Page 84 of Best Kept Secret

I arched an eyebrow. "I met her. She moved here from California."

"She's engaged to Lawrence Rookwood."

"Larry Rockwood is an asshole."

Nina shrugged. "Like I said, not runnin' a matchmaking agency. She's a damn good architect."

"Okay. I'll ask James to get in touch with Rachel to set up a briefing meeting." My phone beeped and I checked a message from work. I got up. "I have to get to the office. Nina, thanks for hiring Mira."

Nina smiled. "Hey, the pleasure is literally all mine."

Chapter 33

Mira

Iwas nothappy,per se, but I was not sad, either.

Dr. Ryan said that what she saw in me was a positive change—that I was ready to engage with the world.

I liked working at Savannah Lace, and I'd stopped thinking about running out of the city. I'd tried, once again, to ask Nova how much rent I should pay for her apartment, and she muttered something about, "I don't take money from family."

It wasn't just Nova who was treating me like family—it waseveryoneat Savannah Lace. Nina had made it a ritual to come and see me at the end of the day. She'd have a glass of white wine while I'd have a cup of tea, and we'd talk about pretty muchanythingbut work. She didn't care about the menu, believing it was my domain. She told me about her life. How she was divorced, and had been a single mom to her daughter, how she built this company, and what her struggles had been. I saw her as invincible, so learning that she'd had challenges and had overcome them made me feel less like a loser.

I'd never had this much freedom in my life before. I had an income. I had a nice place to live. I could plan what I cooked from day-to-day based on what was in season. I'd built relationships with vendors at the Savannah State Farmers Market that catered to restaurants and cafeterias.

I had started to offer a vegetarian option for all meals—which several people were grateful for. I had worried that the Indian tilt to the food would bother some of the Southern palates, but the day I made butter chicken, I ran out because people came for seconds and thirds.

The carrothalwawas a big hit, as wasrasmalai.

I loved to cook, and even though I was taking care of a large group of people, the fact that I did it at Savannah Lace made me feel like I was cooking for family.

Kate, the cleaner, was putting away breakfast while I checked on the tandoori chicken in the oven. I was serving it withpulaorice,raita, and a cauliflower-carrot yogurt curry. I always made a salad with every meal, something more interesting than just lettuce and the usual stuff.

Over time, Kate and I had become friends. She was forty-eight and recently divorced. Having never worked a day in her life, she now found herself cleaning an office building to make a living. Despite the drastic change from being a middle-class housewife to doing a job many would consider menial, she told me she was happier than she'd ever been. Earning for herself gave her a sense of freedom, and she felt better about who she was.

Everyone had their issues, and realizing that no one's life was as perfect as it appeared helped me deal with my own baggage.

Rachel knocked on the open door of the cafeteria to get my attention. "Hey, Mira. Nina wanted me to talk to you."

I wiped my hands on my apron, fear congealing inside me. Had I done something wrong? Was I getting fired?

Seeing me stiffen, Rachel smiled. "Nina isn't annoyed with you," she said softly, her voice comforting rather than patronizing. I was slowly getting used to being treated well by people, and it was helping me lower my walls, be more open, and share my fears.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely sure." She cleared her throat. "But don't get upset. Your parents are in her office, and she wanted me to ask if you'd like to be there."

My stomach dropped. Rachel stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You won't be alone. Nina will be with you. But if you don't want to see them, you don't have to."

Her words landed hard, knocking the breath out of me. The ground seemed to shift beneath my feet, my body locking up. They were here. After everything—after I'd tried to cut them out—they still had the nerve to show up where I was just starting to feel safe.

People at work didn't know about my parents—not the details, but they did know that I didn't get along well with them, and that they'd tried to fight for custody of Pari. Since this was Savannah and everyone loved the Bodine family—my parents werenotpopular.

"I can't believe they're at my workplace," I choked out, my voice trembling with the beginnings of anger.

"It's your call, Mira. Nina can handle them."

"No," I snapped. "Iwill handle them."

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