by Tamie Dearen
“Maybe so. What are you up to tonight? Big plans?”
“I think I’m going for a run right now. I’m just planning to eat in the apartment. You could join me if you want.”
“No thanks. I’m watching the lobby tonight. And Antonio’s bringing me dinner.”
“Then I won’t interfere with your tryst.” Anne winked at her.
Just as she entered her apartment, her cell rang. “Hey Gram. What’s up?”
“You’re having dinner out here tonight. Sorry for the late notice, dear. Emergency session, you see.”
“But—”
“Dress nice for dinner, dear. The car’s coming for you in forty-five minutes.”
“But—”
“I’ll see you soon, dear.” And Gram was gone.
Anne was unsure what it meant to “dress nice” for dinner. She didn’t have that many nice things to choose from, so she opted for a straight wool skirt with a soft cream-colored sweater, and boots. She hoped wearing a skirt instead of pants would suffice as “nice”.
When Gram greeted her at the door of the mansion, she grabbed her hand and pulled her along. “Come, dear. Let’s warm you up by the fire.”
“I’m okay, Gram. I was only outside for a second. Is this outfit okay? I hope it’s dressy enough.” She took in Gram’s silk dress, with a lovely contrasting scarf.
“You look wonderful, dear.”
“So, what’s the emergency?”
“Michelle is back. I thought she was gone for good. But she’s back.”
“Gram, I saw her at the office yesterday. She was crying over someone else, I think. So, surely she’s not really after Steven.”
Gram raised her eyebrows. “And how do you think Steven responds when there’s a woman in distress?”
Anne considered her question. She knew exactly how he would respond—he’d do anything to help her. “But isn’t she gone now?”
“No, she came here to see me last night. And she was all sweet and considerate, fawning all over me. I think she wanted me to invite her to stay here while she’s in New York. She’s not planning to leave until next week.”
“Oh.” She considered the problem. She’d once thought it might be all right for Steven to marry Michelle. But now she’d changed her opinion of the woman. She might be a problem. But he was dating Ellen now. Was he the kind of man who would be with more than one woman at a time?
“Gram, he started dating my friend, Ellen. Surely he wouldn’t… I mean, he wouldn’t be with Michelle, while he’s dating Ellen. Would he?”
“He’s dating Ellen? He didn’t mention her when I was grilling him.” She was quiet for a minute. “Humph. I don’t think this Ellen girl is a good match.”
“But Gram, you haven’t even met her.”
“Well… She might be okay as a distraction to keep Michelle out of the way. But then we’ll need to get rid of her.” She grabbed Anne’s arm. “Come dear. I need your help before dinner.”
Gram led Anne into the dining room. Anne surveyed the ornate place settings on the antique table. “Gram, there are three place settings. Who else is coming?”
Steven came through from the kitchen with a crystal salad bowl. Gram said, “My chef, of course.”
Anne’s eyes bored into Steven's. “You could have given me a little warning.”
He laughed. “I only got the call at five o’clock myself. I’m merely the dutiful grandson slash chef.” He returned to the kitchen.
Anne attempted to pin Gram with a stern look, but she urged her to the china cabinet. “Quick, quick. Help me put out another place setting before Steven comes back.”
She rushed to assist. “Who else is coming, Gram? Michelle?”
The doorbell rang, and Gram disappeared toward the front door. Steven came in from the kitchen, still wearing his apron. “Who’s that?”
They both trained their eyes on the dining room door until Gram reappeared, followed by a tall, handsome man with sandy blond hair, wearing an expensive-looking suit.
“Hello, cousin.” The man stressed the word, smiling while his eyes twinkled with merriment. “Great to see you.”
“Evan,” said Steven, his voice conveying disdain.
“Play nice, boys. I won’t have a fight at my table tonight.” Gram led him toward Anne. “Anne, this is my grandson, Evan Sterling. Evan, this is Anne Best.”
“Grandson? I guess I didn’t think you had…”
“You didn’t think she had any other grandchildren, did you?” asked Evan. “That’s because Steven is the favorite grandchild. His father and my mother were siblings. And I have two sisters, as well.”
