At the airport she’d had nothing to lose as no one cared about her, but with Reza, the risk was real. This was too much. Patti was the adult here. She traced her sister’s arm. “I’m not… how do you sound like Mom?”

  Rose shrugged. “She was my mom too.”

  “I miss her.” How to end this conversation in a positive way?

  Rose nodded. “Me too.”

  Good. Patti hoped to transition their talk away from her relationship. “So, are you excited to go to Orlando? We’ll ride the merry-go-round together.”

  Her sister didn’t blink at all with those wide eyes. “I love fun, but you need to open up. For the past six months you’ve avoided anything that makes you uncomfortable and prefer to hide at home, not going out—and I think you were like that before I came to live with you, too. And with Reza, you’re still acting like a scared chicken instead of trusting your heart.”

  Out of the mouths of babes she’d heard said a million times… she now had a whole new level of respect for the saying. She rubbed the back of her head. “What do you mean?”

  Her sister then stared at her with those knowing blue eyes of hers as she said, “Reza’s a good guy, but you can’t hold back and just wait. He likes you but you’re still acting like Mom and Dad didn’t die. Mom worried that you were “shell-shocked from disappointment” and she expected a meltdown…so now it’s on me to help you, Patti. And while Sara is cool and sweet, I don’t want to get closer to her if we’re going to cut and run.”

  Rose had used her mom’s words there and even had her tone. She’d been twenty one when she’d been publicly humiliated. Her mother had pushed her to be on that show. Nothing could be worse than that moment where everyone had booed her.

  Patti stood, swallowing a hard lump in her throat. “Don’t be silly.”

  Rose jumped down after her. “Are you bringing your guitar?”

  “No.” Patti picked up her carry-on bag.

  Her sister shook her head. “Then you’re scared of being yourself.”

  “Stop saying that,” Patti answered fast and reached for the handle as she needed to stop hearing the echo of her mother’s words.

  Her sister shouted, “Then pack the guitar!”

  Patti’s adrenaline pumped through her body and she stormed out the door and into the hallway. “No!”

  Rose stomped her socked feet on the bare floor behind her as she said, “Then I’ll miss Sara when we leave.”

  They reached the living room, where Reza and Sara sat on the blue couch. Reza stood up, holding his niece. “What are you talking about?”

  Rose crossed her arms and glanced at Sara. “Patti, you’re scared of being humiliated, and you love Reza. You’re going to let that Leila woman’s stupid opinion ruin everything. I know you.”

  Patti’s entire face was hot. Had her sister really just blurted that? “Rose, you’re the child. I’m the adult in this relationship.”

  Reza carried Sara on his right hip and looked at the two of them with concern. “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. We’re coming.” Patti gave him her small bag that he reached for.

  Rose widened her stance like she’d argue more as she said, “My sister should bring her guitar on the plane.”

  Reza pointed toward the bedroom. “Not a problem. I’ll go and grab it.”

  Patti caught his wrist and held him there near the front door. “No. We don’t have to.”

  Rose continued like she was on a mission and nothing would stop her. “Then let her play something for you before we leave.”

  Stubborn. Her mother had always said Rose was stubborn. Until now, Patti hadn’t really understood. She tugged his arm gently toward the door. “We don’t have time.”

  “I’d love to hear you play.” He glanced at Rose.

  If she didn’t speak fast, her sister would command this moment too. Patti reached for the front door as she said, “No, let’s just go.”

  Rose pouted. “Play. Reza wants to hear you.”

  “No.” Patti handed her sister her shoes to put on. “Don’t push this, Rose.”

  Reza watched the two of them argue with interest, not judging their behavior that she could tell. He bounced Sara in his arm and said, “Whatever you both want. Sara and I are ready to go in the car, or the living room to listen.”

  “Let’s go to the car,” Patti insisted and handed him his shoes as well.

