It was Jacqui’s turn to give Khizar a puzzled look, which his parents missed. He didn’t though, and just shook his head at her. Jacqui wasn’t quite sure what to make of their teasing Khizar. It sounded affectionate, but she wasn’t sure.
Once again, it occurred to Jacqui that she didn’t really know anything about Khizar’s history.
Sonja patted Jacqui’s hand again.
“I told him when he met the right girl, he’d know it, and he’d know it was time to get serious about his own family. Of course, it happened quickly. Love so often does, when it’s right.”
The server brought glasses of champagne and Jacqui barely tasted it as his parents toasted them. Just how many women had Khizar dated? Was she one in a long line, and if so, why had he chosen her?
The four of them ordered dinner, and as Khizar’s parents chatted away, Jacqui thought she did a decent job of holding up her end of the conversation, but she didn’t remember any of what was said. She nodded and smiled and laughed when appropriate.
She was sure even Khizar didn’t realize anything was wrong. He touched her arm, or laid his hand on hers, talking animatedly with his parents. He and his father talked business, more than Jacqui had ever heard from him. At one point in their conversation, Jacqui must have looked lost, because Sonja leaned over to her.
“Don’t worry about all the focus on work. It’s something they both love, and it brings them together. But Adil taught Khizar the important things in life, and once you are married, Khizar will be happy to spend as much time out of the office as he spends in it.”
Jacqui nodded at Sonja, who patted her hand reassuringly this time. If she understood Khizar’s mother correctly, he was distant because of work. And really, they hadn’t had time to share things like dating histories. It was something she hoped they could talk about over the next few days.
Jacqui sighed silently. She was making quite a list of things they needed to talk about. It might have been better if she hadn’t accepted his proposal until they’d talked about all those things.
Khizar looked up at her, grinning. Jacqui’s heart skipped a beat because he looked so happy. She’d never seen him be this open with anyone, even her. He was usually kind and generous, even friendly, but still reserved. Jacqui had thought that was just his way, but she saw that with his family, he was less detached.
Oddly enough, that made her feel both better and worse. Better, because she liked this side of him, a lot. It was attractive, even more so than fun, free-wheeling Khizar. But it was also worse, because if she was going to be his family, shouldn’t he be that way with her, too?
Jacqui made it through the meal, her mind spinning. She wanted a few hours alone to think, to figure out what she needed to do. But Khizar’s parents were so nice. She didn’t want to upset them, so she waited. After dinner, she could take some time to think, and then she and Khizar could have a long talk before they went out to find Bill Bauer’s mine.
Laying her napkin on the seat and picking up her handbag, she excused herself. Khizar stood and offered a hand to her while she slid out of the booth. He fingers lingered on hers for just a moment, and then she pulled away.
Jacqui took a few minutes to splash some water on her face, not caring if she messed up her makeup a bit. They were almost done with dinner, anyway.
She made her way back to the table, but when she rounded the corner closest to their booth, she dropped her bag and the contents spilled out. Fortunately, she was out of the way of foot traffic. As she knelt down to pick everything up, she realized she could hear Khizar and his parents talking.
“Son, she’s a lovely girl. We’re just a little surprised, that’s all. It seems rather fast. How did you two even meet?”
“She’s Bill Bauer’s niece. Well, great-niece.”
“Really? That’s news. I heard he left his entire fortune to charity, except for the mine. Must have been quite a surprise to her to inherit that.”
Jacqui could hear Khizar’s sigh from her hidden spot around the corner.
He said, “Bill was estranged from his brother, and wasn’t aware that his brother’s son had a child—Jacqui—until after her parents died. Though he met her once, he didn’t establish a relationship with her. Jacqui has no idea who Bill is.”