“I’ll keep you posted,” she told him. It was refreshing talking to someone unfamiliar with her baggage. “How are you connected to the groom?”
“I was Khaled’s RA his freshman year. We only overlapped a year, but we kept in touch. His taste in nineties music is questionable, but otherwise he’s a great guy.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“The timing for this wedding was perfect. I caught my flight right before an ice storm hit Chicago. Floridians are not meant to live in frigid temps.”
“You’re a Florida boy?”
“Orlando, born and raised.” He nodded. “I work for a security firm out there. It’s great living on Lake Michigan in the summer, but not so much this time of year.”
As the line limped forward, he asked what she did for a living, and she told him she was an interior designer. She helped her clients choose the right paint color for their homespas and indoor theaters and sourced the perfect teak table to go with the century-old Persian rug in their library.
“Do you ever do out-of-town consultations?” he asked.
“You interested?”
“I might be.”
A smile played on his lips, and there went her butterflies again, fluttering full steam ahead. They finally made it through the line. Holding her dinner plate, she scanned the crowd. Lulu was with her fiancé and his family. There wasn’t a single table Hena felt comfortable joining. A familiar feeling washed over her—loneliness, despite being surrounded by people.
“Join me?” Reza asked. He pointed to a quiet table tucked in the corner.
“Feeling sorry for me?”
“More like I want to keep talking to the prettiest girl in the room.”
Shameless flirt. She pushed back a smile at his brazenness. Why not? This would be a long week; she might as well make an ally in this sea of side-eyeing aunties.
He set his plate down and promised to be right back before striding toward the bar to get them drinks. Sitting down, she took a bite of biryani and closed her eyes. All right,thisshe had missed. South Florida eats couldn’t be beat.
Just then, a voice cut through the din.
“All I’m saying is, her being here highlights the family’s poor judgment in allowing this marriage to happen in the first place.”
Hena’s eyes flew open. A group of aunties were huddled in a darkened corner of the room, not far from her. She recognized them—including Auntie Nipa, Haris’s mother, and of course Auntie Hanifa, the leader of the pack.
“Come now.” Auntie Hanifa waved a hand dismissively. “How do you turn down the chance to be in bed with the wealthiest family in town? Who wouldn’t want to hitch their star to one of those wagons?”
“Money is good and well, but how did wealth work out for the men in their lives?” Haris’s mother set her hands on her hips. “Look at their father. Missing. Nasir. Missing. And by missing, we know what that really means.”
“Latif died in a boating accident,” said Auntie Gudi.
“So they claim. They found the boat, but did they ever find the body? Exactly. We all know they own the police,” Auntie Hanifa said. “Besides, how do you explain Nasir? They couldn’t even be bothered to make up a story with him.”
“Meanwhile, Hena runs off to California. Couldn’t get away fast enough,” Auntie Usmana chimed in. “You know she’s having an affair with a married man? That’s what I heard, anyway.”
“Is that right? I’d heard it was a married woman,” Auntie Hanifa replied.
Hena suppressed an eye roll. Lulu had said to let her know if anyone was whispering about Hena at this event, but if she were to round up everyone, this would be an empty wedding hall. Besides, she’d heard versions of this all before. She had turned her attention back to her meal when Auntie Hanifa landed the knockout punch.
“She fell pregnant. That’s what I heard. Didn’t want to keep the baby, so she wanted to flee to California. Easier laws there to take care of that sort of thing. Nasir wouldn’t dream of it. He put his foot down, and then, well, I suppose he became inconvenient.”
Her mouth parted. This one was new. Completely false—but new. She looked over. They were watching her. They’d made sure she heard. They wanted to see how she’d react.
She kept her expression impassive as she stood up. They could say whatever they wanted, but she was done listening.
“Leaving already?” Reza was back with drinks in hand.