“Can I ask you something?” he said to Raj.
She raised a brow. “If you’re done being pissy.”
“What? I was not being pissy.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she said, watching her phone. “You know, I’m only coming along because I feel a sense of obligation. My company started this project for Bharat, and even though RKH was removed, I follow through. You could be a little more grateful about it. I don’t have to be here.”
“Okay, fine. I was being pissy.” He didn’t have to tell her that he was actually pissy about the way things were between them, and not about the phone call she’d received from one of his employees. “Sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” she said.
“Great. I need your input.”
She sighed, which only made him grin.
“What is it?”
“Let’s say Bharat is hemorrhaging because of this mole who is selling our trade secrets. Hypothetically.”
“Right. Hypothetically.”
“We addressed Sahar, thanks to your company, but now we learn that we haven’t found the actual culprit. Other than fire Sri, what would you do?”
Raj put her phone aside. “You can’t really get anything accomplished if you don’t fire the people who are making bad calls. If you don’t fire Sri, nothing else you do will be of any value. Why are you so adamant about keeping Sri in the first place?”
Ajay rolled his shoulders, hating to admit how much he’d been at fault from the beginning with his head of security. “Because Sri was my first big hire at Bharat. When I started working as COO, I wanted a security department, so I personally handled the staffing. It was a big job to get that team set up. My father trusted me completely to do it right.”
Raj shrugged. “So? You made a call that at the time you felt was right. People change. Circumstances change. You can’t blame yourself if Sri didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped. Look at me. I hired my husband, and I never thought he’d screw me.”
Ajay grinned, took her hands, and dropped kisses in the centers of her palms. “What you’re saying is that it’s not me.”
“Are any of your other businesses in trouble?”
Ajay thought about his family’s vineyard. It was better than ever. They were now thinking about opening up a boutique B and B on the premises. The properties in Europe were thriving, and the other luxury investments were producing profits at exponential rates. He’d been personally responsible for making decisions about every project under the HAZ Industries umbrella.
“Bharat is the only one,” he finally answered.
“Then no one is going to question your decision to fire Sri except you,” she said, and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.
“Yeah. Okay.” He felt marginally better but couldn’t decide if it was her words or the kiss that did it. He let her get back to her emails and knew that he had to use the rest of their travel time to work, too.
They’d attended to business for the rest of the drive to New Jersey. Raj worked on her phone, Ajay on his laptop. She asked him his opinion on various investments, and he asked hers as he thought about his impending CEO nomination and the patent application that still needed to be addressed. As weird as it sounded, sharing so many things in common and talking to Raj in the same language was comforting. He felt closer to her in some ways, and it was another layer of her personality that he felt intimately connected to.
The car turned into the long driveway, and Raj shifted forward until she sat at the edge of her seat to look out the window.
“Impressive,” she said.
Ajay grinned. “That’s the point.”
They pulled in front of the main house, and Ajay led Raj up the stairs to the front doors. After they kicked off their shoes on the entranceway mat, they walked barefoot down the tile corridor, past the arched opening, and into the expansive living room. His father staggered to his feet from his spot at the end of the long cream-colored sectional in front of a TV with international business news playing on low. His smile was bright, even though there was still worry in his eyes.
“Puttar? We weren’t expecting you today. Is everything okay? You brought company.”
Ajay rushed forward to grab his father’s arm. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Nonsense. We have a guest!”
“Well, this handsome gentleman looks even more dashing since the last time I saw him,” Raj said smoothly. She crossed the room as quickly as Ajay had and took his father’s hands. “You can greet me just fine from this wonderful couch you’ve been sitting on. Just like your name suggests. A king on his throne.”
Deepak laughed, his cheeks turning ruddy with pleasure.
“Hullo, beti,” he said, referring to her as daughter.
“Why don’t you get comfortable? We’ll go dancing later when you’re up for it.” She gently urged him back onto the cushions even as she gave him a quick wink.
“It’s so lovely to see you, despite what can’t be the best of circumstances if my son has dragged you here on a Saturday for work.”
Ajay met Raj’s eyes and saw the understanding in them. He hadn’t told his parents about their brand-new relationship. He and Raj might be in their thirties, but he was an Indian man. His mother would make his life hell if she knew that they were dating. Hopefully Raj understood Ajay’s reasons for self-preservation with his family despite his eagerness to share the news with others.
The sound of the front door opening echoed down the hall. “Hello?” Hem called out.
“They must’ve been right behind us,” Ajay said. “We’re in the living room, guys!”
Hem and Mina walked in moments later.
“You know, I’m going to look forward to nailing this bastard. He keeps ruining my weekends,” Hem said.
“Puttar?” Ajay’s father gripped his wrist. “What is Hem talking about?”
“It’s a bit of a story, Papa,” Ajay said. “Raj, why don’t you— What? What is it?”
All her charm seemed to slip. He wondered what he’d done, then he realized that she wasn’t looking at him, but at someone over his shoulder.
His mother had entered the room, her hands clasped in front of her. “Hullo,” she said.
Mina was closest to her, so she reached out and gave her a quick hug. “Aunty, I smell something delicious.”
“Daal and rice,” his mother said and pinched Mina’s chin with affection. “More than enough for my future daughter-in-law. We’ll have some soon.”
Ajay could smell it now, too. The rich scent of spice wafted through the house, and his hunger warred with his focus on Raj and his concern for his father’s legacy.
He looked back at the woman who’d complicated his thoughts for the last month. For someone so easy with people, she remained quiet. She’d instantly charmed his father on two occasions now, but seemed to hide behind a wall with his mother. Ajay remembered that her own relationship with her mother was strained, especially since the woman was dying. He wondered if that was affecting her mood.
He looped an arm around his mother’s petite frame. “Rajneet Kaur Hothi. This is the first love of my life. Mumma, Raj is Mina’s best friend, as well as CEO and founder of RKH Collective, a company that Bharat is looking to purchase.”