Kissing Hakim would be a terrible idea, Lauren thought. Right? It would be a terrible mistake to get involved with her mother’s fiercest business rival.

She gave him a brisk smile and pulled back just a bit. She didn’t need to get involved with him to be a good friend, she thought, and he looked like he needed a friend tonight.

“Why don’t I make dinner for us? You need a home-cooked meal to cheer you up. Then you’ll get a good night’s rest and everything will look better tomorrow.”

Her sunny disposition seemed to amuse Hakim. He said, “I wouldn’t say no to you cooking dinner. But only if you let me help.”

Lauren laughed, seeing the contradiction in his statement. “You really don’t know how this whole servant-for-a-week thing works, do you?”

“I thought the contract said it didn’t cover evening events,” he said and grinned at her.

She held up a hand, palm out. “Fair point. I’ll cook, you pour the wine and keep me entertained. We’ll call it an even trade.”

“Deal,” Hakim said firmly.

Lauren dug through the refrigerator and pantry, pulling out various ingredients as she went.

“Is there anything you don’t want me to use?” she asked, her head stuck in the refrigerator.

“If it’s in there, it’s fair game,” Hakim replied. “I probably have a few things that need to be used up.”

She laid things on the counter. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

Hakim pointed out the location of pots and pans, then went to pick out a bottle of wine.

“Red or white?” he asked.

“Red, please,” Lauren said over her shoulder as she chopped onions. She added carrots and garlic to the pile of vegetables.

Hakim found the corkscrew and opened the bottle. He poured two glasses, then set one near where Lauren was working. He then took his own to sit across the counter from her.

“Do you cook often?” Hakim asked, as Lauren broke up a head of cauliflower.

“I do. It’s relaxing. It’s also the one thing that my mother and I always did together. She would make sure she was home in time for dinner four or five nights a week, and we would cook. She would often go back to the office after we ate, but it was important to her that we at least got that time together. She expected a lot from me, but cooking was never about being perfect. It was always fun for us.”

Lauren kept chopping, but looked up to see how he’d reacted to what she’d said about Patricia. She wanted to show him another side of her mother. Hakim was nodding, and Lauren hoped she’d made an inroad there.

“Somehow, I imagined Patricia having a professional chef on call. Or having her assistant make reservations every night at some five-star restaurant,” Hakim said quietly, taking a sip of his wine.

Lauren shook her head. “Oh, we did go out to eat; that was part of my training. I learned how to act at a professional dinner before I learned how to drive.”

“So, your mother always wanted you to follow her into business?”

Lauren tilted her head back and forth. “There was that expectation. Whatever field I went into, I wouldn’t be working for someone. At least not after the first few years.”

“That must have been a lot of pressure on you growing up,” Hakim said.

“You know, I used to wish for a more traditional mom. One that took me to Scouts and baked cookies. But as I got older, I realized just how hard it was for her. There weren’t a lot of women in her industry when she started, and when she started her own company, there weren’t many people who thought a woman could succeed as a CEO in the business. She showed them all.”

Hakim nodded. “It’s a tough industry anyway. I can only imagine what it must have been like for her. Is that why you didn’t choose to follow in her footsteps?”

Lauren waved a wooden spoon at him. “Oh, we were both clear on that. One Sanders in the ad biz is more than enough. Besides, I really like being in production.”

She studied him again, noticing that he looked more thoughtful. “What about you? Why did you choose advertising?” Lauren asked.

“I liked graphic design and I liked writing. It also let me do something different every day.” He cocked his head and squinted. “That is, until I became CEO. Now it’s all business meetings, contracts, and negotiations.”

Lauren nodded sympathetically. “I know. I miss getting in the field, but I like watching my team succeed.”

Hakim nodded. “You’re right. It’s a skill knowing when to step back, and that can be just as fulfilling as doing the everyday work.”

Lauren was quiet for a long minute, thinking. She really wanted to talk to someone about what Kayla had told her about earlier, and she felt she could trust Hakim.

“When did you start your company?” she asked.

“Nine years ago.”

Lauren looked up surprised. “That’s impressive. You were, what, twenty-two?”

Hakim nodded. “Just out of university. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had money and the name, so of course I was going to start my own company. I was convinced I was the whiz kid that would rule the industry by the time I was twenty-five.”

Lauren grinned at him. “And now?”

“I still have the money and the name, but I’ve learned a little bit about my place in the world since then.” He grinned back at her.

“Being a CEO is a lesson in humility, isn’t it?”

