  We construct families of discrete solitons (DSs) in an array of
self-defocusing waveguides with an embedded $\mathcal{PT}$
(parity-time)-symmetric dimer, which is represented by a pair of waveguides
carrying mutually balanced gain and loss. Four types of states attached to the
embedded defect are found, namely, staggered and unstaggered bright localized
modes and gray or anti-gray DSs. Their existence and stability regions expand
with the increase of the strength of the coupling between the dimer-forming
sites. The existence of the gray and staggered bright DSs is qualitatively
explained by dint of the continuum limit. All the gray and anti-gray DSs are
stable (some of them are unstable if the dimer carries the nonlinear
$\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry, represented by balanced nonlinear gain and loss; in
that case, the instability does not lead to a blowup, but rather creates
oscillatory dynamical states). The boundary between the gray and anti-gray DSs
is predicted in an approximate analytical form.
