2. Nina
CHAPTER 2
NINA
N ina Kendrick pulled into her driveway and leaned back in her seat, taking a deep breath. It had been a long day, filled with meetings and endless hours of coding — just like every day was. Well, no one got to be a success in the world of app development unless they were willing to put in the work — which Nina was. After studying biology in college, she’d mixed her scientific knowledge with coding skills extracted from hours of self-study and online courses and founded a successful healthcare app, Heartbeat.
Nina was incredibly proud of all her hard work — she just wished she had a little more time with her babies. Her kids, Kate and Miles, adorable three-year-old twins, were the lights of her life and were the only reason she left work at a reasonable time and refused to go in on the weekends. Before they were born, she’d barely left the office.
Nina pulled out her keys as she climbed the steps to her front door. She lived with her twins in a ranch-style house in one of San Diego’s sunny, palm-lined suburbs, where the kids could walk to their preschool and she could drive easily to Heartbeat’s office. Inside, Kate and Miles were sitting on the couch in matching dinosaur pajamas, snuggled up on either side of Amanda, their long-term babysitter. At the sight of Nina, they both sprang to their feet and rushed her like tiny twin bulls, blond heads bobbing at knee level.
“Mommy, Mommy!” Miles shouted joyfully.
“Hi,” Kate replied a little more quietly, beaming up at her mother as though the sun had finally come out after days of rain.
Nina scooped the kids into her arms, balancing one on each hip. As she did so, she noticed that her twins were becoming heavier. She wouldn't be able to hold them both like this much longer, so she’d savor doing so now.
“Hi, sweethearts.” Nina smiled down at her kids. “How was your day?”
“In preschool we learned about colors!” Miles said excitedly. “Did you know blue and green makes yellow?”
“No, silly,” Kate said, shaking her head. “Yellow and green makes blue. ”
“You’re both so close, but it’s yellow and blue that make green,” Nina said. She kissed them each on the head. “Amanda, thank you so much. I’ll tuck them in, but then I have to be out the door again, like we discussed.”
“No problem.” Amanda looked up from the book she’d been flipping through, her brown ponytail flipping back over her shoulder. Amanda was a local college student studying education. Nina had hired her for the first time eighteen months ago, when Amanda had been a sophomore, and she’d spent many hours taking care of the twins ever since. Amanda was an absolute lifesaver, which Nina told her multiple times a day.
“I’ll be right back.” Nina carried the twins up the stairs. “So, you learned about colors. What else?”
“We read a book about mouses,” Kate informed her.
“Wow, was it a good book about mice?”
“Yeah.”
“And Amanda taked us on a walk to look for rocks,” Miles added. “For my rock collection.”
“Did you find any good ones?”
“Yeah, like a billion.” Miles rested his head on Nina’s shoulder.
“More like four,” Kate put in with a big yawn.
Upstairs, Nina settled them into their beds. For now, the twins were still sharing a room, although Nina had offered several times to give them each their own space. Every time, both Kate and Miles shut her down, saying that they’d be lonely in their own rooms.
Nina tucked Kate into her penguin-themed blankets, then did the same with Miles’s sheets covered in basketballs and footballs. She read them a story, sang their good-night song, then tiptoed out, shutting off the light. Her heart felt heavy that this was all the time she got with her babies today, but tomorrow was Saturday, and she’d have all day with them.
With her kids in bed, Nina hurried to her bedroom, where she exchanged her blazer and slacks for a blue dress with a flared skirt and a pair of low heels. She would have rather crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep after her long day, but networking was important, and events like this were a major contributor when it came to attracting funding and support for Heartbeat. It was important — and it was worth putting off a relaxing evening to go.
Nina glanced at herself in the mirror on the way out. She looked nice enough, she thought. The dress brought out the blue of her eyes, and her hair looked pretty in her usual half-up, half-down style. Downstairs, she stopped in the living room to say goodbye to Amanda, who had moved to the table and gotten set up with a textbook and her laptop. In her UC San Diego hoodie and ponytail, she reminded Nina of herself back in college.
“Thanks again for staying late today,” Nina said as she took her keys and a light jacket from the hook by the door.
“No problem. The twins are a joy, and I always appreciate the extra pay.” Amanda looked Nina up and down. “Are you off on a date?”
Nina almost snorted with amusement. “No, definitely not. It’s just a networking event for health companies like mine.”
“Too bad. You look really nice.” Amanda smiled cheekily.
“Thank you, but dating is just not on my radar right now.” Or ever. The last serious relationship Nina had been in was with the twins’ father. They’d dated for almost a year before Nina had gotten pregnant, but when she’d announced that she was expecting a surprise baby — twins, no less — he had let her know in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t interested in being a father. Nina had been disappointed, but it had taught her an important lesson. When it came to dating, the wrong one just wouldn’t do for her and her kids — and she would rather build her business and spend time with her beloved children than try to find the right one.
