Michelle did pull out pictures after dinner. Khizar was especially interested in seeing young Jacqui, and Jacqui teased him that she couldn’t wait to see pictures from his youth as well.
Michelle and Alan seemed surprised to hear about Jacqui’s trip to Hawaii with Khizar, but Jacqui convinced them that she had a wonderful time. And when Khizar excused himself for a moment, she explained that he had been a perfect gentleman the entire time, and it was that trip where Jacqui realized that she wanted to pursue a relationship with him.
Jacqui cleaned up the kitchen so that her mom and dad could talk with Khizar some more. She wanted to them to like him as much as she did.
From the kitchen, she could hear her dad ask Khizar about his family, and Khizar told them a few of the stories he’d already told Jacqui. He talked a little about what it was like to run a large company, and work with precious gems.
Her parents seemed to like him, Jacqui thought as she finished loading the dishwasher. When her mom came into the kitchen, carrying their after-dinner coffee cups, she said as much.
“He’s lovely, sweetie. I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
Jacqui leaned against the counter, twisting the dish towel in her hands.
“I think it might be more than just a good time, Mom. I really like him.”
Michelle hesitated, then patted her daughter’s arm. Before she could say anything, Khizar walked into the kitchen and Jacqui looked at the clock.
“Sorry, Mom. I didn’t realize how late it’s gotten.”
Her mother smiled. “You’re always welcome to stay as long as you like, Jacqui. But I know you have to be at the bakery early, so if you need to go, it’s fine.”
Jacqui reached over and gave her mom a hug.
“Thanks. I’ll call you later this week?”
“I look forward to it, sweetheart.” Michelle gave Khizar a brief hug, which he returned. “Khizar, it was so nice to meet you. Hopefully, we’ll see you again soon.”
Later that night, Jacqui got a text from her mother.
Forgot that we’ve got plans to have dinner with the Thompsons on Tuesday night in the city. Mind if we stop by the bakery before we meet up with them?
Jacqui texted back: Of course, you should stop by! I’ll save you some cake if you want dessert before dinner.
It was always nice to have her parents stop by her bakery. They usually visited when they came into the city, and Jacqui always baked something extra special when she knew they were going to be there.
Jacqui looked forward to their visit, especially since Khizar would be flying out of town again for a few days that night. Before he left, he hinted at a surprise he had for her when he got back.
Instead of trying to figure out what the surprise was, Jacqui focused on filling several special cake orders for that week. Because, really, when you’ve already been surprised with a trip to Hawaii, what else could Khizar possibly surprise her with?
When Jacqui’s parents arrived at the bakery on Tuesday, she’d delivered three of the special order cakes, done the bank deposit, and started prep for the next day’s baking. She had her father’s favorite cake baked and sliced and a fresh pot of coffee brewing when they walked in the door.
“The shop looks wonderful, dear,” her mother said by way of greeting.
“It smells even better!” her dad said, laughing at his own joke.
“Thank you,” Jacqui said to both of them, giving them hugs.
She flipped the closed sign over and locked the door so they could chat without customers coming in. It was about the time she normally closed anyway, and she knew her regular customers had already visited that day.
“I’m so glad you had time to see us today,” her mother said, sitting at one of the little tables.
“Of course, Mom. I’m glad you had time to stop by.”
She poured coffee and handed it to her dad, who carried the cups to the table. Jacqui followed with the cake and three plates; she sliced the cake into generous pieces, putting one on each plate.
“I’ll send the Thompsons your apologies for ruining our dinner,” her dad said, nudging his daughter’s elbow.
“Tell them I said hello, too,” Jacqui said, laughing.
Her mother took a small bite of cake and then put her fork down.
“Jacqui, we wanted to talk to you about something.”
Jacqui looked between them. Her father was suddenly, unusually, serious. And her mother looked nervous.
“Is everything okay?”
“Well, that’s what we wanted to ask you,” her father said.
“I’m fine. The bakery is fine—well, there’s still the question of if I have enough business to cover a rent increase—but it’s the normal worry.”