Chapter 15
"Relax, it's just a birthday party," Benjamin says when he and Trinidad enter Ursula's estate.
The businesswoman nods trying to appear calm, but can't shake off the thought that she doesn't belong at this party.
They get out of the car when Benjamin parks and she asks him to accompany her to the area where the three women and three others she doesn't know are gathered, whom she assumes are mothers of some of the children running around with Lili.
"Don't stay here, Benjamin, you'll roast in the sun," Trinidad advises.
The heat is intense even under the shade of the trees.
"I don't know what I'd do there with so many women," he hesitates and she laughs.
"You could find your fourth wife here," she teases, with a playful gleam in her eyes.
Maria sees her smile from afar and her stomach turns, making her hold her breath for a few seconds.
"She doesn't seem stuck-up to me," Ursula comments sharply amid Mildred's spontaneous laughter, who's already aware of what's going on between Maria and Trinidad.
Trinidad reaches them and hands Mildred a bag with Lili's gift.
"You didn't have to," she says placing it with the other gifts already forming a mountain on the table.
Lili's scream upon noticing the businesswoman's presence startles them all. Trinidad turns at hearing her name and sees her running toward her with a radiant smile.
"I don't understand why the child likes you so much," Maria says beside her.
Trinidad glances at her sideways and gives her a quick once-over.
"Easy, I'm pleasant and affectionate, not like you, always tense."
Maria, indignant, opens her mouth to say what she thinks, but has to bite her tongue because the child arrives with such momentum that Trinidad doesn't fall only because Benjamin—always attentive like a bird of prey—puts a hand on her back to help her keep her balance.
"You came!" she shouts excited, "come, you have to meet Piadora."
Trinidad has no option to refuse because Lili takes her hand and pulls her toward the pond.
"Did you hear what she said to me?" Maria asks with her hands on her hips.
"Yes, and she has a point," Mildred confirms, and Maria stands open-mouthed.
"I can't believe you're taking her side," she huffs offended.
"Stop complaining, Maria, if you don't want Trinidad to think you're stuck-up, what you need to do is go rescue her from Lili's clutches before she starts asking about her entire family's last names."
Maria looks at Trinidad, surrounded by the horde of children while they observe Piadora on the pond's bridge.
She likes her and can't deny it. Trinidad is elegant and mysterious, besides attractive, and as much as she complains about it, she also likes her strong yet elusive character.
Without saying anything, she starts walking toward her until she positions herself beside her.
"I didn't imagine the turtle would be so big," Trinidad comments when she notices her presence.
"When I met her she wasn't this big. Did you know Ursula talks to her?" she shakes her head incredulously and Trinidad bursts out laughing.
"Truth is I can't imagine a better confidant than this one," the engineer comments.
"Yeah, very typical of you all. I wonder if being weird comes with the fortune."
"I haven't always been rich," Trinidad drops and Maria looks at her intently realizing it's the first time she's talked a bit about herself, "but I used to have very interesting conversations with my cat when I was little."
"Well," Maria exclaims, "it's a shame cats don't talk."
Trinidad smiles among the children's shouting.
"Want me to show you around? The estate is huge and you don't need to bring Benjamin, you're safe here," Maria proposes and Trinidad looks at her narrowing her eyes.
The lawyer stops breathing for a moment, fearing that, again, the businesswoman will leave her hanging or reject her offer.
"Alright," Trinidad agrees and gestures to her trusted man not to follow them.
Surprised, Maria smiles and they both begin to move away from the pond and the children. Gradually, the noise fades behind them and they begin to relax.
"Wow, it really is big," Trinidad confirms pleased with what she sees.
"I told you."
"And that house?" the businesswoman asks as they approach the cabin.
"It's the guest house, and also the one Ursula offered Mildred when she separated from her husband and they started dating.
She moved here with the child at the beginning of their relationship, but for a couple of months now they've been living together in the main house.
Want to see it?" Maria points to the door and Trinidad, invaded by curiosity unusual for her, nods.
"I didn't know Mildred had been married too," she comments upon entering.
"Yes, to Lili's father, though she'd have been better off not doing it, he's an abusive bastard who, taking advantage of his good social position and Mildred's few resources at the time, tried to take the child away when she asked for divorce."
Trinidad stops dead in her tracks and turns to Maria in the middle of the living room.
"Mildred was an abused woman?"
"Yes," Maria responds trying to guess Trinidad's thoughts, who has become absorbed. "Are you okay?"
The woman just nods affirmatively before leaving the cabin to get some air.
"It's pretty," she says on the porch and Maria realizes that whatever passed through her mind, she doesn't want to talk about it anymore.
"Yes, it is, and it's also a peaceful place."
"Shall we go back?" Trinidad asks, starting to feel vulnerable.
"No," Maria counters to her amazement and plants herself in front of her surprising the businesswoman, who smiles nervously, "I'm tired of things happening only when you order them."
Maria's narrowed gaze fixed on her eyes starts to provoke an unbearable heat in the engineer.
"And what do you want to do?" Trinidad provokes her with that half-smile of sufficiency that Maria is determined to wipe off her face.
"Kiss you, and I'm not asking for permission," Maria declares and after reducing the distance between them, she caresses her cheek and joins her lips with Trinidad's in a slow and scorching kiss that leaves the businesswoman off balance for the first time since they met.
Trinidad looks at her when Maria pulls away, with her mouth half-open and her heart racing and, after thinking about it for a moment, decides to stop controlling herself and says what she thinks.
"Would you like to come to dinner at my house?"
Maria arches her eyebrows and the air of her laugh comes out through her nose in an amusing gesture that manages to relax Trinidad a bit, who has become very nervous after the kiss.
"What happened to make you fuck me like a marsupial and now ask me on a date?" the lawyer asks teasingly.
"I won't respond to such a crude question, you have five seconds to accept or I withdraw the offer," Trinidad says and takes a step toward her until the air no longer flows between them.
Maria's entire body burns.
"I accept," she whispers and gives her another kiss.
"Good," Trinidad responds against her mouth. "Can we leave now or is it too early?"
Maria lets out a laugh.
"You came to a child's birthday party, Trinidad, we have to wait for the cake and gifts if you don't want to witness her lung capacity when she starts crying, then we'll go."
Trinidad makes a face and nods.
"I don't understand," Maria says while they return to the main house, "why do you want to leave so early when you're so good with kids? Lili loves you."
"It's not because of the kids, and less because of Lili, it's that I don't feel comfortable when there are lots of people."
Maria looks at her sideways. She would ask Trinidad a thousand questions, but feels that with her she must go very slowly, without overwhelming her, because the woman releases information in drops and quickly gets lost in her thoughts after doing so.
Besides, she didn't react well at all when she and Ursula asked her about the little information there was about her and, although at that moment she wouldn't have cared if Trinidad disappeared, now she does care.
She wants to keep getting to know her and, most worrying is that since she's been sleeping with her, she hasn't felt the need to see other women.