into the refrigerator. “Now, let’s get you all moved in.”
“Mommy! Come here! Right away!”
Tracy watched Dana revert from relaxed—at least a little—to cautious. She drew herself up as if ready to spring, a lioness preparing to rescue her cub.
“I think she just wants you to see her new room,” Tracy explained quickly. “We fixed it up since you saw it last time.”
As if to prove Tracy right, Lizzie ran into the kitchen, her wide freckled face wreathed in smiles. “They painted my room yellow. And there’s a bed with sunflower sheets, and a comforter and a pink lamp on a pretty table. Just for me!”
If Tracy had been forced to name what she saw in Dana’s eyes, she would have said the woman looked as if she’d been shut into a jail cell. Dana recovered quickly, but just for that moment, Tracy thought she’d looked sorry they had been so nice, sorry that Lizzie was so pleased with her new room.
“Thank you,” Dana said. She sounded as if she meant it.
Tracy was not convinced.
chapter seven
Janya knew better than to take her neighbors’ suggestions. She might be the youngest woman in Happiness Key, but she was an excellent judge of what worked best with her unique cultural roots. So with that in mind, it was a source of great mystification that on Friday night, she found herself following Wanda’s advice.
Of course, all signs pointed toward this being a “special” night, which explained a bit of it. With a little calculation involving a calendar and a pregnancy manual from the library, she knew that tonight, she might be at her most fertile. Then, right after she had done her calculations, Rishi had called to say he would be home earlier than usual. He’d invited her out to dinner, an unusual treat, since he was usually exhausted by the time he left work, but instead she had told him she preferred to spend the evening at home.
At home—in their bedroom.
Signs. All of them good.
Janya knew Rishi’s favorite foods. She was a strict vegetarian, and he was less so, but he loved her potato bhaaji, a dish served in many homes in Western India. The recipe was simple, potatoes with chilies, chopped coriander leaves, and other herbs and spices, fried together until crisp. Rishi said the result was similar to American hash browns, but to her, bhaaji was a beloved childhood comfort food. Tonight she prepared it to serve with dal and rice. In the end, choosing something she knew Rishi liked instead of something to impress him made the most sense. Particularly since she intended to spend more time than usual dressing.
She prepared dinner, then went to shower. Afterward she scented her hair with jasmine oil, and carefully lined and shadowed her eyes. She had polished her nails a bright red that morning, and now she slipped rings on her fingers and toes to accent them. After thinking carefully about her wardrobe, she had settled on a black sleeveless top beautifully embroidered in gold, worn over a loose, pajamalike salwar, although these pants were cut to ride low on her hips—which Rishi would discover when he undressed her tonight. She wore gold sandals, spiraling gold earrings and the two bracelets Rishi had given her for her last birthday. She was a little dressed up for a night at home, but she didn’t intend to stay that way.
When she heard Rishi parking his car in their driveway, she started Wanda’s love song CD. After he had removed his shoes, she greeted him with mango juice and a plate of paneer pakora, cubes of breaded fried cheese with mint chutney on the side, setting the food on the table near the sofa.
“Coming home to a house that smells this good is a gift.” Rishi put his arms around her and pulled her close. “Coming home to you is a bigger one.”
She put her arms around his waist and her cheek against his shoulder. “I am so happy we have a whole evening together. You work so hard.”
“I was not being productive today. I was too tired, and missing you too much.”
She liked the sound of that, although she could hear the fatigue in his voice. Rishi was rarely subdued, but tonight that was the best word to describe him. She pulled away reluctantly. “We need to spend more time together. I’ve looked forward to this since you phoned.”
“And what is this music?”
She smiled. “A present from Wanda. Do you like it?”