‘Hiya, Azam,’ Marcus said, taking a sip of lemonade. ‘Splendid party.’
‘Thanks.’ Azam’s smile was forced. He seemed very agitated and Sonya looked around, trying to find the cause of his ire, but everything seemed to be going well. She spotted Enzo, and when he caught sight of them, he left the conversation he was having and strode over.
Enzo put an arm around Marcus’s shoulder. ‘Marcus! How areyou?’ he asked. ‘Tell me how you’ve been getting on?’ He steered Marcus away from them, and, as they walked away, Enzo looked over his shoulder, mouthing the word ‘Relax’ to Azam.
Azam was still glowering, which only made Enzo shake his head and laugh.
Sonya didn’t understand what was funny.
‘Is everything alright?’ Sonya asked Azam.
Azam’s expression softened when he looked at her. ‘Areyoualright?’ he asked, hand gentle on her elbow. She nodded. ‘Good, I’m glad. It looked like you were hiding out a bit. Is it all too much? I know it is a little loud.’
‘No, not at all. Everyone is having fun! It’s lovely.’ She looked down at her dress. ‘And everyone loves the dress. I’m sorry I’m being a terrible model, it’s just…everyone is staring. I know it’s because of the dress—’
‘It isn’t the dress,’ he said with a soft smile. ‘It’s you, Sonya.’ His gaze scorched through her. ‘You’re beautiful, so of course everyone’s staring.’
Before Sonya could think of a response, Winnie cut in then, looping her arm through Sonya’s. ‘Off you go,’ she ordered Azam. ‘Go back to mingling. I’m stealing Sonya.’
As Winnie whisked Sonya away, she looked over her shoulder at Azam. He watched her go even as a small group immediately began to form around him.
The girls went to get scones, piling them high with clotted cream and jam, and Winnie elbowed Sonya playfully.
‘You and Azam looked quite cozy. I thought it best to break up the scene before you got carried away,’ Winnie said, licking jam off her finger.
Sonya’s face felt hot. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Mhm,’ Winnie teased.
Sonya bit into her scone, the clotted cream smooth as it melted on her tongue.
‘Don’t worry about Marcus, Sonya,’ Enzo said, joining them. ‘He’s harmless, if a bit over-confident.’
Sonya wasn’t sure what that meant, either. Wasn’t that Marcus fellow just being polite?
‘Marcus was flirting with Sonya,’ Enzo told Winnie.
‘Was he?’ Sonya’s mouth dropped open. ‘I’ve never been flirted with before.’
Enzo laughed at that. ‘I doubt that very much,’ he said. ‘You probably just haven’t realized when it’s happening. I can think of one person in particular—ow!’ He broke off as Winnie hit him in the gut.
‘Stop that,’ Winnie said. ‘Only I’m allowed to tease Sonya.’
Enzo held up his hands in defense, swiped a pastry from Winnie’s plate, then disappeared back into the crowd. After he’d left, Winnie allowed herself to giggle as she faced Sonya again. ‘No wonder Azam seemed so vexed. He was jealous!’
Jealous? Azam? Sonya suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all.
‘Hey, take a deep breath,’ Winnie said, noticing. ‘You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.’ She took Sonya’s plate and set it down while Sonya took in deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Winnie’s words helped—maybe she wasn’t weak, maybe shewasstrong.
The uneasy feeling passed, and Sonya released a long exhale. ‘Thank you,’ she said to Winnie. ‘You’re a great friend.’
Winnie flipped her shiny black hair. ‘I know!’
They chatted some more, then Sonya went to say hello to Caden, who introduced her to his daughters and their children, who were running around with Dania, remnants of jam in their hair. The sight made Sonya laugh.
All the food Kiri had made had been eaten and Azam was busy taking orders for new outfits. She sipped a cup of tea, taking it all in, glad to have been a small part in bringing this store back to life. She caught snippets of conversation as she walked around.
‘It’s lovely he’s reopened,’ one man was saying to a small group.