“Enough,” said Gram. “I practically raised Steven as a son. Your mother moved with her husband to the West Coast until you were in high school. And I’ll not be criticized in my own home.”
Evan grabbed her in a bear hug and swung her around in a circle. “I’m sorry Gram. You know I love you. It’s not your fault—I know that. But I’ve always been a little jealous of Steven, growing up in this house with you. And I promise not to spoil your dinner for you.”
“You’ve already spoiled mine,” muttered Steven.
Gram said, “Anne, you’re sitting there. And Evan, you’re next to Anne. Steven, you’ll sit on this side next to me.”
Evan grinned. “There’s an advantage to not being the favorite. I get to sit next to this beautiful woman. You were right, Gram. She’s gorgeous.”
Anne blushed furiously. “I… I’m not…”
Evan’s eyebrows arched high. “And not conceited either. How incredibly rare.” He took Anne’s hand and led her to her place at the table. “Come. Tell me about yourself, Anne.”
Steven's fury was palpable. Gram said, “Steven, dear. We’re ready to eat now, if dinner is served.”
“Cousin,” said Evan with a sly smile, when he tasted his first bite of seared tuna. “You’re an amazing cook. I can see why you never bothered to marry. So self-sufficient.” He leaned his head toward Anne, speaking in low tones. “Stevie has always been the best at everything. If he couldn’t be number one, he didn’t bother to do it.”
He flinched at the nickname. “I wasn’t that great at everything, cousin, but you were always around to make me look good in comparison.”
“Quite right. Stevie made it a personal goal to show everyone he was better than me.” He made a martyred face. “I’ve learned to accept I’d always have to live in Stevie’s shadow. Everyone loved Stevie best, you know. Even my own mother was disappointed I wasn’t more like him. Whenever he bested me in school, she’d not speak to me for weeks at a time.” His voice cracked. “I used to cry every night…”
Tears welled in Anne’s eyes and she put her arm on Evan’s. “That’s terrible—children need their mother’s approval. I’m so sorry…”
“He’s lying, Anne,” said Steven with irritation.
“I’m not lying,” he declared, putting his hand on top of Anne’s to hold it in place. At Steven's violent expression, he relented. “Okay… perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit. But it’s the sort of thing I’ve always had to do to get attention when Stevie’s around. I’m sorry. It does feel awfully nice to have your sympathy, even if I don’t quite deserve it.” His fingers caressed Anne’s.
Steven sat in barely restrained rage, slicing Evan to pieces with his eyes.
“Steven, will you pass the rosemary potatoes, please?” asked Gram.
Anne slipped her hand away. She tried to ease the tense atmosphere. “So y’all were in school together?”
“Yes,” said Evan. “We went all the way through high school together. I was captain of the lacrosse team. That was the only sport Stevie didn’t play, so I had a fighting chance.” He winked at Anne.
“What about you, Mr. Gherring?” Anne asked. “What did you do in high school?”
He glared at Evan, who was laughing uncontrollably. “What’s so funny?” asked Anne.
Evan chuckled until he caught his breath. “I’m sorry. It’s
just the way Stevie flinched when you called him ‘Mr. Gherring’. It was priceless!”
“Well, he’s my boss. I call him that out of respect. I doubt you’ll hear me call you Mr. Sterling.”
“Oh! You cut me to the core. I’ll only ever be ‘Evan’ to you. Still better than ‘Stevie’ I suppose.” He continued to chortle.
“I can come up with a name more suitable for you, if you like. But I won’t be able to say it in front of Gram!” declared Anne, sparks flying from her eyes like daggers.
Now Steven's dimples made an appearance, and Evan promptly stopped laughing to don his most contrite expression.
“Please, Anne. I’m sorry. I only tease Steven out of habit. I really do love him, and he knows that. Won’t you forgive me? I promise to stop.” His face was the picture of penitence.
“Well, if you stop teasing…” She gave Evan a taste of her mommy-disapproval glare. “But this dinner looks good, and I haven’t been able to eat a bite so far. And I get testy when something comes between me and my food.”
