Jacqui leaned forward, eagerly. “Yes, please, I’d like that very much.”
Adil threaded his fingers together.
“I met Bill Bauer at his mine, just a year or two after he bought the land and opened it up. He’d found some gems he wanted an expert opinion on, so he called my office. He wouldn’t bring them into the city, though. No, even then, he was a stubborn old grump.”
He gave Jacqui a look that suggested he liked that quality in Bill Bauer and she gave him a smile in return.
“So, I trekked all the way out to the mine, and sat in his tiny, uncomfortable office. I asked him why he didn’t have a better set-up, something more comfortable, and he just looked at me and said, ‘Why would I care what my office is like when my real work is in the mine?’”
Adil laughed.
“Bill wasn’t happy unless he was out there with his guys, digging. I think if he had been born a hundred years earlier, he would have been one your California gold miners, out on the frontier.”
Khizar could tell that hearing about her great-uncle made Jacqui happy. His father had one more thing to say, though.
“I can see him in you,” Adil said thoughtfully.
“Really?” Jacqui asked, unsure.
He nodded. “Your eyes. And your determination. You may not have known Bill Bauer, but you are definitely his family.”
Khizar was grateful to his parents. They’d given him a gift, and another chance to show that he was serious about Jacqui.
And when they left at the end of the evening and Khizar and Jacqui went to bed so that they could get some sleep before their long day, he felt, for the first time, like he was really home.
Chapter 22
Jacqui
They left early the next morning, hoping that this trip to Alabama would be the final stop in their treasure hunt. Jacqui was also hoping that it would reveal more of her family’s history, which was the more important treasure to her.
It was a long flight, and so after they were in the air and Khizar had checked in with the pilot, Jacqui asked him to sit down so they could talk.
“You know, we haven’t had time to talk about what happens next.”
“You mean, after we find the diamond? Or whatever Bill left for you?”
Jacqui nodded. “That, and what happens with us.”
“Ah, that next.”
Once again, Khizar felt the guilt of knowing that he hadn’t considered the long-term because there had been no long-term in his plan. Jacqui saw the raw emotion cross his face and reached out to take his hand.
“Neither of us thought past the proposal. But we can now. And we’ve got plenty of time, with nowhere else to go.”
Khizar nodded and lifted Jacqui’s hand to kiss it.
“So, let’s talk. I know how important your business is to you. But I also know the bakery isn’t doing so well.”
Jacqui wrinkled her nose.
“That little bit of information was in James’ file, too?”
“Ah, sorry. Yes. I was actually looking forward to seeing if I could help you with some business ideas. I don’t know much about bakeries, but I know how to organize and manage a business.”
“I’d love any advice you have. But I don’t know that any amount of help will make the bakery successful, at least not located where it is.”
Khizar said, “I fear you’re right. But if you’re willing to change the location of your bakery, I think you could make it successful.”
Jacqui studied him. “Move it, say, to Nudushan?”
Khizar grinned.
“I hope that you will indeed move to my country, and make it your country, too. I’d like it very much if you opened a bakery in Al Nud. I can think of a couple of vacant buildings that would work, and they’re not too far from my…not too far from our home.”
Jacqui took a deep breath.
“I like the sound of that.”
“I know it’s a big change for you, and I wouldn’t ask you to make it all at once. And your parents and friends are welcome in our home any time.”
“I’d like that. And I’m open to a move, and to starting a bakery in Nudushan.”
Khizar moved to take her hands and hold them between his.
“Jacqui, if you wanted to start a bakery in Paris, I’d find a way to make it happen.”