When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 97

Henrietta raised her eyebrows slightly. Was he… going to call Joaquin himself?

He was. Yosef dialed the number directly as Henrietta watched him. Then, to her greater surprise, as he held the phone with one hand, his other hand found hers, enclosing it in a grip that felt both natural and deliberate. It seemed he was trying to reassure her.

Henrietta blinked. This was… almost too considerate.

Joaquin answered the phone, his tone immediately respectful. "Mr. Nash, to what do I owe the pleasure of a personal call?"

The arrogant tone he'd used with Henrietta was completely gone now.

Yosef's voice was ice. "You've gotten bold, Mr. Leland. When a blind date doesn't work out, you resort to harassment?"

Joaquin was taken aback, then chuckled nervously. "Did Ms. Sargent… run to you to complain?"

He tried to laugh it off, but Yosef's voice grew even colder. "I thought my intervention last time would have been enough for you to learn your lesson."

"Mr. Nash, it's not as serious as you think," Joaquin stammered. "My feelings for Ms. Sargent…"

Yosef cut him off. "Whatever your feelings for her are, my wife is not someone you can mess with."

This time, Joaquin was utterly stunned into silence. "What? What… did you say?"

Yosef offered him no courtesy. "If your hearing is bad, go see a doctor. If your brain doesn't work, don't come out and embarrass yourself. If you harass my wife again, Mr. Leland…"

He left the threat hanging in the air, but it was more than enough.

"What are you talking about?" Joaquin exclaimed, his voice incredulous. "Ms. Sargent… is your… wife? Since when? Are you… are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Good," Yosef said. "If anything comes up, just tell me directly."

"I will," Henrietta nodded. "Thank you."

"We're husband and wife now," he reminded her gently. "There's no need for thanks between us."

"Okay," she whispered.

Only after the conversation ended did she become fully aware that he was still holding her hand. She stiffened slightly, not knowing how to pull away without making it awkward. She wanted to put her phone back in her purse, but it was difficult with only one free hand.

To make matters worse, her purse was sitting open on her lap. If Yosef looked down… he would see the Stargaze box.