Page 29 of The Henna Artist

“And I’ve run into some...unexpected expenses.”

“Like?”

I cleared my throat. “A sister.”

“The girl who was in your bed?”

“Yes.”

“She lives here in Jaipur?”

“She does now. As of a month ago.” I turned to look at him.

He studied my face. He knew our rules: we only revealed what the other needed to know. He turned back to the ceiling.

For a while, he was quiet, now and then taking a puff from his cigarette. A man of business, he thought before he spoke. “To whom do you owe money?”

“The builder, for one.”

“How much does he want?”

“Doesn’t matter. I just need more time to pay him.”

“Why not let me—”

“No,” I said, perhaps too forcefully. “It’s my debt. I’ll take care of it.”

He blew out cigarette smoke noisily. We’d had this discussion before. The only time I’d borrowed money from him was during my first week in Jaipur, when I needed to pay for henna supplies and my herbs. I had paid him back within a week and never asked for anotherpaisa.

I reached for his hand and shook it lightly. “Sorry to take you away from cards.”

Samir chuckled. “How did you know I’d been playing?”

“You haven’t been playing. You’ve been losing.” I looked at his profile. “You drink more when you lose. You start buying rounds for everyone so they won’t feel sorry for you.”

He squeezed my hand. “I have one wife already, Beauty.”

I turned my eyes back to the ceiling. He smoked.

“Who’s your builder?”

“Naraya.”

Samir groaned. “He’s third-rate. If you weren’t so stubborn, you could have let me hire mine.”

“And it would have cost me twice as much. This is what I could afford, Samir. It’s my house. And Naraya has been fine.” He’d been difficult, yes, but I was too stubborn to admit I could have done better.

He sighed.

“Do you know Mr. Gupta?” he asked after a pause.

“I did his daughter’s bridal henna.”

“Gupta wants to build a hostel near the Pink Bazaar. I think your builder is just the man for the job.”

Puzzled, I looked at him. “How will that get him off my back?”

“Gupta’s loaded.” Samir sucked on his cigarette. “He’ll keep Naraya busy for a few months and pay him well.”

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