A Modern Day Persuasion (20 page)

Once again concentrating on the conversation at hand, Anne listened to Cedric speak of the delights he and Sophie discovered while touring the San Francisco Wharf. It was something Anne had yet to explore, even though she currently lived within a reasonable distance from this attraction. Listening to his animated descriptions of the pier and its playful seals, she understood why the Admiral had chosen the Navy as his profession—it was obvious he had a love affair with the sea.

Chapter 38

Anne really never had a choice. One moment she was sitting in the family’s study, sketching some concepts for a new card line—and the next she found herself being trapped in a vehicle along with Elizabeth, Susan, and Will headed for the California coast line.

Will had engineered the whole thing by using a form of leverage akin to blackmail. He refused to go without her, and Elizabeth refused to go without him. What could Anne have done? Looking between Will’s puppy dog eyes and dodging the daggers which Elizabeth was firing at her, Anne eventually surrendered to Will’s relentless pestering. Thirty minutes later, she was wedged in the backseat of Elizabeth’s European car sitting next to Will, wishing she had managed to contrive a legitimate reason for why she needed to spend time with Carol instead.

About half way to their destination, surprisingly her sister’s new vehicle started to make some odd noises. Elizabeth jokingly tried to pass them off as Anne’s rumbling stomach, but all knew they were doomed when the car came practically to a standstill on the highway. Moving at no more than 20 mph, the car had just enough power to take them to a welcoming gas station. The relief they all felt at not being honked at every few minutes was overwhelming. As Anne extricated herself from the vehicle in order to stretch her
legs, Elizabeth sat back in her seat to shed a few frustrated tears.

“Elizabeth, if you want me to call Triple A, I’ll do so,” Anne kindly offered despite her sister’s more than usual hostile attitude as of late.

However Elizabeth wouldn’t allow herself to take Anne’s offer. With an upturned nose, she answered, “No, I am capable of doing that myself.”

Anne shrugged off the haughty tone in Elizabeth’s voice and told the group she was headed inside to find a restroom. Moments later, the trio joined her in the air conditioned mini-mart, looking for some relief from the heat and their boredom.

While Anne listened to Elizabeth wrangle with the towing company over the phone, her eyes scanned the store’s merchandise. The majority of items consisted of patriotic flags, t-shirts, hats and junk food. The Fourth of July was the next day, meaning the store would soon be clearancing much of the seasonal goods.

“What do you mean the tow truck can’t be here for another fifty minutes?” Elizabeth growled as she peered outside to watch Will retrieve the insurance information she’d forgotten in the glove box. Turning back to face Anne and Susan, Elizabeth’s appearance showed her displeasure. “Apparently every tow truck in this entire city is busy. And heaven knows when the taxi we ordered will get here. Unbelievable!”

Anne shrugged and continued down the mini-mart aisle, looking up just as Will entered the store again. His grin was a welcome sight compared to the frown clouding Elizabeth’s features.

“Good news, ladies,” he began, obviously pleased with himself regarding the information he was about to share. “You’ll never guess who just pulled in for gas and is willing to help us out?!”

“Who?” Elizabeth demanded, not in a mood for guessing games.

“Missy Dee!” Will exclaimed, causing Elizabeth to look over at Susan with dramatic relief. “Good thing your car had the foresight to break down at the last gas station available for the next 70 miles,” continued Will. “It makes for a rather popular spot.”

Anne looked outside to see Missy sitting in her convertible while the attendant showed special attention due to her celebrity status.

“What a relief!” Elizabeth breathed.

“We’re saved!” Susan laughed, happy to be rescued. Not only that, it provided Susan with an additional excuse to socialize with the star.

“Well, there is some bad news though,” Will said, “Missy only has room for two of you.”

Stunned, Elizabeth and Susan didn’t move, but their expressions said it all. No way did they intend to be the ones left behind if they had any say.

Will didn’t seem fazed by their reaction, having already anticipated their response. “I’ll wait for the taxi and pay the attendant to handle the car,” he suggested before turning to Anne and asking, “You won’t mind waiting with me, will you?”

