A Cold Wife, Sweet Husband

―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 Leo 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 Jessica 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.

―We're moving quickly to the top of the list. For all I know, we could be next on there, to do' list. You've double-checked all our records this morning?

―I have. Everything checks out.―Good. He detected the worried tone in his uncle's voice which only increased his fears. He hadn't realized they were in an unstable position. After a couple of minutes, he finally asked his uncle, ―Have you had a chance to speak with Conrad?

―Not yet. We agreed to keep things as discreet as possible so that the Grants don't get suspicious. Chad Walker has agreed to act as a liaison between us and Conrad. I plan to meet with him at lunch.―I didn't get around to asking about Tyndall on Saturday. How did things go on Friday evening? Is he still our customer?

―Yes, he is. Miss Duff did an excellent job of reining him in for us.―So she willingly went to his dinner party?―I managed to get to her house before Harrison Grant Jr.'s new wife did. As you know, Julie is good friends with Mary. Anyway, I was explaining the situation to her, and letting her know she had the right to decline the invitation if she wished when Julie showed up. Mary graciously accepted and I escorted her to the dinner party, so Harrison couldn't claim to be the one who got Mary to show up.

―She sounds like a bargaining chip. His uncle turned to look at him. ―To Harrison, she would have been. To Tyndall, she certainly was. But that's not the case with me.

I made it clear that she could refuse and I would make sure no one else would talk her into it. Leo raised an eyebrow. ―I never thought I'd see the day when you fell in love. The older man shook his head and returned to looking out the window.

―I'm not falling in love with her. I'm too old. I merely wanted to protect her.―It seems like I'm as bad of a liar as you are when it comes to the affairs of the heart.

―Leo, I am old enough to be her father.―It's not uncommon for a man your age to marry a woman Mary's age.―It would be better for her to marry someone closer to her age. ―You're right, he casually said as he recalled his uncle's words to him a week before.

―Those investment reports are much more interesting to hold and kiss than a woman is. I mean, who needs to feel the soft warmth of a woman's embrace?

I still haven't been in bed with a woman but heard it's one of life's most pleasurable experiences. Of course, there's a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to be had in the fact that we kept Mr. Tyndall on our clientele list. Jonathan scowled at him and promptly left the room. Leo grinned. He could turn the situation around if he had to.

***

Jessica decided that she had to get Jim and Mary together. Since she wasn't able to use the excuse to alter Mary's dress, she decided to ask Mary over to sample one of his pizzas.

She understood that Jim was below Mary's economic class, but she had grown to know Jim well enough to understand he wasn't the kind of person who would only display an interest in someone because they were from money.

Since the summer day was cooler than the previous days had been, she decided to go for a walk and enjoy the nice breeze and sunlight. On her way to Mary's house, she saw her brother. She grimaced.

She was still miffed that he made that comment about her needing to be interested in marital relations at the dinner party. He didn't have to come out and say it in front of everyone. It was embarrassing for the entire group to be reminded of her awkward marital situation.

She knew he said it because she tried not to laugh at another one of Leo's odd analogies. She couldn't help it if she found his comparisons to be humorous. At least this time she had tried to hide her laughter. Who but Leo would think to compare a movie to a visual book? She hadn't wished to hurt Leo's feelings, which was why she coughed over her laughter.