After saying that, Matthias turned to Celeste. “What about you? Haven’t you been seeing Trevor a lot lately? Have you heard anything?”
Celeste shook her head. “No.”
Although she and Trevor met often, their conversations never went beyond work.
Matthias frowned. “That’s strange…”
He couldn’t make sense of it, but before he could think further, others approached to chat, pulling his attention away.
Not far off, Linda watched as Celeste was surrounded and flattered, her irritation growing.
Lowering her voice, she asked, “Weren’t we supposed to push her and Matthias together? When are we making a move?”
Ruby replied, “Your grandmother said today isn’t the right time or setting. We’ll wait for another opportunity.”
She was just as anxious, but she understood—no matter how urgent things felt, everything had to be handled carefully, without leaving a trace.
—
Celeste’s work continued as usual.
Over the next few days, she met Trevor twice, both times strictly for business.
Watching how distant and professional they were, Kieran almost forgot there were personal tensions between them. Aside from work, neither he nor Trevor ever brought up anything personal.
—
In the blink of an eye, it was March 8.
Celeste had been busy lately, so she woke up a bit later than usual.
As soon as she came downstairs, her aunt Adeline greeted her with a smile. “Cel, you’re up. Someone sent you flowers—they’re on the coffee table. Go take a look.”
Celeste paused.
She had expected a single bouquet.
Instead, there were three.
Two had names—Kieran and Caleb.
The third had no signature, just a simple greeting.
Her cousin Jamie leaned in, curious. “They knew our address but didn’t leave a name. Who could it be? Celeste, you really have no idea?”
Celeste shook her head.
As Jamie pointed out, she had never given Kieran or Caleb her current address, yet they managed to send flowers directly to the Rodriguez residence. That meant they had gone out of their way to find it.
The anonymous sender must have done the same.
Jamie lowered her voice. “Could it be… Jo’s dad?”
Celeste froze for a split second, then shook her head. “No.”
Lately, Jamie had noticed a clear change in Trevor’s attitude toward Celeste. That’s why she thought it was possible.
She was about to say more when the sound of a car pulled up outside.
A moment later, Jordyn ran in holding a bouquet. “Mom, happy holiday!”
Celeste smiled, taking the flowers. “Thank you, Jo.”
Jordyn turned around. “Mom, Dad got you a gift too.”
Trevor stepped in behind her and handed Celeste a gift box. “Happy holiday.”
“Thank you.”
With Jordyn watching, she had no choice but to accept it.
At that moment, Jordyn noticed the flowers on the table.
“So many,” she said, eyes wide. “Mom, did other people send these to you too?”
