Chapter Fifteen

 

Jake enjoyed the weekend more than he had enjoyed any of his past trips to New York. On Friday, after Sue checked into her hotel room, he checked into his and ordered six red roses, a box of chocolates and a light floral perfume to be sent to her room. Ever since he saw how happy she was to receive flowers from Donald Cline, he thought she might like receiving similar gifts from him. When he went to her room to take her to dinner before the play, she was more delighted with his gifts than he hoped she would be. She’s definitely not hard to please. He liked that about her. During dinner, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She wore a red dress and the diamond necklace and earrings he had given her. He marveled that she could be content to wear the same jewelry all the time. It was nice to enjoy her without worrying about other men trying to grab her attention.

During the play, he had more fun watching her than he did the performance. Her excitement was infectious and at one point, he caught her mouthing the words to the play. She was so caught up in the play that she didn’t notice that he was staring at her with the same intensity she stared at the actors. She had so much to offer a man and she didn’t even know it. Sue, where have you been all my life?

The next day, they took the tour of the Statue of Liberty before heading to D.C.

When they looked out over the water that brought the immigrants to the United States, he said, “That water will take you to Europe. There’s a world out there waiting for you to explore.” He noted her pleasure at the thought.

He found that traveling was indeed more rewarding with her to share the experience with, and he was reluctant to go home on Sunday. On the train ride back, they discussed the things they saw and what they thought of the trip.

“I’m glad you took me,” she said. “Now when I read Shakespeare, it will come more alive to me.”

“I’m glad you came along. You’re good company.”

“So are you, though I never would have expected it when we first met.”

He chuckled. “Thank goodness first impressions can be wrong.” He paused. “Don’t you think Sue Mitchell sounds better than Sue Lewis?”

She blinked. “I hadn’t considered it.”

He shrugged. “Maybe it’s time you did.”

One of the train employees walked up to them. “Would you like today’s newspaper, sir?”

He nodded and paid the fee for it.

“You read the paper a lot,” she noted.

“I like to find out what’s going on in the world.”

“While you do that, I’m going to finish Much Ado About Nothing. It’ll be nice to read it after seeing the play.”

“Before you get too involved in the book, I wanted to ask you if you would like to leave Friday afternoon so we can get to your family’s farm by the night. I have some things to take care of Monday morning, so I can only stay for the weekend this time.”

“What about the Friday night dances? I did sign a contract promising I would go to each one and I already missed two in a row.”

“I decided you were right. Sometimes it’s good to forget about business.”

“I might have to mark this day on my calendar. You actually said I was right about something.”

“You should. Who knows when I’ll admit it again?”

She smiled and turned to the book.

He turned his attention to the newspaper.

***

That night after they had unpacked and Sue went to bed, he decided to open his safe and pull out the envelope Mr. Barnett had sent him. He was sure that whatever was in it, it pertained to his father. He couldn’t imagine that his life was in any danger, but Sue seemed to be concerned so he sat at his desk and opened it. He emptied the contents. It seemed to be mostly old letters, though he saw a couple of pictures. He sighed. He really didn’t like to go through anything that had to do with his father. He had forgiven the man but didn’t want to dwell on him. It seemed that circumstances would not permit him to leave the past where it belonged. He just wanted to focus on the present and look forward to the future.

He didn’t know where to start so he picked up a picture. He recognized the picture of him as a child. He was five and sitting with his mother. There was another picture of him when he was seven sitting with his father. Why is this important? He picked a letter at random and unfolded it. It was yellow with the years that had passed. He gritted his teeth in aggravation. So his father kept a letter he had written when he was eleven asking for his father to come home. The more I look through this, the more annoyed I get. It took me years to forgive him, and all this does is open old wounds. Lord, I know I promised Sue I would go through all of this when we got back, but I can’t do this in one sitting. It’s going to take me awhile to sort through this garbage. He threw the contents back into the envelope and shoved it into the safe.

He didn’t understand Mr. Barnett. Was the lawyer eager for Jake to think kindly of his father? So what if he kept pictures and letters from his wife and child? That didn’t exactly motivate Jake to suddenly make his father a hero. It only irritated him.

The next morning, he was in a foul mood.

“Jake, what’s wrong?” Sue asked during breakfast.

“I opened that envelope from Mr. Barnett,” he grumbled. “I don’t know what Mr. Barnett is trying to accomplish by sending me pictures and letters my father kept from my childhood.”

“Were those the only items in the envelope?” She looked as bewildered as Jake had felt when he first saw the contents.

