Rina kept a watchful eye, making sure that things ran smoothly. Gabe came up to her and introduced his aunt, Melissa. The woman had short blond hair and was stick thin. Devek came up to Rina, his children in tow, and introduced himself as Dr. Sharma. His height was around five eight, and he had dark skin, dark brown eyes, and straight black hair. His build was stocky. Terry had married two men whose physical appearances couldn’t have been any more opposite. The children looked stunned. The boy clutched his father’s hand, looking down at the floor and then at the crowds. Juleen seemed more remote—in her own world without a thought to her surroundings. Both of them were dry-eyed.

As the time crept on, women began to come up to Rina, thanking her for the wake. They had tears in their eyes. They had known Terry. She was great—funny, friendly, and not at all snobby. Most important, she was a good influence on the boss. She seemed to calm him down.

The hours dragged on and the hours raced by at the same time. That was how it was with funerals. Everything was crystal clear, but at the same time, everything was a blur. The wake kept going and going and going. The one good thing about the entire evening was that Rina got a chance to see the kids before she and Decker headed off to Israel for six months. Cindy and Koby were there but without the boys. Sammy and Hannah had also come without their respective families. Jacob had come with Ilana, who spent most of her time talking to Yasmine, trying to figure out what to do with the upcoming wedding now that Gabe’s mother was gone.

Things finally started to taper off around five, and by six in the evening, the immediate family had retired to Chris’s office. Donatti had chartered several planes to take everyone back: one bigger jet for the New Yorkers, and a separate one to take Cindy and Koby back to Philadelphia.

When it was time to say good-bye, Juleen cracked. She broke into sobs. She looked plaintively at Chris and said, “Why can’t I stay here?”

Devek bristled. “Juleen, don’t be ridiculous. You can’t stay at a place like this. Furthermore, you’re my daughter, not his.”

“I don’t want to go back to Mumbai. I don’t like it there.”

“Well, you have no choice.”

She looked at Gabe. “Why can’t I stay with you?”

Devek said, “Because you can’t!”

“She can stay with me,” Gabe insisted. “I’m her brother.”

“But I’m her father!” Devek was getting angry. “You’re going home, Juleen. No more nonsense.”

“Why can’t I stay with Chris?” Juleen said. “He’s my stepfather.”

“He doesn’t want you here!”

Donatti said, “Don’t tell her that!”

“Then you tell her!” Devek said.