“Aww.” Amanda made a pouty face. “Well, have a nice evening. I’ll be here.” She glanced at her textbook with a look of resignation.
“Thanks again. Feel free to raid the kitchen.” Nina waved goodbye to her babysitter and headed outside. Even now, in January, the San Diego air was warm and fresh, and the light jacket Nina had grabbed was more than enough. She got into her car, turned the radio to her favorite oldies station, and hummed along as she drove towards the event. It was taking place in a large hotel venue downtown, one Nina had visited several times before. A grumble in her stomach made her hope that the passed hors d’oeuvres would be filling — she hadn’t had time for dinner, beyond a quick granola bar at the office between meetings, as was often the case. She liked to cook, but there wasn’t much time for that now.
The drive wasn’t long. Nina pulled up in front of the hotel, tossed her keys to the valet with practiced ease and a “thank you,” and went inside, her long skirt bunched in one hand. The venue was the hotel’s ballroom, and it was nearly full already. A mix of familiar faces, mainly Nina’s peers in the healthcare industry, stood side by side with new people, likely investors or newcomers to the market. Nina hesitated near the entrance for a moment, then made her way to the bar. She didn’t drink much since becoming a mother, especially at events like this — it was better to keep her wits about her. Instead, she requested a Coke with lime.
“Coming right up.” The bartender turned to pour the drink, and Nina leaned against the bar, surveying the room. Ideally, she’d be able to secure another investor or two this evening. If nothing else, though, keeping current with trends and developments in the healthcare industry would help her to ensure her app remained the best on the market.
“Whiskey, neat.”
Nina glanced to her left and caught sight of a handsome man in a neatly tailored suit. He had short, dark hair and eyes so brown they were almost black, as well as light brown skin. He wore a watch that Nina estimated cost as much as most families made in a month, and that, along with his easy posture and the look of amusement in his dark eyes, told her that he came from money. He had a strong jawline, a muscular build, and at least six inches on Nina. Within seconds, she pegged him as the kind of guy it was better to keep her distance from.
“Just a minute, sir.” The bartender slid Nina’s cola across the bar to her before pivoting to make the whiskey. Nina took a sip of her drink.
“Hello there.”
Nina glanced at the newcomer, who had now turned his intense gaze on her. She felt a pleasant shiver down her spine, something she hadn’t experienced in a few years. That was the main reason it was better not to get involved with a guy like this: he was just her type.
“Hi.” She concentrated on her drink. “Are you new here?”
“I am.” He held out a hand. “I’m Rashad Al-Zayed.”
“Nice to meet you.” Nina took his hand, which was warm and firm without lingering too long. “I’m Nina Kendrick. Are you here today as an investor?”
“No.” Rashad accepted his whiskey from the bartender. “Actually, Nina, I’m here to talk to you.”
Immediately, alarm bells went off in Nina’s head. Something about this handsome man was just a little off — he was too smooth, too self-assured. It was as though he simply had to wait for whatever he wanted to fall into his lap, and Nina wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he was waiting for now. Perhaps there was more reason to stay away from him than just ill-fated attraction on her part.
“Is that so?” She raised her eyebrows.
“It is. Your app, Heartbeat, is very impressive. I’d love to pick your brain about it.”
“Hmm.” Nina leaned back against the bar and took another sip of her cola. “Then why approach me at the event, instead of making an appointment with me?”
“What can I say? When I realized we were both attending tonight, it felt like kismet.” Rashad winked, and Nina heard another chorus of alarm bells. If she had to guess, it seemed as though Rashad had approached her here instead of setting up an appointment because he had reason to believe that she wouldn’t want to meet with him. His flirtatious sidestep just reaffirmed her suspicion.
“Well, I’m certainly happy to help.” There was no reason to be hostile, even if she was unsure about Rashad’s intentions. “If you tell me more about yourself and your company, perhaps I can offer some helpful advice.”
“Oh, come now. Why would I want to talk about myself when I’m in the presence of such a successful and lovely woman?”
It was another flirtatious sidestep and another piece of evidence for Nina’s growing suspicions.
“All right. What exactly would you like to know?”
“Everything.” Rashad leaned closer and Nina caught the scent of a smokey aftershave. She appreciated men who made the effort to smell good but, like Rashad’s flirtations and his attractiveness, the good scent wouldn’t distract her. “How do you attract your customers? What does your turnover look like? Who’s on your team?”
“Essentially, you’d like my secret to success. Is that it?”
“That’s exactly it.”
