Page 10 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

Rashad hesitated before answering. Usually, he didn’t engage in small talk with his rivals. He preferred to get right down to business. It wouldn’t hurt to chat a little over lunch, though. Surely.

“No. I went to college in Los Angeles, so I visited San Diego two or three times while I was there.”

“Really? LA is a great town. If you like traffic and palm trees.” Nina winked and Rashad smiled.

“Well, I do. The city reminded me of my country, Al Soub.”

“I’ve heard of Al Soub. Your father is the sheikh there, right? And your brother will rule after him.”

“That’s correct.” Rashad had the unsettling feeling that Nina had been looking into him — though ofcourseshe would have. She was a smart businesswoman and wouldn’t have gone into this meeting without some knowledge of who she was dealing with.

“Do you spend much time there?”

“Yes, I live most of the year in the capital, though I travel frequently for business.”

“To Germany, most recently.”

“Once again, correct.” Rashad took a bite of fish. “You do your homework.”

“I wouldn’t be successful if I didn’t.”

“Homework is important,” Kate piped up. “I always do my homework.”

“You have homework?” Rashad was surprised. He would have thought that kids her age were too young for formal education.

“Yeah.” Kate nodded importantly. “Miss Emily gives us homework.”

“Miss Emily is their preschool teacher,” Nina filled in. “They attend a nature preschool a few hours a day.”

“What kind of homework does she give you?” Rashad asked.

“Read books,” Miles joined in. “Collect leaves. Paint a picture.”

“That all sounds nice.”

“Yeah!” Miles nodded enthusiastically.

Rashad turned his gaze back to Nina and saw that she was looking a little pale. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Nina nodded, though she half looked like she was trying to convince herself. “Just a bit dizzy.”

“If you haven’t spent much time on boats, you might be feeling seasick.” Rashad finished the last of his salad. “Usually, taking a little time to get acclimated does the trick.”

“I hope so.” Nina took a final sip of her water and leaned back. “At least the kids seem all right.”

Miles and Kate had just finished the last bites of their food and were on their feet again by the railing, looking out over the sea below. They looked so small against the side of the yacht and so adorable.

“Kids are resilient,” Rashad said. That, at least, he was almost certain about. He didn’t need to spend a lot of time around children to know that. “Shall we have a quick tour of the yacht?”

“That would be lovely.” Nina got to her feet. “Kate, Miles, are you ready to look around?”

“Yeah!” The twins chorused enthusiastically. Rashad led the way from the dining area into the nearby sitting study.

“This is my office,” he told Nina.

“What a view.” She went to a window and looked out over the San Diego skyline that was slowly receding into the distance.

“I enjoy it. Come, I’ll show you the next room.” Rashad led the way through the sitting room, along the deck, to the small onboard hot tub and dipping pool, up to the kitchen and bedrooms, and through the observation deck on the back of the ship, where long blue couches offered gorgeous views of ocean and sky. Kate and Miles immediately leaped onto one of the couches, giggling joyfully, but Nina didn’t look as enthusiastic.In fact, she was leaning against the ship’s railing, looking even paler than before.

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