“I didn’t have the stomach to go through everything. I’ll have to sort through it a little at a time.”

She sighed. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so pushy. I really thought if Mr. Barnett said it was urgent, then it had to be important.”

“Importance is a matter of perspective.”

She put her hand on his arm, startling him. “It’s none of my business what happened with your father, but whatever he did, you managed to get over it and become a respectable man. I am a firm believer that circumstances don’t control us. We can rise above them.”

Just when he thought she couldn’t impress him more than she already had, she found another way to do so.

She glanced at the clock and sighed. “I better go to work. I promised Mrs. Walker I’d come in early to set up the new display we discussed on Thursday. I stole the idea from the Richmond library. But don’t tell anyone.”

He grinned. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I hope you can have a good day.”

He pleasantly noticed that she wore the perfume he had bought her. She smelled and looked very much like a woman. She didn’t need frilly dresses or fancy hairstyles to accomplish the effect she was having on him. She simply had to be herself.

He left the house in a better mood. He walked into the bank with a smile on his face. Justin glanced up from his desk and called out from his office, “Have a good weekend?”

Jake walked over to Justin’s office. He leaned against the doorframe. “As a matter of fact, I did. I finally got to see the Statue of Liberty and the nation’s capitol.”

“Is that all you did?”

“You know I always take in a play when I’m in New York.”

“I noticed that Sue went with you. You never look that happy after returning from New York when you go alone. I told you that you would have more fun if you took her with you.”

Jake wasn’t comfortable discussing his personal business, so he simply shrugged. “That part was fine too.”

“When are you going to admit you love her?”

“I don’t fall in love, Justin. She’s a good friend.”

Justin raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see.”

Jake shook his head and walked to his office. He wasn’t going to admit anything to Justin. To his surprise, Justin followed him to his office. “Look, Justin, we didn’t do anything but go to the play, eat and sightsee. Are you satisfied?” He tried to hide his annoyance at his friend’s persistence.

“No, it’s not that,” Justin said. “We need to talk.”

By the tone in Justin’s voice, Jake knew it was serious. He nodded and motioned for him to sit in the chair. He shut his office door and sat behind his desk. Leaning forward with his elbows on the table and his hands folded together, he asked, “What is it?”

“I saw Daniel Riley talking to George at the dance last Friday. Something tells me that they’re working on something that involves you.”

Jake’s improved mood took a nosedive. “Daniel Riley intends to come to my house this Wednesday to discuss my ‘business arrangement’ with Sue. Henry said that he was behaving improperly towards Sue in the library.”

“You suspect other motives?”

“I don’t think he’s interested in Sue. He may be interested in her money. But no one should know how much she received. As far as I know, she hasn’t told anyone and Trevor is never in town to tell anyone. If I were the paranoid type, I’d say that George and Daniel feel like I owe them money.”

“Do you?”

“No! I can’t believe you would even ask that. I only do honest business dealings. I’m not my father.”

“Did your father have anything to do with them?”

“I don’t know who my father associated with, and I really don’t care.”

“Maybe you should start caring.”

He sighed. “How can I put the past to rest when everyone insists on bringing it up? I almost wish he left me nothing in his will.”

“Then you wouldn’t have married Sue.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think I understand that? It was just a comment. Ever since I did marry her, George has been unusually interested in my relationship with her and how much we both got out of the deal.”

“If I were you, I’d watch my back. It’s time to be paranoid.”

“Well, Daniel’s coming over on Wednesday. I have a plan to detect his motives for coming over. I know he’s up to something but I have to be careful in how I figure him out. It could be that all he is interested in is Sue’s money.” He paused. “Did you happen to catch any part of the conversation that George and Daniel were having?”

“No, I didn’t. One of my kids got sick so my wife and I had to leave early.”

“That’s too bad. Oh well. They probably wouldn’t have discussed anything of consequence in public.”

***

When Jake came home that evening, his mood was worse than it had been when he woke up. This time ten more bachelors sent Sue flowers. He recognized a couple of names. He sighed. What am I going to have to do? Get all these men into a room and tell them to leave her alone? Then an idea came to him. Why not?

Lydia ran over to him. “Sue’s home early, sir!”

“Go stall her,” he ordered.

“How?”

He watched as Sue walked down the sidewalk. Why does she have to look so nice? “Take your son out there. She goes crazy every time she sees a baby.”

Lydia nodded and went to wake up her sleeping child.

Jake started throwing the flowers into a trash can, but the trash can got too full.

