“She sounds amazing,” I commented, feeling like I was supposed to say something.
“I think you and Murphy will get along famously,” Victoria said.
Okay, so I was feeling less nervous, but now she thinks I could be best friends with her aerospace engineer daughter. Somehow, I don’t think we’ll have a lot in common.
“My sons, on the other hand, are more like their father,” Victoria went on. “They think the world is only about their careers.”
“Do they have big careers like your daughter?” I asked, twirling my hair like I always did.
“Yes, two are doctors and the other two or architects . she said, as if it were nothing.
“Wow, you must be very proud,” I said, almost panicking at the thought of being in a family like this.
Come on, girl, you’re in school to be a veterinarian. That’s a doctor too.
“I love my sons, and yes, I’m a proud mother, but as I am getting older, I want grandchildren. But more than that, I want to see them happy,” she said.
“And you think a mail-order bride is the key to this happiness?” I asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m all about family and doing everything you can for them, but in this case, what if he doesn’t want me as….a bride?”
“In there lies my concern and nervousness,” Victoria said, turning onto the prettiest street canopied with oak trees. “We’ll get through this together. You’ll need to trust me with our little secret until Christmas morning.”
“Can you do that?”
Chapter 7
MIA
Victoria’s home was not what I would have imagined. It is what perhaps I should have imagined from someone who just bought her son a bride for $400,000.
We pulled into the five-car garage. My eyes were drawn immediately to a cherry red ’68 Corvette.
That’s not a car I expected to see next to a brand new Bentley. I’d take the Corvette over the Bentley any day.
I rolled out of the little Porsche I’d been cramped up in for the last two hours. I didn’t want to, but the yawn and the stretch just came on me. I waited by the trunk for my suitcase, but Victoria gestured for me to follow.
Okay, I guess I will come back for it and take a closer look at that Corvette.
The short walk on the covered walkway through a courtyard of fountains, koi ponds and lavish rose gardens was like something out of a movie.
Note to self, find a good book and park yourself on that beautifully carved antique bench.
I’d been sightseeing as we approached the house, as she called it. I would call it a mansion. We entered a side door into an adorable foyer the size of my whole apartment. It was simply decorated in shades of olive and white with white benches lining one wall, coat hooks, and a key box for each amazing car in the garage.
Would they even notice if I took a joyride in just one of those cars? Ha, cracking yourself up again, Mia. As if you would have the guts to do it.
The grand double staircase took my breath away. Paintings that were worth more than my contract adorned the walls of the living room we passed through. A maid met us in the dining hall with its table for twenty and views of the now sparse forest that I knew would be lush and green in the spring.
“Mia, this is Diana, our housekeeper,” Victoria said. “She’ll help you to your suite and get you unpacked and settled. I’m sure you’re tired, and I have another call to attend to before dinner.”
“Miss Mia, welcome to the manor,” Diana said, reaching for my purse. “Come with me, and let’s get you comfortable. Would you like a drink or a snack?”
“Thank you, Diana,” I said, liking her already. “You don’t need to take my bag. I can carry it and… You know, I’m thirsty, so if you can point me to the kitchen, I would love some water.”
Diana clucked at me.
She actually clucked at me.
“No, Miss Mia, that’s my job,” Diana said, still smiling warmly. “I’m happy to help any friend of Victoria’s. She’s the best boss I’ve ever had. Come, let’s go to the kitchen.”