He laughed. “Of course I cook. I live alone. If I didn’t cook, I’d be eating takeout or frozen pizza every night.”
“What did you make?”
“Turkish meatballs, bulgur pilaf, and salad. Come, have a family meal with us. Jasmine and the girls would love to see you.”
Ruby couldn’t say no to that, because it sounded delicious. And if she didn’t go, she’d be eating a frozen pizza and stewing over that meeting with her father. She’d have to face the fact that she didn’t have an immediate family. Maybe that was why she wanted to spend the evening with a family that cared about one another. And cared about her, too.
“Okay. I’ll have dinner with you guys.”
He smiled wide. “Excellent. Let me call Jasmine and tell her you’re coming. Everyone will be thrilled.”
Ruby smiled.
“RUBY AUNTIE!” TARA ANDNoor were in the entryway squealing the moment Rashid opened the door.
“Hi, girls!” Ruby smiled at them.
“Do you want to see our tree?” Noor asked.
“We put the elephants on it!” Tara added.
“Let Ruby Auntie take off her winter things first,” Rashid said, motioning the girls to get out of Ruby’s way.
After Ruby took off her coat and high-heeled boots, the girls led her into the living room. Jasmine’s house looked recently renovated, despite being an old house. And it was gorgeous. The design was minimal but cozy, with lots of blond wood and cream contrasted with lush textures and brass light fixtures. And yes, in the corner of the room was an enormous Christmas tree decorated with mismatched ornaments highlighted with pops of red and green glittery balls. Ruby stepped closer and easily found the Indian elephant ornaments.
She didn’t know why she was surprised to see a tree here—this was Jasmine’s house, not Rashid’s. And as far as Ruby couldtell, Jasmine wasn’t Christmas-averse like her brother. But Rashid did live here right now, and the whole house looked warm, festive, and cozy. She couldn’t imagine grumpy Rashid spending his downtime in this space.
Even looking at him now—in his sweats with stocking feet, with a small smile on his face as the girls showed Ruby their favorite ornaments on the tree, like the Disney ones from the craft show and some Popsicle stick ones they made themselves. She was again seeing another side of Rashid Hakim. He wasn’t a grump dressed like a lumberjack. Or a pretentious doctor, either. He was just Rashid, a man in sweats who’d come to rescue her when she was feeling alone. The man who looked at his nieces fondly and reminded them to be polite to guests. And the man who’d apparently created the phenomenal food smells in the kitchen.
Jasmine came down the stairs with her hair in a messy ponytail. “Hi, Ruby. I’m so glad you’re joining us for dinner. My brother makes thebestmeatballs. Aren’t Rashid Uncle’s meatballs the best in the world? Can you show Ruby Auntie the dining room?”
“Come,” Noor said, taking Ruby’s hand and guiding her to a dining room off the kitchen. The room was bright, with a long solid wood table and bright yellow place mats with white dishes already on them.
“You sit there, next to me,” Noor said, pointing to a chair on one side of the table.
“And next to me, too,” Tara added.
Jasmine and Rashid joined them, each carrying a serving platter. “They’ve been arguing about who gets to sit next to yousince Rashid called,” Jasmine explained. “We had to rearrange so you could be between them. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No. Not at all. Thanks for having me. I didn’t really want to be alone tonight.”
Jasmine smiled again. “You’realwayswelcome here.” She paused. “I mean it. Even if Rashid leaves, whenever you’re in Toronto, come see us anytime.”
Ruby glanced at Rashid, and he also had a welcoming smile on his face. Ruby exhaled. She was feeling so low, what, half an hour ago? Like she’d wanted to get on a plane and never come back to this city. But now? Being welcomed by these four people whom she’d only met a few weeks ago? She felt a sharp prickle behind her eyes, like she was going to tear up again. “You guys are amazing.”
Dinner was delicious. The meatballs were lightly spiced and oven roasted on a bed of peppers and potatoes, and the bulgur pilaf was a revelation—nutty, with rich flavor brightened by fresh herbs. It was all so comforting. “This is excellent,” she said as she broke apart another tender meatball with the side of her fork.
Rashid smiled. “You sound surprised that I can cook.”
“Honestly, I am.” She knew a lot of men who cooked well—Marley’s boyfriend was a fantastic cook, for example. And Nadim wasn’t bad, either, although Reena was the better cook in that relationship. But men who cooked, and enjoyed it, always seemed remarkable to her. Like it was the ultimate green flag for Ruby. Maybe because her father couldn’t even make his own tea when she was young.
But apparently her father cooked now. Cooking andspending time with a kid who wasn’t even his. The only thing he wanted from his biological child was her money. She swallowed.
“Red, you okay?” Rashid said. He was across from her at the dining table.
Ruby nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I’m good. This is delicious. I’m pretty much only good at making desserts.”
“Rashid Uncle,” Tara said. “Why do you call Ruby Auntie Red? She doesn’t have red hair. My friend Kennedy has red hair, and her daddy calls her Red, even though I think her hair looks orange, not red. But Ruby Auntie’s hair is black like yours.”
