Her Best Match: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 1) (20 page)

Gherring’s gaze was intense. “I never thought of that, but you’re right. I’d hate for you to lose that. But it means you need someone to do that for you, to keep you safe.”

She contemplated his words. “Maybe. But after fifteen years of getting by on my own…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Try fifty years…”

Anne decided this was a good sign. He at least recognized fifty years was a long time to be alone. Maybe he was ready for a change. Maybe tomorrow night when he went to the benefit with Sharon Landry, he would realize how empty he felt. Anne wondered at the knot that formed in her throat when she thought about Gherring and Sharon together. Probably fatigue from such a long day.

The car let them off at the apartment building, and they dragged themselves inside and over to the elevator.

“So promise me not to fall asleep outside anymore. I don’t want to have to go up on the roof every night to make sure it’s empty.”

Anne blushed. “Never again. I promise. I don’t want you to have to check on me all the time. You have enough to worry about without me adding to things.”

“That’s not what I meant. Don’t go putting words in my mouth.”

“I know you didn’t mean that, but I do. I’m sorry I’ve been a burden to you. And now because of me, you had to fire Jeff and—”

“And get rid of a liability before I had a lawsuit on my hands. It was only a matter of time, you know.”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought of that… Then I take it all back, and I just promise to sleep in my bed from now on.” She nodded her head with satisfaction, and with a wry smile she added, “Alone.”

Gherring had to chuckle. “Finally—you’ve put my mind at ease.” The elevator opened on Anne’s floor, but he stopped her before she departed. “How about a lift tomorrow morning? Downstairs at six-forty-five?”

Anne thought about how tired she would be the next day. But she owed this to Gherring, so she put a bright expression on her face. “Sounds terrific.”

Emily had left several messages on her cell phone, so Anne returned the call.

“Hey sweetie. What’s up?”

“Just checking in. What’s this I hear about us going climbing with some guys?” Her voice sounded skeptical.

“No big deal, you don’t even have to climb if you don’t want to. But I think you would like it if you tried.”

“You know I don’t like doing dangerous things. Charlie got all the adventurous genes.”

“It’s not dangerous at all. And it’s just for an hour, with two cute guys. Oh, and now Mr. Gherring is going also.”

“Steven Gherring is going climbing with us? Ohmygosh! Have you told Charlie?”

“Nope, I just found out tonight.”

“Great. Don’t bother to call her. I’ll tell her all about it and save you the trouble.”

“Thanks a lot,” Anne said sarcastically. “I think this conversation sounds vaguely familiar.”

“I know you said he’s obnoxious and snobby, but I’m really excited to meet him.”

“I didn’t say he was obnoxious and snobby, did I?”

“Hmmm, no… I actually think you called him self-absorbed, selfish and conceited.”

“I said that?”

“I’m pretty sure.”

“I may have been wrong about him.”

“May have been? So I take it you’ve changed your mind about him? Do you like Mr. Gherring now?”

“Of course I
like
him. But I don’t
like
like him. You know…”

“I thought you liked Henri—”

“I do like Henri, and I’ve kissed him too. That counts for something I think.”

“And Mr. Gherring—have you kissed him?”

“No—of course not! He would never kiss me. We’re not like that. I’m just saying he can be pretty sweet when he wants to be.”

“Okay Mom, whatever. You seem a little defensive to me, though.”

“I’m just uncomfortable talking with my daughter about kissing men.”

“You brought up the kissing, not me.”

“Oh, right. How about, let’s change the subject.”

“Okay fine. So how was your day?”

Anne thought back to her morning—waking up on the roof with Steven Gherring, the phone call with Henri that was cut short, the scene with Jeff, and the evening working with Gherring. Emotionally, it was too much to process. “It was fine.” Now she understood why that was always the answer you heard from a teenager.

“Well, I still have to pack. But I’ll see you tomorrow. We should be at your apartment before you get home from work, unless our flight is delayed.”

“I can’t wait to see y’all. Rayna knows to expect y’all, and I left a key so y’all can wait inside. I’m sooooo excited!”

“Love you, Mom.”

“You too.”

Anne’s alarm shrilled in her ear. She reached for it and knocked it off the table. She hadn’t slept well, even though she was exhausted. She was afraid to take a Benadryl, even one, since her last experience with antihistamines had resulted in one of her most embarrassing moments. Bleary-eyed, she crawled out of bed and headed for the shower. She’d give herself a blast of cold water at the end to wake herself up.

She made it downstairs right on time, and found Gherring reading the paper with a cup of coffee. “I brought one for you if you want it.” He held out an insulated cup with a lid.

“Oh, I love you!” She snatched it from his hand. Only after she’d taken a sip of the still-steaming liquid did she realize what she’d said. Surely he would know it was just an expression. He wouldn’t think it was a declaration of devotion, would he? Should she try to explain? Perhaps he didn’t notice. He probably didn’t pay any attention. She glanced at Gherring. Nope, he noticed. He looked downright smug.

“I always heard the stomach was a way to a
man’s
heart, not a
woman’s
,” he remarked.

“Well, I’ve heard money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy coffee, and that’s close enough.”

“Yes, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”

“Well now, that’s a horse of a different color.”

“Quit horsing around. It’s time to go.”

“Well, if ya gotta
go
, ya gotta
go
.”

Gherring led Anne outside to the waiting car. He opened the door and gestured for her to get in. “Ladies first.”

“I give! Uncle! I’m fighting a losing battle here. I should never have tried to go head to head with you. This is a last-ditch effort, but I might as well throw in the towel.”

