The next evening, Austin went to the kitchen to see if Claire did as he asked, and he was delighted to find her pulling a Casserole out of the oven. He liked the fact that he could trust her to keep her word.

“What‟s on the menu tonight?” he asked as he walked over to her.She set the dish on the counter and sighed. “It‟s my attempt at tuna and green bean casserole.

It tastes good when Gloria makes it, but I‟ve never succeeded in making it very well.”

She pressed a fork into the runny yellow, gray and green glob. “I don‟t know about this. Mr. smith doesn‟t seem like the kind

of person who‟s done enough evil to deserve this.”

“Oh, he‟ll be fine.” He waved his hand as if to shoo aside her protests. “I don‟t want him to come back and this will do the trick.”

She shook her head but didn‟t say anything.

“Can I sample it?” he asked.

“I‟d rather you didn‟t. Even I don‟t want to try it.”

“I intend to eat this.”

Her eyes widened. “Why?”

“To show him that your cooking isn‟t as bad as he‟ll think it is.”

“You make absolutely no sense to me.”

“If I can handle Mountain oysters, I can handle anything you make. At least I know you didn‟t put anything disgusting in here.”

Though it looks like you did. He took out two plates and dumped the slop on his and Mr. smith‟s plates.

“You should eat whatever is left over from mary‟s cooking.

Tomorrow night I‟ll take you out to eat at any restaurant you choose.”

He set the plates on the kitchen table. What would help wash the slop down?

“Can you make some of that hot chocolate for Mr. smith?” he requested. He poured himself a glass of juice.

“Alright. I do feel better knowing he‟ll have something decent to drink.”

That‟s what you think. He took a deep breath and put a fork in his portion of the casserole. Half of it dripped off of the fork.

He sighed. It was going to be a long dinner. He tasted it andinvoluntarily shuddered. It was much worse than the meatloaf.

He forced himself to swallow it.

“I can‟t do it,” she said. She reached for the plates.

He quickly stepped in front of them. “It‟s perfect. This is the best worst tasting meal I‟ve ever had.”

“It sounds like you‟re actuallycomplimenting my ability to make a horrible meal.”

“That‟s because I am.” He smiled at her.

“You make me proud.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don‟t think I‟ll ever understand you.”

He chuckled. The doorbell chimed. It was show time.

“Go ahead and get something decent to eat while I get the door.”

He had to admit that she had a big heart. As he opened the door, he forced himself to smile politely at Mr. smith who was dressed in one of his best suits. “Good evening, Mr. smith.

Won‟t you come in?”

“Thank you, Mr. Hansworth.” He took his coat and hat off as he entered the house.

“Don‟t you have a butler?”

“Yes but he‟s with his wife who just had a baby boy. He and his wife, who is my maid, will be back on Monday.

So for the time being, I have to answer my own doors.”

“Why didn‟t you just hire someone to temporarily fill in for you during their absence?”

He shrugged. “I don‟t mind doing a few things myself as long as it doesn‟t involve cleaning or cooking. Speaking of which,

Mrs. Hansworth made one of her best meals tonight.”

“I hope she didn‟t go through too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all. She‟s used to cooking since she couldn‟t afford someone to cook for her.”

“I must admit that when I saw her at the Friday dance, I wasn‟t sure what to think. It seemed that you were the only one who took note of her.

It wasn‟t until the play that I realized there was more to her than meets the eye.”

“Yes, I was the only decent bachelor who took the time to talk to her.” And now every other bachelor thinks that she‟s his for the

taking.

“But your interest was business oriented. You had your pick of plenty of single and pretty women.”

“Who were only out for my money.”

“No one can blame you for thinking that after Johanna Clarke.”

“That‟s all in the past.” And I‟d prefer to leave it there. He wished everyone else could learn to leave it there as well. “Well, dinner is ready. Claire wanted to make sure everything was set before you arrived.”

He hated to admit it, but Mr. smith was a nice man.

He pushed aside his guilty conscience and led him to the dining room where claire had already placed everything neatly out on the

table.

“Since this is a business meeting, I thought I would leave you two alone to talk,” she said when they saw only two plates and cups on the table. “I haven‟t entertained guests before, so forgive me if I don‟t know the proper etiquette involved with

this.”

“You did an excellent job,” Austin replied.

“You don‟t have to leave on our account,” Tim stated.

“To be honest, I would rather not be in the room when you taste my food,” she uneasily said. “If you‟ll excuse me, gentlemen, I will be back shortly to see if there‟s anything else you need.”

“She‟s very modest,” Austin explained. “But she will return and we can talk her into staying then.” As they sat down, he asked,

“So you critique a lot of food. Have you ever had a meal you didn‟t like?”

“On a few occasions but I always manage to eat them.”You‟re in for a surprise. “This is one of Sue‟s best dishes.”

He noted Tim‟s apprehension as he looked at it. He took a large bite of the tuna green bean casserole and forced himself to smile

while he ate it. “She outdid herself tonight. Her food isn‟t usually this good.”

Tim nodded and took a small bite of the food.

Austin hid his laughter as Tim blanched. “So, what are your intentions with Claire ?” He took another bite and waited for Tim to

answer.

Tim still hadn‟t swallowed the food. He picked up the cup of hot chocolate to wash down the food in his mouth but couldn‟t

seem to swallow that either.

“Don‟t you like it? If you marry her, you‟ll have to eat this stuff all the time. She prides herself on her ability to cook a good

meal.”

He finally swallowed it, his eyes tearing up in the process.

He took a deep breath and pushed the plate away. “I must be frank with you. This would condemn a restaurant.”

Austin pretended to look offended. “She put a lot of hard work into this.” Sadly, that was probably true. She tried to make a tasty meal but couldn‟t seem to pull it off.

“I do have a personal chef, and my job involves a lot of eating out. I suppose one flaw in a woman is manageable.”

“Oh, she insists on cooking all the time. She prides herself on her work.”

“Certainly, she can taste her own cooking and realize it‟s not adequate.”

“She happens to like her meals. You will insult her if you don‟t eat it.” Just like I probably insulted her the other night. He sighed.

He was going to finish his plate even if it killed him, which was a possibility. If he can‟t eat this dinner she made, then he doesn‟t deserve her, even if he is perfect in every other area of his life.

“I‟m sorry, but I cannot bring myself to eat this. It is not fit for human consumption.

Apparently, this arrangement will notwork. I can‟t confine myself to a lifetime of eating this. Give Claire my regrets.”

Austin stood with him. I should be relieved so why do I feel like punching the man? He wiped his mouth with the napkin and calmly

showed him to the door.

“You‟re a stronger man than I am, Mr. Hansworth. Good luck.

” Tim put his coat and hat on and left.

Austin shut the door, glad he was gone. He returned to the dining room and finished his portion of the meal.

When claire walked into the room, she didn‟t hide her shock. “You ate everything?”

He finished his hot chocolate and nodded. “I sure did. It wasn‟t so bad after I got used to it.” He stood up and picked up the plates.

“Oh, I can do that.”

“No. I want to help. Besides, John and mary will be back on Monday and I can let them wait on me then.”

“Then the plan worked? You won‟t have to deal with Mr. smith anymore?” She followed him into the kitchen.

“He‟s gone for good, which is fine because he‟s not worth the effort.”

“I‟ll clean the dishes. That is one thing I can do well.”

He looked at her and smiled. “No, it‟s not the only thing you do well. It‟s one of many things you do well.”

She beamed at his compliment.

He left the room and laid down so he could calm his upset stomach.

************************************

Much love

V.A 💙