Anne, a bit surprised by Will’s gentle tone nodded, thankful that a solution had been reached.

“Perfect,” Elizabeth said, not waiting for a verbal reply from her sister. “Here’s my Triple A card for the tow truck, plus you already have my car keys,” she said, handing the membership information to Will as he rattled the keys in his pocket as confirmation.

“Do I have time to quickly use the ladies room?” Susan asked. She wanted to freshen up before hitching a ride with the celebrity—knowing the paparazzi might be snapping pictures and wanted to make sure she looked her best.

“Not a problem,” answered Will. “Missy’s having the attendant check her oil plus wash the windows in addition to refilling, so you’ve got some time. I’ll come get you when she’s ready to leave.”

With that, Will turned and went back outside. Watching him meet up with Missy, Anne observed how quickly the star turned on the charm as the handsome Will approached her vehicle. Not a pretty sight, considering the age difference between the two. Missy was at least twenty years his senior.

Averting her eyes, Anne redirected her attention back to the magazine headlines, only to once again hear the little bells sound, indicating the door to the mini-mart had been opened. With her back to the entrance, Anne didn’t bother glancing up, believing it to be Will. When he failed to approach her, Anne turned towards the door for an explanation. Her earlier assumption regarding who had entered the store couldn’t have been more wrong.

With shaking legs and a flushed face, Anne found herself less than twenty feet away from the one man who occupied her every waking thought—Rick. Shocked and awed, all Anne could do was stare at him while he waited in line at the counter.

“Rick!” she said out loud unconsciously. Immediately, Anne regretted her spontaneous reaction, wishing instead she had kept silent to better compose herself. At hearing Anne’s voice, Rick looked up in equal surprise.

Upon spying her, Rick’s welcoming stance combined with the pleased look in his eyes was all it took for Anne to swiftly close the distance between them. Greeting him with a profuse smile, it was hard to keep her joy guarded—reminding Anne of earlier times when being happy around Rick was something that came so natural.

“I…I didn’t know you were here in California,” Anne stuttered out, being the first to break the silence.

“Yes. Harve and I just arrived this morning. I’m scheduled for a book signing next week but decided to come down early,” Rick explained.

Not knowing what to say next, both simply stood there to gaze into each others eyes, content for the moment to search for any feelings stirring within.

“Oh…um…please say hi to Harve for me,” Anne finally said, trying to think of something to bridge the silence.

“I will,” he answered, her comment jarring him back to reality. “And how is your family?” Rick inquired.

“Very good,” Anne answered, grateful that this time Rick broke the silence. She wished she could think of something more to say in reply, but found herself at a loss for words.

“And you? How are you doing?” Rick asked Anne pointedly.

“Better…
now
,” Anne smiled. She hadn’t quite meant for that to come out but maybe it was a good thing for Rick to know he still had an effect on her. Rick’s quizzical look told Anne that although this revelation was a surprise to him, it was definitely a pleasant one. They remained in this fashion for another few precious seconds as if time stood still.

Susan by now had freshened up, and upon leaving the restroom, noticed Anne seemingly captivated by a strange man in the store. Moving to stand next to Elizabeth, Susan immediately pointed out the handsome stranger to her friend. After studying him, Elizabeth remarked that she thought he looked somewhat like the young man who Anne had dated years ago.

The little window of time spent in Rick’s company appeared almost surreal, and Anne began to believe a wall was being torn down between them. Unfortunately, Will returned to inform Elizabeth that Missy Dee was ready to leave, and as he did so, Will quickly took in the scene of Anne and Rick. Stiffening, Anne watched with dread as Will walked territorially towards her.

“Your sister and Susan are leaving now,” Will abruptly stated, glaring at Rick as he made this announcement. Will then turned to assist Elizabeth and Susan as they walked
towards the door without either of the women saying goodbye to Anne.

Rick stared at Anne, half expecting her to hurry after them. But when she didn’t move, Rick asked with surprise, “You’re not going with them?”

