A Christmas Miracle. Amy Andrews
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FOUR
TRINITY BLINKED. IT WAS all she was capable of. She couldn’t move or think or talk. Had she had a stroke? Or slipped down the rabbit hole to an alternate reality?
Had he drugged her?
‘Wh...what?’
Okay. Good. She could talk...or croak anyway.
‘Look, it’s really simple, Trinity.’ He scoffed the rest of the sandwich and wiped the crumbs off his hands by brushing them down the front of his shirt. Her gaze followed helplessly as the shirt moved interestingly against hidden muscles.
‘You’re homeless and I have a home.’
‘But...’ She shook her head, trying to wrap her head around such an outlandish proposal. ‘You don’t even know me.’
‘No, I don’t. But I do know you came to the aid of an old man today when you could have easily not got involved. And that tells me a lot.’
‘I told you I didn’t want anything for that.’ Stubborn bloody man.
‘I know. Which also tells me a lot. Look—’ He held up his hands as she opened her mouth to protest and Trinity closed it again. ‘I don’t know what your situation is exactly but I do understand homelessness. I work with a lot of veterans who are going through the same thing. I think you’re doing it tough and I’d like to give you a roof over your head while you get back on your feet. There are eight bedrooms in this house. I couldn’t live with myself knowing you’re out there in your car when we have plenty of space here.’
Eight bedrooms? Trinity didn’t think this could get any more fantasy-like. She was sure she was going to wake up any minute in her crappy Mazda with her back bitching at her. Things like this just did not happen to her. And she’d learned to be suspicious of good fortune.
If something seemed too good to be true, it usually was too good to be true.
‘Isn’t this Eddie’s home? Should you just be inviting total strangers to come and live in it without talking to him about it first?’
‘Pops will be cool with it, trust me. Just think about it, Trinity. If you won’t do it for yourself, you should do it for Oscar.’
A trickle of fear oozed down her spine. What did that mean? Was it a threat? Would he report her to child services if she left? Every muscle tensed as her instinct to run took over. How dared he spend five minutes in her world and lord it over her about her son.
Despite her anger, his words struck at the very heart of her. He was offering them something she couldn’t. It rankled but could she afford her pride? Pride had walked her out of Todd’s door but her options were even crappier now. At least she had a working car yesterday.
She’d spent the last of their money on brand-new school uniforms and books because she hadn’t wanted Oscar to look like the poor kid on his first day—she’d been there and kids could be cruel. She hadn’t bargained on being turfed out of their accommodation. Or on the car breaking down.
She eyed him as he took another mouthful of his beer. ‘I’m not going to sleep with you.’
She said it as much for herself as for him.
He half choked as he struggled to swallow the beer, coughing and spluttering before placing the bottle on the bench. ‘What?’
‘The last guy who offered me a roof over my head felt that there should be some kind of arrangement attached.’
‘I am not the last guy.’ His voice was low and tight, his knuckles white around the beer bottle. ‘I’m not that kind of guy at all. Frankly I find the idea of bribing a homeless, single mother into my bed completely abhorrent. I’m sorry that there are douchebags like that out there but that is not me.’
His quick, angry admonishment of the Todds of the world was just about the sexiest thing Trinity had ever heard and it did funny things to her pulse.
‘There is absolutely no agenda here. It’s a no-strings-attached deal.’
Trinity couldn’t believe it was that easy. ‘You must want something in return?’
He shrugged, the whiteness of his knuckles dissipating, the tension in his shoulders melting away. ‘I can’t deny having a presence in the house for Pops when I’m not here would be advantageous.’
Trinity frowned. ‘So you want me to look out for him. Or like...be his carer?’ She needed to get a job while Oscar was at school; she wouldn’t have time to babysit. ‘I don’t have any qualifications.’
‘No, I don’t mean anything like that,’ he assured her. ‘Although if you’ve raised a kid then you’re probably more than qualified to deal with a slightly forgetful, sometimes naughty, definitely cheeky eighty-year-old.’
Trinity laughed then stopped, surprised by the sound in the midst of such a serious conversation. Surprised she could even laugh at all in her predicament. But Reid’s description of Eddie was so damn apt.
‘I know you’re finding this all a little too good to be true and you’re probably not used to relying on anyone but sometimes good things do happen to good people, Trinity. Maybe it’s time you allowed somebody to help you. Aren’t you tired of constantly worrying about how you’re going to make ends meet?’
Trinity was so damn tired. The fact he knew that made her want to burst into tears. But damned if she was going there again. She hadn’t survived this long by crying at every hurdle life had thrown her.
‘Trust me.’ He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows dramatically. ‘I’m a doctor.’
His smile wove its way around her ovaries and squeezed. But he had put her dilemma front and centre again. He was a doctor. ‘What if I say no?’
He gave a half-laugh. ‘It’s a free world. I’m not going to force you to live all safe and sound in this beautiful house, Trinity.’ He smiled the kind of smile that told her she’d be nuts to turn this down.
But that wasn’t what she was asking.
‘And there won’t be any...repercussions?’
‘Repercussions?’ He frowned.
She decided to put her worst fear out there. She didn’t want to be looking over her shoulder all the time. Living life looking forward was hard enough. If he was going to dob her in, she’d appreciate a heads-up.
‘You’re a doctor,’ she said, stripping her voice of any emotion that might betray how desperately worried she was. ‘It’s your mandatory duty to report incidences of child abuse and neglect to the relevant authorities.’
The light slowly dawned in his eyes. He shook his head slowly, his gaze seeking hers and holding it again. ‘You don’t need to worry about that. I see no evidence of abuse or neglect.’
Trinity blinked back a spurt of unexpected tears at his quiet conviction. For God’s sake—what the hell was with wanting to cry every ten seconds around the man? ‘I can’t even give him a roof over his head,’ she whispered.
‘You can now.’
Yes. Maybe. Not her roof but a roof nonetheless. If she had the courage to take a risk.
‘Say yes, Trinity. Stay here with me and Pops. For as long as you like. Get back on your feet.’
Her brain turned his proposition over and over. On the surface it was a dream come true. She could have a base. A permanent base she could depend on. A chance to forget about her troubles and worries and save some money. Actually make plans for the future. Get back on her feet as he’d said.
But then there was the attraction she felt for Reid. That could complicate the hell out of things. It could potentially screw everything up. If she let it.
If she indulged it.
Which was stupid and fanciful.