“Would you like to check out an actual Shakespeare play in New York City two Fridays from now?” he asked.
Her eyes grew wide. “I’ve never been to New York.”
“And you haven’t seen Shakespeare in the theater. Isn’t it time all of that changed?”
“What’s the play?”
“Does it matter?”
She grinned. “It might.”
“It’s Much Ado About Nothing.”
“It would be nice to watch a comedy.”
“And we can eat at this restaurant I like to go to that overlooks the city. You can get fresh seafood there too.”
“Do you have to go to a business meeting first?”
“No. I go to New York a couple times a year for no other reason than to be entertained, but I haven’t gone with anyone.”
“I must admit that I’m pleased you find me good enough company to take along.”
“Well, you’re turning out to be a good companion. I think it will be more fun if we go to these things together, especially since I know you enjoy them as much as I do.”
“At least now we don’t have to pretend to be friends.”
The waiter brought them their meals. Just as Sue was about to eat, she saw Belinda whisper to Jim while pointing their way. She sighed and put her fork down.
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked.
“Nothing obvious. Mr. Hawke and I don’t get along very well. I will try to be on my best behavior for your sake.” She knew that she had a tendency to create a scene when someone upset her. Lord, help me keep calm. I want Jake to have a pleasant evening.
Jake glanced over his shoulder and turned back to her. “He’s not my favorite person either.”
She was surprised by his statement. What reason did he have to dislike Jim?
Jim and Belinda walked up to them. “Mr. Mitchell, good evening. I thought I saw you over here.”
She focused on her food so she wouldn’t roll her eyes.
“Good evening, Mr. Hawke, Mrs. Hawke,” Jake politely replied and stood up. “I trust you know my wife, Mrs. Mitchell, since she and your wife are good friends. You look lovely this evening, Belinda.”
Belinda smiled and thanked him.
“I wished to congratulate you on your marriage,” Jim continued. “I didn’t get a chance to do so at your wedding.”
“Did I mention that my wife is here?” Jake continued to smile.
“Oh, yes. Sue and I have known each other since I married Belinda.”
“Then it’s only fitting that you say hello to her. After all, I said hello to Belinda.”
“Good evening, Sue,” he reluctantly stated.
“Good evening, Mr. Hawke,” she replied. “Belinda, would you like a breath of fresh air on the veranda? Then the men can talk alone.” She noted that her friend looked bewildered. Belinda hated confrontations.
She nodded.
Just as Sue stood up, Jim touched Belinda’s arm and gave a slight shake of the head.
“I think I will stay here instead. I’m sorry, Sue,” Belinda replied.
How can she be happy with him? The man is a brute. She stiffly sat back down and took a deep breath. Don’t make a scene. It was like that every time Sue and Belinda met in public and Jim was around. He didn’t want Sue to fill his wife’s head with ideas of how to be independent.
“Actually, if you wish to discuss business, we should do it another time,” Jake said, his tone still pleasant.
“What a fine idea,” Jim readily agreed.
He’s like an eager schoolboy around Jake.
Jim continued, “I would be delighted if you would come to a dinner party sometime this week. Belinda makes a wonderful pot roast.”
“Mr. Mitchell doesn’t go to dinner parties,” Sue interrupted, trying not to let her irritation show. “Belinda, did you not explain that to Mr. Hawke?”
“Uh...yes,” she softly said.
“My wife is right, Mr. Hawke. I do not attend dinner parties,” Jake replied. “If you wish to discuss business, I will be happy to do so at the dance. I do all of my after hour business dealings there. Otherwise, I open my bank on Monday at nine. It is across from the dress shop on Delaware Avenue.”
Sue noted the rising tension in his voice.
“Then Belinda and I shall be going,” Jim rigidly stated. “I might keep my business with Mr. Leroy.”
“You are certainly within your rights to do so,” Jake easily responded. “I won’t hold that against you.”
“Good evening then, Mr. Mitchell. Come along, Belinda.”
Jake cleared his throat and nodded in Sue’s direction.
“Oh right. Good evening, Mrs. Mitchell.”
Sue followed Jake in saying the proper good-byes and released her breath as soon as they left. She hated to see Belinda treated like a child.
Jake sat back down. “I can appreciate your fear of being controlled when we got married.”
She tried to relax but it was difficult.
“Try not to let him get to you, Sue. Men like that aren’t worth the effort. Just be glad he married Belinda instead of you.”
“I wouldn’t have married him if he was the only one in town who could pay off my father’s debt. Even Mr. York was a better catch.”
“And where do I fit on that list?” He was smiling again.
“At the very top. I couldn’t have done better,” she softly admitted, staring at her plate. “Thank you for standing up for me. It was nice to have someone defend me for a change.”
“You always had to defend yourself?”
She nodded and looked at him. “Jeremiah tried to defend me but he was five years younger so no one paid him any mind.”
“So that’s how you got to be bold.”
“Sometimes you do what you have to do.”
“Well, I will do what I can.”
She didn’t expect to be so touched by the reality that he would defend her. “Thank you, Jake.”
