The word was written in elegant, scrawling script. It was simple and unpretentious.
Arezoo was standing closest to the entrance, her arm linked through Ruvon's, both of them looking up at the sign with matching expressions of satisfaction. Behind them, Soraya and her sisters were arranged in a loose semicircle with assorted children milling about. Several of Kalugal's men, including a tall one who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, were carrying boxes from a golf cart parked at the side of the building.
Yasmin and Parisa had their arms around each other's waists, and Rana was smiling indulgently at Soraya, who was crying.
It wasn't the dramatic, heaving kind. It was the quiet kind. The kind where tears slid down her cheeks while she smiled and her chin trembled and she pretended she wasn't crying at all, which fooled no one.
Syssi parked the stroller, walked over, and pulled Soraya into a hug.
"It's perfect," she said. "Congratulations."
Soraya laughed through her tears and hugged her back tightly. "Thank you. I keep looking at it and then crying and then looking at it again and crying more. My sisters think I have lost my mind."
"You cry at everything," Rana said with a fond look at her sister. "You only look tough on the outside. On the inside, you are a big mush."
"When is the grand opening?" Syssi asked, stepping back but keeping her hands on the woman's shoulders.
Soraya wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and straightened, the businesswoman reasserting herself once more. "Monday, if everything goes to plan. We still need to transfer the refrigerated items and set up the display shelves in the back, but we are right on schedule." She glanced toward the men carrying boxes. "Thanks to Ruvon and his friends, who very kindly volunteered their time and considerable muscle power."
"Volunteered?" Ruvon chuckled. "We were conscripted."
"Voluntold," one of the other men added. "I heard that's the polite way of saying it."
"There is nothing polite about the way Soraya makes demands." Ruvon headed toward the golf cart to help with the unloading.
Soraya waved a dismissive hand at him. "He likes to complain, but he's a good boy."
That boy was much older than his fiancée's mother, but Syssi chose not to comment on it.
Arezoo waved at them. "Come see the inside! I'll give you a tour."
"In a minute." Amanda parked Evie's stroller next to Allegra's. "First, I want to talk to you and Ruvon about Saturday."
The shift in Arezoo's expression was immediate. It was a dimming, like a cloud passing over the sun.
Ruvon set the box that he had carried over down, came to stand beside his mate, and took her hand.
"What about Saturday?" Arezoo asked.
"I have an idea," Amanda said. "And before you say anything, just hear me out. The wedding is postponed, not canceled. We all agree on that. Two more weeks, and you'll have the full ceremony with everyone present. But that doesn't mean Saturday has to be a loss. What if we had a cocktail reception instead of the wedding?"
Arezoo blinked. "A what?"
"A cocktail reception. It's common in human weddings. It's a celebration before the ceremony. Drinks, appetizers, music, dancing. Everyone dresses up, everyone has a wonderful time, and the couple gets to enjoy being the center of attention without the formality of the actual wedding. Think of it as your engagement party, two weeks before the main event."
Arezoo's expression cycled through several emotions, starting with surprise, then consideration, and then worry.
"Another party means spending more money that I don't have."
"Don't worry about the money," Ruvon said. "It doesn't cost much to have a party in the village. The only real cost is buying the groceries for the food prep and drinks. All the work is voluntold."
Arezoo laughed. "You have a new word, and you are not afraid to use it."
"Nope." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "I like Amanda's idea. Two parties are always better than one, right?"
"I have to admit that it sounds lovely." Arezoo shifted her gaze toward the store. "My mother and my aunts will be in the middle of preparing for the grand opening. There's no way they can cookfor a party on top of everything else. The store opens on Monday, and they need the weekend to get everything organized."
"They won't need to cook," Amanda said. "I'll handle the food."
