Xanadu XOXO (Ticket to True Love)

by JB Schroeder

The idea, at first, was shocking. But the need for complete independence grew inside Kalpani as if it had weaved itself into her very bones.

  Chetana turned a sizzling burner off, then the noisy hood fan.

  “There, beti, now you can tell me about your week,” her mother said.

  “Not much to tell, just working,” Kalpani said. She hadn’t yet mentioned the opportunity of Sohel’s shop to her parents. They would be horrified at the use of her savings and believe the risk was too great.

  Heck—she was concerned herself. She feared the listing price—which still hadn’t been decided, as far as she knew—could skyrocket in a bidding war. The numbers Ajay had been spouting—rubbing his hands together in glee as he mentally tallied his own commission—were terrifying. Even with Darcy’s help, there was only so far Kalpani could stretch.

  Just then from the living room, Auntie’s chatter caught her ear. “Suraj says that Rama said that Ranji Gupta is not pleased with the real estate people. He does not like to deal with them, but he feels he has little choice if he does not want to be saddled with Sohel’s building.”

  Kalpani’s heart rate kicked up a notch.

  She had thought that Ranji was committed to the idea of listing the building. But if not…she could simplify the process for him and save him some money in fees and commissions. And it’d certainly eliminate her worry about being edged out.

  “Mummyji, excuse me for a minute.”

  Kalpani rushed to the bedroom she had shared with her siblings and dialed Darcy.

  “Hey,” Darcy said. “What’s up?”

  In a rush, Kalpani told her the idea.

  “It’s a great idea. Go for it!” Darcy sounded almost as excited as Kalpani felt.

  “But I still don’t know what the renovation cost will be, since Jonah wouldn’t let my contractor take all the measurements or go upstairs.”

  “I’m sure we can figure something out, even if the number is higher than you hope,” Darcy said.

  Kalpani clenched the phone. Big amounts of money didn’t worry her wealthy friend Darcy, but they scared Kalpani big time. She paced the tight room. “I’ll give it one more shot with Jonah first.”

  “How? What are you going to say?”

  “I have no idea.” But Kalpani knew that, first and foremost, she needed to apologize. She’d said an awful thing to Jonah. It didn’t matter if he was freeloading or not, and it was none of her business, but it was rotten of her to say it to his face.

  “Let me know,” Darcy said. “If you don’t get anywhere, we’ll just give it our best guess.”

  “Okay. Darcy? Thanks for being in my corner,” Kalpani said.

  Now, if only she could get Jonah in her corner, too.

  Jonah was knee-deep in boxes and trash bags in the back of the Print & Ship when he heard the bell jingling repeatedly over the shop door. He’d had music playing and reached for his phone. Had someone been trying to reach him? He’d just seen his mom and Jake at The Wanderlust this morning. Nope, no calls.

  Strange. It was late Sunday afternoon, and he was sure he hadn’t scheduled basketball with Jeremy or anything with friends.

  He stood, then groaned as his back protested. He’d been bending over for hours. He slugged some water and headed from the kitchen to the front of the shop.

  Kalpani. A thrill shot through him and his achy back was forgotten, despite the fact that the situation meant he should probably dread seeing her.

  What was it about this woman?

  Through the glass he could see that she was carrying a foil-wrapped packet and was dressed down. Jeans and sneakers showed below a parka and a knit hat.

  He wore an old t-shirt and torn jeans and was probably covered in dust and grime, but whatever. She for damn sure wasn’t here to ask him to prom.

  Just yesterday he would have pretended he hadn’t seen her, hadn’t heard the door, or wasn’t home. But in finding the will, he’d somehow reached a turning point. He found himself releasing the lock and pushing open the door.

  Still, he was wary. Rather than inviting her in, he stood in the doorway. Instead of greeting her, he raised his eyebrows.

