“Where are you headed?” Mr. Bridgewater asked. “What you did for that little girl was an act of kindness. The least I can do is offer you a ride.”
Mia eyed him warily before answering. She’d guess Mr. Handsome to be about her age. She was twenty-four, and he looked about twenty-five or so. He struck her as genuine, and for some reason, she trusted him. He was warm and perceptive. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, and possibly the fact he’d spared her from Davis. Aunt Sylvia had said she’d send her driver, so at least she wouldn’t be abandoning her aunt. She could explain later that she hadn’t been able to find her driver in the heavy traffic. Perfectly understandable, right?
“Somewhere on Fifth Avenue.” She fished out the letter from Aunt Sylvia and read the rest of the address to him, still arguing with herself about accepting help from a perfect stranger. An echo of her mother’s voice reminding her not to speak to strangers briefly ran through her mind, but this man was no ordinary stranger. He had a driver, a limo, and was likely wearing an Armani suit. In addition to being drop dead gorgeous and friendly—maybe someone she might like to get to know better—she could see he was considerate, compassionate, kind, warm, and had a sense of humor. Besides, ever since the break-up with her fiancé, she had been all about turning over a new leaf, taking more risks, looking for more opportunities, and making positive changes in her life.
“Upper east side?” He nodded. “We’re going in that direction. It’s no trouble, right Davis?” Mr. Bridgewater asked pointedly, looking at him.
“No trouble at all,” Davis replied. This time, the driver sounded a tad nicer, but there was an edge of reluctance in his voice. Apparently, Mr. Bridgewater had some degree of influence over the man. Likely, the driver was his direct employee and maybe the limo wasn’t a rental.
Mia bit her lip and nodded, looking at the spacious interior. There was plenty of room for the both of them. She wouldn’t mind a chance to learn more about Mr. Handsome, and it didn’t look like she was going to find her driver in the current state of affairs at La Guardia. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble...”
“No trouble at all. Davis will put your luggage and mine in the trunk,” Mr. Bridgewater assured.
“I promise I won’t spit inside the limo.” Mia chuckled, earning a grin from Mr. Good-Looking. She made a mental note to forever hereafter banish the act of publicly spitting, unless dire circumstances warranted the risk a worthy one, as they had today.
“What a relief,” Davis muttered with a smirk as Mr. Bridgewater extended his arm, inviting her to take a seat inside the limo. At least she’d be arriving at Aunt Sylvia’s residence in style.
“So tell me about Kentucky,” he said when they were settled.
“What’s your first name again?” she asked.
“Forgive me. I’m Clayton Bridgewater the Third, but you can call me Clay. All my friends call me Clay.”
They shook hands, and she smiled. “Mia Delphine Morgan. Pleased to meet you. All of my friends call me Mia.”
“Mia it is then,” he agreed. Then she proceeded to tell him about home. “I’m from a small farm in Goshen, Kentucky. It’s between Louisville and Lexington. Daddy named it Robin’s Nest. It’s just ten acres, but the nicest place on earth.”
Chapter 2
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16, NIV
“NOW THAT YOU’RE SETTLED in, and we have our tea, why don’t you tell me a little about why you decided to accept my offer to come to New York. Your letter didn’t say much, and when I spoke to my brother and sister-in-law, your parents, they didn’t say much, either.” Aunt Sylvia’s teacup clanked gently as she returned it to the saucer she held in her hand. “Except the part about the end of your engagement to Brent, and that you needed a change of pace.”
“Brett,” Mia corrected, nodding. “Yes, I did think it would be good for me to get away for a while in view of the fact our engagement didn’t work out. It was clear a fresh start and a breather from my normal routine would be good for me. I was becoming morose, Daddy said. Mom would say sullen, or under the weather. I’d say under the weather, or mildly depressed.”
“I get the idea.” Her aunt nodded. “A change of place is good for the soul.”
Mia had the distinct impression she’d made some sort of faux pas by falling into rambling. She hadn’t seen her aunt in nearly two decades and felt some nerves kicking in. She wasn’t sure what would be appropriate to say about her reasons for accepting the offer to live with her aunt for a while before being named the sole beneficiary to the LaVeque estate.
“I’m sure Brett and the fact I have a vast sum to bequeath to someone aren’t the only reasons you accepted my invitation to live here and be introduced formally to society.” Aunt Sylvia raised a brow and waited for further explanation.
She’d thought about her reasons on the airplane, and numerous times in recent weeks since her aunt’s first letter had arrived. Hadn’t Mom always said honesty was usually the best policy? She grasped her teacup firmly and dove in. “I admit the idea of becoming firmly entrenched in New York’s high society is a daunting prospect I dread, but when I thought about the good I might do one day for missions—and it is very generous of you to choose me as the sole heiress to your estate—it made my choice a rather easy one.”
“You are so much like my brother, Charles. He was always trying to...” Her aunt’s words faded. A dainty, white, frou-frou dog with tan and black markings entered the room and jumped into her aunt’s lap. “Hello Roxy. Meet Mia.” The dog scolded her with a tiny growl.
Ignoring Roxy’s tiny growl, Mia finished her aunt’s sentence. “Save the world through the spreading of the gospel, and acts of good deeds and kindness?”
Sylvia nodded with a sigh of relief and a pleasant smile. “Yes, my dear. You’ve summed it up perfectly. You are so like your father. Sadly, I never really became well acquainted with your mother, but it isn’t to say I wouldn’t like to remedy the matter. Don’t mind Roxy. She’ll take time to get to know you.” Her aunt patted the dog while Roxy basked in the attention.
“I’m sure Roxy and I will become good friends.” Mia sipped some of the tea, enjoying the flavors of bergamot and orange before adding, “Another reason I decided to come to Manhattan is because I’d like to get to know you more, Aunt Sylvia. I never really understood why we didn’t visit each other more often, or why the family drifted apart.”
“I guess I grew apart from my brother after our parents passed away. When I first married Fred and Charles first married Cassie, your mother, we all made more of an effort to spend Christmas or Thanksgiving together each year, and occasionally time each summer. At least it was that way for a few years. As your father became a busy minister in Kentucky, and my husband’s advertising company took off here in New York and Europe, we all became so busy.” Her aunt paused and shook her head. “It’s something I regret allowing to happen. It created a distance between us I haven’t been able to diminish.”