“I heard that rumor,” he said. “I reached out to the PI who works for us on retainer at my law firm and asked him to look into it.”
“And?” Hena’s pulse quickened.
“He traced everything, but the security cameras didn’t clock anyone in the area matching Nasir’s description. No phone pings detected either. Makes me think Milcheck is full of it. Something about him doesn’t sit right with me.”
Of course there wasn’t a phone ping. Of course Kiran didn’t see Nasir strolling the streets of Las Olas. Hena felt stupid for even entertaining the thought.
The wedding planner interrupted their conversation. It was time for wedding photos.
Hena searched for Reza, but he was gone. As the groomsmen gathered around Khaled, Hena pulled out her phone.
Where are you? They’re taking wedding photos.
Three dots appeared. Then—
Went to my room to lie down. I’m feeling under the weather.
Under the weather? Hena had just seen him. He was fine.
After the photos, her aunt walked over to her.
“Your mother wants to rest,” she told Hena. “Do you mind taking her, and I will switch with you once I’m done here?”
“Of course.”
“Where did your beau go?”
“My—”
“Reza, right?”
Heat crawled up Hena’s neck. “Khala, we’re just…”
“Friends? Uh-huh.” Khala eyed Hena. “You can pretend with others if you’d like, but not me.”
The truth was, Hena was a little confused about the status of Reza and herself at the moment. That night on the boat. Her room the next morning. Those moments were so tender. So real. But since then, his evasive behavior…how it felt like he was dodging her…she didn’t want to go there, but she was starting to wonder if maybe their moments together had just led to a hookup and nothing more.
“Reza is nice,” she said. “But there’s nothing to tell, at least not yet.”
“And Haris?” Khala tilted her head. “He’s a nice boy too.”
“Khala!” She flushed.
“I saw Haris and Reza yesterday. Haris was a bit combative, wasn’t he?”
Her aunt had noticed?
“You know how people get about newcomers here,” Hena said.
“That’s not what it was,” Khala said.
“What do you think it was?”
“Iknowwhat it was. Jealousy.” She gave her a sly look. “You can’t blame the boy. It can affect the best of us.”
Hena fidgeted. Haris wasn’t jealous, he was protective. People were always looking for stories where there weren’t any. Even well-meaning people like Khala Simki.
Hena approached her mother, who frowned.
