When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 208

Winona picked up her bag and shot Joaquin a parting glance. “You were just asking for it. They’re gone now, so if you’re planning on staying, you can at least make yourself useful and tidy up.” With that, she left as well.

Joaquin stood there, fuming. Did they really expect him to clean the office?

...

Once they were in the car, with Calvert driving, Yosef turned to Henrietta. The drive to the Nash family estate would take about forty minutes.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” Yosef asked.

“You mean Joaquin?” Henrietta clarified.

“Yes,” he said, pulling her into his arms. It was nice having a wife, he thought. He could hold her whenever he wanted, and it felt right.

Henrietta blushed. His embrace was firm and strong, making her feel safe. She breathed in his scent, a cool, clean fragrance she couldn’t quite place.

“Honestly, I don’t know what his game is,” she admitted. “After his outburst that day, he showed up at my office the next morning and said he didn’t care that I was married, that he was still going to pursue me. I told him to back off, but he just repeated the same line. Since then… he’s been showing up with flowers pretty regularly.”

She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. “He hasn’t done anything aggressive. He just sits there. Sometimes he makes a snarky comment, other times he just plays on his phone. I’ve been ignoring him, but he’s incredibly persistent.”

“I didn’t mention it to you because… well, it felt awkward,” she said in a low voice. “I was worried it would sound like I was bragging.”

“I see,” Yosef said. “So what do you want to do about it?”

Henrietta thought for a moment. “I don’t think there’s much I can do. He hasn’t crossed any lines or been inappropriate. He just insists on pursuing me regardless of my marital status, which actually makes it harder to handle. The best approach is probably just to keep ignoring him.”

Yosef considered this and nodded. “That’s a sound strategy. If he wants to act like a stray dog, let him. Eventually, he’ll get bored and go away.”

Henrietta agreed, but after a moment’s silence, she added, “I just wonder if this has anything to do with his sister, Britney Leland.”

Yosef’s expression hardened. He took her hand in his. “Whether it does or not, it doesn’t matter. Just treat him like he’s crazy. We’ll live our lives. We can’t control what everyone else is thinking or planning. As long as we’re happy together, that’s all that matters.”

Henrietta’s heart began to pound uncontrollably. For a moment, she was completely flustered, then a strange, tingling sensation spread from the center of her chest. She didn’t know what to call this feeling.

“And you?” he asked. “Did you like it?”

Henrietta’s fingers curled involuntarily. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice surprisingly soft and breathless. “I liked it.” The admission made her feel even more flustered.

Yosef smiled. “Good.” He held her in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride.

Henrietta rested her head on his shoulder, watching his long, strong fingers play with hers.

Yosef, on the other hand, was thinking. Their first kiss, she had been a complete novice—nervous and unsure. This time, there was a marked improvement. It was a natural progression, a case of practice making perfect. If she had been faking her inexperience, it would have been impossible to achieve such a seamless, natural transition. One could feign nervousness, but faking this subtle, perfectly-paced improvement? That was nearly impossible.

Which meant… she really hadn’t had much experience with this before, had she?