  Rose dashed down the hall for Patti’s guitar before returning and putting on her shoes. She mumbled to Patti, “You’re impossible.”

  The impossible one was her sister who’d obviously listened to their mother too much as she dragged the guitar behind her.

  Patti shook her head but took it from her sister and tossed it in the car with the luggage.

  The drive to the airport was a blur of mostly Reza talking to the girls, or the girls talking to each other. What had gotten into Rose?

  She entered the busy airport and checked into first class with Reza and the girls. Her coworkers didn’t show any sign of recognition.

  The entire flight was surreal and strange but she wasn’t too fazed until the driver dropped them off at an onsite hotel that she’d never experienced beyond the character breakfast.

  Reza held the door for the three of them as they scooted out. He said, “We’re here.”

  Her sister and Sara walked in front of them as they breezed into a hotel designed like a Victorian mansion. Reza asked, “What happened with you and Rose? She seemed mad at you.”

  Mad. Hmm. Maybe expressing her emotions was good. It was better than just pouting through the day and being miserable. “We’ll talk in the room.”

  “Okay, but tell me.” He directed them to the front desk, checking them in.

  Sara and Rose laughed, but Rose kept giving her a side-eye like she had more to argue about.

  Reza guided them through the hotel and up the stairs.

  The family three-bedroom suite was spacious, bright, and had a balcony that oversaw the wedding pavilion and the water as well as the park.

  It was a dream room she’d never stepped foot in, but that didn’t matter. She was here, with Reza, Rose and Sara.

  Reza put the bags down and announced, “Okay, we’re here.” He gave her a pointed look to let her know he wanted to hear what was going on.

  Rose and Sara stuck their noses in a guidebook as she said to Reza, “Rose… let’s go outside on the balcony so they don’t hear us.”

  “One minute.” He motioned toward the bar. “Thirsty?. You look like you could use a glass of wine—we’re on vacation.”

  Her heart stopped at his thoughtfulness. Maybe her sister was right. She was avoiding her feelings. She and Reza had major, major differences that she could overlook in a two-year temporary situation, but forever? How she felt for him changed everything. She lowered her crossed her arms to accept the glass of wine he offered. “I thought Muslims were so different than you are…and that women were treated worse. You’ve opened my eyes.”

  He shrugged and put the bottle away, taking a small glass for himself. “Let’s be honest—I’ve never met a woman who was okay with being treated like a doormat and I don’t know if I’d want to.”

  “So that’s just a myth the news puts out?” Her brow lifted and she sipped from her glass. She’d seen his prayer room or whatever that empty space was with a rug off the kitchen of his house that she quietly approved of as praying was a good habit.

  He gestured toward the balcony, the white wine luminous in his glass. Reza opened the door. “What’s with the news questions today?”

  She marched outside ready to face down her fears. Rose was right that she was hiding. She didn’t want to be a bad influence on anyone. She swallowed and met Reza’s gaze. He was such a good guy and deserved to be happy too. “I don’t know if you and I are a good idea, Reza.”

  His gaze sharpened as he closed the glass door behind him. “What changed?”

  He wanted her to be someone she wasn’t. Sure, he said she could just stay home, and not do anything, or follow her dreams with the piano and her guitar, but that wasn’t true. Reza wanted someone strong to be a partner and she wasn’t strong. She was the weakest person out there. They’d married on a bargain to help each other. They shouldn’t have changed the deal. The most important thing right now was to be strong for her sister. And for someone so small, Rose was wrong. She and Reza didn’t love each other. Even if Patti wished she was right, and her feelings weren’t real. Patti took off the gold ring and said, “I… I’m not the right girl for you. I’m going to rent a car and take Rose home.”

  “Because of the news?”

  “Because you’re seriously a great guy and practically perfect. I don’t know how to handle perfect. I should just go.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I can’t explain.” She put her wineglass down on the bistro table by the railing. “I have to go.”

  Her mind hummed loudly, but she couldn’t understand anything other than the pulsating in her veins and skin.

