The Sheikh's Island (Sheikh's Wedding Bet Series Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

side.”
    His angry tone startled her, and she breathed in sharply. “I’m not here to take sides. You might be paying me, but the idea is to mediate a truce, not win a fight. It’s okay though. Many people have those feelings in the beginning. You’ll see the value of my services. Effort is the best indicator of interest.”
    Haris’ shoulder relaxed and he lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry, Wynifred. I didn’t mean to sound so angry. My cousin and I have been fighting for so long that I sometimes forget that we’re trying to resolve our issues. Please, forgive me. I know that you have to remain neutral.”
    She picked up her wine and sat back. It was clear to her that this was going to be a challenging issue. She often mediated romantic relationships and saved marriages from divorce. Sometimes she mediated divorce cases and in some cases, the couple split amicably and in other cases, the divorce proceedings were completely halted. There were jobs where she worked with companies to mediate between employees, and sometimes she mediated between neighbors. Love wasn’t always the driving factor, but the cases where love prevailed were the most successful.
    Family issues were no different. Although it was clear that Rameez and Haris were no longer close, she saw no reason why they couldn’t be. They were close enough in age to be good friends. They were both strong men who should have been supporting each other, not tearing each other apart. And most importantly, they are family. In some cultures, cousins are akin to brothers.
    “It’s okay. We’re going to fix it.”
    The waiter took their orders, and Wynifred pulled out her notebook to take notes as she questioned him. Although he answered some questions, he eventually sidestepped her other attempts to broach the subject, and she ate and drank in frustration. The conversation grew more intimate, and she struggled to keep things on track. The evening seemed more like a date than a meeting, but it had been so long since Wynifred had been on a date that she suspected she’d forgotten what a date even felt like.
    His attentions made her feel beautiful and appreciated, but her mind was on the goal. Her only job here was to get two cousins to mend a broken family.

3
    I t was late by the time Rameez left the Khalidizack palace, and he thought about going home, but he wanted to check on his mother. Knowing that she was probably asleep, he snuck in quietly.
    It didn’t matter. She wasn’t sleeping at all.
    “Mother,” he admonished gently when he found her staring out the kitchen window. “It’s past midnight. What are you doing out of bed?”
    Shifa jumped as if she’d never heard him enter. “Rameez! You should not be sneaking up on an old woman like that,” she scolded.
    “I didn’t announce myself because I thought you’d be asleep, but I’m not a ghost. You should have heard the door open,” Rameez said with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
    His mother gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and she shrugged. “The usual aches and pains.”
    Her eyes slid slightly to the left, and he knew immediately that she was lying to him. He almost pushed the issue, but there were bags under her eyes, and he could see the exhaustion written all over her face. “Go ahead and get in bed,” he said softly. “I’ll bring you some aspirin.”
    Reaching up gently to pat his cheek, she stretched up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek before leaving him. Rameez grabbed a glass and filled it with water before snagging a bottle of painkillers from the bathroom. By the time he’d joined her in her room, she was under the covers but still sitting up in bed.
    “You’re so sweet,” she whispered. “I quite liked your lovely young lady today.”
    Rameez scowled as he handed her the glass and bottle of aspirin. “She’s not my young lady. Right now, she’s nothing more than a thorn in my side.”
    Shifa swallowed the pills and narrowed her eyes.