The Sheikh's Kidnapped Bride (The Sharqi Sheikhs Series Book 3) by Leslie North

Carolyn and told her, “I want you gone within the hour. Ahmed will fly you home.”
    Without another word to either of them, he stalked from the room, leaving Ahmed looking after him with pity in his eyes, and Carolyn watching him as a part of her heart broke for the man who would never know love because he didn’t love himself.
     

Chapter 15
     
    Two months later…
     
    Carolyn picked up the dirty dishes and then smiled at the young family that had wandered into the diner some twenty minutes earlier. “Enjoy your evening.”
    “Thanks.”
    She dropped the dirty dishes off and then joined Kerri in the small waitress alcove, wiping the sweat from her neck and leaning against the counter.
    “I can’t believe this is your last shift here,” Kerri told her.
    “It’s time. I’m finally going to be able to take full-time classes next semester and graduate.”
    “How’s your dad doing?” Kerri asked, having learned all about the gambling debts and Carolyn’s attempt to pay off the debts herself once she returned from Al-Sarid.
    That had been two months ago, and Carolyn had returned a much different person. Stronger and more determined than ever to break free from her past. Salvatore had, as Mahil predicted, tried to extort additional funds from her, but Carolyn had recorded their last meeting on her phone and threatened to turn the recording over to the special prosecutor if Salvatore ever bothered her again.
    When her father had amassed more gambling debt a few weeks earlier, she’d withdrawn a thousand dollars from her savings account, given it to him and told him she never wanted to hear from him again. She’d cancelled her cell phone, moved to a new apartment, and changed her mailing address. Leaving her employment at Ken’s Diner was simply the last step in breaking free from her old life.
    She’d returned from Al-Sarid and been fascinated by the necklace Mahil had bought for her in the sanctuary gift shop. After doing some research, she’d found a high demand for similar jewelry and tried her own hand at making the necklace and bracelets.  She’d taken samples around to some of the city’s more posh boutiques and instantly seen success.
    Over the last few weeks, she’d started bringing in enough revenue from their sales that she’d been able to quit all of her jobs. Her life was finally starting to come together, the only cloud was the fact that she hadn’t heard from Mahil since her return home.
    She’d hoped that he would realize he truly didn’t have anything to feel guilty about and come seeking her out. Ahmed had expressed his desire for the same thing, but so far, Mahil had not returned to the States.
    “Well, I’m going to miss you. So, what’s next for your jewelry business?”
    “I don’t know. One of the boutiques was inquiring about some Middle Eastern accent pieces and I’ve been seeing advertisements for an auction happening later this afternoon.”
    “Are you going to check it out?” Kerri asked.
    “I think I might. The advertisements said some of the pieces were rare and antique. Maybe if I pick up a few things I could find similar items to recreate their look.”
    “That’s a great idea. I wish Ryan didn’t have parent teacher conferences tonight, or I’d offer to go with you.”
    Carolyn smiled at her, “That’s okay. I haven’t really decided if I’m going to go or not. I’ll see how tired I am at the end of my shift.” She broke off talking when Ken walked over to join them.
    “Carolyn, I need to see you for a moment.” He looked at Kerri and she excused herself.
    Carolyn was prepared for him to try to convince her to stick around, but that wasn’t what he wanted at all. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a check, “This is yours.”
    “What?” Carolyn asked him in confusion. She unfolded the check and then her eyebrows went up, “What is this?”
    “It’s a check for two thousand and forty-eight dollars. I figure that’s the amount of tips I