Her Best Match: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 1) (13 page)

“No, I didn’t. He really doesn’t date much at all. And I think he spends too much time alone. I’ve decided to find someone for him.”

“Oh really? You’re going to find a girl for Steven Gherring? Well I volunteer.”

“Actually, that’s not such a bad idea.”

Ellen giggled. “I’ll agree to date Steven Gherring as soon as he asks me out or as soon as hell freezes over, whichever one comes first.” Anne started to argue, but Ellen stopped her. “My break is almost over. Tell me what happened on your date with Henri La Hottie.”

*****

Anne arrived at the office early on Monday, determined to be impressive in her work ethic, just in case Steven Gherring had seen the social column. She’d hate to lose her job over a bit of gossip. Perhaps if she worked really hard, he’d forgive her the embarrassment she’d caused him. He arrived shortly afterward, when she was already engrossed in her work.

“Good morning, Ms. Best,” Gherring swept past her desk. Anne returned the greeting, anxious to access his mood, but Gherring disappeared into his office without another word. Anne fretted all morning, but he never reappeared. He hadn’t mentioned the first picture from Wednesday’s post, so perhaps he wasn’t the type who followed social media. Maybe she was worrying about nothing.

“And who are you?”

Anne looked up in surprise at the diminutive, white-haired woman with the piercing blue eyes who stood on the other side of desk, examining her with a stern expression. Anne moved her lips, but no words emerged.

“Speak up, girl! I’m a bit deaf.”

“I’m just Anne.” She raised her voice a bit. “I’m Mr. Gherring’s secr— I mean, his
executive assistant
.”

“No need to yell, honey. Do you want to wake the dead?”

“What? No. I mean, no ma’am.” Anne felt like she was back in elementary school, being scolded by her teacher. And she felt the same embarrassment and intimidation.

“
Executive assistant?”

“I’m really just a glorified secretary, but he insists I say executive assistant.”

“And do you always do what he says to do?”

“Actually, I have a habit of ignoring some of his orders. But I’m trying to be better. Well, most of the time. But sometimes, he just doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

She stopped herself, but too late. The older woman was staring with wide eyes.

“Oh, Mrs. Gherring.” She stood up, pleading words gushing out. “I know who you are. I’ve seen your picture with Mr. Gherring. Please don’t tell him what I just said. He’ll fire me for sure. I’m just here on a three-month trial. I really do respect him. I promise I do. I don’t know why I said that.”

She winced as the office doors opened and Steven Gherring appeared. “Gram!” he exclaimed with more enthusiasm than Anne had ever observed from the prim and proper businessman. “I didn’t know you were coming. Why didn’t you tell me when we talked last night?”

“It was a last minute decision.” She returned the vigorous hug to her grandson who stooped to greet her. “I decided I needed to check up on you.”

Gherring’s eyes widened, but crinkled in a smile. “Really? You’re here on a spy mission?”

“Yes, I am, and I’ve found my inside source.” She glanced at Anne who stood at her desk in terrified silence. “Anne and I are going to lunch.”

“But Gram, we always do lunch together when you come to the city.”

“I’ll be yours for the entire afternoon and evening, Steven dear. But Anne and I have a
lot
to discuss.”

With that pronouncement, Mrs. Gherring grabbed Anne’s arm and urged her toward the elevator. “Come along, dear. I promise I won’t bite.”

Inside the elevator, Anne ventured a sidelong glance at the small woman with the commanding presence. Mrs. Gherring gazed up unabashedly. “Well, tell me about yourself. Where are you from? I know that’s a southern accent I heard.”

Anne took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She had to control herself when talking to Mrs. Gherring. Everything would be reported to her grandson. Her job was on the line. “Mrs. Gherring…”

“Oh no—call me Gram. Mrs. Gherring is the name of my grandson’s wife.”

“But I thought Mr. Gherring wasn’t married. He has a wife?”

“Not yet, but I certainly intend for him to have one. He’s been dragging his heels for way too long. He needs a wife.”

“Yes, I couldn’t agree more.”

Gram’s eyebrows lifted toward her hair. “Really? And you think…”

“Oh no, I don’t mean me.” Anne felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. “I mean, I’ve been trying to find someone for him. It’s just he seems so lonely, and I know he’d be so much happier if he shared his life with the right woman. I know, because I had a wonderful, happy marriage myself until I my husband died.”

“And you’re not the
right
woman?”

“Oh no.” Could her face possibly get any redder? “I know what he likes. Young, smart, sophisticated. It can’t be me. But he also needs someone who’s sensitive and caring and not self-centered.”

“And you’ve found the right woman for Steven?”

“I’m trying, but he’s not very cooperative. He seems determined to keep everyone at arms length. I introduced him to one woman with the right traits, but he didn’t seem the least bit interested.”

“Hmmm,” Gram was silent for several thoughtful moments. The elevator opened, and she strode so quickly toward the street doors Anne had trouble keeping up in high heels. Gram led the way to the diner next door where, to Anne’s surprise, she exchanged hugs with Papa and May. The two of them were quickly led to a private booth in the back of the restaurant.

As soon as they were seated, Gram fixed Anne with an intense gaze. “I must say we seem to be mostly in agreement about what my grandson needs. Perhaps we can work together to help Steven find his true love.”

“Maybe—but I can’t let him find out, or I might lose my job.”

“It’ll be our little secret.”

Why did her smile seem so intimidating? Anne noticed her hands were trembling a bit as she took a drink of water.

“You were telling me about your daughters?”

“Uhmm… Did I say I had daughters?”

“Humph! I thought you said that. So you don’t have daughters?”

“No, I do. I just—”

“So why don’t you want to talk about them? Are you ashamed of them?”

