Accidentally Engaged(22)

Damnit. So much for brushing her sister off. Saira was looking altogether too chipper for nine a.m. on a Saturday, and was carrying a large plastic container.

“I’m on my way to work,” she said, dropping the container on the kitchen counter. She approached and put her hand on Reena’s forehead. “You said you had the flu.”

“I had a cold. I’m feeling better.”

Saira raised one brow, looking at the ingredients laid out on the counter, eyeing the jar of yeast especially. “What are you making?”

“Challah bread.”

She picked up the jar of instant yeast. “You know, long-fermented breads are much better for you. I read an article about the molecular changes wheat flour undergoes during sourdough fermentation.”

Now Saira approved of Reena’s starters? “You didn’t seem to like sourdough when you threw Bob out the window.”

“I apologized for that. And you made new ones. No harm done.” Saira smiled, white teeth gleaming under the kitchen lights.

Saira honestly looked amazing these days. A few inches taller than Reena, she had brown skin a shade lighter, and brown hair a shade darker. She’d been a cute, chubby child and continued to carry more weight in her teens, but her healthy-living kick and career as a dietician left Saira strong with toned muscles. After Joran’s cheating, though, Saira had started to lose weight rapidly. Lately, she seemed to be more into healthy balance than depriving herself. And she looked so much better now that she was back to herself.

Saira opened the container she had deposited on the counter. An overwhelming scent of black pepper wafted over. “I woke up early to make you bone broth in the pressure cooker. This is like super-food when you have a cold. Do you know how many minerals and nutrients are in bones? The broth is rich in amino acids, and all that collagen will do wonders for your skin. I put extra black pepper to help loosen all the phlegm in your throat.”

“You cooked. For me?” Reena was skeptical. Was this to weaken her resolve over the eggplant dip?

But Saira just smiled. “Don’t put it in the microwave. The radiation will zap out all the antioxidants. A gentle heat on the stove is good. This is still warm, but the natural gelatin might thicken it when it’s cold. Do you know how good that gelatin is for your joints? It’s never too early to start preventing arthritis.” Saira patted Reena’s shoulder before plopping herself on a dining chair. “I have a few minutes before I need to leave for work. What’s new, sis?”

Reena raised a brow. Was Saira expecting…small talk?

“Um, nothing interesting. You know, same old. What’s going on with you?” This was weird.

“Things are great. Ashraf and I are thinking of going south for Christmas. You should come.”

“Well, I probably have to work…you—”

“Oh, you’ll love this, I heard the best news from Rish yesterday,” Saira said, grinning. Ashraf’s sister Rish was the apparent town crier when it came to gossip within their community. “Get this—Jasmine Shah was just abandoned in Egypt by her fiancé. She had to get an emergency visa to get out and everything.”

Reena cringed. Though she didn’t know her personally, Jasmine Shah was the daughter of her father’s former classmate. The Shahs were her parents’ favorite family to dig up dirt on. And although Reena tried to stay out of it, judging them was a longtime family pastime. “Holy crap. Did you tell Dad?”

“Yeah, Dad’s schadenfreude was pretty epic. And speaking of schadenfreude, did you hear—”

“Saira wait—is that why you came over? To gossip?”

“No, I came to bring you soup. But”—she checked the time on her phone—“I should go. I need to bring Ashraf his lunch before my shift.” She got up and headed toward the door. “Feel better, sis!”

She left. Reena stood blinking at the closed door for a few seconds. What the hell was that? Since when did Saira make hot soup for anyone?

Shaking her head at the strange visit, Reena went back to her counter and started combining ingredients for the challah.

This was a good idea. Mixing the soft, almost silky dough managed to feel both comforting and cathartic. She took out her frustrations, squishing the pale-yellow blob around the enormous bowl. But the dough was still a loose, shaggy mess when another knock on her door interrupted her Zen-like kneading.

Now what? Maybe Mum with her favorite cold remedy, haldi jo dudh? God, she hoped not. One Manji visitor a day was more than enough.

She carefully turned the doorknob with her elbows, a talent she had long ago perfected, since she usually had her hands deep in some cooking project or another.

Thankfully, it wasn’t family, but Nadim at her door. Maybe. Or…was that Nadim? She tilted her head. Yes, definitely her neighbor, but again, he looked different. Eyes and nose back to normal after last night’s weeping clown look. But…clean-shaven? And hair trimmed close enough to his scalp that she half expected him to tell her he joined the Marines after she saw him last night.

Did Canada have Marines? Could Tanzanians join?

“What happened to your hair?” she asked in lieu of a greeting.

He ran his hand through the short strands, as if he’d forgotten about it. “Oh. Uh, I cut it this morning.” He took a deep breath. “Reena, we need to talk. Can I come in?”