  “Hi,” she said, and he realized she was also wearing less makeup than usual. It made her look younger and sweeter. Less aggressive for sure—though that could have been her contrite expression. “Samosas. Homemade.” She shoved the foil-wrapped package at him. “I didn’t make them, my mother did. They’re amazing. She’s a great cook.”

  His omelet at The Wanderlust was a long time ago, and now he realized he’d forgotten to eat since. His suddenly rumbling stomach made him reach automatically to accept the offering, and he found it was both warm and smelled great.

  “Can I come in?” He didn’t answer right away, and she added, “I want to apologize.”

  She looked earnest, and he stepped back, holding the door for her. She moved a few steps into the room and twisted her hands together. No, not twisting, he thought. Working them as if she worked lotion into her skin.

  He set the food on the shop counter—wow, it really did smell amazing—then turned back to face her.

  “I’m really sorry about what I said—what I implied—yesterday.” She’d been looking him in the eye, but now her gaze dropped. “I was out of line.”

  Jonah wasn’t sure what to say. The freeloader comment had definitely burned, but whatever, he was a big boy and he was over it. “Okay. Thanks.”

  “When I get mad, I say stupid things I wish I could take back. I’m also sorry for being so pushy.” She trailed off, then wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s just that…” She looked at her feet, then up again. “I have a plan. And goals. It’s my dream, really—to own my own salon.”

  Kalpani looked nervous, but her eyes shone, Jonah realized. Man, she was pretty. She changed directions as swiftly as wind that heralded a coming storm: unpredictable and sometimes fierce. But he remembered she’d intimated at this goal when they’d sat under that big oak talking for hours.

  “And this building is my best shot. My only shot for a long while, probably.” She took a big breath and then spread her arms out. “I’m hoping to make Ranji an offer—now, before it’s listed. Otherwise, it will likely end up out of my reach.”

  He got it. This building, old and run-down as it was, sat on a prime piece of the Strip District. The location alone would cost a pretty penny. But the place would have to be renovated, and that would cost dearly, too. He turned and walked back over to Kalpani.

  “I knew Sohel, too,” she said. “Not as well as you probably did. But I think he would have preferred that his shop end up with someone like me, rather than some moneybags owner or some chain.”

  Jonah drew a deep breath. She wasn’t wrong. And honestly—if he took his own needs out of the equation? Jonah would prefer that, too.

  She linked her hands together. “I’m asking, please, if I might get those measurements so I can figure out what a fair and reasonable—but hopefully affordable—price would be. I can only borrow so much from my friend, Dar—”

  She broke off, her eyes darting away.

  Ho, whoa… “Darcy? Hellston?”

  This was rich. Darcy was the love of his brother’s life. She’d also invested in his club, Vine, and smashed his heart to smithereens—again—when she broke his trust. What a small, sucky world…

  “Yes.” Kalpani winced. “She’s one of my best friends. I asked her if she’d be willing to help me, and she’s agreed to invest in my salon. This was before we put two and two together.”

  He spun and moved a few steps away. Damn, there was always another crap on his cracker lately. He rubbed his temple with one hand and put the other on his hip. Did it even matter? No.

  He nearly jumped when Kalpani’s hand landed on the bare skin of his forearm.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, squeezing slightly.

  He couldn’t move, just stared at her hand. He’d imagined her touch so many times—but not like this, not in timid apology. He had such
an urge to cover hers with his own, then lift it to his lips.

  She dropped her hand and retreated.

  He sucked in a breath, then blew it out.

  Okay. So, it seemed this situation was going to be roses for everybody but him. This wasn’t a movie. There was no change of fortune coming. He wasn’t even going to get the girl in the end.

  But it wasn’t Kalpani’s fault, or Darcy’s, or Ranji’s, or anyone’s. It just was what it was. Still…

  Jonah turned to face her and saw she was slightly pink in the cheeks.

  She looked at his arm, before her eyes slid over his chest and away. She seemed to be avoiding his eyes and trying to avoid his body, too.

  “So,” he said, “you want me to let your contractor in to check out the whole place—probably down to the plumbing and electric box.”

