by Tamie Dearen
Spencer quickly checked out the departure time. “If you hurry, you’ve just got enough time to go back and change. But you’ll need to catch a cab.”
Anne and the girls took a cab back to the apartment. Rayna was still at the lobby desk. “Hey, what are you guys up to?”
“We’re going on a twilight cruise on the Hudson River. We just came home to change into warmer clothes.”
“And we’re going with Mark and Spencer,” said Charlie. “Mom’s really trying hard on this matchmaking thing.”
“Charlie, I didn’t plan for y’all to be together all day. That just happened.”
“Mom,” said Emily. “If we didn’t like spending time with them, we would’ve ditched them a long time ago. You know that.”
“Yes, it’s true. You’re both pretty good at ditching guys—much better than you are at keeping them. We’ve got to hurry. Will we have any trouble getting a cab?” she asked Rayna.
“Probably no trouble. You might have to go around the corner. Or I can call one for you.”
“That’s a great idea. Fifteen minutes?”
“Done.”
Seventeen minutes later, a breathless Anne returned to the lobby. “The girls are almost ready. Is our cab already here?”
“No,” said Rayna. “I got you a limo instead. Is that okay?”
Anne’s face fell. “Oh Rayna, I don’t think we can afford—”
“It’s free,” said a voice from behind her, “if I can tag along.”
Anne turned a big smiling face toward Mr. Gherring. “We’d love it. Well, the girls might not notice since the boys will be with us. You really want to go on a touristy cruise on the Hudson? What if people recognize you? Tourists aren’t cool about being around famous people the way New Yorkers are.”
Gherring pulled an old beat-up baseball cap out of his pocket and added a pair of glasses. “Voilà!”
Anne was astounded. With the cap and glasses, jeans and a nondescript jacket, no one would suspect his identity. He could easily be a tourist from Weatherford, Texas.
“Now we just need to teach you how to drawl, and people will just think we’re a couple from Texas.”
“Are y’all ready to go?” he stretched out his words.
“That’s pretty good, but it’s not ‘red-dy’, it’s ray-eh-dy.”
Emily and Charlie came running down. Emily asked, “Are we too late? Did the taxi wait for us?”
“Mr. Gherring is taking us,” said Anne.
“Oh hey, Mr. Gherring,” said Charlie. “Dig the cool glasses—I didn’t even recognize you.”
“Yeah, love the nerdy look.” Emily whispered to her mom, “I think he really is Superman.”
Despite the cold evening air, the girls were delighted with the cruise. It was ninety minutes long and included all the sites along the Hudson River, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges, and views of the twinkling lights of the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building on the New York skyline.
“I know this must be boring for you,” Anne said to Gherring, when the young people had gone to the outside railing. “You’ve been so kind. You’ve really made this weekend great for the girls. It wouldn’t have been half as much fun.”
“But you had all your gifts from Henri…”
“I’m sorry that happened in front of you. I know you don’t like him. I’m really not trying to flaunt him in your face, you know. And it doesn’t change how much I appreciate your efforts to make this weekend special for the girls.”
“It was nothing.”
“No. I know you gave up a lot of work time. And now… coming out here… I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“You don’t need to repay me. I just wanted to show you—”
“Hey Mom! Come outside—it’s prettier from out here,” yelled Charlie.
Anne rolled her eyes at Gherring. “I’m coming.”
Gherring walked with her to an empty spot on the railing near the girls.
Emily called, “Isn’t it beautiful, Mom?”
Anne noticed both girls had extra protection from the wind using the boys as windshields and a little extra body heat from their arms. As she stood shaking from the cold, Gherring moved beside her and opened his coat to wrap it around her back. Suddenly Anne felt not only protection from the wind, but also the warmth of Gherring’s body against her side. Anne felt a little shiver of thrill ripple down her spine.
“Are you still cold?” asked Gherring.
“No, I’m fine,” Anne muttered, embarrassed by the quivering of her voice.
“You are cold.” He opened his coat again, turning her and pulling her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and enveloping her in his coat. Anne panicked, knowing he must feel her heart thrumming against him. She tried to slow it down, but he moved his arms in a gentle caress on her back, and her blood pumped even faster. She could feel his strong hard muscles pressed against her, and it seemed his heart beat quickly as well. She felt a heat that reached to her very core. Breathing so rapidly she felt a bit faint, she couldn’t summon the strength to pull away from him.
The desire she’d been holding back came to the surface. She couldn’t let herself feel this way. This was a road that would lead to endless pain. Even these few moments of sheer pleasure would cause incredible suffering when she came crashing back to reality. She didn’t dare let her imagination run in the arms of Steven Gherring. She had to keep a hold on her rationality, her practicality, her good judgment. She wasn’t the right match for Steven Gherring. She knew that in her head, but not in her heart.
“Your hair smells good,” remarked Steven in a slightly strained voice.
“It’s eau d’ bargain brand shampoo.”
Steven started laughing. With her head against his chest, the deep sound resonated in her ear.
“Are you warm now? You’ve stopped shaking.”