After they finished dinner, they went to the dance where Mr. Evans took their hats and coats.
“Marriage agrees with you, sir,” he told Jake. “You actually look happy to be here tonight and no wonder with the beautiful Mrs. Mitchell on your arm.”
“Yes, she’s turning out to be good company, and she can dance better than any other woman in this place. Do you know I have to fight off bachelors now to keep her to myself?”
Sue assumed he was joking so she laughed. “It’s not like that, Mr. Evans. Men hardly notice me. But it is nice that Jake does.”
Jake smiled at her as he led her towards the dance floor.
“Oh, Mrs. Mitchell,” Mr. Evans stopped them. “I hate to interrupt you but Billy forgot to bring his book back to the library on Friday.”
“That’s no problem. I can take it on Monday during the story hour. A couple of late days isn’t going to make a difference to the library budget. Do you know Mrs. Walker made enough money from the play to cover all overdue books for the year? I’ll just take the amount due from that fund.”
He nodded, relieved and went to hang their coats and hats up.
Jake shook his head in amazement. “I think you’re going to bring more customers to my bank than I will.”
“Now how do you conclude that?” She followed him onto the dance floor and accepted his offer to dance.
“You win people over left and right just by being nice to them, and they’ll see you with me and figure that I must be a great banker if I’m married to you.”
She shrugged. “It’s easy to be a friend to a woman or child. They are easy to please. I have a more difficult time knowing what to even say to a man. That’s probably why I was a spinster for so long.”
“You don’t seem to have trouble talking to me.”
“Well, I know you. You’ve seen me at my worst and didn’t run away. Jeremiah and Trevor were right when they said you don’t say no to a challenge.”
“They said that?”
“Yes. You had just fallen
off of Bossy and you jumped right back on. It was impressive to watch.”
“And I thought you were only interested in fixing the stable doors in the barn that day.”
“I did fix them. What we really need is someone to repair the roof. I offered to pay for it but my family won’t take anymore money, except for Gloria to see a doctor about her pregnancy.”
“I might have the solution to that problem. When this dance ends, I’ll talk to Mr. Blake over there.”
She looked at the middle-aged man who was standing next to his wife and talking to another couple.
“He came into the bank a month ago to apply for a loan but we had to deny him because he didn’t have enough collateral. He knows how to build and repair roofs. I bet he could use a couple of the cattle your family has in exchange for the service on the roof. He sells the finest steaks in town to restaurants.”
“That would be a good arrangement,” she acknowledged. “You really do care about your customers, don’t you?”
“I do what I can. Sometimes the best answer is no but it’s always better when I can do something to help.”
“I was wrong about you, Jake. You do have a lot to offer a woman besides money. You’re generous, kind, thoughtful, and brave. Anyone who can eat all of my food and stand up to my brothers has to have a backbone made of steel. And you are a handsome man.”
“You better watch out, Sue. I just might fall in love with you if you keep talking like that.” He said it jokingly, but she wondered if there was a serious undertone in his words.
When the dance ended, he excused himself so he could talk to Mr. Blake for her. As she turned to walk off the dance floor, two bachelors jumped in front of her, both wanting the next dance. She looked from one to the other, flustered. Should she dance with them so they would do business at Jake’s bank? She hadn’t thought to ask Jake what she should do in a situation like this since she didn’t imagine it would actually happen. Deciding it would probably look bad if she didn’t dance with them, she agreed to dance one dance with each of them.
The first one was Wilbur Vance who seemed awfully young, but she determined that he was old enough to open his own bank account.
“Have you heard that Mr. Mitchell is opening a bank on Monday?” she began. “It is across from the dress shop on Delaware Avenue.”
“Yes, I heard. Good for him. It’s time someone did something about Mr. Leroy. Did you receive my flowers?” he asked.
She winced as he stepped on her right foot but forced herself to smile. I’m doing this for Jake. “What flowers?” Where were these flowers that he and Mr. Blacksmith talked about?
“I sent you flowers right before Christmas.”
“Are you sure you sent them to the right person?”
“Mrs. Sue Mitchell.”
“That is my name. But why would you send me flowers?”
“Why not? You’re absolutely breathtaking to look at and you’re kind to the children at the library.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.” He stepped on her foot again.
“You have no right to think of me in those terms, Wilbur. Why, you’re younger than my brother Jeremiah.”
“But age is just a number.”
“And you need more years to mature. I assumed this was going to be a discussion about Mr. Mitchell’s bank.”
“Why would I talk about his bank? I’m not interested in him. I’m interested in you.”
She stopped dancing. She wanted to slap him for being fresh with her but refrained since she was in front of people Jake wanted to impress. “You are too young, and I’m not interested. Please leave.”
“Alright. I don’t see what the big deal is, but I’ll honor your wishes.” He held his hands up in the air and walked away from her.
She was practically fuming. He has a lot of nerve!
The second bachelor came up to her. “Did he give you a hard time?”
“I thought he wished to discuss Mr. Mitchell’s bank,” she replied. “Is that your intention?”
“Actually, it is,” he said.