Lydia quickly ran to the front door and opened it just in time to stop Sue from entering the house. “Would you like to see Timmy?”

“Uh...sure. Can I see him inside the house?”

“No. Actually, he needs some fresh air. He’s been cooped up all day.” She shut the door before Sue could protest.

Ralph entered the room and laughed. “More suitors for Sue?”

“It’s not funny,” Jake growled. “Get me two trash bags.”

He didn’t stop laughing as he obeyed his boss.

Why is everyone suddenly interested in Sue anyway? Just because she changed her clothes and hairstyle, she’s attractive?

As Ralph returned with the trash bags, Jake said, “Take all of the new clothes out of Sue’s room and hide them in my closet. Let her wear her old stuff for awhile. And invite all of these men over tonight for dinner. By the way, have Lydia ask for Sue to make the meal. I know, tell Lydia to be too distracted with Timmy to cook.”

“Those are all strange requests, sir.”

“Just do them!”

“Yes, sir.” He shrugged and went up to Sue’s bedroom.

Her new clothes belong in my room anyway, Jake thought as he shoved the remaining flowers into the trash bags and threw the bags into the trash bin. The madness has to stop. These men can’t keep doing this forever. I’m getting rid of them once and for all.

He mentally noted his untidy appearance as he opened the door. “Good afternoon, ladies,” he casually greeted.

Sue was holding Timmy and Lydia was discussing the gardener’s idea to trim the bushes into the shapes of different animals.

“We’re having a dinner party tonight,” he said. “Let’s get ready for it.”

Sue quickly handed Timmy back to Lydia and followed him into the den. “A dinner party? Here?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“But we agreed we didn’t like those things.” She looked overwhelmed.

“I don’t have a choice. I need you to make dinner.”

Now there was panic in her expression. “I can’t cook. I’m no good at it. I’ll make everyone sick.”

Why isn’t she insisting that she won’t be a part of this? Because she’s trying to please me. “I have a very good reason for what I’m doing. You’ll have to trust me.” He sat at his desk. “I have to write invitations before Ralph comes to deliver them.”

She stood in the den, speechless.

I ought to just take her over to the bearskin rug and get this over with. Then the men can’t bother her since she’ll stay with me. He seriously considered the option but she left the room before he could act on it.

He quickly finished the invitations and handed them to Ralph to send out. Then he went to change so he wouldn’t look so disheveled. It was one thing for Sue to look bad tonight. She was supposed to look that way, but he was supposed to look as well groomed as usual. After he had time to freshen up, he went to the kitchen to see what progress, or rather disaster, that Sue was preparing. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that Sue was frantically running around the kitchen by herself. Lydia and Ralph were conveniently too busy to help her.

“I didn’t know what to make so I’m attempting my best dishes. I don’t want to make anyone too sick,” she fretted as she stirred the soup.

Jake inspected the lumpy white liquid blob. “What is it?”

“It’s supposed to be potato soup.”

He nodded apprehensively.

The timer went off and she took the meatloaf out of the oven. “I think I got the recipe right this time,” she said. “I didn’t even burn it so that’s good.” She set it on the counter and ran over to another counter to a pot and mashed the potatoes with a large fork. “How many people are coming tonight?”

“Ten,” he replied softly. “All men.”

“Is this another business dinner?”

“Yes.” He couldn’t help but stand in awe that she would go through all this hassle just for him. I can’t give her up. There’s no way I’m annulling this marriage.

“I don’t think this will be enough.” She quickly scanned the cabinets and threw some boxed and canned items on the counter. “I might have to make some new recipes. I hope I don’t kill anyone. I wish Lydia and Ralph were available to help. It just isn’t right to subject these people to my cooking.”

“You’re doing great,” he assured her. “I’ll eat everything you put on my plate.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better because it doesn’t.” She opened a couple of cans and bags. “I hate to make the tuna and green bean casserole again but I don’t know how to make much else. Oh, I can make oatmeal and bean soup too.”

He grinned. The men would be appalled that their fine dinner was going to entail such simple meals. He saw a brown thick liquid in a small bowl with a spoon in it. He picked up the spoon and cringed at the slimy consistency of it. Was it supposed to be gravy for the mashed potatoes?

“What time are they coming?” she asked as she threw the casserole into the oven.

“In half an hour.”

She sighed in despair. “I’ll be lucky to make it by then.”

