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Her father smiled. “Dev Luthra’s father and his uncle were friends of mine. His father passed away a few years ago, but his uncle and I remain close.”
“Uncle?” Vihaan quizzed. He ran a finger across her palm and Tiya had to suppress a delicious shiver before focusing on the conversation. “Pritam Luthra didn’t have any brothers, if I remember correctly.”
“He didn’t. Raj is Dev’s maternal uncle. He lives in the US now. I remember Dev and you all were friends at one time,” her dad said.
“We were…at one time. Not anymore,” Vihaan replied stiffly. He turned to Tiya, finally noting that her hand was in his. His brow marred before he released her. “How was your trip?”
His change of subject was sudden. Considering the animosity she’d felt coming off him in waves when he’d locked eyes with Dev at that party last weekend, she quite understood his hesitation to talk more on this topic.
Tiya smiled at him. “Work was hectic. After a long time, I was dealing with a bridezilla. She was really the devil incarnate. She made me redo her makeup twice for each event and don’t even get me started on the hair. She didn’t like any look I gave her despite her choosing it in the first place.”
“It must’ve been awful,” Vihaan remarked.
“It was. But, I just made her pay double for every redo.”
“And she agreed?”
Tiya grinned. “I have a signed contract that states she has to.”
Vihaan’s eyes rounded. “You make your clients sign contracts? Is that an industry norm?”
“It isn’t. But you forget I have Myra for my best friend. She’s forced me to do this, and I’m so grateful for her legal help. She’s brilliant.”
“She is,” Vihaan agreed.
“I just wish you’d have taken up a better profession,” her dad complained. “Then you wouldn’t have to put up with this egoistic bullshit from these women you work for. You are far richer than many of them and yet you have to deal with all this.”
“I can handle it, dad,” Tiya declared. “It’s part of the job.”
“I wish I’d read the signs early,” her mom grumbled. “If I’d realized sooner that you’d choose makeup as your profession then I would have steered you far away from it.”
Tiya released a slow breath, annoyed with the direction this conversation was taking.
“Do you know, Vihaan,” her mother began, “when Tiya was five, she used to steal makeup from my purse and try it on herself? I’ve caught her using my lipstick and eyeliner on herself and her dolls.”
“That’s so cute,” Vihaan commented. “Tell me more about her.”
Her mom welcomed that with a beaming smile as she began to relate naughty incidents from Tiya’s childhood—and well, there were plenty—and soon Vihaan was laughing with her parents as they related more of her juvenile escapades.
“Enough, please,” Tiya finally said. “I can’t bear this embarrassing walk down memory lane anymore.”
“You were cute as a child, sweetheart,” Vihaan said.
“Of course, you’d say that. Why don’t you tell us about your childhood then?”
Vihaan pressed his mouth closed. She glared at him.
“Tiya has always been such a people’s person,” her mom continued. “I wish she’d done HR or something. She would have shone there.”
“I agree,” her dad concurred. “She could have headed HR inSood Cement. Alas, that wasn’t what she wanted.”
“I believe Tiya is brilliant at her job,” Vihaan said. “I’m sure that must make you proud.”
His smooth way of turning the conversation in her favor made her chest clench in delight. She liked the fact that he was in her corner.
“Of course, she’s brilliant,” her dad accepted. “She’s my daughter. And we are proud of her. We just wanted different things for her. But we’ve raised a good girl.”
“Yes, we have,” her mother added. “Do you know she gives free haircuts to the children at an orphanage I support? If I’m not mistaken, you’re doing the camp soon right, Tiya?”