“Good. Then I will be happy to dance with you.”
He was as poor of a dancer as Wilbur. Her feet were going to be sore for a couple of days. “I’m Daniel Riley. I heard that your husband is an excellent banker. How did he manage to break free of the bank he was working at?”
She considered his question. “I suppose he used the money already in his savings account. He will probably reimburse the amount with the rest of his father’s inheritance.”
“I heard about that. You received half of it on your wedding day, didn’t you?”
“Apparently, it’s not a well kept secret.”
“I think everyone understands the circumstances surrounding your marriage. So, did Jake mention anything else about his inheritance?”
“May I ask why that is pertinent to the bank?”
“You’re right. I was merely making small talk. He is due to open the bank on Monday, correct?”
“Yes. Do you know where it is located?”
“I heard you tell Mr. Vance the details. I do intend to stop by and open an account. Do you think Jake will need more money to support the costs of owning a bank that his inheritance doesn’t cover?”
“I really don’t know those details, and to be honest, I don’t understand why it matters. Aren’t you more interested in the type of accounts you can open up? It is highly competitive with Mr. Leroy’s bank.”
“Mr. Leroy isn’t happy with the competition.”
“Well, that is what he gets for treating his customers so poorly.”
“Have you really been telling everyone who’ll listen about his decision to reject Mr. Mitchell’s proposal to save your family’s farm?”
“I did for a week but then realized I should focus on helping Jake with his business instead. He does a good job of taking care of his customers. You will be in good hands if you do decide to take your business there.”
“Oh, I’m definitely going to do that.” He turned her around on the floor and almost knocked her over. She quickly steadied herself but he stepped on her feet again. “Tell me, did you and Jake plan this from the beginning?”
“Plan on getting married because of his father’s inheritance?”
He nodded.
“No, we didn’t. I was ready to marry Mr. York when Jake proposed the idea to me.”
“So he offered a better deal than Mr. York did?”
“He did. I only have to be married to him until May 21. Then we can get the annulment.”
“Then he’ll receive his half of the inheritance. I saw in the paper recently that his father had a reputation for stealing money. Did Jake mention that?”
“Actually, he didn’t mention his father except in conjunction with the terms of the will. I’m sorry, Mr. Riley, but I’m having trouble understanding why you aren’t asking about the banking services that Jake will provide his customers.”
The dance ended and he kissed her hand. “I will stop by and find out more on Monday.”
“Alright.” She nodded, secretly relieved to be done with the dance. She wiped the back of her hand on her dress to get rid of the feel of his lips on them. There was something about him that bothered her, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. Instead, she turned to leave the dance floor so she could rest and talk to some of the women who had expressed their desire to talk to her at the dance since she declined every dinner and luncheon invitation they had sent to her. She knew that this would be the perfect time to socialize with them.
As she made her way to Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Parker, another bachelor asked her to dance. “I’m sorry, sir, but I need to discuss some matters with my friends. I hope you understand.”
He looked sad but accepted her answer.
Why are all these men asking me to dance all of the sudden? It doesn’t seem like they are as interested in Jake’s bank as they should be. She pushed aside her questions and left the dance floor.
>
Chapter Thirteen
Jake spent the weekend setting things up in his bank. He used his pent up frustrations for energy. He couldn’t believe the nerve of the bachelors in town who kept asking Sue to dance on Friday night. He would try to get back to her when someone came up to him to discuss his bank. Had it not been for the fact that she declined most of the invitations to dance so she could talk to some of the wives, he would have picked her up and dragged her home. Fortunately, she seemed to be blissfully unaware of their intentions. Why didn’t the men take the time to notice her before he married her? It wasn’t his fault that they didn’t get to her first.
He tried not to let his sour mood show when a box of chocolates and flowers from an Ethan Bower arrived at his house on Sunday afternoon shortly after he and Sue came home from church. Since Sue was in the den reading, he was able to throw them out before she discovered them. He immediately added Ethan Bower to his list. He was able to cross Wilbur Vance off the list since he watched her tell him to leave her alone at the dance. So he had to tackle Donald Cline, Ben York and now Ethan Bower. Would the list ever end? It seemed the more appearances she made in public, the more men noticed her. Who wouldn’t notice her ever since she started wearing nicer clothes and letting her hair down? He was glad that he could enjoy her company for the next two Fridays safely out of town.
On Monday morning, he arrived at work an hour early and unlocked the door so Justin and his other employees could get their things ready for business. He did feel a sense of pleasure and accomplishment when he saw his name with the word “President” on his office door. It made all the aggravation with George Leroy worth it. He sat at his oak desk and glanced at his office which was decorated with three oak chairs, one his and two for visitors, and a large bookcase which displayed pictures of places he had traveled to. He had several books and a large file cabinet in the corner of the room, but for the most part, it was open and free of clutter. He even had a window so he could see the dress shop and other businesses from across the street. He could also see who was coming into the bank.
He took out his notepad so he could write down upcoming appointments. So far several new customers had opened accounts at the bank. Things were going better than he had hoped.
An Inconvenient Marriage Page 17
