“I love that store!” Jasmine said. “I’ve drooled over the Swarovski ornaments. The whole Winter Market is so charming. It must be such a fun place to work.”
So, hating Christmas wasn’t a family trait, then? “Oh, it’s fantastic,” Ruby said. “Your girls are so adorable! I love their names… that’s Star and Light in Arabic, right?”
“It is!” Jasmine said. “Girls, say hello to Ruby Auntie.”
Ruby knelt to say hello to the little girls. They had the same wide eyes, but one had straight hair, and the other curls. Neither of them smiled or even said hello to Ruby.
“They’re shy,” Jasmine said. “Shall we make ourselves comfortable?”
Rashid didn’t object to Jasmine insisting he sit next to Ruby. He probably knew this was a setup, too. Ruby ended up between Reena and Rashid, with Jasmine on the other side of him. Jasmine and Rashid each had a twin on their lap, since there were only five chairs.
“I have chai!” Nadim said once they were all settled. He produced a large thermos and a few reusable cups from his bag. When he offered Ruby a cup, she declined, pointing at the latte in her hand.
“I assume that’s, like, a peppermint hot chocolate or something Christmassy,” Rashid said, with no accent other than grumpy Canadian. Why didn’t he sound like his sister? An accent would make him so much more palatable.
“Ooh, I love peppermint mochas,” Jasmine said. “Chai is great, too, though,” she smiled, taking a cup from Nadim. “Do you girls want a juice box? I have apple or orange.”
While Jasmine busied herself with her kids, Rashid leaned close to Ruby. She caught a scent on him—a spicy cologne. Not the new Le Labo. “So is that what it is? A peppermint mocha?”
Ruby bit her lip. That was bait, and she wasn’t going to take it. He wanted her to admit that she loved holiday drinks. “Actually, no. I’m not a fan of mint beverages.”
“If I know Ruby, it’s a gingerbread latte,” Reena said. So much for not taking the bait. Ruby sighed.
“So, Jasmine,” Ruby said, leaning over Rashid. “Nadim tells me you two met in London. How long ago did you live there?”
“Oh it feels likeagesago. I moved to Canada for medical school and stayed.” Her face fell a bit. She looked at her brother, who gave her a supportive little nod. “We visit, though. The girls love their nani and nana. Didn’t we have a fantastic trip the last time we were in London, girls?”
“It seems wonderful,” Ruby said. “I’m going to be in London next month. Girls, what is your favorite thing there? It will be my first time in the UK.”
The child on Jasmine’s lap—the one with straight hair—looked terrified that the strange big person was talking to her and buried her face in her mother’s chest. The other one—the one with the curls, said very quietly that she liked castles, but didn’t say anything else. Ruby knew that children came in all temperaments, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with being shy with strangers, so she didn’t push the kids. She smiled at Jasmine. “I’ll be sure to visit some castles.”
“When will you be visiting London?” Jasmine asked.
“My flight is January first, but I’m actually going there to live, not to visit. I’m hoping to run a business there eventually.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened. “Wow, and you’ve never been there before? That’s so brave.”
“It’s weird and impulsive, that’s what it is,” Rashid said. Ruby looked at him. He was, of course, frowning. “How can you move to a country you’ve never set foot in? Leave your family, your friends, and your job? Don’t you need a visa? Or are you just going to show up and hope you don’t get deported back to Canada?”
Well. That was super judgmental. Was this payback for her telling him she never wanted to see his grumpy face again?Ruby counted to three in her head before responding, putting on her smile. “As you’re aware, I work in a holiday store, so it won’t exist by the time I leave. I could go back to my previous job at Reid’s flagship store, but I haven’t been with the company very long, so I don’t have a lot of loyalty to them. And of course I have a visa… and I’ve already had several job offers from High Street boutiques, so it’s not like I’m showing up with no prospects. And I don’t have any close family who would miss me here.”
He blinked at Ruby a few times. She was impressed she was able to say all that without losing the pleasant lilt to her voice. But the longer he stared at her without speaking, the thicker the tension in their little group grew. Ruby fully intended to tell Rashid that if she could manage to be polite for one damn parade, then he could, too, but that’s when Ruby noticed the little tremble in Jasmine’s lower lip while her big eyes looked concerned.
“But never mind about me, have you seen the parade before, Jasmine?” Ruby asked.
Jasmine shook her head. “No, only on TV. The girls… I mean… We’re looking forward to it.”
They all talked about the parade and about holiday parades they’d seen in other cities. All except Rashid. Ruby didn’t understand why he’d agree to come to aChristmasparade, of all things.
When the parade finally started, Ruby couldn’t help but watch him as much as the floats, clowns, and marching bands. Rashid Hakim was such a puzzle. It didn’t take long for Ruby to solve one mystery about the man—why he’d come today.He was here for his sister and nieces. Jasmine seemed a little… fragile. She got flustered easily and even zoned out a few times with that little tremble on her lip. Rashid was so attentive and helpful with the girls, pointing things out to them in the parade and helping them with their snacks and juice boxes, which seemed to take some weight off Jasmine. He was such an involved, doting uncle to those cute little girls that it almost melted Ruby’s cold impression of him.
Almost… because Ruby was well aware that people were multifaceted, complicated beings, and being a good uncle and good brother didn’t mean he was a good person.
“So,” Nadim said during a long lull between floats. He was sitting on the other side of Reena and had Aleem on his chest now. “I’ll ask the question we’re all thinking. Why does Jasmine sound like she grew up in West London while Rashid sounds like he grew up in Edmonton?”
Rashid chuckled at that. “You’re close. I’ve lived in Calgary for almost fifteen years. I went to boarding school and then university in Vancouver before that. I did grow up in the UK, though.”
“How did you end up so far from home?” Ruby asked him. She wasn’t giving up on her goal to charm him, but his smile immediately disappeared.