“Well.” Nina folded her arms and met Rashad’s dark eyes. He had surprisingly long eyelashes for a man. “There are only a few reasons you’d want to know that. You could be a journalist looking for an exclusive scoop — but based on your appearance and lack of recording device, I would guess that isn’t it. Perhaps you want to invest in my company, but then there’s no reason you wouldn’t tell me that up front — you’d get a better sales pitch if you did. So, I have to assume that you represent a rival company and that you want information from me, either to make me an offer or to try to steal my customers. Does that sound about right?”
“Nina.” Rashad pressed a hand to his chest. “What if I’m genuinely interested in getting to know you better?”
“Then I’d tell you that I’m not looking for love tonight.” Nina flipped her hair over her shoulder. “So, Rashad, tell me. What is it that you want?”
“A gentleman never tells, not right away. Let me buy you a drink first. Let’s talk a little before we jump to any conclusions.”
“My drink is almost full.” Nina held up her glass. “And I’m more and more certain that I’ve come to the right conclusion about you. I have a lot to do this evening, so if you’ll excuse me, I’d better be on my way.”
She nodded at Rashad politely and stepped away, only to feel his hand on her arm. She raised her eyebrows and looked down at his hand until he removed it.
“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” Rashad held out a business card. “My yacht will be docked in the marina all weekend. Come. We’ll talk.”
“I have a busy weekend.” Nina wasn’t going to commit to anything. “I don’t have much time for trips to the marina.”
“I’ll take you on a sail.” Rashad smiled. “Trust me, you’ll be glad you talked to me.” He didn’t seem at all fazed by her hesitation, and, once again, Nina got the impression that this was a man who always got what he wanted. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t get what he wanted from her.
“Thank you for your card. Good night, Rashad.” Nina tucked the card into her purse and made a beeline for a group of investors with whom she’d spoken before. This wasn’t the first time she’d met someone who asked about her company with ulterior motives, and it wouldn’t be the last. Nina simply needed to put Rashad out of her mind and focus on the evening at hand.
Later that night, tired and footsore from an evening of socializing, Nina returned home. She paid Amanda and sent her home, checked on her sleeping twins, then took a quick shower and got into bed with her laptop. There, she fished Rashad’s business card out of her purse and typed his name into the search bar of her computer. It was time to find out why he’d been so shifty.
The answer became almost instantly clear — Nina had been right. Rashad Al-Zayed was a sheikh from Al Soub, the younger brother of the next in line to rule. He was also the CEO of a health and wellness company called Health Trackr, which explained his interest in Nina’s company.
A few more minutes of research made Nina increasingly glad that she hadn’t shown Rashad her hand. Apart from his huge success, he was known for his ruthlessness. He was willing to undercut companies, manipulate the market, poach employees and customers — anything to achieve dominance. Clearly, whatever deal he wanted to offer her wasn’t one she should take.
Although, perhaps he didn’t want to offer her a deal at all. Perhaps all he wanted was to find out as much as he could about her company so that he could beat her in the market. In that case, he would probably try to sabotage Nina’s company whether she met him on the yacht or not.
Nina tapped her finger against the edge of her computer, her thoughts swirling. With a few more keystrokes, she pulled up an image of one of Rashad’s yachts — apparently he had three, each one larger and more lavish than the last. It had been years since Nina had taken a proper vacation. Single motherhood and business ownership meant that she was on the run every minute of the day, with little time to relax.
Perhaps it would be possible to solve more than one of her problems at once. If Nina went to meet Rashad on his yacht, she could gain information about his plans. If he made her an offer for her company, she could politely turn him down to his face — it was the principled thing to do. If he tried to plumb her for information about her company, she could do the same to him and achieve a better understanding of his plans. That way, if he came after her company later, she’d be ready.
And either way, whether he had a business deal or competition in mind, Nina could enjoy an afternoon of sailing on a yacht that probably cost ten times as much as her childhood home.
Nina sent a quick text to Amanda, asking if she could come back for the day on Saturday. She felt a moment’s guilt at leaving her children on the weekend, a time she usually reserved for them, but shook it off. Dealing with Rashad would help her company survive, which would help her provide for the twins. Anyway, she wouldn’t be gone more than a few hours.
To Nina’s surprise, Amanda texted back right away, confirming that she’d be available to watch the kids. Nina thanked her before putting her phone away again and turning her gaze back to her laptop. Rashad’s handsome face grinned at her from the screen, looking self-assured and confident. Nina shook her head.
After a few more minutes of scrolling through articles about Rashad Al-Zayed, Nina closed her laptop and set it on her bedside table. Turning off the lights, she lay back and pulled the covers up. As she drifted off to sleep, an image of Rashad, leaning against the bar and looking at her as though he could see right through her, played in Nina’s mind. She’d need all her wits about her this weekend.