She noticed his eyes on her, but only a quick glance before he turned back to the road. The confinement of the car suddenly felt too small. They drove into the grand estate house, down the circular driveway past perfectly manicured lawns, stopping in front of a huge house.
She forced herself not to gawk when she stepped out of the car since there would be time for that later. However, Miranda was antsy to inspect everything in sight.
"There is someone I have to introduce you to," Michael called, drawing her attention from her surroundings.
They entered the house, and Trinity was wowed by everything she saw. The interior of the home was very modern, masculine and gorgeous. Paintings lined the cream-colored walls. There was a spiral staircase that she guessed led to the second floor. Michael headed straight for a room at the other end of the entrance, and judging from the scents wafting through, they had to be nearing a kitchen. Trinity tensed.Was he about to introduce her to his mother?
She looked horrible after her night in the hospital, and she was sure his mother would not approve of her.
"Well, what do we have here?" came a broad voice with a slight nasal twang.
Trinity gasped when she turned the corner.
The woman was tall and big boned, and her brown skin was just a shade or two darker than Trinity’s. She smiled toward Michael who smiled right back at her.
No, it couldn't be…
"Trinity I want you to meet Celia, my housekeeper and woman after my own heart," Michael introduced.
"Go on with you," Celia said, grinning as the creases formed at the corner of her eyes, the only indication of her age.
"You know it's the truth," Michael said.
"Play with an old woman's heart, go ahead." The reply came in such an easy way that Trinity could recognize as a ritual between them.
"This is Trinity and her daughter Miranda. We're getting married."
“Married?” Celia wrinkled her brow and opened her mouth, no doubt wanting to extract more information from this sudden announcement but was interrupted by Miranda.
Miranda thrust her hand at the woman with a very somber expression. "Hello."
"No, little girl, how about a hug?"
Miranda looked towards her mom and after Trinity gave a slight nod, she mumbled "Okay," before embracing Celia in a bear hug.
"I'll leave you here with Celia, and she’ll show you girls your room. I need to make some calls," Michael told them before he excused himself.
"You girls must be hungry," Celia asked after a moment of silence as Trinity stood rubbing her elbow missing the support Michael’s presence gave her.
"We just ate breakfast," she answered quickly.
"Come closer girl, I don't bite, at least not at first." Celia pointed to a stool and patted Miranda on her head before heading to the freezer to remove a few ingredients. She switched on the coffee maker.
Trinity's eyes followed her actions and the older woman explained, "We have a kitchen staff for this, but I like to put my hands on things or it's quite easy to feel useless around here."
With the frozen food thawing in the sink, she shifted to the coffee maker, pouring a cup and eyeing Trinity in question.
"None for me," Trinity answered the unspoken question.
"Suit yourself." Celia poured a small cup of milk for Miranda before returning to the breakfast nook, and sitting down.
"So, how did you meet my Michael? I raised that boy and I know everything there is to know about him. You came from out of the blue. You can't blame a curious woman can you?"
Trinity found herself telling the older woman everything, not even trying to minimize the truth. She found herself talking about her marriage and her problems, down to the happening of this morning. Maybe it was because the older woman was formidable and a little scary, or maybe it was the fact that she reminded her of her own mother — whatever the reason, she couldn't stop the torrents of words until she found herself absolutely drained and oddly relaxed. Who knew she needed someone to unload her burden?
"I see why he did it. The Harper men are stubborn as hell. You'll meet his grandfather in time and see that truth," Celia replied as she drank her coffee.
Trinity nodded, tensing at the idea.