  Her gaze flew to his and her face came alive. What he wouldn’t give to be responsible for that look. She nodded.

  “And you’d like that to happen as fast as possible.”

  She nodded again, and her hands came together almost in a prayer position.

  “What’s in it for me?”

  Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. “As in…” Her gaze dropped to his jeans.

  “Oh shit,” he said, “no, I didn’t mean— Not that I wouldn’t want—” Double shit.

  He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, filled his chest with air, and tried to fill his brain with oxygen. He looked at her again. “Let’s be clear: I did not mean to imply anything sexual.”

  Her cheeks grew pinker, and damn if all he could think of now was having her under him, over him, everywhere, fulfilling every hot fantasy he’d ever had featuring her.

  “I meant…” What did he mean? He hadn’t even thought this through. “How about a glass of water?”

  “Okay,” she said. “Please.”

  He snatched up one of the high stools and moved it to the customer side of the counter. He gestured for her to sit, then slipped into the back room, weaving around bags of discards and boxes of goods to donate and filled two glasses with water at the sink.

  He returned, set both down, and pulled out another stool from behind the counter. He placed it at a right angle to her, rather than facing her directly. It seemed less formal somehow.

  “Thanks,” she said, and took a sip.

  He rested his arms on the counter. “The thing is, I had plans, too. And now, with Sohel gone, they are all shot to hell.”

  She was watching him carefully, almost warily. It occurred to him that maybe she thought this was going to be a monetary request—like taking a cut or something.

  “I don’t know if you realize, but I live upstairs.”

  Her mouth opened in surprise, and she looked upward as if she could see through the ceiling.

  “With the sale of this building, I’m out of both a place to live and a place to work.”

  She stilled. “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh.” He rolled his shoulders. “Ranji Gupta has offered me the equipment, but”—he gestured to the wide-format printer, the giant standing copier, and the whole series of computer and printers that sat on counters along the walls—“as you can see, I can’t just crash anywhere. I need time to find the right space.”

  Her eyebrows drew together.

  “I was thinking, if you are the buyer, that maybe you’d let me store this stuff upstairs for a while.”

  She opened her mouth.

  “Just until I find some sort of studio.”

  “I’d planned to renovate the whole place at once, but…” She nodded. “Maybe if you could pile it all at one end up there? So I only have a section left to do?”

  “I’d be cool with that. And who knows, maybe I’ll find something before you even start renovating.”

  “Okay then, if I’m the buyer—” She stopped and shook her head, a grin playing about the corners of her mouth. “As soon as I own this building, storage space upstairs is yours if you need it.”

  She stuck out her hand, and he grasped her warm palm in his. They shook once firmly, but neither let go. A smile bloomed on her face, lighting her eyes.

  Jonah smiled back, but he suddenly had the sense that this bargain—while helpful for his future—might be really troublesome for his heart.

  7

  Four days later, Kalpani returned to the Strip District and headed for Jonah’s shop. She shook her head at herself. She didn’t know when she’d started thinking of it as Jonah’s instead of Sohel’s. And she didn’t know when she’d start truly thinking of it as hers.

  But it was time to do just that.

  “It’s mine, really mine,” she said in wonder with a smile splitting her face. The passersby on Penn Ave didn’t notice that she was talking to herself, but she wouldn’t have cared anyway. The shop was hers.

  She’d given Ranji a call as soon as it was decent on Monday morning—fearing that he’d sign on with the real estate agency before she could get her affairs in order. He’d graciously agreed to hear her out before he did anything. On Monday afternoon, as promised, Jonah had let her contractor poke his nose into every nook and cranny of the building. Lou had worked fast to give her a number, and then she and Darcy had worked just as fast to come up with a bid that Ranji Gupta wouldn’t be able to refuse—and yet one that Kalpani could live with. On Wednesday, she’d visited the Guptas, proposal in hand.

  Today, Ranji had phoned her. “I have slept on it, and I happily accept. Sohel would be pleased.”