Evans eyebrows lifted in good humor. “I promise, I promise! Gram, you didn’t warn me about this temper. Had I known, I’d have been on my best behavior.”
“It doesn’t get any better,” Steven muttered.
Evan chatted through the rest of dinner, regaling Anne with stories of him and his sisters growing up. He pointedly avoided discussing Steven again, unwilling to risk Anne’s wrath. After dinner, he offered to give her a ride home.
“That won’t be necessary, cousin,” said Steven. “We live togeth—we live in the same building. I’ll make sure she gets home safely.”
“In that case, I’ll simply bid the lady adieu.” He took her hands in his and made as if to give her a peck on the cheek. But at the last moment, he brought his head around and brushed his lips against hers. Then he grinned. “Until next time, my fair lady!” And he dashed out the door while Anne stood in shock.
Steven muttered something about hating all his relatives, and Gram smiled as if nothing untoward had happened.
Friday morning Steven was in a bad mood. Perhaps he hadn’t recovered from spending the evening with his cousin. Whatever the reason, he snapped at Anne several times. She stood her ground and fussed back at him until he foolishly delved into the subject of Evan’s unforeseen kiss.
“You certainly seemed to enjoy Evan’s company last night—especially at the end. I guess you’ll just let anyone kiss you.”
Anger surged in Anne’s head, but it was quickly replaced by uncertainty and mortification. Had she led Evan on? Did she flirt too much? Henri had kissed her. Jeff had made a pass at her. Steven had kissed her. Maybe it was her fault Evan felt free to take that liberty. As all these conflicting emotions passed across her face, Steven watched with growing alarm.
“I didn’t mean—”
“Yes you did.” She blinked at sudden tears.
“No, I was just—”
“It’s okay, really. I need to be more careful.” She turned her face away. “Excuse me. I’m sorry—” She took a deep breath. Why did this bother her so much? Was it because she was insecure about how she interacted with men? Or was it because she’d disappointed Steven Gherring? Or was it just hormones? She certainly seemed to cry at the drop of a hat recently. She’d never been this emotional before. That’s it, it was hormones.
Feeling much better with that matter settled in her mind, Anne let her ire rise up again. How dare he complain Evan had kissed her! Hadn’t she seen Steven in his apartment with his shirt undone on his very first date with Ellen? She could only imagine what had happened after she left. And he hadn’t been embarrassed in the least.
“I think now might be a good time to talk about Tuesday night.” She raised her voice over the sound of blood pounding in her ears.
Steven, who’d been observing the visible manifestations of this thought process on Anne’s face, responded, “Nope! Not a good time! Maybe never…”
She arrived home from work with only an hour to spare before Henri was scheduled to pick her up. Rayna stopped her on the way to the elevator. “So, tonight’s the big date with Henri, right?”
“Yes, it’s tonight,” she said flatly.
“You don’t sound very excited. We are talking about that incredibly yummy guy with the French accent, right?”
“I think… I think I may need to break up with him. Which is silly to even say since we’ve never really even been together. Just a few dates and talking on the phone.” She thought for a moment. “Well, he did take a train from Paris to Switzerland just to see me…”
Rayna stared at her. “That’s so romantic. Why would you want to break up with a guy like him? Is he two-timing you?”
“No, he’s actually been great. He was probably that kind of guy in the past, but not now. It’s just that, I don’t think it’s going anywhere, and I really don’t want to lead him on. But he’s got a sick niece he’s really upset about, and he doesn’t deserve another emotional blow. So… I don’t know how to tell him. I may just not tell him at all.” Her stomach was heavy, like lead.
“Well why isn’t it going anywhere? Are you interested in someone else?”
“No… There definitely isn’t anyone else. Although Mr. Gherring’s grandmother is trying to find a husband for me now. She introduced me to another of her grandson’s last night. I have to admit, he’s handsome and very entertaining. He had me in stitches last night.”
“But?”
