Page 28 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“Are you sure you don’t want to work on it now?”

Rashad shook his head. “The twins were really patient with us this morning, but they deserve to have a fun vacation instead of just hanging out while we have a business meeting.”

“That’s sweet.” Nina drew a swirling pattern with her fingertip in the sand, suddenly feeling unable to meet Rashad’s eyes. “I’m sure they’ll enjoy a little more fun in the sun.”

Suddenly, Rashad’s hand was under Nina’s chin, tilting her head up. “They seemed very happy to play with each other while we met this morning, though.”

“Thanks for saying that.” Nina met Rashad’s eyes, her heart fluttering. Who was this considerate, thoughtful, unbelievably attractive man who cared about her and her twins? He didn’t seem like the same guy she’d met back at the event in San Diego at all.

“Mommy!” Miles came running towards them. “Did you see our castle? Were you looking?”

“Of course I was, and the castle looks amazing.” Nina moved away from Rashad, turning her full attention to her son. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

They spent the next half an hour playing on the beach, building sandcastles and chatting. Nina found that her eyes kept drifting back to Rashad, her new business partner. It was hard to believe that she’d agreed to go into business with a man she’d just met a few days ago, but Nina felt good about her decision. There wasmore to Rashad than first met the eye — even if she still had a few reservations about working with him.

CHAPTER 12

RASHAD

Rashad couldn’t believe that Nina had accepted his offer, but she had. Now, he had a brand-new business partner — and a very impressive one at that. He couldn’t regret his decision to offer collaboration instead of competition, but he also knew there would be a lot to work out once they returned to San Diego. Not least of all, his business partners probably wouldn’t be pleased that he’d made an agreement without speaking to them, but he could handle them.

“I’m hungry,” Miles said, startling Rashad out of his thoughts. There was no point in dwelling over the business plans now, not when he was reclining on a white-sand beach on a secluded island, a beautiful woman and two adorable kids by his side.

“Perfect timing, then.” Rashad pushed to his feet and retrieved the cooler bag he’d packed earlier. While Nina and the kids had gotten ready, he’d thrown together a few sandwiches, along with some chips and sodas from the back of a cupboard. Now, he handed out a sandwich to each twin, plus one for Nina and one for himself.

“Yummy,” Kate said happily as she tore off the plastic wrap and bit into her sandwich.

“Is this another recipe-free culinary delight?” Nina asked as she more daintily removed the plastic from her own lunch.

“Do you really follow recipes for sandwiches?” Rashad raised his eyebrows. “Because that would be going too far.”

Nina wrinkled her nose at him. “Fine, ignore the joke. This does look good, though.”

“It’s just ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Oh, and a little garlic mayo.”

“Well, it tastes nice, and the kids seem to like it. I really appreciate that you thought of bringing something to eat.” She glanced at him, and for a moment, her smile was brighter than the warm sun overhead. In that moment, Rashad would have done almost anything to keep her smiling — like agreeing to a business deal that he never would have suggested to anyone else.

“What’s a day on the beach without a picnic?” Rashad shot a smile back at Nina, but she was looking down again.

“I just… well. It means a lot. As a single mom, it always falls to me to make sure everything goes smoothly and that the kids have a good time and that we all eat… It’s nice to have someone else looking out for us.”

Rashad’s heart went out to Nina. He’d seen her putting her kids first so many times over the last few days, including when she’d been sick but had still been willing to take care of them. It seemed that no one was putting Nina first, though. Someone should. She deserved that.

After all, Nina was an amazing woman. She was smart, funny, selfless, and gorgeous. She should have a partner by her side who told her that every day — and who always remembered to bring sandwiches during days out.

That caring partner could never be Rashad. He was just as busy as she was, they hadn't known each other for that long, and anyway, Rashad wasn’t cut out to be a husband or a father — at least not the kind that Nina and the kids deserved. Yet in that moment, as Nina looked down at the sand, a strange, unexpected part of Rashad wished he could be the man who supported Nina and put her first. He wished he could be a part of this sweet little family — and not just for the weekend, or just as a business partner.

Rashad put the unexpected realization out of his mind. His business was the closest thing he had to a family, and that was okay with him. Just because he’d had a lovely few days with Nina and the twins didn’t mean that he was ready to join their family. It had been a great weekend — nothing more. He’d enjoy working with Nina on their joint business endeavor — nothing more.

“I’m happy to help,” Rashad said, instead of any of that.

“Is there dessert?” Miles asked.

Rashad’s heart sank. “Sorry, there isn’t.”

“Aww.” Miles’s face fell, but Nina stepped in before things could spiral out of control.

“There’s no dessert now, but lunch was still great, right? Say thanks to Rashad for making it for us. And how about we have a little dessert after dinner, if everyone is well-behaved until then?”

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