  She’d gushed her thanks, hung up the phone, and then shouted with joy. Thank goodness she’d happened to still be at home when he called, and not at the salon, because moments later, she’d collapsed onto her bed and sobbed.

  She’d wanted this so badly. Of course, to some degree the reality was a little scary—using up her savings, incurring debt, owning a business, being responsible for not just her own livelihood but for others… Her parents were horrified when she’d told them what she was doing—which she had done before visiting the Guptas. Otherwise they’d hear it through the neighborhood grapevine before she even had an answer.

  But fear wasn’t what had her so emotional. There was no way she would allow herself to fail. She would do whatever it took to ensure success. This was her ticket right on past the scenario so many women, especially women of her culture, found themselves in. And in helping herself, she hoped she’d be able to help others as well.

  Her tears were pure, overwhelming relief. Now, she would never, ever need to be reliant on a man. Her future was one hundred percent her own.

  Just before she was about to cross the street to the Print & Ship—her salon!—her phone vibrated for the third time. She sighed. It was Ajay. She was going to have to deal with him sooner or later, and she didn’t want it ringing constantly when she was talking to Jonah.

  She stopped walking, peeled off one glove to answer the call, and pressed herself up against a wall of a building, directly across from the shop.

  Forgoing a greeting, Ajay said, “What the hell, Kalpani?”

  She gritted her teeth. “You know you would have done the same.”

  “I took you down to the shop. I told you about it.”

  “And you would have gleefully taken the highest bidder and passed me over in the end. Besides, this isn’t all on me. Ranji wasn’t happy with your agency.”

  “He would have been happy when he got the best price.”

  “That’s where you are wrong. It’s not always about the money.”

  Kalpani hung up and tried not to let Ajay get to her. She’d spoken the truth. Ranji didn’t care for the agency, didn’t want to deal with them, and he was pleased to sell directly to someone like her—someone from his and Sohel’s own community who might not get this chance otherwise. She hadn’t signed anything with Ajay, and he—of all people—would truly have done the same in her position.

  She shoved her phone back in her pocket and tried to shake off the exchange. If possible, at some point she’d send her dear cousin a
client in order to make it up to him.

  Jonah had spotted her and waved from inside the shop, and she brightened. She weaved through pedestrians and crossed the street.

  When she entered the Print & Ship, he said, “So?”

  “It’s mine!”

  He threw his arms up and then bounded toward her. She expected a hug, but he scooped her up and spun her around. They were both laughing when he set her down.

  She brushed her hair out of her face even as she thought that the only thing better would have been a celebratory kiss from him. “You’re crazy.”

  “Nah, I’m just happy for you,” he said, grinning, “and I don’t have any champagne.”

  She laughed again.

  How wonderful to be with someone happy for her—even though he was probably the last person that should be. He should be pissed off or bitter or at least bummed out, because the faster the transaction moved, the quicker he’d find himself out of this space.

  Almost as if he read her mind, he said, “So what’s the timeline?”

  “The banks have to do their thing, but Lou says he can squeeze me in for January. He’d like to complete the project before his business heats up in the spring, so he sounds motivated.”

  Jonah nodded. “Probably after New Year’s, then.”

  “Yes, I’d say so. I did talk to the contractor about our arrangement,” Kalpani said. “Lou doesn’t want the liability of any people here while it’s torn up and potentially dangerous, but he doesn’t care about stuff in storage. He’ll keep the door shut or seal off the space to keep the dust out.”

  “Cool, thanks.”

  She looked around. “So, you have a couple of weeks to get all this upstairs.”

  “It’s doable. Even with the holidays in there.” He winked. “At least Santa will still know where to find me.”

  “And what are you asking for this year?”

  “Besides a place to live and a place to work?”

  Kalpani winced, but Jonah didn’t look upset. In fact, he’d seemed to have reclaimed the easygoing nature that had attracted her to him in the first place. She decided to play along. “Anything elves could handle? New socks?”