Layla frowned. “Why are you defending him? He utterly broke your heart. I’ll never forgive him for that.”

Born within two weeks of each other, Layla and Daisy had always been close. Their fathers were brothers and had immigrated to the U.S. together, Daisy’s dad to study accounting at Berkeley and Layla’s dad to study engineering. They had both had arranged marriages, but where Layla’s parents had fallen in love and stuck by each other through decades of marriage, Daisy’s mother had left her family to chase her dreams and her heart in New York.

Daisy fisted her fifties-style black pleated skirt. She’d been in a pinup mood when she’d planned her outfit the night before, color coordinating the pink edging on the skirt with a fuzzy pink sweater and bright pink streaks in her hair. However, the feet-pinching three-inch Mary Janes with pink bows had put a damper on her enthusiasm for the quirky retro outfit.

“This marriage means the aunties will leave me alone. My dad will stop wasting time trying to find me a husband. I’ll be ruined, and I’ll be able to save Organicare. Everything will go back to the way it used to be.”

“You barely know the people you work with,” Layla protested. “And I thought you were thinking of moving on because you can’t get into the flow with all the noise.” She turned back to the mirror and ran a hand over the intricate gold embroidery on her skirt. They’d been close for so long that Daisy could tell she didn’t like it just from the set of her mouth.

“Organicare is a good company. I like their commitment to seeking sustainability and celebrating diversity, and their outreach is—”

“Since when did you become Organicare’s spokesperson?” Layla frowned at herself in the mirror, and Daisy slid the dupatta off her cousin’s shoulders. This clearly wasn’t her style.

“Why don’t you try the red one?”

“Yeah, you’re right. This one is a bit too much.” Layla squeezed into the changing room. Nira Chopra, owner of the clothing store and Layla’s maternal aunt, had left no hook unfilled in her quest to find Layla the perfect dress.

“I’ve gotten to know some of the Organicare employees over the last few days,” Daisy said through the curtain. “We’re all squished onto one floor, so I’m never alone. Zoe is a single mom with a little girl at home and she lives from check to check because her ex doesn’t make his support payments. Tyler lets her bring her daughter to work when her childcare falls through. And Mia’s mom is an alcoholic who spends a lot of time in the hospital. Tyler got her on Mia’s medical insurance to help pay the bills. And then there’s Josh, whose dad kicked him out after finding out he was bisexual. Tyler gave him an advance to—”

Layla poked her head around the curtain. “What happened to not getting too involved with your work colleagues?”

“It’s hard not to get to know them when they are all around me. I knew Tyler was passionate about the company and that he was a good guy, but I didn’t know all the things he’s been doing to help his employees. And I didn’t know about all their difficulties.”

“I hear these kinds of stories every day.” Layla disappeared behind the curtain again. “It’s hard times all around. If things don’t work out, send them to me. I’ll do my best to get them placed quickly.”

“But that’s just it. They love the company and don’t want to leave.”

Layla pushed back the curtain, a wide smile on her face. “What do you think about this?”

No thinking was involved. The red and gold embroidered skirt and matching top were perfect, and from the smile on her face, her cousin knew it.

“You look beautiful.”

“I feel beautiful.” Layla spun around, checking herself out in the large three-way mirror. “This is it, isn’t it?”

Daisy gave her a wistful smile. She had agreed to Liam’s crazy proposal in part to avoid putting herself in this very situation, but seeing Layla’s joy, she couldn’t help but imagine herself in a wedding outfit, twirling around the changing room. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so exquisite.”

Layla hugged her in delight. “I can hardly wait to negotiate the price with Nira Auntie.”

Better Layla than her. Daisy hated bartering. Why not just put a fair price on something and the customer could decide whether they were willing to pay it or not? But bartering was a big part of shopping on El Camino Real and some storeowners were insulted if you didn’t even try to negotiate the price, which was why Daisy never shopped without Layla.

“I’ll hide behind one of the racks.”

Layla laughed. “You should stay and learn a few tricks. My mom taught me everything I know.”

Skills a mother taught her daughter if she wasn’t busy living her dreams on the other side of the country—dreams that didn’t include her children.

After Nira Auntie had pinned the outfit for alterations, and Layla had bargained her down to the point of being disowned from the family, they searched the racks for something for Daisy to wear, both to Layla’s wedding and her own fake ceremony.

“No saris,” Daisy said. “I need to be able to run after you when you come to your senses and see Sam for who he really is.”

Layla chuckled. “I think you guys are too much alike. He’s very logical and practical like you.”

“I wish I wasn’t so logical. Then I could just make up a history with Liam instead of having to go out on pretend dates. I sent him a spreadsheet this morning and told him we’d be discussing the dating plan. I hope he doesn’t want to change anything.”

“You’ve scheduled a date to go over the dating plan.” Layla laughed. “I think you’re marrying the wrong guy. This is Liam we’re talking about. Every time I saw him at school he was in the principal’s office. He spray-painted ‘Anarchy’ on the street. He lounged around your house in ripped jeans, heavy metal T-shirts, and leather jackets, and hung out with a dangerous crowd. I think at one point his hair was longer than mine. He is not a schedule kind of guy. That’s what you liked most about him. He was your opposite when it came to managing life, but you both had that little bit of rebel inside.”