Beside her, Tom was deep in thought. “Barb thinks we’re dating because I didn’t tell her we’re not,” he said. He raised his hands in mock surrender at her outraged expression. “To be clear, I never called you my girlfriend. She just assumed, and I didn’t correct her. The reason for that is a bit more complicated.” Tom sighed and looked around the wooded area. Cooke Place appeared smaller behind them, though his eyes lingered on the guesthouse—his house, if he wanted it, Sameera thought.
“It sort of ties back to your other question about my dad. You’re right; there’s tension between us, and has been for a long time. Rob has made it clear over the years that he wanted a different type of son than the one he got.” The smile that accompanied this devastating remark was wry, and Sameera had to fight the urge to give him a hug. So, he had daddy issues—didn’t everyone? Well, not her, but that was because Naveed was amazing. Her mother, on the other hand ...
“Everyone has issues with their parents; it’s a cliché for a reason. I don’t get how pretending to have a girlfriend helps with that. Is Rob not happy to have us here?” she asked, a sudden thought occurring to her. “Does he not like Indians, Muslims, or immigrants, and you’re trying to make him mad—”
Tom shook his head, alarmed. “Nothing like that! I promise. It’s more like this relationship is a bit of an escape hatch for me.” Off her inquiring look, he explained. “My dad wants me to move back to Alaska and pick up the family mantle.” He winced at his choice of words. “I mean, family legacy means a lot to him, and he has this idea that his eldest son should live in Wolf Run, become the next mayor, run the family empire, and basically step into his shoes and do the same thing he’s been doing all his life. I don’t want any of that.”
“What about Cal?” Sameera asked.
“Cal is Barb’s son. As much as Rob loves him, he’s not a Cooke. Not really. Or at least, that’s how my dad sees things. Besides, Cal’s just a kid, and my dad is not a patient guy.”
“When my mom got in touch with Barb and invited herself over, your stepmother thought what, exactly?” Sameera asked.
Tom shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, but I can guess. When I told her I wanted to visit this year, she thought it was due to your influence, that maybe I was ready to settle down at last, and she got excited and invited your entire family here.”
“Barb sounds like a total aunty,” Sameera said, sighing, thinking of her own mother.
“She wants everyone to get along and isn’t above emotional manipulation,” Tom allowed. “She hates that I don’t visit more often. As for your last question, I don’t have any other siblings. My mom died when I was ten, but she was sick for a long time before that, and my dad wasn’t in the right headspace to think about getting married again for a long time.”
“I’m sorry,” Sameera said automatically. They had walked to a sort of clearing with a large hill to the right, with a slope cleared of trees.
“I used to go tobogganing here when I was a kid,” Tom said, indicating the hill. “Cal uses it now, or at least he used to. It’s been a long time since we hung out, and that’s my fault entirely. I’m sorry about all of this, about dragging you into my family issues.”
Something inside Sameera softened at Tom’s ready confession, at his willingness to be honest and vulnerable. Impulsively, she told him about her own brother. “Esa was a surprise baby. My mom was forty-two when she had him. He used to follow me and Nadiya around when he was a baby. When things got ... tough between me and my parents, I didn’t see Esa for over three years,” Sameera said. “When I got back in touch, it was like he was an entirely different person—more than a foot taller, his voice deeper, and he was really quiet, especially around me. I didn’t know him at all. And now he wants nothing to do with me.”
They stood in silence for a minute, and she thought about time—how quickly it ran, and how slowly it crawled, depending on where you stood in its current. “I won’t lie to your family about us,” she said quietly. “I’ve lied in the past to the people I care about, and it’s led only to trouble.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to,” he said. “This is my mess to sort out.”
She put a hand on his arm, and even through the layers of his heavy jacket and the warm sweater he had underneath, she could feel the firmness of his bicep, the warmth and strength of the real man beneath. “You came back here for a reason. Maybe you should spend some time thinking about why.”
They turned back to the house and made the journey back in silence. It was late, and Tom invited her inside. There was a new shyness between them now, an extra level of vulnerability. Sameera needed some time to examine her feelings and the information Tom had confided, and she demurred, explaining that she had to check on her family. She had been gone for nearly an hour. Who knew what mischief her parents and Esa had gotten into by now?
Besides, the samosas had not been entirely filling. She wondered if they could order a pizza delivered to Cooke Place.
Inside the guesthouse, she discovered that Barb had anticipated their hunger and delivered a picnic basket filled with snacks, along with a note:Enjoy and rest up, Malik family! We are so happy to have you here. Breakfast at the main house once it’s light out, before we start our holiday adventures!
The basket also included a few movies on DVD, and, looking at the flat-screen television, Sameera noticed a DVD player. Esa held up the discs and wrinkled his nose.
“Did we travel back in time to 2006?” he asked, and Sameera laughed.
“You haven’t lived until you’ve watched a film on disc,” she said.
“When Sameera and Nadiya were little, they would pile all their favorite movies on the floor and go through them one by one. Remember how much you liked those princess movies,meri jaan?” Naveed asked, using the Urdu endearment for “my life.”
Esa hooted. “Is Tom the Prince Charming you always dreamed of?”
Sameera rolled her eyes at her little brother. “You were obsessed withDora the ExplorerandCars, brat,” she said, and he laughed. This felt good, joking around with her little brother, chatting with her parents. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst, being stuck in the same space for a few days.
She pulled out the cheese, fruit, crackers, and bread from the basket, and Tahsin set about making a snack—grilled cheese sandwiches, grapes, and sparkling water to wash it all down. Barb had even included a few packets of microwave popcorn.
Naveed set the small table, and the four of them settled around with plates and glasses. Sameera had a vivid memory of eating dinner with her family when she was a teenager, Esa in his high chair, of shared meals and quiet conversation, of laughter, and later, tears. She blinked the memory back and took a bite of the grilled cheese. Her mom always knew how to make it the way she liked.
Afterward, Sameera retreated to her room with her laptop to work on some files, and her pitch for Andy, determined to make a dent. As she worked, she realized Tom hadn’t answered her question about Andy Shaikh’s ETA. She texted, asking once more, before turning back to her laptop. There was no guarantee that Andy would even agree to work with her firm, of course. All Tom had promised was access; she would have to impress him with her pitch, but right now, the best way to ensure she wouldn’t be freshening up her résumé in the new year was to keep working.
Tom texted her back:I hope things weren’t too weird this afternoon. Andy got back to me about his plans.
He had attached a video, and Sameera stared at a face that felt familiar to her by now, after all her hours of online research. The business tycoon was a handsome man, his skin a deep brown, eyes sparkling with energy and good humor. He was dressed in a hoodie and track pants, thick dark hair flopping as he jogged. “Tom, I’ve got a meeting in Hong Kong, but I’ll be at Cooke Place for Christmas! Love you, brother. Try not to get married before I land in Wolf Run. Can’t wait to meet your new friend and tell her every one of your embarrassing secrets, starting with how long it’s been since you last had a girlfriend!”
