Page 21 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“How about you? Where would you live?”

“Well, I think that if I ever stop working, I’d want to live somewhere rural. Somewhere with trees and lakes and friendly deer who come by in the morning to try stealing the cabbage from my garden. Somewhere you can hear the birds trill in the mornings and watch the sun go down each night, like we did now. Somewhere the kids could run and play.”

“That does sound lovely. Do you want to stop working?” Rashad asked. Perhaps this was a chance, an opening. If Nina wanted to step back from her company, Rashad could offer her a very generous buyout, enough that she and her kids could move to some beautiful rural area and chase a new kind of dream.

“No.” Nina raised her eyes to Rashad’s, all the playfulness suddenly gone. “I don’t. I like to daydream about having moretime to spend with my kids. And someday, yes, I would like to retire and have a little garden and go for long walks and all that. But right now, my work is far too important, and I can’t give it up. I can’t let anyone else do it for me. And I certainly can’t allow it to be stolen.”

Rashad sighed internally. It looked like he wouldn’t have the easy out he’d hoped for. He wondered why Nina’s work mattered so much to her, but decided it was better not to ask.

“I understand. My business is extremely important, too, and I couldn’t give it up.”

“I think that brings us to the real purpose for this trip.” Nina set aside her empty plate, folding her hands on the table and raising her blue eyes to meet Rashad’s. Instead of looking like a friendly, easygoing young mother, she now looked like an unwavering businesswoman who wouldn’t back down for anything.

“We don’t have to discuss that right now.”

“I think we should.” Nina bit her lip, drawing Rashad’s attention there. “I wanted to approach this differently, but we’ve gotten to know each other a bit over the last few days, so I’ll be as direct as I can be. I know about your reputation, Rashad. I know that you put companies out of business so that your own can thrive. I know you bring your rivals on trips like this so that you can plumb them for information. I know that the deals you offer are rarely adequate but are always accepted. Really, the only thing I really need to know from you is this: are you planning to buy Heartbeat, or are you just going to drive me out of the market?”

Rashad hesitated. The real answer was that he wasn’t sure yet — he needed more information about Nina’s company before he’d know if it was worth trying to purchase it from her. Yet he didn’twant to give her that answer, not after he’d spent the day with her and her kids. Not after he’d seen her radiant smile as she scooped one of her kids into the air or met her eyes over the kids’ heads when they said something funny. Not after he’d seen how her hair blew in the breeze or watched her twirl around the kitchen, teasing him effortlessly.

“Rashad,” Nina said, her voice soft, “I like to think that we had a nice time together today. Don’t we owe it to each other to be honest?”

“You’d like me to be honest?” Rashad sighed. “I’ll do my best. You’re right; I’ve driven a lot of companies out of the market and bought several others. But that doesn’t mean I’ll do the same thing to you. Perhaps we can work something out that will benefit us both.”

Nina raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Why not?” Rashad’s thoughts were racing, even as he made suggestions he wasn’t sure he could keep. “Tomorrow let’s sit down with all our information on the table and see what we can work out. But tonight, let’s just enjoy the stars and the water and the company.”

“All right.” Nina raised her glass. “We can do that. But don’t think that a nice dinner and a little small talk will make me easier to manipulate.”

“I would never.” Rashad pressed a hand to his heart. “I’m not always the scoundrel you seem to think I am.”

“I suppose not.” Their eyes met, and Rashad felt as though everything was standing still, just for a fraction of a second. Then Nina looked away, and he stood to stack the plates. He neededsome air, which must be Nina’s doing, since they were already outside.

“Can I interest you in dessert?”

“Sure, what do you have?” Nina looked as flustered as Rashad felt.

“Mostly ice cream.”

“Perfect. What kind?”

“I have chocolate, mint chip, and pistachio.”

“I’ll have a scoop of each, please.”

“Great, I’ll be right back.” Rashad carried the plates into the galley, set them on the counter, and took a deep breath. It was all he could do not to put his head in his hands. He’d made a mistake — one that would cost him.

Rashad was ruthless — it was one of his best tactics and had always served him well. Yet today, looking at Nina across the table, he hadn’t been able to be as ruthless as he would have liked. And as a result, he’d probably given them both false hope. The best-case scenario was offering Nina a generous buyout, which wouldn’t be satisfactory for her since she wanted to keep working, nor profitable for Rashad, who would have to spend a lot to give her an equitable buyout. If both apps were on the market simultaneously, it would mean that neither could achieve as much reach, which would reduce Rashad’s profits and mean that he’d failed in his new market.

There wasn’t a solution that could benefit them both. Or, if there was, Rashad couldn’t find it.

Rashad loaded the plates into the dishwasher before serving a few scoops of ice cream for himself and Nina. His misstep might cost him in the long run, but it would allow him one more pleasant evening with Nina before everything fell apart tomorrow. At least that was something.

When Rashad returned to the table, Nina was on her phone. As he approached, she slid the phone into her pocket and looked up at him with a smile. She looked surer of herself than she had a few moments ago.

“Here you go.” Rashad set her ice cream in front of her. “You know, it’s rare to meet a woman who likes both mint chip and pistachio.”

“I’m here for any green ice cream.” Nina took a spoonful of the pistachio and popped it into her mouth. “Pistachio, mint, lime… they’re all good. Although I once tried a spinach ice cream at an artisanal ice-cream shop in San Diego and it was horrible.”

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