The Cold Wife Read online

  He smiled. This time he had sent her pink roses to represent love. He figured that at this point, they had established a good foundation for friendship. Sure, it wasn’t based on years of knowing each other, but he figured they knew each other well enough to start their marriage. He already bought her a crystal heart but wouldn’t give her that until he sent her the red roses to represent passion. He hoped that this would be the night they would finally consummate the marriage, which he was getting more and more eager to do with each passing day.

  “Do you like roses?” he asked her as he hung up his hat.

  “Of course, I do. What woman doesn’t?” She stepped closer so she could kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  Encouraged by her affectionate move, he took her in his arms, dipped her and gave her a long kiss on the mouth.

  “If you’ll come up for air, I’d like to get the door,” Geoffrey stated, grinning. “I believe I heard the doorbell. Your guests are starting to arrive.”

  Justin reluctantly let go of her. He pleasantly noticed that she seemed happy about the kiss. He smiled at her and whispered, “Anytime you’re ready, give me the word and I’ll join you in bed.”

  She blushed but didn’t protest, so that was a promising sign. He was beginning to believe that things would work out as his uncle said they would.

  Geoffrey opened the door and began letting their guests in. Justin was ready to join Carrie in welcoming Helen Ritter and Mr. and Mrs. Tobias when he realized Louis was shouting at Jim again.

  “Please excuse me,” he told Carrie and his guests as he rushed to take care of the situation before it got out of hand.

  As soon as he entered the kitchen, Louis turned to him. “Mr. Monroe, I found this cheater’s card on Jim’s forehead when he took off his hat.”

  “It was supposed to stay pinned into the hat,” Jim quickly explained. “I didn’t want to mess up the veal. I know it has to be seasoned a certain way but I get those spices mixed up in my head.”

  “A chef worthy of a fine meal does not need to resort to reminders. It should all be up here.” Louis pointed to his temple.

  “I can’t remember everything like you can!” He leaned against the counter but accidentally knocked a bowl so the salad fell all over the floor.

  “Why did you hire him?” Louis asked Justin. Louis’ face was bright red. “This is how it’s been for me ever since you brought him here. I am not a chef in this kitchen. I am a maid, for I have to clean up his messes.”

  “I can clean it up myself,” Jim insisted as he ran to get a dishcloth. He put some soap on it and dipped it in a bowl.

  “That is the soup, you idiot!”

  “I thought it was water.”

  “Water is not yellow.”

  “But the bowl is yellow. How was I to tell the difference?”

  Louis groaned. “What am I to do, Mr. Monroe? So far the salad and soup have been ruined, and the guests are arriving as we speak! My poor heart cannot take this kind of excitement.” To emphasize his point, he put his hand on his chest.

  “Jim, get Constance in here to help,” Justin said.

  Jim eagerly left the room to do as instructed.

  Justin turned to the bewildered and angry man. “I realize you are having a lot of problems with him, but I actually think the index cards are a good idea. Maybe they will prevent him from messing up the meals. I don’t know how long he’s been using them, but I’ve noticed less tension between you two lately.”

  “If he listened to me give the instructions, he wouldn’t need those cards,” Louis insisted.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. He might work better with a visual aid in front of him. I use visual aids when I give presentations.”

  “Mr. Monroe, I know you have a soft spot for people, but this is greatly affecting my work. I do not mind it so much when it is just you and your wife, but when there are guests, my reputation is on the line. People do talk and I pride myself on being one of Virginia’s finest chefs. I don’t wish to compromise that title because Jim can’t do a good job.”

  “Well, he has a gift for making pizza. Have you tried one?”

  He shuddered. “Pizza is for poor people. I make real food, food that is fit for a king!”

  Constance entered the kitchen. “Oh my,” she said when she saw the floor. “It’s just as you said, Jim. I’ll clean this up while you make another salad.”

  “No!” Louis quickly argued. “I will make the salad.”

  “I have to do something to be useful,” Jim replied.

