“Where should I sit?” she asked.
Hakim nodded at one of the chairs. “That’s your wine glass, so there, unless you’d rather sit in my chair.”
Lauren pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at how that sounded. She saw the moment Hakim realized what he’d said.
He closed his eyes and then opened one of them tentatively. “I mean, I’m happy to switch chairs with you. Not that I expect you, you know…”
Lauren did laugh then. “I know what you meant. I’m fine here, thanks.”
They both sat down, and Lauren served the food. She waited for Hakim to take a bite first, watching for his reaction.
He ate, then looked at her. “This is really good, Lauren.”
She smiled, satisfied. “I’m glad you like it.”
They ate in silence for a minute, which Lauren took as an even greater compliment to her cooking. She finally asked, “So, you’re close to your sister, right? Is she older or younger?”
“Older, by two years. We did everything together growing up. Even after she went to university, she’d come home just to hang out with me.”
“What does she do, outside of being a new mom?”
“She got all the creative genes. She’s a fashion designer.”
“Oh, wow. That’s fantastic.”
“She has a small store in the capital city, where she creates couture pieces. She also teaches design at the university, and she’s so good at it.”
Lauren impulsively leaned over and put a hand on Hakim’s arm. “You know she understands why you weren’t there today, right? That she’s proud of you, too?”
She could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt sleeve, and his eyes darkened as he held her gaze. Butterflies fluttered in Lauren’s stomach, and getting nervous, she dropped her hand.
Still holding her gaze, Hakim gave her a tiny nod. “Thank you.”
Lauren ducked her head and kept eating. She wasn’t sure what was happening between them, but whatever she’d thought that week was going to be, this was a long way from what she’d expected.
Chapter 9
Hakim
Hakim couldn’t remember having so much fun over dinner in a long time. Lauren was not only an excellent cook, she was great company.
Surprisingly, talking about their families had been easy. Even hearing more about Patricia was enlightening. Hakim could tell Lauren was trying so hard to paint a positive picture of her mother. It was good business sense to learn all he could about his rival, but he also found himself wanting to understand the woman who had raised the rather stunning person sitting across from him.
They lingered over the meal and drank more wine, chatting about their favorite foods and restaurants in the city. Hakim mentioned again how much he enjoyed Lauren’s cooking and was surprised when she started giggling.
Lauren waved a hand, trying to stop, and finally she was able to get words out. “I’m sorry. I do appreciate the compliment and I’m really glad you enjoyed dinner. It’s just that…it’s my mother’s signature recipe.”
She went off into another fit of giggles, and Hakim slowly shook his head. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. She makes it all the time.”
“And you decided to make it for me?” Hakim found that he liked Lauren’s giggle. It was so free and open, completely unlike any other CEO he’d ever met and certainly not what he would have expected of anyone raised by Patricia Sanders.
She shook her head and did her best to stop laughing. “I make it all the time, too, so I guess you can call my signature dish if you want to. But Mom created it when I was a kid.”
Hakim started laughing along with her. “Okay, I admit, it is funny.”
“I really wasn’t trying to make a statement. You just had everything in your kitchen and I’m so used to making it, I didn’t even think of it until just now.”
“I suppose I can’t even complain, given that I was the one who put you in this situation.”
Lauren pointed her fork at him. “That is true.”
Hakim hesitated, then asked, “Would it be a terrible breach of rivalry protocol if I asked for the recipe?”
Lauren bent over in giggles again. “Yes. I think it might be. But I might give it to you anyway.”
It had also been a long time since he’d laughed so much with a woman. His dates were fun, but not this kind of easy-going, no pressure fun. He liked having this kind of lightness in his life, even with the oddness of their meeting.
“I don’t suppose you have Patricia’s famous dessert recipe?” He grinned at Lauren as he asked.
Lauren shook her head. “She does have one, of course, but it takes two days and some specialty ingredients. I do, however, have the next best thing.”