“Go back to New York.” Her mother waved her toward the door. “Say you’re sorry. Tell them it was a mistake.”

“I can’t.” Her mother couldn’t grasp Facebook. There was no way she would be able to explain YouTube or the concept of something going viral. And the temper tantrum that had started it all—the utter disappointment at having another relationship fail again? Her mother would never forgive her for being so rash. “I’ve really messed up this time.”

Wasn’t that the understatement of the year. Although the police had let her go with just a warning, she had spent a few humiliating hours in the police station in handcuffs and her landlord had kicked her out of her apartment. But those were things her parents didn’t need to know.

Her father shook his head. “Beta, what did you do that was so bad?”

Layla shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t happy at my job and they knew it. I didn’t like how they treated the people looking for work like they were inventory. They didn’t care about their needs or their wants. It was all about keeping the corporate clients happy. I even told my boss I thought we could be just as successful if we paid as much attention to the people we placed as the companies that hired us, but she didn’t agree. Things started going downhill after that. I have a feeling I was on my way out anyway, and what happened just gave them an excuse.”

“So you have no job, no marriage prospects, no place to live . . .” Her mother shook her head. “What did we do wrong?”

“Don’t worry, beta. I will fix everything.” Her father smiled. “Your old dad is on the case. As long as I am alive, you never have to worry.”

“She’s a grown woman, Nasir. She isn’t a little girl who broke a toy. She needs to fix this herself.” Layla’s mother crossed her arms. “So? What is your plan?”

Layla grimaced. “Well, I thought I’d live at home and help out at the restaurant for a bit, and I can look after the girls when Rhea is busy . . .”

“You need a job,” her mother stated. “Or will you go back to school and get a different degree? Maybe doctor or engineer or even dentist? Your father has a sore tooth.”

“This one.” Her father pointed to one of his molars. “It hurts when I chew.”

Scrambling to come up with a plan to appease her mother, she mentally ran through the last twenty-four hours searching for inspiration, until she remembered toying with an idea on the way home. “I saw one of my favorite movies, Jerry Maguire, on the plane. The hero is a sports agent who gets fired for having a conscience. He starts his own company and he only has Dorothy to help him.”

“Who is this Dorothy?” her mother asked.

“She’s his romantic love interest, but that’s not the point. I’m Jerry.” She gestured to herself, her enthusiasm growing as the idea formed in her mind. “I could start my own recruitment agency, but it would be different from other agencies because the focus would be on the people looking for work and not the employers. You’ve always told me how in the history of our family, the Patels have always been their own boss. Well, I want to be my own boss, too. I have a business degree. I have four years of recruitment experience. How hard can it be?”

“Very hard.” Her mother sighed. “Do you think you can just show up one day and have a successful business? Your father and I started from nothing. We cooked meals on a two-burner hot plate in a tiny apartment. We sold them to friends in plastic containers. It took years to save the money to buy our first restaurant and more years and many hardships before it was a success.”

“But we can help her, Jana,” her father said. “What’s the use of learning all the tricks of running your own business if you can’t share them with your own daughter? We even have the empty office suite upstairs. She can work from there so I can be around—”

“Nasir, you sublet the office to a young man a few weeks ago. He’s moving in next week.”

Layla’s heart sank, and she swallowed her disappointment. Of course. It had been too perfect. How had she even thought for a minute that it would be this easy to turn her life around?

“It’s okay, Dad.” She forced a smile. “Mom’s right. You always fix my problems. I should do this myself.”

“No.” Her father’s voice was uncharacteristically firm. “It’s not okay. I’ll call the tenant and tell him circumstances have changed. He hasn’t even moved in so I am sure it won’t be a problem.” He smiled. “Everything is settled. You’re home. You’ll have a new business and work upstairs. Now, you just need a husband and I can die in peace.”

“Don’t you start talking about dying, too.”

But he wasn’t listening. Instead, he was clapping his hands to quiet the chatter. “I have an announcement. Our Layla is moving back home. She’ll be running her own recruitment business from our office suite upstairs so if you know of employers looking for workers or people needing a job, send them to her.”

Everyone cheered. Aunties pushed forward, shouting out the names of cousins, friends, and family they knew were looking for work. Layla’s heart warmed. This is what she’d missed most in New York. Family. They were all the support she needed.

Her father thudded his fist against his chest. “Our family is together again. My heart is full—” He choked and doubled over, his arm sliding off Layla’s shoulder.

“Dad? Are you okay?” She put out a hand to steady him, and he swayed.

“My heart . . .”

She grabbed his arm. “Dad? What’s wrong?”

With a groan, he crumpled to the floor.

“I knew it,” Lakshmi Auntie cried out as Layla dropped to her knees beside her father. “I felt it in my face.”

• 2 •

“TYLER, the reason we’ve called you in here today is because we’ve decided to let you go. Today will be your last day.”

Direct. Short and to the point. Sam didn’t believe in beating around the bush when it came to mass corporate redundancies. There was no nice way to fire someone. No magic words, metaphors, or platitudes that would soften the blow. He told them outright and gave them a moment to absorb the news. It was the greatest kindness he could offer.

I’m sorry, the company is downsizing, and we have to let you go.

I’m sorry, but your division has been eliminated in the restructuring.

I’m sorry . . .

But not that sorry. His clients didn’t hire him to be nice. They hired him to be the bad guy, and bad guys flew around the country firing hundreds of people and making the lives of the lucky survivors a living hell by cutting their benefits and salaries to a bare minimum.