Peace, at last. Quiet, anyway, which allowed jangled nerves to relax once more. And it was all due to Hallie’s decision to lay Aaron, still thrashing, tummy-down across her lap while she rubbed gentle circles over his back. The shrieks subsided, dying away into occasional whimpers and hiccups, before finally being silenced completely as the baby drifted off into sleep.

Every tight muscle in Hallie’s body—neck to shoulders to arms and legs—eased from cramping to a sudden lightness and buoyancy, as if she could unexpectedly float up and away with no more cares to tie her to earth.

“Whew,” she whispered in a long, exhaled breath. Then, leaning her head back against the vinyl booth in utter surrender, she sighed serenely.

The man in the chair opposite smiled.

Silence reigned. A sweet, beautiful silence, in contrast to the solid ten minutes of screaming everyone had just endured. The atmosphere lightened; the mood eased; a small buzz of relieved conversation swept through the room.

“And now what?”

“Oh, poor little boy. In another minute or so—after I’ve regained my sanity—I’ll put him in the stroller and let him sleep for a while.”

He eyed the empty coffee cup and the crumpled napkin with its scattering of crumbs.

“You’ve had your lunch?”

Hallie followed his glance.

“Oh, yes, I have. I met a girlfriend here.”

“But you were alone when I came in.”

“Well, yes, because—” She frowned.

Wait a minute. Who was this man, to question her whereabouts, or her reason for being here? What right had he to take such liberties? She owed no one an explanation for any of her actions.

He could see the exact instant when suspicion darkened her eyes.

“Forgive me. I meant no disrespect; I meant only to offer help. My name is Karim Al Ahsan, and I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Hallie was not quite ready to lower the barriers she had so quickly erected. “Well…thank you.”

Another smile. And, goodness, the man possessed a devastating smile. And looks. And charm galore, from what she could tell. Extremely well-dressed, even in the heat of the Philadelphian summer day. Extremely expensively dressed, actually, if she were any judge of the quality of merchandise. She remembered with a slight jolt how he’d paid for her bill. Not that money should matter, when compared to personality…

“And will you share yours?”

“My—what?”

“Your name.”

“Oh. Well…” She supposed it could do no harm. “Hallie. Hallie Jameson.”

“Ah. Mrs. Jameson, I would—”

“Miss.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Not Mrs. I’m just Miss Jameson. And the sleeping angel you see here”—her eyes crinkled with a glint of humor—“is my son, Aaron.”

“I see.”

He paused for a moment, considering, then drew in a breath.

“Well, Miss Jameson, as pleasant as I find your company, I must excuse myself long enough to purchase whatever this café offers as an afternoon snack. Late lunch, I suppose. May I get something for you, as well?”

Still wary, she shook her head.

“Thanks anyway, but I’m fine. And thank you for paying for my tab; that was very kind of you.”

“My pleasure, no need to thank me.” Rising, in one smooth, graceful movement, he bowed slightly toward her. “Will you wait for me, Miss Jameson? I would enjoy talking with you a little more.”

Surprised, pleased, and curious all at once, Hallie immediately acquiesced. How fortunate that she had dressed a little more formally today, in pressed khaki capris and an off-the-shoulder blouse, instead of her usual casual uniform of shorts and a tee. Clothes do make the man, so they say. Or the woman.

When Karim returned to her secluded corner a few minutes later, holding a coffee cup in one hand and a wrap enclosed in a napkin in the other, Hallie had settled the sleeping baby into his nest. He lay sprawled in drunken-like splendor, completely exhausted, covered by a light blanket and shaded by the stroller’s hood.

“A well-deserved rest,” murmured Karim.

“Uh-huh. For all of us. Well, Mr.…uh…Al—”

“In my country, I am cousin to our ruler, and I am addressed as Sheikh,” he responded lightly to her awkwardness. “Here, I am simply Karim.”

“Karim,” Hallie said respectfully, yet a trifle reluctantly. Exactly what did his title infer, she wondered, and how was she to use it?

Rising, she piled her purse in amongst the diaper bag and Aaron’s remaining essentials, then moved to push the stroller forward. Anyone dealing with modern baby equipment knows that while, in some respects, they are an admirable carryall, in others, they are bulky, heavy, and difficult to move. She was struggling to push free a wheel turned backward against a groove of the tile floor when Karim gently nudged her aside.

“You will please take this, and this,” he suggested, handing over his refreshments in exchange for the stroller bar, “and I will take this.”

There was no discussion or even an argument; he simply plowed ahead, weaving through the scattered crowd of coffee-drinkers like a sports car on the freeway, leaving her behind to catch up. There is a first time for everything, and no one would ever realize that this was the very first time the Sheikh of Al Mediznah had ever kept company with a sleeping infant, let alone maneuver a stroller, and with such expertise.

Outside, with room to breathe and space to stretch, they exchanged smiles of relief.

“Now,” said Karim, taking charge. “From here, I see the edge of a park. Shall we make our way there, so we may carry on a conversation?”

A few energetic children and their watchful mothers had congregated in the far corner, where playground equipment had been installed. Their laughter and shouts were far enough distant not to intrude upon the near corner, however, where a green-painted park bench awaited.

“Perfect. I do believe our names have even been added, to reserve the seat.”

Hallie couldn’t prevent a burst of laughter from bubbling up.

“In your dreams. But let’s at least sit so you can eat your lunch, before you faint from hunger.”