“Yes. I’m cozy. Thanks. You must be freezing now, since I sucked all the heat out of you.”
“No problem. I’ve got a lot of heat in here.”
“Oh I know. All the tabloids say you’re really hot.”
“I don’t think I’ve been in the tabloids for quite a few years. And back then the stories were all hyperbole and hype.”
“What did you say? You were hypertrophied and ripe?”
Anne started chuckling and felt Gherring’s chest shaking as he joined in. She was warm and comfortable. Too comfortable. This was wrong. Why was he standing here hugging her to keep her warm? If he had any idea how he made her wish for things that could never be, surely he would keep his distance. She needed to guard her heart. She’d tried so hard to control her thoughts, but her body betrayed her. She had to bring herself back to reality before her heart got any more ideas.
She pulled her arms back and straightened up. “We shouldn’t stand like that. The kids might get ideas.” She backed away and stuffed her hands in her pockets, checking to make sure the wind prevented the girls from hearing her comment.
Gherring frowned and spoke in a low voice. “There was nothing wrong with me keeping you warm.”
“Yes, I know you often put your arm around women to keep them warm. Like last night with Sharon.”
“Who?”
“Sharon Landry—your date last night. I know it’s not a big deal for you to help a woman stay warm, just like when you put your arm around Sharon last night on the way to the car.”
“What are you talking about? How do you know—”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you’re so sweet and thoughtful. It’s just that people can get the wrong idea.”
“You’re not making any sense—”
“It doesn’t mean anything to you, but maybe it does to someone else. Don’t you see? You led her on. You put your arm around her last night, and today you can’t even remember her name. I know you didn’t mean to hurt her, but you did.”
“Are we talking about Sharon or—”
“Do what with me?”
“I’m your secretary, and I want to keep my job. And I know you’ve been with thousands of women—”
“I haven’t been with thousands—”
“And you probably can’t even remember most of them, can you?”
“I… Well that was… I do remember—”
“I’m just saying I’ve only ever been with one man my entire life. Nothing is casual for me. Nothing! Not even hugging to stay warm. It… It does something… It means something it shouldn’t… Something it can’t.”
“But did you ever think—”
“That’s just it… I never think. I’ve got to keep my head and keep my heart and to do that I’ve got to keep my distance.”
“You didn’t keep your distance with Henri,” he muttered.
“Henri is in France. How much more distance can you get? He’ll soon tire of this long distance thing. He thinks he won’t, but I know better.”
“You don’t really know him. He can be very persistent. He’s like a weed—”
“This is not about Henri. This is about us. I mean it’s about there-is-no-us, and I need to remember that. And when you keep me warm it’s too hard to remember.”
Gherring was quiet for a long minute. Then he turned his unsmiling visage to Anne and said, “I promise… From now on I’ll let you freeze to death.”
Anne tried to keep her distance from Gherring for the rest of the night. She was mortified. She’d made such a fool of herself over something that meant nothing at all to Gherring. He didn’t even understand what she was talking about. He was really just keeping her warm. That physical contact hadn’t affected him at all. He had no idea something that simple was distressing her, and now she had as much as told him he made her hot and bothered. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.
Gherring offered to buy dinner for the whole group, so the young people jumped on the idea. He took off his hat and glasses and immediately procured a table for six in a restaurant with a two-hour wait. He had easily spent eight hundred dollars for the meal with appetizers, wine and desserts. Everyone was laughing and joking, and Anne pretended to enjoy herself, while avoiding eye contact with Gherring.
After the limousine dropped the boys off, they returned to the apartment. The girls were exhausted but excited from their eventful day in New York.
“Hey Mr. Gherring,” said Charlie. “I hate to ask and you can say ‘no’ if you want to. But can Mom take a picture of us with you?”
Gherring grinned. “Okay, but only if you send me a copy.”
Anne looked through the camera viewer at her two beaming girls standing next to Steven Gherring with his arms around them. She felt a lump in her throat, and she wasn’t sure of the cause. She snapped the picture and handed it back to Charlie. Even on the elevator, Anne kept her girls between her and Gherring. On the tenth floor the doors opened, and they started to depart.
“Can I talk to you alone for a second?” asked Gherring.
“Sure,” said Anne, but her heart started pounding in her ears. When Emily and Charlie had gone, Gherring gestured toward a pair of chairs in the elevator foyer. Anne sat down with her back stiff, studying the pattern on the rug.
“Ms. Best, I’m sorry I was so forward with you tonight.” He leaned toward her, but she refused to look at him. “You’re quite different from any other woman I’ve known, and I’m not really sure how to act around you.”
“It’s okay—”
“No wait, I want to finish. I want to correct a couple of things you seem to believe about me.”
“I’m sorry I said that stuff. I was just rambling—”
“The first thing is I haven’t dated thousands of women.” He held a finger to her lips when she started to protest.
“The second is I do remember the women I’ve dated, and that’s because of the third thing. I’m a very careful man. Everything I do… Remember this… Everything I do means something to me.”
He stood and took a few steps toward the elevator, before turning back. “Oh, and that last thing I said on the boat—I’d never let you freeze to death, no matter how stubborn you were.”
