The Dating Plan(95)

There was too much to say, and this wasn’t the place for a heartfelt talk, especially after he’d just been set up for an interrogation by ambush. Maybe if he appealed to her logical side. “I like to finish what I start. Seeing a plan through to the end, even a dating plan, is just good business.”

“Business?” She glared at him. “You think this is business? I love you, Liam. That’s not business. That has to do with my heart. And you broke it. Again.”

She loved him. She loved him still.

“We’re all ready.” Mr. Patel waved them into the living room and gestured Liam to one of the kitchen chairs that had been placed in the center of the room.

Liam’s mouth went dry as he took in the overwhelming number of people crammed into the small space. The furniture had been pushed against the walls, and it was standing room only for all but the elderly.

“He’s very pale,” someone said when he settled in his seat. “Maybe he’s hungry.”

Taara pushed her way forward and handed Liam a plastic container and a fork, a smile on her face. “This one is new, but I made your favorite. Five containers. I put them in the fridge.”

Mehar groaned. “What are you doing, Taara? We need him alive to answer questions.”

“Why are you always making fun of my food?” Taara blocked Mehar from snatching the container out of Liam’s hand. “It’s my new fusion dish, spaghetti fish pickle masala oat surprise. My boys loved it.”

“I thought one of them had to go to the hospital to get his stomach pumped.”

“It was a virus.” Taara patted Liam’s arm. “And Liam likes my food. We saw him and Daisy at the hockey game, and he ate a whole container of Shark Stew.”

A murmur of awe whispered through the crowd.

“He also ate an entire dish of extra hot pork vindaloo at the restaurant.” Amina gave Liam a shy smile. “He finished every bite.”

Nods. Smiles. So far so good. He could always kill it when it came to food.

A lean man in a blue pullover cleared his throat. “I heard you were Sanjay’s friend. Are you a doctor, too?”

“I’m in venture capital.”

“Business.” The man sniffed, and Liam’s confidence slipped a few notches. No. He wasn’t going down that road again. He’d worked hard to pull himself out of the hole he’d dug in high school, and he was proud of his accomplishments. Daisy loved him even though he was just a businessman.

“What about a house?” An elderly man asked. “Do you own a house?”

“No, I rent.”

“Renter?” The man looked at Salena, standing beside him. “No house. Where will the children live?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want children.” Salena cocked her head to the side. “Do you want children?”

Liam had never thought about children, but as he sat in the midst of Daisy’s warm, loving family, he realized he desperately wanted a family of his own. “Yes. Very much.”

“Very good.” The elderly man smiled, and hope swelled in Liam’s chest. Daisy should have warned him that meeting her family would be an emotional roller coaster ride.

“What about a car?” A boy of around fourteen shouted to be heard. “What do you drive?”

“I had a motorcycle . . .” His breath caught, and suddenly he was back on the road, the truck bearing down on him and nowhere to go. His pulse kicked up a notch. Sweat beaded on his brow.

“Liam?” Daisy knelt by his side, her face creased with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” He shook himself, pushed the memory away. He’d been so busy blaming himself he clearly hadn’t fully processed the trauma, and this wasn’t the time. “Any other questions?”

Wrong thing to say. The questions flew thick and fast.

Liam shared his views on politics and religion, his passing familiarity with baseball, and his predictions for the Stanley Cup. He was lauded for visiting Daisy at the vet clinic, buying an expensive sherwani from Nira’s store—he didn’t even haggle!—and for sitting outside Daisy’s hospital room for three whole days. But he was also grilled on his ten-year absence from the city, his lack of college education, and his distant family.

Finally, they were allowed to eat. Daisy laughed when she saw his plate. “You’ll get brownie points for having a good appetite.”

“I’m trying to drown my sorrows in food. I kept hearing Roshan’s name every time I turned around. I’m not sure if that means I failed the test.”

“He’s your competition and every desi father’s dream.” She scooped some butter chicken with a piece of naan. “They gave him the two thumbs-up of approval.”

Liam felt a stab of jealousy at the thought that a man, pre-vetted by the family, was waiting in the wings to snatch Daisy away. No doubt, he had an acceptable degree, a house and car, and all the things a family could want in a husband for Daisy.

But Roshan didn’t love her.

And she didn’t love him.

“Why are you here?” She asked after they’d finished their meal. “I thought you were moving back to New York. What about the partnership?” She fiddled with the belt around her waist, the soft gray tassels flicking through her fingers.