  Reza gave her a quizzical glance. “To that apartment with no windows.”

  “I have a few windows,” she argued defensively.

  It was time to stop pretending. She backed up. It was time to go inside and get Rose.

  He turned and faced her. “You want this to end now?”

  He didn’t need to sound incredulous. This wasn’t wrong. They didn’t love each other and this was supposed to be temporary. The past two days of happiness were a fluke, and the last thing she needed was to somehow hope for the impossible. She reached for the handle behind her. “We hardly know each other. I’ll find another job and once your paperwork for Sara goes through in two years, there is no need for us to be married.”

  He moved forward, closing the space between them as he said, “I didn’t bring you here for paperwork.”

  Her lips tingled and her body ached. Desire wasn’t enough and she knew better than to let that influence her. She gripped the handle like it was a life vest in the ocean. “Reza, can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you love being with me and that things will work out?”

  He backed up just an inch but it felt like a crater opened between them. “You know I can’t.”

  Being right hurt. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach and turned to go inside. “That’s what I thought.”

  He stepped back just a fraction but his footstep echoed as she opened the door and he said, “What’s this really about? You singing before we left?”

  Both girls stared at them. She smiled but it wobbled. This conversation needed to be between just them, so she returned to the balcony. Once she closed the door again, she said, “No. This is about us. We married to protect my sister and your niece, but my sister was right about one thing.”

  He widened his stance when he glanced down his regal nose. “What was that?”

  Maybe this didn’t matter in his culture but it mattered here. She’d been raised knowing that a woman was to marry for love, not a business deal.

  She swallowed and her hands wrapped around her waist. “That we’re supposed to marry because we love the person and want to be with that one person for the rest of our lives. I don’t want Rose to settle into a lie because it’s convenient.”

  Neither of them said a word. Her heart thumped in her ears. This was over now.

  She lowered her head but then Reza, still in disbelief, asked, “So you’re leaving when we just arrived?”

  There were buses that weren’t that expensive. She’d find one, get a new job and start over. She ignored how her eyes felt glassy as she said, “Yes. I’m sorry. We should go and you should definitely stay and bond with your niece. She needs to depend on you for the rest of her life.”

  Reza’s lips thinned. She’d clearly hurt him, but when he didn’t say anything else, she knew it was over. She went inside, picked up her bag, her guitar she never should have brought here, and her sister’s bag. She hugged Sara goodbye, which almost broke her heart, then led Rose out of the hotel suite.

  Her sister didn’t argue at all. They went into the hallway in total silence. But she’d made the right choice. She and Reza were too different to ever, ever fall in love or live happily-ever-after. She needed to remember this was just a temporary business arrangement that she’d ended early. She held her head high as they made their way to the lobby.

  Chapter 16

  Reza stayed out on the balcony overlooking the water and the pavilion. For some place that advertised itself as magical, he’d never felt so alone in his life.

  Even at his sister’s funeral, he’d been holding Sara tight—drawing strength from his promise to do right by her.

  He turned toward the hotel room and saw Sara sitting with her tablet. It was time to go in now.

  The image of Patti in his bed, from earlier today, surfaced in his mind fast.

  She’d kissed him like they belonged together, and he’d been under her spell entirely.

  But she was probably right. They were different. They had almost nothing in common. He believed in science and she didn’t even have faith in her own abilities to try again and again until you succeed. He’d watched the talent show video, and once she’d started singing, her voice had been amazing after that first crack of nerves. He’d heard her sing in the car. Admittedly, he had no idea how it felt to fail so publicly.

  Lack of confidence wasn’t a trait he’d been trained to fix. It wasn’t anything physical, but her kiss left him wishing that they’d found a way to get over their major differences.

  He closed the balcony door to keep the air conditioning inside and walked over to his niece. He sat beside her as she played some game with a cooking panda. She stopped stirring the virtual water and asked, “Where did Rose and Patti go?”

