“No, neither the Punjabi pronunciation nor the Americanized version they’d given her.”

Ajay got on his hands and knees in his hundred-thousand-dollar suit and peered under her bed. “I’m assuming you checked under here?”

“Yes, all over the house, including the basement apartment. Ajay, you’re going to crease your suit.”

“I’ll get it ironed again. And I wouldn’t waste your time with looking anywhere other than the top floor.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she’s too small for the stairs.”

She paused at the thought. Ajay was right. There was no way Khunda could’ve made it down the stairs with her size. And did she even know how to climb them in the first place? Raj would have to get safety gates to make sure there were no accidents.

Ajay stood and crossed the room into her dressing studio. He flipped on the lights. The recessed lighting filled the space with a soft sunlit glow. Everything looked exactly as she had left it that morning. Her jewelry island stood in the center of the room with a sparkling marble countertop. Her makeup vanity with lighted mirror was organized, and her wall-to-wall cabinets, featuring a glass case filled with her vintage handbags, were in order.

“This is like a shrine to designer clothes,” he said. “Is everything color coded?”

She glanced in the direction he’d pointed. Her wall of heeled shoes was color blocked from top to bottom. “How else am I supposed to get dressed fast and efficiently in the morning?”

He grinned at her, the first smile that she’d seen in so long. His eyes twinkled with a hint of wickedness. “Only you, Raj.”

A faint rustling sound came from one of the baskets tucked in the back corner of the closet.

“Oh my god.”

Ajay got on his hands and knees and crawled toward it. He gently pulled her linens hamper out. Khunda lay on her side, paws stretched out, eyes shut. She yawned and stretched.

“Khunda!” Raj scrambled to Ajay’s side and gently scooped her puppy up. She’d never been so relieved in her life. Khunda’s tiny tongue peeked out and licked at her chin. “You had me so worried,” she said in Punjabi.

“When she didn’t see you, she probably got scared and wanted to find your scent. That’s my guess anyway. Your sheets were probably the next best thing for her.”

Raj stroked a finger over Khunda’s forehead. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For coming all the way out here to help me find her.”

“You’re welcome.”

He crossed his legs and settled on the rug next to her. That suited her just fine as she didn’t want to move, either. She rocked her puppy, who lay so sweet and trusting in her arms. It took only a minute or two before Khunda’s big brown eyes drooped with fatigue and she was fast asleep again.