He knew what he had to do next. She was still gorgeous in her navy blue dress and her hair, though slightly out of place, was as pretty as ever. He picked up a glass of her hot chocolate and pretended to slip so that it landed on her dress. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” he quickly lied. “Here.” He threw a towel at her but knew her efforts to dry herself off would be in vain. While she gave it her best shot, he dipped a spoon into what he suspected was tapioca pudding and poured it on her hair.

“What was that?” She turned to him and reached up to touch her hair. “Yuck!” She inspected her sticky fingers.

“I was going to try the pudding. I slipped again. I’m sorry.” He hoped he looked innocent.

“What am I supposed to do? I don’t have time to wash my hair.”

“Here. Let me help you with your hair.” He pulled her hair back into a bun. Fortunately, her hair was curly enough so it stayed in place. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to change. I’ll finish up in here while you get dressed, alright?”

“Alright. Thank you for helping me, Jake.” She ran out of the room.

He pushed aside his guilty feelings as he washed his sticky hands. She would thank him one day for the trouble he was putting her through now. He mixed a couple of canned fruits together for a fruit salad and added some sugar for flavor. Then he took the casserole out of the oven when the timer went off.

Lydia held Timmy as she entered the kitchen. “The guests are arriving. Ralph is seeing them in and seating them in the dining room. Are you sure about this, Jake? This kitchen looks like a war zone.”

“Everything is perfect. Just remember to stay out of sight. Ralph needs to be out of here once the guests are seated.”

He needed Sue to be making frequent trips to the kitchen while he talked to the men.

By the time Sue came back into the kitchen, Lydia and Ralph were conveniently out of sight. Sue was flustered. She had to put on one of her old dresses. “Ralph said that all my clothes needed to be washed. How could they possibly get dirty just hanging in my closet?”

“Timmy spit up all over them earlier when Lydia was putting some clothes away. You know how babies are. They’re incredibly messy.”

She sighed. “Well, you can’t fault a baby for being a baby. I’m sorry I look like this, Jake. I don’t want to embarrass you but I can’t find Lydia or Ralph anywhere.”

He smiled. “You look pretty no matter what you wear.” Unfortunately, that was true. He hoped none of the other men noticed that she was still beautiful in her old clothes and hair pulled back into that hideous bun. He could only hope they were too shallow to look past her clothes and hairstyle. “Do you have everything covered in here?”

“I think so,” she replied, smoothing the wrinkles on her dress.

“Good. I have to greet the guests.”

He left the kitchen and smiled at her suitors. They were all dressed up for the occasion. “Good evening, gentlemen. I appreciate your coming on such short notice. When I noticed there were so many flowers for Sue, I decided it was time to give everyone a chance to get to know her as she truly is. What she is like in public is drastically different from what she’s like in private.”

“I must admit, that I am surprised you are open to the idea of us being interested in her,” Mr. Gordon, Jennifer’s brother, remarked.

The other men nodded their agreement.

“We are all aware that what Sue and I have is a business arrangement. I know she will be available in five months,” Jake politely replied. He motioned for everyone to sit. “As luck would have it, my two servants are unable to serve dinner tonight, so Sue has graciously offered to cook and serve the meal herself.”

The men looked impressed.

“May we ask you some questions regarding Sue?” Mr. Murphy asked.

“You may. I will reveal everything,” Jake replied. Everything I want you to know, that is. He crossed his arms and got ready.

“Is it true that she received a large sum of money at the wedding?” Mr. Dante asked.

Jake hid his disgust at the question. “Actually, all the money she received went to pay off her family’s debts. Once she goes back to being a spinster, she will only have the same amount of money she had before we got married.” That was a lie, of course, but he was determined to weed out the greedy men as quickly as possible.

Two men looked disappointed.

“If you would rather not pursue her further, I will understand,” he calmly stated. “I won’t mention the reason for your leaving to Sue.”

They nodded, said thank you and left.

Two down. Eight to go.

Sue came out with a couple of plates. “I didn’t have much notice, so I put together what I could. Who likes green bean casserole and who likes meatloaf? I also have oatmeal.”

Jake noticed the frown on three of the men’s faces as they took in her premarital appearance.

As each man said what he wanted, she served it to him. When she reached Jake, she asked him what he wanted.

“I’ll take whatever you have left,” he told her. You are the sweetest, most lovely woman in the world. And anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve you.

“Actually, I just remembered another dinner party I have to go to,” Mr. Ronald said. “I apologize, Mr. Mitchell.”

“No apology necessary,” he stated.

Three down. Seven to go.

