Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Vida
“I’ll tell you what,” Aunt Peggy says as she heaps a serving of casserole onto Tripp’s plate and hands it to him across the dining room table. “The masseuse was not afraid to work my glutes. He just dug right in there.”
Tripp nudges my ankle beneath the table but somehow keeps a totally straight face.
“Bertram is the best they’ve got at Reserve. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”
“Well, heck. I wish everyone had the same level of courtesy as you, Tripp,” Peggy says, sending me a pointed look. “If I’d known sooner that we were having company, I’d have done better than chicken casserole and a Doritos appetizer.”
I wince. “Sorry!”
“Everything is lovely, Peggy,” Tripp responds, blasting her with his thousand-watt smile. “I’ve never had a casserole before, so this is a big night for me.”
“Never had casserole?” Peggy is in disbelief.
“Only a cassoulet,” I say, with a heavy French accent.
Tripp raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you calling me a snob, angel?”
I purse my lips. “If the beret fits…”
His gaze slips to my mouth, heating, and I know without a doubt that if my aunt were not sitting four feet away, I would be the meal by now.
This whole situation feels like one of the dreams I have after eating too much spicy food before bed.
Tripp Sterling is sitting at my kitchen table with my aunt, and he does not fit with the surroundings whatsoever.
He looks like a prince who left the castle to slum it with the commoners.
When he pulled up outside in a chauffeured town car and stepped out wearing mirrored sunglasses, holding a bottle of wine, our neighbors actually came out onto their front lawns to stare at him.
But he’s here and he’s amazing.
He didn’t even say anything when Peggy poured his expensive wine into Dixie cups.
I’ve never been surer that I made the right decision today.
To let Tripp in. To let him make the gestures he needs to make for me.
For us. He trusts me not to take advantage of his generosity, and I trust myself not to do that, either.
He’s noticeably more relaxed now that I’ve taken down those barriers.
Or made them a little smaller, at least.
I watch him closely as he takes his first bite of casserole.
He chews for a few seconds, stops, and chews some more, his eyes widening.
“Excuse my language, but holy shit, this is so good.”
Peggy clasps her hands together beneath her chin. “Why, thank you! This is actually my sister’s recipe. Vida’s mother. She was a fantastic cook.”
His hand finds my knee beneath the table, and he squeezes. “Was she into astronomy like you, Vida?”
It takes me a moment to swallow completely because I’m so caught off guard. People tend to act strange when my parents are brought up. They change the subject because death makes people uncomfortable. But not Tripp. He asked about my mother.
“No, my love of astronomy came from my father, actually. He worked at NASA. He wanted to be an astronaut.”
“What?” he says around a bite. “NASA? You didn’t tell me that.”
My smile is proud. “He didn’t make it through training because he had a famously weak stomach, so he ended up working in research and development. But the running joke in my family is that he married my mother because her cooking was easier on his stomach than the space program.”
His laughter fills me with contentment. “I’m sure he loved her for more than her cooking. He probably loved her for a million reasons if she was anything like you.”
Overcome, I braid my fingers through his under the table. “Thank you.”
He leans close to me, splitting a glance between me and Peggy. “You think they would be proud you got into Yale?”
My fork clatters onto my plate. “What?”
Peggy jumps to her feet. “What? How?”
“You didn’t make any donations, did you?” I whisper, my heart pressed up behind my jugular. “Tripp?”
He shakes his head adamantly. “I didn’t have to, Vida.
I basically shamed them for rejecting an applicant that is five times more qualified than students they accepted, including myself.
I strongly suggested they review their protocol because it reeked of bias and cow-towing to the rich.
They assured me it had to be an oversight and that they’d be mailing your acceptance tomorrow.
” He drinks wine from his Dixie cup, somehow making it look like a Tiffany goblet.
“They said student housing is included in your full academic scholarship, but I told them you wouldn’t be needing it, as you’ll be living with me. ”
The room spins around me. “F-full academic scholarship?”
His blue eyes twinkle. “That’s right.”
My aunt Peggy grips the edge of the table for purchase, her jaw down by her knees.
“You’re sure? A-and you’re not just saying that and secretly paying my tuition?”
“No.” His tone is serious. “One thing I won’t ever do is lie to you, angel.”
Tears blur my vision. “Oh my gosh.” I jump up from the table and run to hug my aunt Peggy before skirting around the table and throwing myself into Tripp’s arms. Just before I bury myself in his neck, I see his eyes are a little glassy as well, and I fall in love with him even more.
Maybe that’s how it’ll be for the rest of my life.
Falling deeper in love with Tripp every day.
“I can’t believe it. I wish I could tell my parents. ”
Tripp rubs my back in circles, murmuring comfort into my hair.
Telling me he’s proud of me.
We stay like that for long minutes before I eventually get my emotions under control enough to continue eating. I should go back to my own seat, but I don’t. I remain in Tripp’s lap because that’s where I belong.
“Tell me what Vida was like growing up, Peggy. She’s alluded to breaking a lot of hearts because she never said yes to a date.”
“It’s true!” Peggy wipes the corners of her mouth.
“We had all manner of boys knocking on the door, but she made a strict decision to focus on academics. And my, my, look how it paid off!” She chuckles to herself.
“Well, hold on. There was that one boy who lived down the street that proposed marriage. You did give him a good bit of consideration, right, Vida?”
“Marriage?” Tripp shouts. “Consideration?”
“We were twelve!”
He sets his fork down as if I didn’t just reveal a vital piece of information. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Tripp, don’t be ridiculous,” I half gasp, half laugh.
“Does he still live down the street?” he asks, glancing toward the window.
Peggy nods. “As a matter of fact, he does.”
“Oh, Peggy, don’t tell him that,” I groan, turning in Tripp’s lap to find him looking decidedly miffed. “Last I checked, he has a girlfriend and he’s very happy with her.”
“As if anyone could get over you in a single lifetime.” Growling, he surges to his feet, throws me over his shoulder, and I go, squealing. “Thank you for dinner, Peggy. But we’d better start our journey to Boston. I don’t want to be on the road too late with such precious cargo.”
“I haven’t even packed a bag!” I point out.
“I have everything you need, angel.” He spins us around, and I can see in the window’s reflection that he’s gifting Peggy that movie star grin. “It has been a pleasure, Peggy! I’m going to marry your niece someday very soon.”
“Good night!” A beat passes. “Wait, did you just say—”
“Yes, I did. And your mortgage is paid off. Good night.”
“My…my…mortgage?”
“Tripp, you didn’t,” I gasp, reeling from the revelation while also wondering why I’m surprised at all.
His long strides take us to the waiting town car, where he slips me off his shoulder and kisses me soundly on the mouth.
“If you recall, angel, you said I was free to spoil Peggy.”
“I guess I need to be careful with what I say from now on,” I murmur, dazed, while Tripp buckles me into the back of the plush, black leather car, the chauffeur turning to tip his hat at me.
Tripp doesn’t get into the limousine with me right away. He walks a distance down the curb while speaking on his phone, and I only catch one snatch of the conversation, the wind carrying it back to me.
Is everything prepared at the house?
Minutes later, I’m still wondering what he meant as we’re flying down the expressway toward Boston.
One thing is for certain. I’m going to find out soon enough.