Her questions were like a rapid-fire cannon, blasting one after another, but it was nothing I hadn't expected. I calmly responded
"How about you make some tea with your famous almond cake and some sandwiches for lunch while we talk."
Asta set to work while Agotia and I hovered by the table. It took less than two minutes before Agotia moved through the kitchen beside my housekeeper, helping her with everything.
“I thought you two barely knew each other,” Asta said as we sat around the table.
“We do, or we did,” Agotia answered. "But we talked for hours at that dinner a few weeks ago, and I walked away feeling like I had known Alex forever."
"Yes, exactly," I echoed, surprised at how true that statement was. "Then one thing led to another, and I fell in love with you."
Our eyes caught each other, and I had to remind myself that this was all a ruse. The pounding in my heart took a little more convincing.
“That is just the sweetest thing I have ever heard,” Asta said, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye. "Igor and I were married less than two weeks after we met. Of course, it was a different time then. I am just so glad to see you two so happy."
I threw my arm around the back of Agotia’s chair and slid her seat closer to mine. She giggled, and Asta’s smile grew even wider. My arm dropped from the back of Agotia’s chair to her shoulders, and I squeezed. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled up at me again. It was a view quickly becoming my favorite, although this was all a business deal.
“Well, tell me about the wedding and the ring! I want to see the ring.”
“We decided on simple wedding bands,” Agotia answered as Asta looked disapprovingly down at my wife’s hand.
"I was planning on letting Agotia go through my grandmother's jewelry. She can pick out from the vault which piece, or pieces, she wants to turn into her wedding ring."
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Asta complimented.
“That’s too much. I can’t let you do that,” Agotia argued.
“Yes, you can, and you will. All the women in my family wear heirloom pieces. It is part of the tradition. It would seem out of place if you didn’t.”
Agotia took the hint from my words and dropped the matter with a curt nod.
“Speaking of heirloom pieces, did you ever figure out what happened to the snuff boxes?”
“Snuff boxes?” Agotia said, echoing Asta.
"I was coming to tell you about them yesterday when I found you sitting on the ground with a muddy face." My phone buzzed, interrupting my train of thought. "I need to talk to my team about these exciting changes. You will need to be added to the will, and the license needs to be filed. Could we talk more about this at dinner tonight?"
“Sure. There are few things I need to get from home, I mean, the farm, anyways.”
“Any requests for your first dinner together as a married couple?” Asta asked, her smile still wide.
"Whatever you have planned, I'm sure, will be fine," I assured her.
“Excuse us.”
With my hand on Agotia’s back, I walked her outside and handed her the keys to my car, to her surprise. Keeping up the act as I could feel Asta’s eyes on my back, I pulled Agotia in for a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She gingerly wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.
"I shouldn't be gone long. I will check on the workers, do my chores, and grab some clothes. I will be back in plenty of time for dinner."
“That sounds great. Be careful in my car, okay? It is much faster than that old beater you drive.”
“I promise I won’t hurt your fancy car,” she teases as she slips into the plush leather seats.
“I don’t care about the car. I care about my wife. So be careful.”
I stood in the driveway for several minutes, watching her drive off, wondering what I had gotten myself into.
Chapter sixteen