“But I don’t know. Maybe he’s too slick for me? To tell you the truth, I’m not sure I met the real Evan. He and Mr. Gherring don’t like each other, so there was a lot of verbal sparring.”
“I thought you maybe kind of liked Mr. Gherring a little.” Rayna’s question sounded casual enough, but Anne noticed she was watching her response with a keen eye. She bottled up her feelings and put the cork in tight.
“No. I mean, I like him as a boss and all that. But we could never be romantically involved. That’s why I set him up with Ellen. She’s more his type.”
“I guess you think you’ve got this figured out because you’re some kind of master matchmaker, but I think your calculations may be a bit off on this one.”
“You’ll see,” she said, with a confidence she didn’t quite feel.
Anne went downstairs ten minutes early. She didn’t want Henri to wait. Especially because she didn’t want him to accidentally run into Steven. Exiting the elevator, she spotted Ellen sitting on a couch in the lobby. Facing the inevitability of the awkward encounter, Anne moved to greet her.
“Hi Ellen? What are you doing here?”
“Hi Anne. To tell you the truth, I don’t know why I’m here. Steven picked me up at six thirty for our date, and then he told me he’d forgotten something at the apartment. So, here I am, waiting.” She rubbed her hands in worried circles. “Anne, about Tuesday night—”
“No Ellen, that’s none of my business—you don’t need to explain anything to me. I’m the one who set y’all up, remember? I’m just glad you’re hitting it off.” Anne managed to say the words in a way that sounded believable. At least she hoped so.
“But I don’t want you to think—”
“Hello, Ms. Best,” Steven approached from the elevator, scouring the lobby. “Where’s Henri? He didn’t come?”
“He’s not due here for another five minutes, so it looks like you missed him. I’m sure you’re terribly upset, since I know how much y’all like each other.”
“I like Henri just fine, as long as he stays in France,” he bantered.
“Well I like Henri more when he’s here,” she countered.
“Absolument!” cried Henri, sauntering from the lobby door. “I am so glad you like for me to be here.” He eased beside Anne, placing a possessive arm around her back and nuzzling her neck. “You smell divine, mon ange.”
Steven laid his arm around Ellen’s shoulder. “Ellen, darling… I should introduce you to Henri DuBois. Henri, this is Ellen Dean.”
Henri smiled at Ellen, but made no move to take her hand. “Ellen, you must be an amazing woman to put up with a man such as this one. My heart goes out to you.” He slid his hand up to Anne’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, bending his head to kiss her hair.
Steven's smooth expression almost cracked, but he regained control. “I don’t think Ellen’s complaining too much so far.”
Ellen took this as her cue. “Oh no. Steven’s been wonderful. Tonight he’s taking me to the Essex House.” Anne almost gasped, knowing this to be one of the most expensive restaurants in New York City.
“And where are the two of you going tonight?” Steven’s hand was stroking up and down on Ellen’s arm, and Anne couldn’t pry her eyes away.
“I have reservations at Daniel tonight. But only because I flew in town too late to go to Masa.”
Steven scowled at Henri’s stated plans, so Anne assumed the restaurants he mentioned were also expensive. The competitive testosterone was clogging the air in the lobby.
Anne said, “You know Henri, I don’t care where we go. As long as we’re together.”
Henri smiled and kissed her ear in response.
Steven said, “So, Henri—will you be going with Anne to the Gherring Inc. Christmas party tomorrow night?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Really?” Steven frowned. “But—”
“And you must be going with Gherring, right?” Henri asked Ellen.
“I don’t know. Am I?” she asked Steven, with confusion in her eyes.
“Of course… I thought I mentioned it before.” Steven cast Henri an irritated glance. “In fact, I think you deserve a new dress for the occasion.”
“If you will pardon us, I have not seen mon ange for too long. I have not greeted her properly.”
Henri pulled Anne against him and kissed her full on the mouth. His tongue made its way gently between her shocked lips as he painted shivers up and down her spine with the fingers of one hand. Her arms locked automatically around his neck. Releasing her, he guided her out the door and spoke over his shoulder. “Au revoir!”
