“Still…” she started.
Lauren was going to apologize some more, but her phone buzzed. She gave Hakim an apologetic smile and stepped away to take the call. When she came back, she noticed that he had breakfast spread out on the counter.
“Here,” he said, handing her a steaming mug of coffee.
Lauren sipped at the coffee, reveling in the taste and heat of the drink. She looked over at the plates laid out on the counter and then looked up at Hakim, eyebrows raised.
He shrugged. “I wanted you to be able to try a little bit of everything. We’re only here today, so I’m packing your whole Al Asaab experience into twenty-four hours.”
Eyeing a particularly yummy-looking pastry, Lauren laughed. “I know the country is small, but can I really experience everything in a day?”
Her phone dinged again with a text this time, and Lauren set down her coffee to send a message back. When she was finished, she picked up the pastry, forgoing the plate to just stand at the counter and eat.
Hakim chuckled at her and she lifted one shoulder. “The table is too far away. And this is really good. What is it?”
He started to explain the local breakfast delicacies, and then Lauren’s phone rang again. She wrinkled her nose and answered it. After a short conversation, she hung up and set the phone down again.
“Sorry,” Lauren said.
Hakim opened his mouth to answer and her phone rang again. He threw up one hand and shook his head. When she’d finished that call, he gave her a pointed look.
“It’s Saturday,” Hakim said.
“And? Nobody works on Saturday?” Lauren replied, taking another bite of her pastry.
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Is it absolutely necessary for you to work right now? Why don’t you turn your phone off for the day? Twenty-four hours. That’s all. Your company won’t go bust if you take one day off.”
“I feel bad if I’m not working when the others are.”
“How many weekends have you worked the last three years?”
Lauren acknowledged his point with a tilt of her head. “A lot of them. Possibly all of them?”
Hakim pointed to the phone. “Turn it off.”
“Hakim…”
“Do you want me to make it an order? I can invoke our contract if necessary.” His expression made it clear that he was both teasing and completely serious.
Lauren sighed. Hakim had a point; it had been months since she’d taken any time off.
She picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Kayla telling her that she was out of town and needed to turn her phone off for the day. She gave her the authority to deal with anything that came up, and told her she’d touch base as soon as she was back in town.
As Hakim watched, she switched off the phone and then tucked it in her back pocket.
“Happy?” she asked him.
He grinned at her. “Very. Trust me, you’ll be much happier this way.”
She shook her head at him, but drinking her coffee and listening to him talk, she thought he might have had the right idea. Taking a break would be good for her.
After breakfast, Hakim announced they would be taking a drive around the city. He pointed out different landmarks and buildings as they passed through town in his sports car, and he parked the car in a garage downtown so they could walk around.
The city was stunning, Lauren thought. The architecture was old and grand, all arches and mosaic tiles and minarets. Hakim told her how his family had worked to preserve the history of the country while modernizing its infrastructure. And everywhere they went, Lauren saw Hakim’s family’s name on buildings and bridges and signs.
They walked through a lovely garden next to the main square. There were exotic flowers and brightly colored birds. Lauren sat on the edge of one of the fountains so that Hakim could take her picture.
Being from southern California, Lauren was used to constant sunshine and warm weather. Hakim confessed that one of the things that had drawn him to Anaheim was that the weather felt familiar, even if many other things were different.
The bright sunshine lifted Lauren’s spirits. Maybe her trip had been unexpected, but even so, she loved every minute of exploring the new culture. The sights, sounds, and smells were overwhelming in the best way possible, and Lauren eagerly took it all in.
Lauren loved the main square—there was a market set up there, with rows upon rows of interesting stalls. The two of them wandered through the rows, chatting with the grocers and bakers and the couple who ran one of the olive stands, Hakim interpreting as necessary.
She asked how to pronounce everything they looked at. After a pleading look—Lauren made sure she laid it on a bit thick using her best stage skills—Hakim laughed and taught her a few phrases in his native language so she could greet people at each of the market booths.