Jacqui nodded. “That does sound wonderful. Are you sure?”
Khizar said, “If it helps, there’s a business contact I want to meet up with, so you’d be doing me a favor by keeping me company. The meeting will take an hour, tops, and the rest of the time will be sun, sand, and sea.”
“Okay, I’m in. Let me run home and pack a bag.” Jacqui turned to Lyssa. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“I’ve got it, boss. Have an awesome time.”
Khizar pulled out a card, set it on the counter, and scribbled a few things on it. He handed it Lyssa and said, “If you can’t get in touch with Jacqui, here’s my contact information, as well as the name of the hotel we’ll be staying at. They’ll have Jacqui’s name on the room, so if you need anything, you can call her there, too.”
Jacqui was touched by the thoughtfulness in that gesture, and admittedly she felt better knowing that Lyssa could reach her if anything came up.
After a quick trip home to pack a few things—Jacqui wasn’t really sure she was beach-ready—she and Khizar made their way to a small private airport just outside Milwaukee.
Khizar parked next to a hanger and carried both of their suitcases inside. They were greeted by the pilot, who talked with Khizar for a few minutes about their flight path.
The pilot walked Jacqui outside the hanger to the plane, where a steward took their bags and stowed them inside. Khizar followed Jacqui onboard the plane while the pilot finished the pre-fight checklist.
Jacqui looked around the interior, noticing that the main cabin was divided into sections. A long, brown leather couch sat along one wall, across from a long, low cabinet. Two plush navy chairs faced each other across a table, and another two chairs sat on the other side of them turned toward each other.
There was a wall in the back of the cabin with a door. In the front of the plane was a small galley half-hidden by a screen, where Jacqui could see the steward preparing a pot of coffee and some food.
“Sit wherever you like,” Khizar said, gesturing around the space.
Jacqui took a cushy chair facing the dark wood table.
“I definitely feel like a princess.”
Khizar chuckled as he sat across from her.
“Just wait. This weekend is about having fun, and indulging in whatever you like. So, as you Americans like to say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Jacqui laughed at his excellent try at a flat American accent.
“In that case, I can’t wait. How long is the flight?”
“It should be about nine hours, maybe a little more. We shouldn’t run into any bad weather along the way, and we’re taking the most direct route. When we get in the air, we can have some lunch.”
Jacqui nodded and watched out the window as the plane started moving. True to Khizar’s word, as soon as the plane leveled out, Jacqui could see the steward moving around the galley again. After a few minutes, he carried a tray into the main cabin and set it down on the table.
“Thank you, Malik.”
The young man nodded. “What can I get you to drink, Ms. Bauer?”
“Iced tea, please, if you have it.”
“Of course. For you, Sheikh?”
“Coffee, please. And no rush on lunch. We’ll nibble on our snacks here until it’s ready.” Khizar waved a hand at the tray of fruit, cheese, olives, and bread.
A few hours later, Khizar checked in with the pilot in the cockpit, and when he came back said, “You might want to look out your window. We’re about to fly over the coast.”
Jacqui leaned over to the window to look. “I’ve never seen the ocean.”
Khizar looked from another window. “And there it is.”
It looked so far away, but still so blue as the sun glinted off the water. Every once in a while, she could see what looked like large ships—cargo or cruise ships, she guessed.
“I promise, you’ll get to spend as much time by, in, or on the ocean as you like. We’ll do whatever sounds like fun.”
Jacqui grinned at him suddenly. “Thank you, Khizar. This trip is really special.”
An uncertain look crossed over his face, but Jacqui didn’t give it any thought, since she’d already turned back to look out the window.