Celeste squared off with her. “But he’s all right? I couldn’t get in touch with him last night. I was worried about him being out in the storm. He’s not from here. He doesn’t know what our weather can be like. I hadn’t even realized he’d left Papillon until Cal told me.”
Sera forced herself to look Celeste in the eye. No matter how she felt about Harry’s aunt, she understood the reasonable fear that would come from not knowing where he was. Celeste had already lost a son and a husband. Not being able to get in touch with Harry had to have been disconcerting. “I’m sorry he didn’t call you. He’s not good about charging his cell phone, but he could have used mine or the landline. It was inconsiderate of him to not let you know he wasn’t coming home.”
Celeste was quiet for a moment, as though deciding how to proceed. Or how to rake Sera over the coals. This was when the threats would start.
“I would appreciate it in the future if he’s going to stay out all night that you would have him call me,” Celeste said in a polite tone.
That was not what she’d expected. She’d been gearing up for a fight. Now all her insecurities came rushing back. “I don’t know if that’s my place.”
Celeste sighed as though disappointed in her. “The mouse is back. We should talk, Seraphina. It has recently come to my attention that you’re sleeping with my nephew.”
Since she’d only started sleeping with Harry last night, she was a little shocked it had already gotten around. Somehow she didn’t think Harry had found a way to call his friends and giggle about his night out. “Who told you?”
Celeste glanced at the bed, which looked like someone— or a couple of someones—had been rolling all over it. “No one has to tell me. I have eyes. Unless you’re going to lie and tell me he spent the night in another room.”
The mouse thing was getting to her. “I don’t need to lie to you, Mrs. Beau . . . Celeste.” She wasn’t a child, and Celeste hadn’t done anything that would require a polite title. In fact, when she thought about it, she and Celeste should really be on a first-name basis. “It’s none of your business.”
“Much better. I believed you that time.” Celeste managed a smile that didn’t come close to her eyes. “And it is my business because he’s my nephew and he can be a bit naive when it comes to women. I have to watch out for him.”
Ah, now they were getting to the part she understood. She was far more comfortable with this Celeste than the one she had to understand and relate to. “Is this where you tell me I’m not good enough for your nephew?”
Celeste shrugged, an elegant gesture. “I don’t particularly think anyone is good enough for him. Harry’s practically a saint.”
“No, I’m not.” Harry stood in the doorway, a tray of coffee in one hand, a bag in the other. “Hello, Aunt Celeste. I’m surprised to see you. If I’d known you were coming, I would have gotten an extra sandwich.”
“Oh, darling, you know I would never eat that,” she said with a hint of a smile. “And neither should Seraphina. Do you know how many calories are in those things?”
Like she’d never been called fat before. Celeste would have to try again. And now that she thought about it, why did she always act like a mouse around this woman? In the beginning she’d done it out of shock at Wes’s passing. There had been a part of herself that wondered if she truly hadn’t been guilty of sending Wes to his death. Then there had been the guilt that came from keeping the secret of Luc’s conception. Now it was simply a habit. It was one she was going to break because she wasn’t going to be a doormat one second longer. “Well, I expended an enormous amount of energy between last night and this morning, so I think I can handle it.”
Harry gasped but Celeste actually chuckled. “Yes, there you are. You’re going to need that if you’re going to survive.”
“What exactly are you doing here, Aunt Celeste?” Harry asked, wariness in his gaze as he put the coffee and sandwiches on the small table that served as a desk. “How exactly did you find me?”
“She was worried about you,” Sera said because now that she thought about it, she should have had him call his family. She’d been worried about her own, but Harry wasn’t used to having to call home. He’d been on his own for a long time and he needed a reminder. No matter how she felt about Celeste, she didn’t want the woman up all night worrying. “We should have called to let her know you were all right.”