“Yes, take the weekend off.”
Lyssa tossed her book bag back behind the kitchen door, her voice muffled. When she came back out, tying on an apron, she added, “You literally haven’t taken any time off since you opened the bakery. Not even on the holidays. I can use the time to work on my project, and you deserve a few days off to relax.”
Jacqui stared at her, and Lyssa laughed.
“Look, he’s obviously into you. And you like him. So, take a couple of days off. You need to do that anyway.”
The bell over the door sounded and the two women looked up.
Lyssa smiled triumphantly.
“I bet he agrees with me,” she said, nodding at Khizar.
“I’ll bet I do,” he said agreeably. “May I inquire exactly what I am supportive of?”
Lyssa pointed at Jacqui. “She should take the weekend off.”
“As it happens, I wholeheartedly agree.” Khizar nodded.
Jacqui threw up her hands. “I was going to take some time off!”
Khizar leaned against the counter.
“I was hoping, actually, that I could talk you into taking the whole weekend off.”
“Yes,” Lyssa said before Jacqui could open her mouth.
“Oh, you two,” Jacqui said, a little exasperated.
“Come on, boss. In fact, why don’t you take off now? I’ve got the shop covered.”
Khizar shrugged. “If you can leave now, we can be on the plane that much sooner.”
Jacqui leveled a stare at him. “Plane?”
“I thought you might enjoy a weekend getaway. You got to show me Milwaukee; I’d like to take you somewhere in return.”
“Can I ask where we’re going?”
“I was thinking Hawaii,” Khizar said.
Jacqui felt her mouth open, but nothing came out. She blinked a few times, and finally, Lyssa answered for her.
“What she’s trying to say is, that sounds wonderful, and she’s ready to go,” Lyssa sounded like she was trying not to laugh.
Jacqui nodded. “That does sound wonderful. Are you sure?”
Khizar said, “If it helps, there’s a business contact I want to meet up with, so you’d be doing me a favor by keeping me company. The meeting will take an hour, tops, and the rest of the time will be sun, sand, and sea.”
“Okay, I’m in. Let me run home and pack a bag.” Jacqui turned to Lyssa. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“I’ve got it, boss. Have an awesome time.”
Khizar pulled out a card, set it on the counter, and scribbled a few things on it. He handed it Lyssa and said, “If you can’t get in touch with Jacqui, here’s my contact information, as well as the name of the hotel we’ll be staying at. They’ll have Jacqui’s name on the room, so if you need anything, you can call her there, too.”
Jacqui was touched by the thoughtfulness in that gesture, and admittedly she felt better knowing that Lyssa could reach her if anything came up.
After a quick trip home to pack a few things—Jacqui wasn’t really sure she was beach-ready—she and Khizar made their way to a small private airport just outside Milwaukee.
Khizar parked next to a hanger and carried both of their suitcases inside. They were greeted by the pilot, who talked with Khizar for a few minutes about their flight path.
The pilot walked Jacqui outside the hanger to the plane, where a steward took their bags and stowed them inside. Khizar followed Jacqui onboard the plane while the pilot finished the pre-fight checklist.
Jacqui looked around the interior, noticing that the main cabin was divided into sections. A long, brown leather couch sat along one wall, across from a long, low cabinet. Two plush navy chairs faced each other across a table, and another two chairs sat on the other side of them turned toward each other.
There was a wall in the back of the cabin with a door. In the front of the plane was a small galley half-hidden by a screen, where Jacqui could see the steward preparing a pot of coffee and some food.
“Sit wherever you like,” Khizar said, gesturing around the space.
Jacqui took a cushy chair facing the dark wood table.
“I definitely feel like a princess.”
Khizar chuckled as he sat across from her.
“Just wait. This weekend is about having fun, and indulging in whatever you like. So, as you Americans like to say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Jacqui laughed at his excellent try at a flat American accent.
“In that case, I can’t wait. How long is the flight?”
“It should be about nine hours, maybe a little more. We shouldn’t run into any bad weather along the way, and we’re taking the most direct route. When we get in the air, we can have some lunch.”