  “The veal needs to be taken out of the oven. Can you handle that simple task?”

  “Louis,” Justin began, “please be polite.”

  “I am sorry, Mr. Monroe. Jim, the potholders are on the counter by the oven.”

  Justin realized that Louis was too proud to apologize to Jim, so he settled for whatever he could get. He had handled tough clients in his day, but the tension between his two chefs was something he had not experienced. He wasn’t sure what to do.

  After Constance cleaned up the floor and threw the ruined food into the trash, she cut up vegetables while Louis made another soup. Jim set the tray of freshly cooked veal on the counter and put in several pies. He went over to the seasoned vegetables and stirred them with a large spoon.

  “Everything looks great,” Justin told them. “Does anyone need anything else from me?”

  “I don’t think so,” Louis grumbled.

  Geoffrey entered the kitchen. “All the guests are seated, sir. Shall I start serving the soup?”

  “I wish you could, Geoffrey,” Louis wailed, “but I am finishing it as fast as I can. The pressure is too much.” He loudly sighed and worked as fast as he could.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Justin assured everyone. “The guests can mingle in the backyard for a couple of minutes. Some cool evening air will be a nice change after the hot day we’ve had. Take your time and let us know when you’re ready.”

  Louis nodded.

  On his way out the kitchen door, he stopped by Jim and said, “Don’t worry about it. I use index cards too.” He patted him on the back and walked to the dining room where the ten guests waited expectantly for him to speak. “There was a slight problem in the kitchen. Would you like to go to the parlor or outside to talk for a short while?”

  The guests, thankfully, were good sports about it and went outside.

  Carrie stood up from her chair and went over to him. “Do you know where Mary is? I thought she was coming.”

  Justin recalled the incident that happened at work earlier that day. “I meant to tell you that Mr. Tyndall came by this afternoon and pretty much demanded that my uncle get Mary to go to his dinner party tonight so she can play billiards at his house. He apparently wants to win a game against one of his friends, and since Mary is the best billiard player he’s ever seen, he wants her there.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand. Is this another business meeting?”

  “From Uncle Jonathan’s viewpoint, it is.”

  “Why weren’t you called away?”

  “Because I’m not a good billiard player.”

  “Did Mary want to go there?”

  “I don’t know. She wasn’t there when this conversation took place.”

  “I wonder why she didn’t tell me about it.”

  “She probably didn’t have time. Tyndall came into the office shortly before I left to come home. My guess is that once my uncle explained the situation to her, she only had enough time to change before going to the dinner party.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. She’s my best friend, but she doesn’t know Mr. Tyndall.”

  “No but she obviously enjoys the game. You should have stuck around on Wednesday and seen her play. I was impressed.”

  She sighed in disappointment. “She is free to do as she wishes.”

  Geoffrey walked over to them. “Dinner is finally ready, sir.”

  Justin thanked him and announced that it was time to eat, so ever
yone returned to their seats. Carrie sat on his right while Brad sat on his left. Helen sat next to Carrie. The fact that Brad sat on his left and Carrie sat on his right reminded him of their engagement dinner, only now he knew why she had been nervous. She was trying to find a way out of marrying him. As he studied her this time, he realized that she was relaxed and smiling. She had been looking forward to the chance to welcome her friends to her new home. He noticed the difference in her mood and knew that, even if she didn’t want to admit it yet, she was content to be with him. With any luck, she would learn to enjoy their marriage.

  Geoffrey came out with bowls of salad and dinner rolls for everyone.

  Brad took a roll and put butter on it before speaking to Justin. “I was thinking of investing in chocolate bars.”

  He didn’t hide his surprise. He turned to Brad. “Why?”

  “Because they taste good. I took a trip to Pennsylvania and met a man there by the name of Milton Hershey who is trying out different candy recipes. He’s been specializing in caramels but is looking into making more chocolates. I was thinking that candy would be a good market to invest in.”

