Page 10 of Hired Husband

I watched them a little more closely, but my focus was definitely more on Isaac than any of the men he was with. Today, he was in a light blue Polo shirt with a white ballcap, his dark blond hair curling out slightly around the sides.

My heart fluttered a little as he glanced over, and I averted my gaze and pretended I’d been tuned into my sister and Ashanti’s conversation all along. “I miss Egypt.”

“Already?” Deja said instead of responding to Ashanti’s question about a new flower market being opened up near Alexandria. “You’ve only been here a few days.”

“Yeah, I know, and I love Chicago. I specifically love visiting you in Chicago, but don’t you get homesick?”

Deja thought it over for a beat before she shrugged. “Sometimes, but we go back there so often that I haven’t really had time to miss it.”

Ashanti nodded her agreement. “I get homesick for here, actually. No matter how much time Khaled and I spend in Chicago, I always want to come back just a few days after we get home to Cairo.”

“Yeah, but you grew up here,” I said. “I think that probably makes it different.”

For the next while, we talked about what made each place feel like home, but eventually, the sun started setting and Deja gathered everyone for a beautiful dinner inside. By chance, I found my name card right next to Isaac’s and I smiled, but when the men came in from the golf course, my dad had him deep in conversation—and he was seated on Isaac’s other side.

Neither man even glanced at me as they sat down. Poor Isaac was completely trapped with Dad. “They’re not considering the structure in their restoration,” Dad was saying. “It’s a nightmare.”

Isaac winced. “That’s asking for trouble. Especially with old buildings like that.”

“Exactly!” Dad agreed enthusiastically. “That’s what I keep telling them, but no one listens.”

It continued for the next fifteen minutes straight while the appetizers were served. Candles had been lit on the long tables, washed in warm colors from the sunset outside, but I doubted Isaac or my father had even noticed all the effort Deja had put in.

When they started discussing seismic reinforcement despite Egypt having very little seismic activity, I decided to intervene. Jeez. Someone has to, otherwise Dad will have him debating the emotional well-being of support beams soon.

“Daddy?” I said, choosing to speak to him in English so Isaac would know I was riding to his rescue this time. Dad didn’t even skip a beat, so I cleared my throat and leaned slightly across Isaac to catch my father’s eyes. “Daddy? I’ve been thinking.”

That did it.

Finally, my father’s dark eyes jumped directly to mine, a soft sigh coming out of him. “Why does it sound like this is going to cost me money?”

I shot him a sweet smile. “I want another horse.”

“No.”

“Why not?” I asked, clutching at straws, but it was worth it to see Isaac’s mouth twitch with amusement. “Miss Degara looks so regal in pictures, but customers will soon bore of her. We need a white one.”

Dad blinked hard. “A white one?”

“Yes.” I nodded firmly. “Perhaps gray could work too.”

He sighed. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Oh, no.” I widened my eyes at him. “I’ve seen a gorgeous stallion for sale just outside Cairo. He popped up on my Instagram and he’s gorgeous, Daddy.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “You haven’t mentioned a price.”

I waved my hand. “That’s because I find numbers so restrictive, don’t you?”

When I glanced at Isaac, he was slightly flushed with the effort it took to keep from laughing. Or maybe it was just because he’d been out in the sun all day, but either way, he nodded at me, obviously trying to look serious. “Yeah. Numbers are so restrictive.”

I winked at him, hoping it had been hidden behind my hair so Dad wouldn’t notice, and also hoping Isaac knew that I’d fabricated this bit of bickering to give his mouth a rest so he could actually eat some food.

“Jasmine, darling, I don’t think GlobalStar needs a stallion right now,” Dad said gently. “Besides, while you might find numbers restrictive, they’re reality. I’m sure this stallion of yours costs as much as a house.”

I sighed. “Reality is flexible, Daddy. The stallion will make his money back in no time and Miss Degara needs a friend. Just wait until you see him.”

I reached for my phone despite my father’s groans of protest, but naturally, when I opened my Instagram, there was no horse in sight. After scrolling for a moment, pretending to search for it, I felt Isaac’s gaze on my screen. When I glanced up at him, I knew that he’d realized I was doing this for him.