With those words, Gherring got on the elevator and closed the doors, leaving Anne very much alone with her worries.
Chapter Ten - Sightseeing
Anne and the girls slept late on Sunday morning. “Let’s go to Central Park today,” said Anne. “We can walk from here and, we’ll make a picnic lunch. After that we’ll go to Grand Central Station and the Empire State Building.”
“Okay,” said Charlie. “Today is picture day. We’ve got to get lots of them, because I haven’t posted many. And this may be our last chance to see New York. Who knows how long Mom’s going to keep her job?”
At Anne’s distraught look, Emily gave her mom a hug. “Mom, she was just teasing. Mr. Gherring seems to like you a lot. You’re not going to lose your job.”
“I’m not so sure. I just can’t seem to think straight around him. I’m always putting my foot in my mouth and making things awkward.”
“Mom, I’ve just got to ask you… Do you like Mr. Gherring?” asked Emily.
“Of course I like him. Don’t you?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“Yeah Mom,” said Charlie. “I think maybe you like him a little more than that. I couldn’t blame you if you did.”
“No, of course I don’t like him. Not that way. I’m not falling for him or anything like that.”
The girls exchanged looks and crossed their arms simultaneously, and she squirmed beneath their inspection.
“I mean, I do appreciate all the things he does for me, I mean all the things he did for us this weekend. That was really all for y’all. He’s just a great person. Anyone can see that. That doesn’t mean I have feelings for him.”
“‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks,’” Emily quoted.
“What about Henri? Do you still like him? Are you still going to visit him in Paris?” asked Charlie.
Anne felt her stomach churning. “Yes. I’m going to Paris.”
“Well don’t be so excited about it. It’s not supposed to be an execution. You don’t have to go to Paris, Mom. If you don’t want to go anymore, just tell him.”
“You don’t know Henri very well. He’s a hard man to say ‘no’ to. And anyway, Henri likes me. And I like him, too.”
“You do? Or do you like Mr. Gherring?”
“I like Henri. And it doesn’t matter what I think about Mr. Gherring, because he doesn’t like me.”
“Why do you think he doesn’t like you? He bought us play tickets. He went climbing with us. He drove us around in his limo. He went on a tour with us. He paid for dinner.” Emily ticked off these points on her fingers.
“He did all that for you girls.”
“But he didn’t even know us. He did that because we’re your daughters,” argued Emily.
“He never had any children. I think he does stuff like that because he doesn’t have children of his own.”
“Okay. What about on the boat last night? Y’all looked pretty cozy over there. I don’t think he did that for us.” Charlie arched her eyebrows.
“I was just cold. He would never let a woman freeze to death. And besides, y’all were cozying up with Spencer and Mark.”
“That’s because Emily likes Spencer,” said Charlie.
“I don’t either!”
“Well he sure as heck likes you.”
“I can’t believe I was so off on that one. I just knew Spencer would hit it off with you,” Anne told Charlie. “He’s such an outdoorsy adventurous guy.”
Charlie laughed. “So if they get married, you won’t get credit for their match, Right?”
“Hey,” Emily protested. “We’re not getting married.”
“It looked like you and Mark were getting along pretty well.”
“Yeah,
” said Emily. “Mark likes you, too.”
“Maybe, but Mark didn’t get my cell number and email address. Has Spencer texted you this morning?”
“I don’t know.” Emily’s cheeks reddened.
“Ohmygosh! He’s already texted you. He’s really fallen for you.”
“He just wants to add me to his groupies. Mom said girls hang all over him all the time. Besides, he lives in New York City. And I’m way too practical to get involved in a long distance relationship. Look at the mess Mom’s in.”
“Hey,” Anne protested. “Are you calling me a mess?”
“If the shoe fits…”
The sun was out. With no wind blowing, the rays felt warm despite the nippy air. “This is beautiful. I can’t believe how big this park is. It just goes on and on. It’s hard to believe we’re in the middle of Manhattan.” Emily leaned her head back, basking in the sun.
Anne looked up from her book in time to see Charlie make an amazing catch for her pick-up team of Ultimate. “She’ll need a shower before we go anywhere else.”
“No problem, she only takes ten minutes to shower and dress. An extra five to dry her hair. It really is kind of like you gave me a little brother.”
“It’s a good thing, since you used to spend hours in the bathroom, mostly just twirling around in front of the mirror.”
“You should’ve put a big mirror in my room. Then I wouldn’t have monopolized the bathroom.”
“So… about Spencer…”
“Don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.” Anne and Emily turned back to their books.
“So… about Steven Gherring…”
“Don’t want to talk about it.”
Emily grinned. “Let’s talk about Charlie instead.”
“Great idea!”
Charlie took her good camera to Grand Central Station and the Empire State Building. She made some artistic shots in Grand Central Station, but they got a stranger to take some photos of the threesome.
“This one’s really good,” said Charlie. “You can see the clock and the glasswork.”
“Not that one,” said Emily. “My eyes are half closed. I look like I’m nauseated.”