  “I heard about Milton Hershey. He tried to start up his business in 1876 but it failed.”

  “Yes, but since then he’s been using fresh milk in his recipes. I got a chance to sample his candy and it’s good. I think people will want to eat it.”

  “Maybe. I mean, people like to eat food that tastes good.”

  “But...?”

  “Well, candy isn’t very practical. I think people will be more likely to want electricity in their homes than a candy bar.”

  “Why can’t they have both? The candy will be cheap enough.”

  “True.”

  “I’m also considering the Dr. Pepper company for investing in. That soda is pretty good too.”

  Justin laughed. “You have a fascination with food and drink. Not many people know about Hershey or Dr. Pepper.”

  “Not yet but it’s a matter of time before Hershey and Pepper expand their clientele. Besides, Hershey almost went bankrupt. His story was inspiring.”

  Considering the fact that Brad’s father faced bankruptcy, Justin could understand Brad’s sudden interest in the candy maker’s new company.

  “I’m thinking of investing in motion pictures,” Mr. Edwards, who sat on Brad’s left, joined in the discussion.

  “I’m looking into that too,” Justin agreed. “I like to think of motion pictures as books you can see instead of read.”

  He heard Carrie cover up her laughter by coughing. He glanced at her. Was she laughing at him?

  “Carrie, I hear that chocolate has something in it to increase sexual desire,” Brad blurted out. “Perhaps I should send you a sample of Hershey’s candy.”

  Her face turned bright red.

  “It works both ways,” he continued when she didn’t respond.

  Justin knew Brad well enough to understand he was warning her not to embarrass her husband in front of other people. “It’s alright, Brad. Don’t worry about it.” He would rather deal with his wife than have other people do it for him.

  “You know,” Helen began, “Mrs. Walker had her baby today. It’s another boy, and he’s eight pounds and five ounces. Carrie, we should go by the hospital tomorrow and pay her a visit. Wouldn’t it be nice to see what you could bring home in nine months?”

  Carrie looked like she was ready to bolt to another room.

  Justin forced aside his own amusement. If seeing a baby was what it took to make her want to consummate their marriage, then he was all for it. “I think congratulating Mrs. Walker is a good idea,” he told the two women.

  Helen winked at him when Carrie wasn’t looking.

  He started to smile but stopped when Carrie glanced between him and Helen.

  Geoffrey came out to set down the soup and take away the empty salad bowls. Justin resumed his discussion with Brad and Mr. Edwards over which stocks looked the most promising. Then it came time for the main course, and everyone looked favorably at the veal, vegetables and baked potato.

  As soon as Justin took a bite of the veal, he gasped for air. He quickly swallowed it and drank all the water in his glass. He motioned for Geoffrey to bring more water for everyone else who had noticed the unusually spicy meal.

  Once everyone no longer felt as if their mouths were on fire, Louis ran out of the kitchen and quickly apologized to them. “You’ll have to forgive the kitchen staff. We thought the recipe called for a cup of pepper instead of a teaspoon. I am so sorry. This mistake will never happen again. We’ll use index cards if we have to!” He hurried to help Geoffrey remove the plates from the table. “I shall find a substitute right away!”

  Justin was pleased to note that Louis hadn’t blamed Jim in front of the guests. In fact, the middle-aged man took part of the blame on himself. He grinned. Perhaps his two chefs would get along after all.

  Geoffrey brought out more dinner rolls. “We will be having pizza in as little as ten minutes.”

  Suddenly, Carrie burst out laughing. “I was wondering if Jim would ever find a way to make his pizzas for dinner. You won’t be sorry. He makes excellent pizzas,” she told the group of bewildered people.

  “Well, he sure did clear up my sinuses with that veal,” Helen stated. “My head hasn’t been this clear in months. I should ask him to give that recipe to the cooks at the nursing home.”

  One by one, the other people began to relax and chuckled as they shared their own amusing stories of disastrous dinners. And when the pizzas finally came out, they were such a big hit that even Louis had to try a slice.

