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Awkward Marriage Prologue
Finally it was time to give her the ring, and Sue didn‟t hide her disappointment when she saw it. “Told you,” Justin whispered. Jake simply smiled and slipped it on her finger. “I now pronounce you man and wife,” the preacher said. “You may kiss the bride.” He lifted the veil and was struck that she would wear so little make up and still look stunning. She really does have simple but elegant taste. She‟s going to throw a fit when she sees her new wardrobe. He already knew he would be assigning Mrs. Parker and her team of seamstresses with a new wardrobe. This time he would have to let Sue talk to her about what she wanted. He didn‟t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. He was glad she wasn‟t into all the flashy and flowery material women seemed to crave but all his efforts to please her were in vain. As he bent to kiss her on the lips, she gave a slight turn of her head so he kissed the side of her mouth instead. “Well honey, aren‟t you full of surp
Awkward Marriage 1
December 1899 ake Mitchell was good at two things: making money and managing people. What he wasn’t good at was getting Sue Lewis to stop coming by the bank where he worked every day. It wasn’t that Sue was outwardly rude, but she was persistent and vocal. This particular day was no exception. He was sitting in his office when he heard her enter the bank. “I want to speak to someone in charge here,” she told one of the tellers. Jake closed his light blue eyes and ran his hand through his short dark brown straight hair. He rubbed his neatly trimmed beard and sighed. He was only thirty-five but when he heard her nagging voice, he felt like he was sixty. She could wear any man out. “Mr. Mitchell, that woman is back,” George Leroy said. “So? Take care of it,” he replied. “I’ve done everything I can but she won’t go away.” Jake shook his head. How did George ever expect to take over as president when his father retired if he couldn’t handle one woman? “I
Awkward Marriage 2
After work, Jake took the horse-drawn buggy to his house. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was elegant in appearance. He prided himself on the way he kept the white two story home with blue trim. The gardener did an excellent job trimming the shrubbery and trees. The grass was cut short. The inside of the house was spotless and cared for by his maid and butler. Though he had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two parlors, a large dining room, a kitchen, and a den, he rarely had visitors. He was content to stay by himself, but he enjoyed owning fine things and spared no expense for his furnishings. Mr. Reynolds stopped the buggy so he could get out. “Henry,” he told the taxi driver, “I’m going to need to go to the board meeting tonight at seven. Can you have the buggy ready at 6:30?” “Yes, sir,” Henry replied. “Thank you.” He walked to his house which was similar to other houses in the area. He enjoyed the Virginia city life for things rarely got boring
Awkward Marriage 3
Suse Lewis was distressed that night as she paced back and forth in her one room apartment in town. She could barely afford the place and was forced to eat bean soup again. She was at her wits‟ end. She hated to tell her parents that her efforts had been in vain. Nothing she told the bank employees made any difference. They were all a cold hearted lot. Her father wasn’t able to come in to make his case because he threw out his back and couldn’t afford the wagon ride into town. Her mother was an emotional wreck over the stress of losing her home. Her twenty-seven year old brother and his wife were busy trying to maintain the farm so they could put food on the table. Her sister Emma would have been twenty-four that year but had died three years ago due to pneumonia. Trevor was seventeen, so he couldn’t do anything until he was an adult. The ten year old twins, Luke and Patty, were still children. The burden rested on her shoulders. She tried not to cry, but her situation se
Awkward Marriage 4
“Good evening, Mr. Mitchell,” she softly spoke. Her eyes met his and she offered him a gentle smile. “It is nice to see you here.” He warmly smiled back. “Miss Gordon, the pleasure is all mine.” Even though Sue didn’t know either of them well, she could tell they were lying to one another. Neither one really found the other one interesting. “I do hope you’ll come to my dinner party this Sunday,” she invited. “I saved a seat especially for you.” “I will try to make it,” he replied. Sue could tell he was lying. Jennifer Gordon continued to stand by him. “I would ask you to dance, but I already promised this one to Miss Lewis,” he politely said. Turning to Sue, he asked, “Are you ready?” She almost said no but there was an anxious look in his eyes that stopped her. She silently nodded and took his hand to the dance floor. She tried to ignore the way his strong arm felt around her waist and how his firm hand felt on hers. He was six inches ta
Awkward Marriage 5
Jake spent four hours preparing the contract that he and Justin planned out in hopes of helping Sue’s family. He hoped that they could go over the board members‟ vote by discussing the situation rationally with Conrad who would be in his office on Monday. He and Justin waited in the lobby of the bank a little before nine for Sue’s arrival. Justin chuckled next to him. “What’s so funny?” he asked. He didn’t see what was so comical about a business meeting. “Did you hear what Miss Lewis did to Mr. Wilkins?” He shook his head. “On Saturday, she went over to Mr. Wilkins‟ house and threatened to lasso his buggy and hang it by the barn rafters unless he paid her father the money he rightfully owed him. When he refused to listen to her, she lassoed the front wheel and used a horse she borrowed to pull it to his barn. He realized she was serious, so he made the proper restitution. Then she thanked him as if nothing was wrong and went her way.”Jake stared
Awkward Marriage 6
The next day, Jake sat in the lawyer’s office. He deliberately skipped the funeral to show how little he thought of his father. To his surprise, no one else attended the funeral either. It was hard to feel sorry for his father, though it did make him wonder who would bother to come to his funeral. He pushed aside the funny sensation in the back of his mind as the lawyer entered the office. “Jake Mitchell, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mr. Barnett said as he shook his hand. “I wish I could say the same but I would rather be doing something else.” “Your father wasn’t an easy man to deal with.” “I’m sorry, Mr. Barnett. It’s hard to think of him without getting upset. I’m sure you are a decent man.” “I try to be.” He smiled to show that he took no offense to Jake’s earlier bland greeting. They sat across from each other. “Your father had no other children besides you. At least, there were no children that we are aware of, and he didn’t marry any women after t
Awkward Marriage 7
As he walked into the ballroom, he saw Jennifer Gordon laughing and whispering to one her friends who was just as gossipy and giggly as she was. He sighed when he realized the two girls were making fun of Sue who was dancing with the seventy year old man who had his eyes glued to her last time. He didn’t know what was worse. Watching old man York staring at her bosom or the fact that Jennifer and a few others in the room believed Sue was making a public spectacle of herself. Two things are for sure: one, I’m not going to let York ogle her for the rest of the night and two, I’m buying her a new wardrobe as soon as she agrees to my plan. Just as he was about to walk onto the dance floor, Chad Walker stopped him. Chad Walker was one of the wealthiest clients at the bank, so he had to talk to him. At least York wouldn’t grope her in public. “Mr. Walker, how are you this fine December evening? Are you looking forward to Christmas?” he warmly greeted. “With Christmas being
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