“There’s no room,” Anne replied, bringing a puzzled look to Rick’s face.

“No room? I’m afraid I’m a bit confused,” he confessed.

“Oh!” Anne blushed, “I’m sorry, let me explain. You see our car broke down and Elizabeth and Susan were able to get a lift from our cousin. There isn’t enough room for all of us though.”

“Surely they don’t plan on leaving you here?” Rick asked in an incredulous and protective tone. Anne nodded affirmatively and was going to explain further when Rick spoke with tenderness, “…Anne, as I’m driving my own car,” he began, causing a well of hope to spring from her heart. She held her breath as he continued, “I could—”

Will chose that moment to return, interrupting Rick by stating, “Anne, the taxi’s here,” at which point he sent Rick a challenging look that effectively shattered the magical atmosphere.

This intrusion caused both Anne and Rick to shoot Will unwelcome glances.
Why is Will acting this way
? Anne thought with frustration. Hesitantly, she studied Rick’s face, aware that Will’s proprietary attitude towards her, coupled by his aimed jealousy towards Rick, might be lending a wrong impression. Trying to gauge what Rick was thinking, Anne’s concern appeared to be valid. No longer did Rick’s eyes hold the former sweet sparkle or softness shown minutes before. Sadly, the only thing Anne could see now were stiffness and suppressed anger. However, thinking that Rick might possibly be jealous and could care enough to be upset brought a return of happiness to Anne’s stricken eyes.

Unfortunately, Rick chose that moment to study Anne’s reception of Will and misinterpreted her joy to be attributed
to the man’s arrival. Wishing to remove himself from this situation as quickly as he could, Rick turned abruptly on his heels and headed towards the checkout counter to complete his purchase.

Anne’s elevated mood quickly evaporated. She stood motionless as she watched Rick walk away once again, feeling completely powerless.

“We need to go now,” Will urged, flustering Anne with his ill timing.

Ignoring Will’s offered hand, Anne knew in her heart that she couldn’t leave her former love without saying something. Upon catching Rick steal one last glance in her direction, Anne knew this was her chance. Walking quickly to the checkout, she put her hand on Rick’s arm.

“Rick,” she appealed, “There’s a Fourth of July celebration down at Folsom Lake tomorrow. There’ll be fireworks and a live band. My family and I will be going. Maybe you and Harve might like to come?”

Rick’s hesitant look made Anne doubtful that he would attend, but before she could say anything more to convince him, Will placed his hand on the small of Anne’s back to personally escort her towards the door. Anne was horrified by this possessive gesture but was too emotionally exhausted to fight back. Speechless, Anne felt like a prisoner as Will directed her outside to the taxi, opening the car door for her to enter.

Looking back at the mini-mart, Anne caught sight of Rick watching her through the window. Sighing, Anne climbed inside the vehicle.
What must Rick be thinking
? she thought. As the taxi began pulling away, Anne dared to take one last peek at Rick who was still standing at the window. She prayed she’d be given another opportunity to see him again.

Chapter 39

Anne couldn’t sleep that night, tossing back and forth wondering if Rick would show the next day or not. If he didn’t come, then when would she ever get another chance to reveal her heart? Of course, she could always send a letter, but how would she then be able to gage Rick’s reaction? No, she’d need to talk with him in person to decide whether it was safe enough to share her feelings.

When at last she finally dozed off, Anne’s dreams were clouded with images of trying to run to Rick but never being able to move her feet; or trying to locate him in the abyss of her mind and coming up empty-handed. Needless to say, the next morning Anne felt groggy from lack of rest and her attitude wasn’t the greatest. Anne was a bit testy having already convinced herself that any chance to reconcile had been lost. Realistically, the chances of Rick attending were quite slim. Despite this pessimistic thinking, Anne still spent extra time in front of the mirror making sure her appearance was flawless, incorporating all the new styling and makeup tricks she had learned thanks to her recent salon visit. Even if Rick wasn’t going to be there, she still intended to look her best. Deep down though, she secretly held onto a glimmer of optimism that he might possibly show up for the Fourth of July celebration.