“You win!” Gherring laughed. “It’s way too early for my brain to be this competitive. I should’ve known a country girl could out-cliché me.”

This time it was Anne who wore a smug grin, having won the battle of clichés while accomplishing the more important task of distracting him from her little slip-up.

“So what are you doing tonight?”

“Huh?”

“You and the girls, what are you doing tonight? Are you going to see a play?”

“We actually don’t have plans for tonight. We were planning a play for Saturday night because I can go get discount tickets in the afternoon. I don’t have time for that today. But we may go see Times Square at night. I was thinking about taking them to that bar in the top of the Marriott on Times Square—the view was amazing from there.”

“When did you discover that view?”

Anne realized she had been there with Henri on the night of the gala. Not wanting to bring up Henri, she evaded the question. “I don’t remember. I think I went with Rayna and Antonio.” She asked a quick prayer of forgiveness for the fib. Luckily, Gherring seemed to accept the answer. She breathed a sigh of relief. Lies always seemed to get her in trouble.

“That’s where we had the gala.” His was face inscrutable.

“Oh, that’s right… I uhmm… I must have gone there when we were planning the gala.”

“At night?”

“Yes, uhmm, I think I went with Katie.”

“So you and Katie went at night? Alone? To a bar?”

“Oh no, maybe Gary was there… I don’t remember.”

“We could ask Gary tomorrow. He’d surely remember.”

Anne knew her face was crimson. “Okay fine! I went up there with Henri the night of the gala.”

“You could have just said that.”

“But I know you don’t like him, and I didn’t want to make you mad.”

He frowned. “I don’t get mad.”

“Call it what you want. You always start yelling at me.”

“I’ve never
yelled
at you. I don’t
yell
.”

“Well… You used a
yelling
tone of voice.” They rode the rest of the way in silence as she swore to herself she would never lie again.

Gherring and Anne worked together in the conference room. The earlier tension was soon forgotten as they immersed themselves in the job at hand. She found she could concentrate around Gherring easily, unless he got too close or brushed up against her. At the slightest contact, she felt her heart rate accelerating. She determined the cause to be her
people-pleaser
personality. She always wanted to make everyone happy, and Gherring was particularly difficult to please. This made perfect sense to her. She couldn’t possibly be attracted to him. Well, maybe she could be a little attracted to him… physically. He did look pretty good without a shirt on.

She watched as he leaned over to pick up a paper that had floated to the floor. That was a nice view as well. Hard, tight compact muscles. He turned toward her and flashed a distracted smile, his rugged face, blue eyes, and dimples a winning combination. Of course she was physically attracted to him. Any woman with eyes would be physically attracted. That didn’t mean she had feelings for him. She couldn’t have feelings for him because that would simply lead to heartache. After fifteen years she wouldn’t let herself fall for a guy she could never have. She was much better off with Henri. That relationship was practically impossible and therefore, felt incredibly safe. At least until she went to Paris….

She’d decided to Skype with Henri during her lunch break, so it wouldn’t be an issue with Gherring. But as lunchtime approached, Gherring asked, “Should we order in from Papa’s?”

She took a big breath. “I’m going to try something new and tell you the truth. I’m Skyping with Henri during lunch. There, I said it. So please don’t be mad and don’t yell at me.” She cringed, waiting for him to vent his anger.

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m not mad. I’m… I’m… worried. I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

“To tell you the truth, I think you should be more worried about Henri. He seems—I don’t know—kind of vulnerable. I’m really taking it slow, you know. After fifteen years, I have pretty tight reins on my heart. I’m not sure I can ever actually fall in love again. I know what true love feels like—I’ve experienced it before. I’m just not sure that kind of thing could ever happen twice in my life.”

He was quiet a few seconds that seemed like an hour. “I sincerely hope that isn’t true, Anne. I hope you’re able to find love again someday. But not with Henri. I still don’t trust him—let’s just say I question his motives. And I’m definitely not worried about him.”

The conversation was cut short when her cell phone pealed out the Maserati song. “Oh, that’s Charlie!” She fumbled for her phone in her sweater pocket.

“Hey Mom, we’re on the plane, getting ready to take off. Oops, the stewardess is giving me a dirty look. Gotta go. See you soon.”

Anne heart swelled with anticipation. She couldn’t believe how much she missed her daughters. It’s not like she was used to seeing them all the time when she still lived in Texas. It was just the knowledge they were so far away from her now.

“They’re on the plane.” She couldn’t stop grinning.

“That’s an interesting ringtone. Is it for everyone or just for Charlie?”

“That one’s just for Charlie. It suit’s her personality. The Maserati going one-eighty-five, and losing your driver's license—”

“She’s done that?”

“No, but she probably would if she ever got to drive one. I don’t think she’s ever even seen a Maserati, but she got her fair share of speeding tickets in the little Honda Civic she drove.”

“What’s Emily’s ringtone?”

“Hers is piano music from Pride and Prejudice. That’s her favorite book and she loves the movie. She’s my ballet dancer and artist. Not one speeding ticket her whole life. She doesn’t even like to drive. She wants someone else to drive her everywhere so she can read on the way. She’d love New York. No one has to drive at all.”

Gherring chuckled. “And your names? Anne, Emily, Charlotte? Was that a conscious decision or an accident your names match the Bronte sisters?”

“It was on purpose. But I can’t believe you noticed that. Nobody ever does.”

“What can I say? I’m very observant.”

“Not me—I’m kind of absent minded. I get lost all the time and I forget where I parked my car in the parking lot. It’s like I don’t have room in my brain for those pesky details.”