They were seated side by side while he nibbled at the wrap and sipped his espresso, now gone lukewarm in its cup. The silence between them felt neither strained nor uncomfortable, as is often the case with strangers, when one or the other must rush into speech to fill empty spaces. No, Hallie simply sat, enjoying the sweet sweep of fresh air, and the warmth of a shade-dappled sun on her face.

“Are you often in the area?” Karim, having finished his lunch, finally spoke after balling up the paper napkin for recycling.

“Here? No. Café Mud has been open only a few months, so my friend and I decided to meet here. I live in another part of town.”

“I see. And you have enough free time to be able to indulge yourself in this way?”

Another bubble of laughter, rueful now.

“Hardly. This is my day off from work. I decided to leave all the usual chores behind so Aaron and I could take advantage of the nice weather.”

“Ah.”

The easy silence opened up again, while Hallie closed her eyes in utter contentment and let her body go limp. Karim turned slightly toward her so that he could lay one arm across the back of the bench. In his stroller, sound asleep, Aaron made a little snuffling noise and shifted position; from the distant swing set, chains rattled, and children scuffled into the mulch.

“It’s lovely here,” murmured Hallie. “I’m glad you suggested it.”

“Tell me about yourself,” her companion said quietly. “What do you do? And how do you manage to juggle all the demands of your everyday routine?”

All right, what could possibly be the downside when a handsome, charming, interesting (and interested) man picked her up in a coffee shop? Was her evil star lurking about somewhere, just waiting to zap her with a bolt of bad luck? Or was there the slightest remote chance that she might finally have beaten away the jinx, that her fortune had turned, that good things were coming her way?

“Well, I work as an LPN in a hospital’s emergency unit.”

No need to go into too many details. She had a baby whose safety was always uppermost in her mind.

“An LPN. What exactly is that position? And how much training is one required to have?”

That information she could certainly share, passing on what she had learned over the years. Again, as before, Karim seemed quite interested in what she had to say. (Or, was he just putting on an act, as so many men do, simply to achieve whatever goal he sought?)

Muffled sounds from the stroller caught Hallie’s attention. Aaron was gurgling, coming back to life. Undoubtedly, he would need to be fed soon. She wondered how Karim would take to such mundane chores?

“Hey, there, champ,” she said softly, reaching to smooth a finger along one velvet cheek. The baby offered her a damp, toothless grin in response.

Karim watched with, she thought, some admiration (another vain hope?) as Aaron was clearly delighted to snuggle onto his mother’s lap with a full eight-ounce bottle of milk and some cuddling. Kicking his bare legs, playing with his own bare toes, he locked his gaze with Hallie’s and sucked rapturously away.

“There is such a bond between you two,” said Karim. Was that a tinge of approval in his voice? “It is amazing, what I see there.”

“Well, sure. It’s just the two of us, against the world, huh bud? Anyway, you’ve asked about my whole back story, Karim, but I know very little about yours. Wanna talk?”

“But of course.”

Obligingly, he went on to tell her of his current residence in the city, and his plans to acquire a local company, as well as some of the details of his life in Al Mediznah, where date palms flourished and the seashore beckoned with turquoise surf.

Conversation ebbed and flowed, centering mainly upon the baby and his antics. Now that he was satiated and comfortable, Aaron was ready to play. Hallie spread a blanket onto the grass at their feet and plopped him down upon it in the middle of several colorful toys.

“He’s starting to crawl like a madman,” she explained, from her own place cross-legged with her son. “I suppose he’ll be on his feet soon, walking. And then there’ll be no stopping him.”

“You picture him driving a car and enjoying the nightlife?” asked Karim, with a glint of amusement that crinkled his handsome dark eyes.

Hallie let out another laugh. “Oh, well. Not for a few months, anyway.”

“Ah-wah!” crowed Aaron as he reached for a squishy ball.

The design included some ten or twelve shapes, cut from the surface. Latching on with tight grip, he immediately sank his drooling gums into a favorite spot and settled down to satisfied chewing.

“Is that all right?” Karim, bending forward to observe, wondered aloud.

“Uh-huh. He’s teething, you see. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

Another few moments passed by, interrupted only by the burbles of the playing child, the tweeting of several birds rustling about overhead, and the humming tires or noisy engines of an occasional passing vehicle. The late afternoon sun was lowering toward the western horizon, and a few of the families scattered about the equipment had decided to pack up and meander home.

“He is a beautiful child, and seems not only healthy but happy. You should be very proud.”

Shrugging, Hallie retrieved the inquisitive baby, who had begun scooting his little diapered bottom toward the fascinating world beyond the blanket: prickly cool grass, a bright blooming dandelion, insects, and all.

“My parents have, I’m sad to admit, had more to do with raising him than I have. With me working so many hours, my mom has had to take over as Aaron’s surrogate mother.”

“Hallie.”

“Yes?”

His tone sounded so serious, so intent, that—as curious as her son—she looked up.

“Hallie, I have a proposition to make you.”

Karim’s hands were linked loosely together between his spread knees, his platinum watch gleaming in the sunlight.

Uh-huh. Well, there it was. She might have known that her evil star would be somewhere in the vicinity, just waiting to pounce. A perfectly nice, lovely man, apparently eligible in every way. And yet…and yet…Something was definitely up, and she’d bet all the dimes in her paltry savings account that it would be dicey.

Her insides tightened with anticipation. What was coming would likely be against everything she stood for, everything she believed in, and would not be pleasant to hear.

“Yes, Karim.”

Cool. Very cool, to belie the tremble she was trying to hide.

“This is a one-time offer, good for only two days. It involves something very important to me, a business undertaking with which I need assistance. And I’m guessing that you can provide it.”