Page 28 of Yours for the Season
But she had studied hard the first time. She had been nervous, but she thought she’d done well. It didn’t make any sense. Even worse, the bar exam was offered only twice a year, and she had to scramble to get ready for the next one. Though she passed on her second try, her confidence was shot. The boutique law firm where she had been interning didn’t ask her back, and she was soon on the hunt for a job. She polished up her résumé and sent it out to dozens of firms, with no response. By the time she was offered a job at Greaves, Hargrave &Bury, she was desperate. Hunter was happy for her, and they went out to celebrate that night, but all she could think about was how badly she wanted to call her parents and share this news.
Except when she called her mother, Tahsin’s “Mubarak” was muted. She said she had never heard of the firm, and when Sameera told her it was one of the best-known midsize firms in the state, her mother asked why she hadn’t tried to find a job with a bigger firm instead. They hadn’t talked for months after that call. Nadiya had been happy for her, at least—she had sent flowers, all the way from Oxford.
Things were better now, she reminded herself. Her parents were putting in the work, and so was she. Hunter was gone, and good riddance. Once she finished paying off the last of his debts, and the money she owed her father, she could think about what she really wanted to do. In the meantime, she needed this job. The idea of being set adrift on the job market again was terrifying.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a largebang!from the patio, followed by the sound of her brother screaming. Sameera grabbed her parka, pulled on her boots, and started to run.
Chapter Ten
“Whoooooo!” Esa yelled. “Let’s light another one!”
Sameera arrived breathless at the edge of the patio and had to bend at the waist, hands on her knees, until her heart stopped pounding. When she looked up, Tom, Esa, Cal, and even Atlas were staring at her.
“Relax, Sameera, they’re just fireworks,” Esa said.
For the first time since they had arrived—the first time in even longer than that, she thought—her brother was unabashedly grinning at her. His cheeks were flushed, both from the cold and from the excitement, and his dark hair sprouted from under his woolen hat in wild curls. He looked happy. It was a shame she would have to shut it all down.
“Absolutely not,” Sameera said firmly. “We can’t set Tom’s house on fire.”
“He doesn’t even like it here. He won’t mind,” Esa whined, and beside him, Cal laughed.
Her eyes were fixed on Tom. “You’re supposed to be filming acookingvideo,” she said.
Tom lifted an eyebrow. “There was fire involved.” The boys muffled their laughter while Sameera sighed. “Besides, you heard my dad,” Tom continued. “In Alaska, I’m useless in the kitchen.”
So, that was the real problem, she realized. What was it about their respective families? Every word they said had the potential to burrow deep underground and sprout entire ecosystems of hurt. Tom hadmillions of views on his cooking series, more bookings than he could handle, and yet Rob said one word, and Tom was convinced he was useless. It was the same with her.
“Will you make me chai?” she asked, and Tom started to shake his head, but she pressed on.
“You promised chai on tap, and unlimited biryani,” she said. “And I saw the way you were eyeing the guesthouse kitchen. Admit it: You cooked there recently.”
Tom shrugged, noncommittal.
“I understand. The appliances are really pretty,” she said, and he snorted his amusement, relenting.
“Where do you think I made your snack for the ride home from the airport?” he asked, and her heart lurched at the wordhome.“But I promised your brother I’d help him first.” His hand reached up to scratch his head in that nervous gesture Sameera recognized.
“Help with setting off firecrackers?” she asked, unimpressed.
“Not exactly,” Tom said. Behind them, Esa’s smile turned mischievous.
Ten minutes later they stood in front of Toboggan Hill, as Cal called it, with a row of bright-red firecrackers.
“Is this safe?” Sameera asked, looking at the very flammable trees surrounding them. A part of her knew she should make her excuses and return to the work waiting for her in the guesthouse. But another part didn’t want to spoil Esa’s fun—or Tom’s. And maybe she was enjoying this interlude, too. Just a little bit.
“There’s snow everywhere, the trees are far away, and these aren’t those kinds of fireworks. They just make a loud bang,” Tom reassured her.
Sameera frowned. “And we’re igniting incendiaries in the woods because ...”
“It’s fun?” Esa said, and the boys exchanged high fives.
“Your brother asked for my help in growing his audience,” Tom explained. “Have you checked out his videos?”
Sameera had, actually. She had found them amusing, but Esa didn’t seem to have a theme or niche. The videos spanned topics as disparate as sports commentary, jokes, skits, and even unboxing and product reviews. Nothing that really stood out, to her mind.
“It’s okay. I know they suck,” Esa called. “I’m trying to figure out my style. When Tom asked me what I like to do, I told him I like to play jokes.”
“Jokes?” Sameera repeated. This was news to her. When he was younger, Esa had enjoyed eating junk food and watching anime. Now that he was a teen, she had no idea what he was into.
