Page 97 of The Contract Marriage

–Frederich: Naturally. Leave it to me, your servant’s servant. I shall squander your entire annual food budget.

I snort.

–Frederich: I’ll leave everything on the counter when I’m done.

–Me: No, message me. I’m going to take it to Olivia.

–Frederich: But you’re going to see her tonight.

–Me: It’s time-sensitive. Needs to be done before tonight!

I want to give her the items to make her feel better as soon as possible. She’s my wife, carrying my baby. It might seem unreasonable, but irrelevant people shouldn’t be providing for her. It should be me.

“Are you feeling better now?” Emmie asks in a cool tone. “Can we have a meeting without making everyone nervous that they’ll be asked to disembowel themselves if next season’s designs don’t meet your expectations?”

I frown. “I’ve felt fine all morning. And you’re exaggerating. But yes, let’s do the meeting.”

Despite her worries, I don’t make anyone cry or fall into some Dantean pit of despair. The meeting ends on a high note, with me discovering a particularly lovely design I intend to get for Olivia on Mother’s Day.

By the time the meeting’s over, I have a message from Frederich: All done.

–Me: That fast? Don’t you have to keep the ginger in sugar and stuff for a while?

–Frederich: I operate with my own special magic.

–Me: Imagine me squinting at you. I’m not giving my wife half-assed stuff.

–Frederich: Actually, I began making it earlier this week because I noticed Olivia wasn’t feeling well. It was all that my wife could tolerate when she was expecting.

I grin at his thoughtfulness. He definitely deserves a fat bonus this Christmas.

–Me: You’re the man.

–Frederich: As I have attempted to tell you many times. I’ve already sent everything to your office. You should be receiving it any moment.

Just then Emmie walks in with a special courier package. “Here. For you.”

Yes! I knew Frederich would come through. I look through the package. The crystallized ginger slices are in a pretty hexagonal lavender jar with a dark royal blue ribbon wrapped around the top. The lid is airtight, perfect for keeping the ginger slices fresh, with a packet of desiccant sitting at the bottom.

The tea is golden with lemon slices buried under thick honey. The clear jar has the vacuum pop-up lid so Olivia doesn’t have to strain to open it every time she wants to enjoy something soothing. A silver spoon tipped with a tiny diamond is tied snugly to the jar.

I place everything in a glossy paper bag and start to head out.

“Where are you going?” Emmie says. “You have a call.”

Oh, that’s right. Shit. Normally I’d attend, but it isn’t something I need to sit in. “Get Mike to do it.”

“He’s already on another call.”

“Then have him delegate it.”

“But… You always like to be in charge of every detail.”

“Mmm. Well, it’s about time I let other people take on more responsibilities.”

Emmie stares at me like I’ve lost my mind, but I don’t care. Nothing’s going to derail my plan.

It’s only about eleven, and the drive to Olivia’s office is mercifully free of crushing traffic. I park and walk into EverAfter. I’ve never been inside the building before. Interestingly enough, the place doesn’t have a sign or anything. And for a wedding-planning company, it lacks that festive bridal feel. I shrug. Maybe this is just where the clients come to sign contracts and pay deposits.