Page 20 of Hired Husband

“I tried warning you about this.” I looked back up at him, not needing the invitation to be able to give him the information he wanted. “It’s the annual historical society gala. My family has been a benefactor for years. Basically, it’s part opera, part charity ball. You’re lucky to score an invite. It’s one of the biggest cultural events of the season, but it’ll also be the start of your introduction to GlobalStar society.”

An unexpected burst of excitement flared through me at the knowledge that he would be there too, though, but then the tailor stepped away from him and nodded. “There we go. It’s a perfect fit.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, my gaze dropping back down to that same section around his waist. “It’s saggy. May I?” Without waiting for an answer, I swept the little container filled with pins from his hands and took a step closer. “It should be fitted, not baggy around the sides.” I tucked the fabric in a little at his left side, securing first one pin before moving on to his right. “There, you see? Like that.”

“It’s too tight.” The tailor folded his arms. “It will not be comfortable.”

“Comfort does not equal looking like a slouch.”

The tailor swapped into Arabic then, arguing his point while I gave it right back, insisting that Isaac had to look the part for the event. The man himself just stood there and took it, his eyes bouncing from one of us to the other until the tailor finally blew out a heavy breath.

“Very well. I will make the adjustments.”

I shot him a sweet smile. “Thank you.”

He nodded but started muttering under his breath as he wandered away, hopefully to recruit backup so he could get the job done in time. A moment later, I heard another set of footsteps behind us, and when I turned, a seamstress carrying a garment bag was coming toward us.

She smiled. “Miss Saad. You can follow me please. Sashi will be with us in a moment.”

I hesitated, turning back to Isaac instead of taking off immediately. “I suppose I’ll see you this weekend.”

“See you then.” He flashed me a grin that threatened the stability of my knees. “Thanks for your help, Jasmine. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, well, it’s your first public appearance with the Saads. You have to look the part.” I had no idea why I hadn’t just accepted his gratitude, but I spun on my heels and went to meet the designer, deciding not to overthink why I sometimes did the things I did when I was around him.

A few hours later, Rashid drove through the gates of my family home and I sighed, exhausted but happy I was about to get a homecooked meal. Nancy’s food tasted like home and my mouth was practically watering as I hurried inside, kicking off my shoes somewhere between the front hall and the dining room.

The scent of dinner wafted through the entire house at this time of day and I groaned, praying to every god who had ever been out there that my brothers hadn’t beaten me to the spread. Before I turned the corner, however, I heard the front door open again and I twisted on instinct, the threat to whichever Saad boy I was about to race to the table dying an instant death of my tongue when the man who appeared wasn’t a Saad at all.

It was Isaac, walking in with a devil-may-care grin and his blond hair pushed back off his forehead. He looked dangerously good in a pair of simple trousers and an open-collared shirt. My heart started pounding, but I didn’t even have time to come up with another quip before he noticed me, those blue eyes instantly zeroing in on mine.

A flush started spreading on my cheeks under his gaze, so I averted my eyes, pretending to be busy with… something. I didn’t even know what it was. In that moment, the only thing I knew for an absolute fact was that Isaac suddenly seemed to be popping up everywhere—and I wasn’t nearly as annoyed about it as I should’ve been.

CHAPTER 9

ISAAC

Dinner with the Saads was an experience I would never forget. Colin had told me how every meal turned into a loud family affair often lasting until nearly midnight, but I hadn’t quite understood what he meant until I sat at their table with Basel, Layla, Jasmine, all six of her brothers, Ashanti, and her and Khaled’s kids.

It was raucous and chaotic, everyone talking at the same time while the kids often squealed and ran around, leaving either Khaled or Ashanti to race after them and bring them back. The dining room overlooked the gardens. Warm evening air drifted in through open French doors. I couldn’t blame the kids for wanting to be out there. Hell, part of me wanted to join them.

Not that I wanted to leave the table. As it happened, I loved the loud chaos of the Saads. I’d met the brothers when I’d been here for Colin’s wedding and I’d gotten to spend some actual time with them, since I’d arrived early enough to join them for his bachelor party.

Tarek, Jasmine’s twin, sat beside me now, constantly cracking quiet jokes while Basel entertained me with plans for my work with GlobalStar. I’d been brought on to help his team design an industrial compound, but I doubted Tarek had ever a conversation he could take seriously.

“It needs a games arcade,” he muttered. “Tell Dad it’s too boring right now.”

My lips quirked into a smile, but I stayed on track, focusing on Basel when he pointed a fork at me. “My people have let you have the plans, yes?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, grimacing a little as I leaned back in my chair.

His dark eyes swept across my face. “What do you think?”

“Oh, uh, I think they’re great, but…” I trailed off for a moment, steeling myself to tell a multi-billionaire titan of industry that I wasn’t at all impressed with a design he seemed to love. “To be honest, I don’t agree with the direction the team currently seems to want to go in.”

Basel’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Why not? It’ll be a marvel of engineering when we’re done.”

“Maybe so.” I shrugged. “It’ll also be a marvel of engineering that already exists in a dozen other countries.”