A couple of men choked on their food.

Sue came out and brought Jake a plate of meatloaf and the lumpy mashed potatoes. “I’m sorry, Jake. I didn’t have the heart to give you the casserole again.”

“You’re doing great,” he whispered. He ate his meal without flinching. The more he tasted the stuff, the less he shuddered when he took his first bite.

She looked uneasily around the room as the men gagged on her food. “I’ll get more water and hot chocolate,” she told everyone.

“I’m out of here,” Mr. Roper said.

“I’ll join you,” Mr. Murphy and Mr. Broderick added in unison.

Six down. Four to go.

“I don’t think cooking is the only thing a woman is good for,” Mr. Gordon spoke up. “Though this fruit salad is actually good.”

Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Frank, and Mr. Unger agreed as they ignored everything on their plates except for the fruit salad.

“She seems to be good with the children,” Mr. Maxwell said. “My nephew adores her at the story hour in the library. Does she wish to have children?”

“It would be nice to leave a legacy behind,” Mr. Unger added.

“Oh yes, Sue loves kids,” Jake answered between bites. “In fact, she was telling me that she wants to have at least ten. She’s hoping for twins or triplets too, so you’ll have a busy house.” The truth was, she didn’t mention having children. She probably assumed it wasn’t in her future so she didn’t bother to consider it. She did look nice holding Timmy. Maybe children aren’t so bad. Jake hadn’t considered children either, but perhaps it was time to.

“At least ten?” Mr. Maxwell frowned. “That’s too many. I’m surprised she has such a goal at her age. She doesn’t have many childbearing years left. I don’t want to be a child factory.” He shook his head. “Please excuse me, Mr. Mitchell.” He left.

Seven down. Three to go.

“The prospect of having ten children doesn’t bother you?” Jake asked the three remaining suitors.

“The Lord says children are a blessing from Him,” Mr. Unger replied.

“Alright.” Jake finished eating and drank the hot chocolate. It actually didn’t taste half-bad this time. “What other questions do you have?”

Sue came back out. “Oh, there are quite a few uneaten plates. I’ll collect those.”

After she left, Mr. Unger smiled. “She certainly is willing to pitch in and help out. I admire that in a woman. She’s not afraid of hard work.”

“She does work hard,” Jake agreed. “In fact, she works so hard that she doesn’t have the energy to engage in other pursuits.”

He mischievously grinned. “Then how does she plan to have ten kids?”

“She told me she only plans to do it ten times. She figures she’ll get pregnant right away.”

“But certainly she will give it some effort.”

“Nope. The whole process disgusts her. She says it’s too messy and she just wants to get it over with as soon as possible.”

Mr. Gordon frowned. “What does she plan to do? Just lie there and watch the clock?”

“I really don’t know. I suspect as much. The only time I got a chance to touch her was at the wedding. Or at the dance when she has to give the impression of being interested in touching because she’s in public.”

“Are you saying she has no sexual interest at all?”

“She’s as cold as an ice cube.”

“Well, that’s it for me,” Mr. Gordon said. “I can’t handle that.”

Eight down. Two to go.

“But still, she’s nice to look at, no matter what she’s wearing,” Mr. Unger reasoned.

Jake sighed. “If only it was real.”

“You mean, it’s fake?”

“She’s as flat as a board.”

“And how would you know that, Mr. Mitchell?” came an angry voice.

Jake’s face went white. How much did she hear? He dared to glance over his shoulder. Uh oh. As Jeremiah would say, ‘She’s gonna blow.’ “Hello there, honey,” he sweetly said as he gave her a pleading look. “Did you bring dessert?”

“I certainly did,” she snapped. She dropped the bowl of pudding on his head and stomped back into the kitchen.

“That does it for me,” Mr. Unger replied.

“Me too,” Mr. Frank agreed.

Jake didn’t know whether to laugh or beg her forgiveness.

Ralph came into the room. “All the men are gone, sir. I..” He stopped when he saw Jake covered in white pudding. “I assume you said something she took offense to.”

“Yes. But it got rid of the vultures so it was worth it.” He took the bowl off his head and went into the kitchen where she was carelessly chucking dishes into the sink to wash them.

“Whoa! Those plates are expensive,” he warned her.

She glared at him. “Are they? Good.” She casually threw a couple of them over her shoulder.

He quickly caught them.

When she saw her plan was thwarted, she picked up more plates and flung them at him. He managed to catch all but two. “You can do the dishes. I’m going to take a bath. It doesn’t take long to wash a board. Maybe the warm water will thaw out my icicles.”

