cooking?” Rashad asked. He looked skeptical.

“Sure, if we give them an age-appropriate job.”

Within a few minutes, they were all in the yacht’s spacious kitchen. Rashad prepared the fish while Nina worked on thepasta. Meanwhile, Miles snapped green beans, and Kate cut a zucchini with a safety knife.

“If you don’t have a chef onboard, does that mean you prepared the meal last night?” Nina asked as she tossed a handful of Miles’s green beans into a pan with a little oil.

“I did.”

“I’m impressed.” Nina glanced at him. “It was delicious.”

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