“No, I just—”

“Fine, we can start with why you moved to New York City…”

Gram questioned Anne about every aspect of her life. It was like being interviewed for the FBI. She quizzed her about her home and her family in Texas, her marriage, her children, her education, her hobbies, and even her dog.

“You’ve barely touched your food, dear,” Gram noted.

Anne wondered how she could possibly have eaten while answering the barrage of questions, but she simply nodded assent and forked a mouthful of meatloaf into her mouth.

“Do you miss your girls?” Gram asked.

Anne forgot her nerves when she thought about her daughters. “Yes I do, so much. But they’re coming on Friday for the whole weekend.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful dear. The three of you should come to dinner while they’re here.”

“Will you still be here this weekend? I thought you lived a few hours away from here.”

“Yes, but I still keep the home here in the city. I was planning on a short visit, but now I think I may stay for a while. That way you and I can work on getting my grandson together with the perfect woman. You see, I intend to see him happily married before I die, but I don’t have much time left.”

“Do you have a health problem?”

“No dear, I’m perfectly healthy. But I’m old. I’m ninety-five years old. So I figure I’ve got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. I’ve got to work fast.”

Anne giggled. “You’re so funny.”

“Yes, but this is serious business. I’ve been at this for a while. Steven doesn’t have the best judgment when it comes to women. I’ve tried to encourage him to date more, but he refuses to get close to anyone. And since he broke off his engagement with Michelle, he’s been even more withdrawn. It’s been more than five years, and he just can’t seem to get over it. I’m sure it’s because of his past.”

“What happened to him?”

“Well his parents put him in a boarding school when he was a young boy. I told my son it was a bad idea, but they traveled a lot and didn’t want to be bothered with a child. He was ten when they died in an airplane crash in France. I’ve always loved him, but that’s not the same as having your mom and dad. He inherited his father’s flare for business, and Gherring Inc. has grown into a billion dollar company under his guidance.” Gram’s mouth drooped. “But I’d rather he’d thrown the company away and had a wife who loved him and a family. Believe me, at the end of your life, when you look back at what you’ve done, you won’t care about how much money you have. Family is what really matters.”

“You’re so right. Didn’t you tell him that?”

“I’ve talked to him ‘til I was blue in the face, but he doesn’t listen. He just says I’m all the family he needs.” Gram leaned in close and put her hand over Anne’s. “But someday I’ll be gone, and he’ll have no one.”

Anne’s eyes swam with tears for the little boy without a mom and dad, and for the man who was married to his work.

“Don’t worry, Gram. We’ll work together, and we’ll find someone for him. We just have to.”

When Anne returned to her desk, Gherring was waiting for her. “How was your lunch?”

“It was great. I had meatloaf. Papa’s makes the best meatloaf. That is if you like meatloaf. If you don’t like meatloaf, their other special was—”

“That’s not what I meant. I wondered… How your lunch was with Gram?”

“Lunch with Gram was great. She’s a very interesting lady.”

“What did you talk about? You had a rather long lunch.”

“A little of this and a little of that. You know. All kinds of stuff. I really can’t remember anything exactly. Oh, I remember.” Anne forced a smile on her face. “She asked me all about Emily, and Charlie, and Gandalf.”

“Who are Charlie and Gandalf?” His brows knotted.

“Well Charlie is Charlotte, and Gandalf is my Irish wolfhound.”

His face relaxed. “Ah… Charlie’s your daughter. And I didn’t know you had a dog.”

“Oh Gandalf isn’t just a dog. He’s a member of the family. I think he may be almost as tall as you.”

Gherring smiled and probed a bit more. “That’s all you talked about?”

“Are you worried we might have talked about you?”

“The thought has crossed my mind. My Gram can be a bit scheming and meddling at times. I just wanted a little warning to be prepared.”

“Hmmm.”

“Hmmm? What does that mean? Is she up to something?”

“Well, she did mention she’s been shopping for a Christmas present for you. But I’m sorry. I’m sworn to secrecy—you’ll never worm it out of me.”

“Perhaps you’d rather discuss the pictures I saw in the social column.”

“Pictures? What pictures?” Anne began to rifle through her desk drawer, avoiding Gherring’s eyes.

“I think you know what I’m talking about.”

She was caught. What could she say? She’d throw herself on his mercy. “I’m so sorry about that first picture. I had no idea they were taking a picture. I didn’t say anything to them, so I don’t know where they got the idea we were together. And I didn’t know Henri was going to say anything about me at the gala. I didn’t even know there would be reporters there.”

She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I really am naïve about these things. No one in Weatherford ever wanted to take my picture for any reason. You don’t think I’d do something like that on purpose, do you?”

Gherring seemed to be struggling to remain stern. “No, I know it wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have even gone to that musical. I knew that might happen.”

Her eyes stung. Of course he was embarrassed to be seen with her. He didn’t want anyone to think they were together. Well she knew that already, didn’t she? This just confirmed what she knew.

“Wait… I didn’t mean it that way. I’m glad I went, and I would make the same decision again. I just meant I knew what might happen. So it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.” His face darkened. “Except for one thing. You did make the decision to associate with a man like Henri.”

“I thought y’all had made up. What’s so bad about him?”

“He… he… well he just… He’s just Henri. He’s arrogant and self-centered and disrespectful.”

“So maybe he bugs you ‘cause he doesn’t bow down to you like the rest of the world?” She tried to lighten his mood with a teasing tone.

“Well obviously, his bad habits are rubbing off on my personal executive assistant. Andy
don’t
expect the whole world to bow down to me. I’m not that kind of person.”

“Oh please, I’m just kidding you. I thought you were pretty arrogant when we first met, but now I know better. I think you’re all bark and no bite.”