Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 79

"I'll come home and cook for you more often on the weekends when I have time." Willow kept her gaze lowered, carefully setting out forks and plates on the table.

Klein returned from washing his hands and saw the meal already spread out, the aroma and colors as inviting as anything he could make himself.

He pulled out a chair and sat down with a half-serious, half-teasing smile. "Hey now, you can't steal my job. Your mother always says my cooking's her favorite. I can't let my skills get rusty."

Willow forced down the guilt that nearly surfaced in her eyes. She finally looked up and grinned. "Alright, I won't compete with you. But at least try it—see if I've improved any?"

She took her seat across from him.

Klein obligingly picked up his fork, tasted a bite, and his eyes lit up with genuine surprise. "The asparagus is crisp and fresh, the pork is tender without being greasy. You've mastered the timing, and the sauce is just the right thickness—perfect consistency."

That was high praise coming from him.

Willow beamed with pride. She remembered the first time her dad tried her cooking—he'd offered mostly encouragement, but the food hadn't really been good enough to praise.

Clearly, all those years she'd spent in the kitchen hadn't gone to waste. At least, the first person to enjoy her progress was her dad—not that cold-hearted man, Beasley.

After dinner, Willow lingered to chat with her father for a while, then headed out to the garage to fetch her car. She was heading back to Cliffhaven Gardens, the neighborhood where she now lived.

It was only a four or five minute drive—practically around the corner.

Before coming over that evening, she'd already returned her rental car. The one she was driving now was a new car her father had bought for her.

She climbed in, shut the door, and was about to start the engine when her phone—resting on the wireless charging pad—buzzed.

She glanced at the screen. The call was coming from the Windsor Manor landline.

The only person at Windsor Manor who ever used the landline to reach her was Laverne.

Willow had no interest in talking to any of the Windsors except Dorothy and Vincent, so she let it ring.

"Outrageous!" The old woman's voice was icy. "Keep calling!"

Nell dialed Willow's cell. This time, the call was cut off after just a couple of rings.

Nell froze in shock.

"Ma'am, she might really be busy. Maybe she just can't get to the phone right now." Nell scrambled for an excuse, desperate to soften the old lady's temper.

Earlier that afternoon, the old woman had met Rosamund and shared dinner with her. The woman was gracious and poised, making Willow seem even less impressive by comparison. So now, with night falling and the wind picking up, the old lady wanted Willow to come over—ostensibly for a talk, but really for a lesson.

She also had that so-called secret fertility recipe tucked away. If Willow tried it and still didn't get pregnant, the old lady would finally have an excuse to push Beasley into divorce. Even if her daughter-in-law adored Willow, it wouldn't matter—if Willow couldn't have children, no one could argue with that.

But Willow wouldn't even pick up the phone.

The old woman seethed, so furious she almost wished her grandson would divorce Willow right now. Who needed the stupid recipe anyway?