The Dating Plan(99)
He heard a bark and saw Max playing fetch with an elderly woman in the adjacent yard. He walked over and introduced himself as Daisy’s friend, then crouched down to give Max a pat.
“Any idea what’s going on next door?” he asked the neighbor. “Looks like they’re having a party.”
“I think it’s the wedding.” She smiled down at him. “Nadal was so excited. He was swinging Daisy around and they were dancing on the driveway. She looked so beautiful in her dress. Poor Max wanted to go with them, but they don’t allow animals at the Golden Gate Club.”
Fear slid icy fingers down his spine. Was he too late? Had they picked Roshan?
Thunder boomed overhead and the sky darkened, the sliver of sunlight disappearing beneath the rolling clouds.
Hand shaking, he pulled out his phone and texted Daisy. Maybe her neighbor was mistaken. Maybe there was another explanation. How could his plan go so wrong?
Max stood on his hind legs and pawed at Liam’s chest, tail wagging, furry face nuzzling until Liam stood and lifted him into his arms. Max licked his face and Liam’s tension eased.
He won’t know that Max is a very special dog.
“He sure likes you,” Daisy’s neighbor said. “He’s not usually that friendly with strangers.”
“I’m not a stranger.”
He doesn’t know her. Not the way I do.
Daisy loved him. She was his humraaz, the light in his soul. There was no way she would marry Roshan.
He gave Max one last cuddle. And then he got on his bike to find his queen.
* * *
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AS expected, Mehar Auntie had hogged the dance floor at Daisy’s father’s sangeet.
“I can’t believe her.” Layla crossed her arms and glared at Mehar Auntie as she tore up the dance floor at the Golden Gate Club with an overly rehearsed version of “Galla Goodiyaan.” “It’s supposed to be a family dance. She should have saved her solo performance for something like ‘Tamma Tamma Again.’”
“We could join her,” Daisy suggested as she loaded her plate from the buffet. “Once we start dancing, everyone else will come.”
“But then she won’t speak to us for weeks. How will you run the dance class with her?” Layla’s brow creased in a frown. “I’ll tell you right now, she better not do that at my wedding. I want everyone on the dance floor.”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan. You’ve given me lots of time to prepare. Unlike my dad.” Her father was smiling and clapping his hands, oblivious to the amount of stress he’d caused Daisy by deciding to have a quickie wedding. Even with Salena Auntie’s contacts and the entire family pulling together, she’d struggled to get everything organized in time. But that was her dad. Even his wedding had to be extreme.
“Where’s Liam?” Layla added a samosa to her plate. “Sam wanted to compare sword sizes with him. After he found out Deepa had given Liam a bigger sword, he went to trade his in. At this rate, there won’t be room for me beside him at the wedding.”
“I didn’t invite him.” She scraped her teeth over her lip and looked down. “Sanjay is coming and I didn’t want to ambush him and possibly cause a scene when this is supposed to be a celebration. I thought it might be better to wait until after the party so I can break the news gently. He never talked about how he felt about Liam leaving, but I’m sure he was just as devastated as Dad and me.” She still felt guilty about ghosting Liam for the last two days, but how could she explain she was organizing a party to which he wasn’t invited when, for all intents and purposes, he was her fiancé?
Layla shot her a curious look. “So does that mean your dad gave his approval? I hope so, because all the aunties and uncles loved him, and after he saved your life, I definitely hate him a little less.”
“He said he wanted to talk to Sanjay first.” She checked her watch. “He should be here any minute. He’d made arrangements to take leave when he heard about my accident, and then Dad and Priya announced their engagement, so it was perfect timing.”
After they finished their plates, they headed to the bar and Daisy introduced Layla to her new favorite drink, a pink lemonade martini. Rainey had made it for her as a postcoital refreshment at the Rose & Thorn.
“I see nothing has changed,” a deep voice said behind them. “The two of you are still stuck together at the hip and gossiping like aunties.”
Daisy whirled around, her eyes widening when she saw her brother standing behind them. “Sanjay!” She threw her arms around him. “I was getting worried you wouldn’t make it.”
Tall and lean, with wide cheekbones in a sculpted face, his shoulders slightly stooped like their father, and his dark eyes streaked with gold like their mother, Sanjay was a perfect mix of their parents both in temperament and form.
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He released Daisy and gave Layla a quick hug. “Congrats on your engagement, cousin. I heard you’re marrying a doctor. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“He took some getting used to,” Daisy murmured. “But now that he’s part of the family, he’s mellowed.”
Sanjay ordered a beer and they moved to a quieter corner to chat about his posting in Somalia and his plans to stay in the city for the next eight months to do a fellowship in emergency medicine. “It’s like I haven’t been away.” He laughed as he checked out the room. “Mehar Auntie is up to her old tricks, Hari Uncle is already drunk, the kids are running wild, and the rishta aunties are trying to set people up like it’s a game.” He gave Daisy a nudge. “I’m surprised they aren’t over here with someone for you.”