“If you’re doing it right, yes.”

“How do you deal with problems? Or things you think might be a problem, but you don’t know yet?”

He studied her. “Is this a general interest question, or did something happen at your office today?”

Lauren huffed a laugh. Apparently, her attempt at subtlety had bombed.

“I checked in with Kayla, and she mentioned that we might have a problem. She’s looking into it.”

“Can I ask for some more details about the problem?” He held up a hand as if to forestall her protest. “I know you said you weren’t going to give me any information about your company, but I’m happy to be a sounding board if you need one.”

Lauren put a baking sheet in the oven with the cauliflower, and set the pan on the stove to simmer. She picked up her wine glass and leaned on the counter across from him.

“It’s probably nothing. Someone made a mistake, or missed something.”

“But you’re worried about it?”

Lauren nodded reluctantly.

“Then it’s not nothing,” Hakim said firmly.

She took a drink from her glass, then said. “Kayla said there was something ‘wonky’ with the books. Our numbers are off, but there’s no clear reason why.”

Hakim nodded, thinking. “You’re going to have someone outside the company take a look at them to confirm?”

“Yes,” Lauren said. Just hearing her thinking coming from someone else made her feel a sense of relief. “We’ve got an accountant that both Kayla and I trust, so we’re asking him to do an independent audit.”

“Good. That’s the right thing to do.” He sounded so certain that Lauren relaxed a little bit.

“Is there anything else I can do right now?” she asked earnestly. “I can’t fix things until I know what the problem is, but I hate to just let it go while Greg does the audit.”

“Kayla is looking through things, too?” At Lauren’s nod, he continued. “You can dig through the books yourself, but that may not be the best use of your time.”

“I thought I might go over some contingency plans, play out a few scenarios. It’s still probably nothing more than a simple error, but if it’s something worse, I want to be ready.”

“Good plan. Do what you can, don’t worry about the rest until you know more.”

Lauren took another sip of wine, and then wrinkled her nose at him. “Thank you. I’ve been fretting over this all afternoon. I appreciate your advice, especially since, you know…”

Hakim laughed. “Since I bought you at an auction and declared my plan to take down your mother? No problem. I’m glad I could help.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”

Still laughing, Hakim said, “Not to poke at the situation, but why didn’t you call your mom as soon as you found out there was a problem?”

Lauren shrugged and winced a little. “I’d rather not have to call my mommy when I have a business issue. I’m supposed to be smart and independent.”

“I can understand that.”

Lauren suddenly felt like she had to defend her mother. “I do ask for her advice, though. She is the best in the business, after all.”

Hakim gave her a pointed look. “Thanks.”

“It is what it is. You may be good, but she’s been doing this a long time.”

“Fair enough,” he laughed again.

Lauren checked on dinner, still smiling at how easy it was talk with Hakim. When she’d tested things and decided they had five more minutes, she turned back to him.

“You said the baby is your sister’s first child?”

Hakim nodded. “And in addition to being thrilled for her and my brother-in-law, I’m delighted because it takes a tiny bit of the pressure off of me.”

“Oh, yes. Now your parents have a grandchild, so they’re happy,” Lauren toasted him with her wine glass.

“I give it, two, maybe three weeks before they start asking me again when I’m starting a family.”

Lauren laughed. “At least that’s one thing I don’t have to worry about with Patricia. She’d rather see me spend all my time at the company.”

“Wanna trade parents?”

Lauren almost spit out her wine laughing at that remark. “Oh, yes, let’s. That would go over so well.”

“I know my parents want the best for me. It’s just that their expectations contradict each other. I’m supposed to be a successful businessman, but also have time for a family and to fly back and forth to see them all the time.”

“It’s a lot, isn’t it? Sometimes I wonder how I manage to get through the day without falling flat on my face. I can’t imagine adding a spouse and kids to the picture.”

“You don’t want a family?” Hakim asked.

“Yeah, of course I do. One day. Maybe even one day soon. But first, I should probably find time to date.”

Hakim gave her a sly look. “I don’t know. You could just auction yourself off.”

“Very funny.”

The oven timer buzzed, and Lauren raised an eyebrow at Hakim. “How about setting the table, oh my master?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hakim grabbed plates and flatware and took them into the dining room.

Lauren turned off the oven and the stove burner, and put the food into serving dishes. She found spoons and stuck them into the side of the dishes, then carried everything into the dining room, where Hakim had turned on some music. He poured them both another glass of wine as Lauren set the dishes on the table.

“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.