  “I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but this is worthy of a king,” he said.

  As he opened the door to go into the kitchen, Justin noticed that Jim looked very pleased with Louis’ compliment.

  Chapter Seventeen

  On Saturday, Justin had just made plans to spend the day with Carrie when his uncle notified him of some last minute business meetings with two of their clients who were suddenly getting curious about the Grants’ investment services. After apologizing to Carrie, he joined his uncle and met the clients to update their investment portfolios.

  “Am I going to have to do this every time someone panics and threatens to go with the Grants?” Justin asked his uncle once the last client left the firm.

  “I have a feeling that we won’t be competing with the Grants for long,” Jonathan replied. “Either they will bankrupt us or we’ll be able to beat them at their game with Mr. Walker’s and Mr. Leroy’s help.”

  Justin hid his apprehension at the thought that they might be sitting ducks, just waiting for the Grants to wipe them out too. He struggled to not think about it.

  Fortunately, he was done with the meetings in time to accompany Carrie to the play that her friend Mary was starring in. To his surprise, his uncle was there as well. He couldn’t recall a time when his uncle attended a play.

  On Sunday, Justin took Carrie to the orphanage so she could see Ryan. He noticed that Ryan seemed to respond better to her than Mrs. Tobias or Mrs. Edwards who attempted to bring him out of his shell. Carrie confided that she had started coming by to see him every day which explained why the boy was beginning to open up to her. Then she took him to see Helen.

  “Where is Mary? I haven’t seen her since church,” Carrie asked Helen.

  “She and her father are teaching Jonathan Monroe how to sharpen his billiard skills,” Helen replied. “Apparently, she’s better at the game than she thought she was. When she was at Mr. Tyndall’s house Friday night, she beat everyone there. Some of the men weren’t happy, but it did them good to realize that a woman can play just as well as a man can.”

  Justin couldn’t recall a time when his uncle was interested in billiards. He had a nagging suspicion that his uncle was more interested in Mary than he was in the game. He decided to keep the observation to himself. Instead, he joined Helen and Carrie in their discussion. He was pleased that Carrie thought to inclu
de him into her world by allowing him to join her at the orphanage and nursing home. It meant that she was getting used to the idea of being his wife.

  When Monday morning came, Jonathan threw a copy of the newspaper in front of him on his desk at work. Justin glanced up from the proposal he was writing for Mr. Dean.

  “You can forget the proposal,” Jonathan told him. “He just went bankrupt yesterday.”

  “What?” He wasn’t sure he heard right.

  Justin picked up the paper that his uncle motioned to and had to read the headline twice before the news made any sense to him. Carl Dean Loans Goes Bankrupt, Taking Others Down With Him. The article explained how the owner of the loan business made unfortunate investing decisions, based on the advice from the Monroe Investing Firm.

  “I’m already getting requests from some of our clients to close their accounts with us,” his uncle said as he walked over to the window to look out of it. He solemnly crossed his arms. “With Carl Dean out of business, that leaves Conrad Leroy’s bank and Harrison Grant’s firm as the only places where people can obtain loans.”

  “But our investments are sound. I’ve made a considerable profit off of them.”

  “So have I, but that’s beside the point. I just talked with Carl and he told me that his investments were changed without his knowledge.”

  “Isn’t that what happened to Mr. Allen?”

  “It is.”

  Of course, this knowledge led Justin to the conclusion that the Grants were behind this stunt too. How did they do it? He understood that Harrison Jr. pretended to be interested in Carrie so that he could gain access to her father’s files, but how did they take down Mr. Rivers and Mr. Dean? Harrison married Julie Muse on Saturday, and his father was at the wedding. So what did they do on Sunday?

  “Conrad is safe for the time being,” his uncle continued. “But we’re moving quickly to the top of the list. For all I know, we could be next on their ‘to do’ list. You’ve double checked all our records this morning?”

  “I have. Everything checks out.”

  “Good.”