“I need a bath too. Let’s go.” He dropped all the plates and followed her out of the kitchen and to the staircase.

She turned around and stopped. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to take a bath too.”

“You better not think you’ll be taking one with me.”

“Did I say I was?”

She hesitated. “Well, no but you’re following me.”

“I like the way you walk. I’m just admiring you.” He grinned.

She gave him a look of disgust and walked up the steps.

He followed her.

She turned around again. “You’re too close to me.”

“I’m not close enough.”

“I don’t know what has suddenly gotten into you, but I would ask you to remember your manners. I don’t want you standing so close to me.”

“But you have such a wonderful body.”

She gasped. “You are impossible to talk to. Do you know that?”

“Good, I was getting tired of talking anyway.” He stepped up so he stood in front of her, took her in his arms and kissed her. He felt her relax as she responded to his kiss. She’s definitely not cold. “You know, your pudding isn’t half-bad.”

It took a moment for her shock to wear off. “I don’t understand you. One minute you’re telling everyone how horrible I am and the next thing I know, you’re seducing me.”

“Seducing you? We’re covered in food. It’s hardly the time for seduction.”

“Oh, never mind. You are very hard to figure out.” She turned and walked up the rest of the steps.

“Am I?” He followed her.

“Where are my new clothes?” She crossed her arms and looked at him.

“I’ll have Ralph return them after your bath.”

“That isn’t necessary. Just tell me where they are and I’ll get them.”

He shuddered at the thought of her in his bedroom with food in her hair and on her dress. Who knew what she would choose to touch. “No way. I value my things too much to let you near them when you’re so...so...” He wasn’t sure how to describe her. She was surprisingly beautiful but he wouldn’t trust her near his things in her soiled condition.

“Filthy?”

“That’s the word. It’s nice having you around. You’re like a walking dictionary.”

“I’m thinking of a word right now to describe you.”

“Sue, I didn’t think women thought such things,” he smiled, sure that whatever the word was that it wouldn’t be flattering.

“I am a spinster, Mr. Mitchell. I don’t have to have delicate thoughts.”

“What other crude thoughts do you have?”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I will take a bath so Ralph will return my clothes.” She walked to the bathroom. “I can’t believe you had the audacity to put me through all that work and humiliation. And all for what? To get rid of the men? What good will that ever do your bank if you constantly push clients away?”

I’m not pushing men away from my bank but from you, honey. It amazed him that she couldn’t imagine that she might be desirable to a man. He followed her into the bathroom and quickly dodged behind her so she didn’t notice he was in the room with her. He watched as she started to unbutton the front of her dress.

As soon as she turned around and noticed him, she gasped and struggled to conceal her abundant cleavage that couldn’t be fully contained in her undergarments.

“Don’t stop on my account,” he said. “This beats Shakespeare any day of the week.”

“Get out!” She quickly opened the door.

He didn’t hide his disappointment. “Why?”

She tried to speak but was too flustered to do so.

“I’ll take my clothes off too,” he offered. He took off his suit jacket and started to unbutton his shirt.

“You do that.” She held her dress tightly around her bosom as she ran to another bathroom.

He ran after her and stepped in front of the door of the other bathroom. “Aren’t you the least bit interested in what I look like under these clothes?”

She struggled to find a proper response.

“Now when the men ask, I can tell them for sure that you are definitely not built like a board. In fact, everything about is definitely feminine.”

“You have no right to be fresh with me.”

“Don’t I? I am your husband.”

He noticed that she didn’t seem as upset as she had been in the kitchen. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying their playful banter as much as he was. One thing was for sure, she was a lot of fun.

“Really, Mr. Mitchell,” she finally began, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

“You can do anything you want.” His smile widened as he took off his shirt.

She hesitated.

Is she actually considering it? He took off his undershirt and started to unbutton his pants.

“Oh, you can’t be serious.” She looked flustered and curious at the same time.

“Why don’t you join me in the bathroom and find out.”

Her face grew bright red. “No. You aren’t serious. This is all a game. Yes, that’s what it is.” She turned around. “There’s no way he can be serious.” She shook her head, still baffled, and quickly scurried to the other bathroom. She checked to make sure he was still standing at the other bathroom. She hesitated for a moment. “No, he’s not serious.” She went into the bathroom where she shut and locked the door.

He chuckled. She was more entertaining than any play he’d seen or book he’d read. He sighed. Honey, you have no idea how serious I was.