  His heart constricted in his chest. He couldn’t explain this to a four-year-old. He wasn’t sure how he’d even start. He cleared his throat. “Home.”

  She batted her long eyelashes at him that only accented her big, all-seeing brown eyes. “Why? We’re here now.”

  True. He needed to find the words, but the image of Patti as she tried her first black tea popped into his head. She’d been open and willing to try then and he had no idea what had happened to change anything. Hopefully these memories would fade soon but he changed the topic with Sara and said, “You’re speaking better.”

  She gave him a smile that melted his heart. “Rose is fun.”

  “Patti was fun too.” He stood, taking her pink tablet with him to the charger.

  Sara didn’t cry like she had last week at the same action, but instead she asked, “Why didn’t we go too?”

  Go? Patti didn’t want to be with him. There wasn’t much he could do to force her. He shrugged. “Because Patti wants to go back to her life before she met us.”

  Sara asked the question that made goosebumps grow on his arms. “How come?”

  He knelt down in front of her and hoped he could get out of this line of questions fast as he met her wide-eyed stare. “I don’t know but let’s try to enjoy the park.”

  She backed up and lifted her chin. “I want Rose.”

  He inched closer to her as he nodded. “I know you do sweetheart, but I can’t make them stay.”

  Her voice was high-pitched when she said, “But I want…”

  “Me too,” he said and stared at her feet, hoping she’d stop.

  The vibration from the silent ringer made his phone rattle on the nightstand. He straightened and looked at Sara one more time when he said, “My phone is ringing so let me see who it is. I’ll be ready in a few minutes to take you to whatever park you choose.”

  Sara didn’t move. She acted like she’d been hurt physically, though no one had touched her. He walked over to his phone, but his gaze never left Sara as he answered, “Hello?”

  Music buzzed in his ear, but then it turned down and he heard wind rattling. A moment later, he heard Leila when she said, “Reza, I forgot to add the esphand holder in the box.”

  That was a small trinket that didn’t matter. He’d lend whatever he could for the booth the cultural society ran—but he had no clue how to make Sara stop gazing at him like he’d ruined her life. “It’s okay, Leila.”

  He heard the beep of her blinker in her car as she said, “I’ll bring it to your house later today.”

  “No.” He hoped she wasn’t anywhere near his house. He then took a breath and said, “Don’t. I brought Sara to Orlando for the weekend.”

  The wind picked up again so Leila must have her windows down, but she asked, “Sara—what about Patti? Where is she?”

  Patti. Last night he’d introduced her to his friends because he’d hoped they were more than temporary. Clearly he’d been foolish to do that. He’d learn his lesson. Most especially because Sara still looked like she’d been struck and held him responsible. He tugged his ear and avoided her gaze. “She… we had a bit of a fight earlier.”

  Patti had clearly been jealous of Leila this morning when he’d come home from work. He hadn’t been used to answering questions and he replayed that conversation, hoping he’d missed something that would help fix the situation. Leila said, “Oh, that’s too bad. I wanted to invite her to a women’s event next week. Let her see some of our culture for herself.”

  The image of Patti learning Persian dancing floated in his mind, but then he shook it off and gazed at his niece, who had found her tablet again. He needed to stop her addiction to electronics. “I don’t think she’s interested right now.”

  “Oh,” Leila said. “Also, I wanted to apologize to her in person.”

  He walked closer to his niece, but then froze. Maybe he’d missed what had driven Patti away. “Apologize? For what?”

  Sara’s song from the video played louder, but he heard Leila’s every word clearly when she said, “I heard her playing her guitar and I was so focused on making my next sale, I insulted her music.”

  Insulted? Patti had been antsy about playing so he’d stopped pushing her. He’d wanted her to stay with him, music or no. He crossed his arms like he was diagnosing one of his patients’ cases in the hallways of the hospital and he needed more information from the nurse. “How?”