“I mean, yeah, it is. Emerald is technically a subsidiary of HNS. If Dad can’t work anymore because he’s sick, or even if he retires, then Emerald and its clients will just fold into HNS.”
“You wouldn’t be out of a job, though. You could work at HNS, too.”
“I know. Rohan offered me a job there earlier this week. But I love Emerald. I worked at HNS before and I hated it. There is too much…testosterone there. A whole office full of suits who don’t believe a girl wearing mascara could possibly understand complex tax deductions.” She smiled as she noticed two puppies had fallen asleep in front of her.
“I’ve always thought you were the most unlikely accountant around, but I know you are dedicated. You’re good at your job.”
“Thanks.” She watched Potato sleep for a while before asking a question that had been bugging her since last night. “Asha, do you think Rohanisinto Jana?”
“Dunno. Did he say he was into her?”
“No. But he was at her house before he came over for movie night.”
“So? Holy crap, doyouhave a thing for Rohan?”
“No, oh my god, no. It’s just…Tim said Rohan and Jana are both, you know, fancy.”
“But I’m pretty sure you’re fancy enough for Rohan Nasser.”
“I’m the wrong kind of fancy for him. And I’m not talking about me here.”
“Are you sure?”
Potato did a little twitch in his sleep. Thiswasbetter than any therapy. “Fine,” she finally said. “I admit it. Rohan and I are getting closer these days.As friends. With you married…I can’t risk losing his friendship, especially to Jana Suleiman. I like teasing him, and I like it when he teases me.” Most of the time. Last night, however, his teasing crossed a line. This morning, too. And the only thing different was Jana was now in town. She frowned.
“You won’t lose him, Kamila. And I’m still your friend, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, you are. But unlike Nicole, Jana doesn’t like me. Rohan with Jana means the end of my friendship with him. She’d totally sour him to me.”
Asha tilted her head. “Kamila, that wouldn’t happen. Rohan is better than that. And who knows? Maybe Ms. Perfect will chill a bit once she’s been here longer. Maybe you two will be friends.”
“I doubt that. It’s not only her insufferable smugness…I have other nonpetty reasons for disliking her.” Kamila told Asha the story of Bronx Bennet and his popular backseat.
“Holy crap,Bronx Bennet? Tell me that wasn’t his real name.”
Kamila giggled. It had been a while since she’d considered how ridiculous her high school hookup’s given name was. “It was. He really had no choice but to be a bad boy or a country music star with that name. I didn’t care too much about losing Bronx—dude was white and wore an om necklace and smelled like incense. But there’s more…” She told Asha about Mom giving Jana Kamila’s grad party.
“Holy shit, she just let your mother give her your party when sheknewshe was the one in the car? That’s low…I don’t think I like Jana Suleiman, either.”
Potato squirmed a bit, so Kamila gently rocked him until he was calm again. “I didn’t want a grad party, anyway.”
“I thought you’d dropped out of university?” Asha asked.
“This was before that. The party was supposed to be myhigh schoolgraduation party. I dropped out of university two years later when I was twenty.” And then she’d re-enrolled after Mom died a year later.
“I’m sorry about your mother,” Asha continued. “I knew she wasn’t great to you. I don’t think I realized it was that bad.”
Kamila shrugged. She really didn’t want to talk about her mother right now.
She absently rubbed Potato’s soft puppy fur. “The past is the past. I just don’t want things to changenow. Jana was more than willing to throw me under the bus back then, and I have no doubt she’d do it again. If doing this incubator thing is the way to keep Rohan away from Jana Suleiman, then I think it’s a worthy cause.”
“Helping refugees and newcomers is already a worthy cause.”
“Yep. That too.”
Asha laughed. “Well, I have to say, this is a new one. I’ve known you for years, Kamila. You’ve been constantly matchmaking for your friends. And now? Match-breaking. Isn’t that against some sort of matchmaking oath?”
“I’m not breaking anything. I’m match-preventing.”
