Her Best Match: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 1) (18 page)

“Mom, we’re only gonna be there two days.”

“I know, I know. I’m just really excited. And I’m really tired, too. I’ve got to get to bed early tonight.”

“So did you talk to Henri?”

“Not since yesterday, but hopefully I’ll talk to him tomorrow. It’s too late tonight.”

“So just to get this straight, about the climbing date. I’m getting the best-looking guy right? I just want to know so I can tell Emily about it.”

“Don’t you dare get me in trouble with Em.”

“Hmmm… I can be bribed.”

“I’ll remember this when your birthday comes.”

“You win—I surrender. By the way I have some things picked out on my wish list already.”

“I know, but everything on that list is about three or four hundred dollars. Don’t you want anything small and inexpensive?”

“What can I say? I have expensive taste.”

“Good night, sweetie.”

“Night Mom. Love you.”

“You too.”

With her teeth brushed and her mascara scrubbed off, she collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. But the sleep she sought eluded her. She tossed and turned for an hour. Finally she surrendered to her insomnia and got out of bed. She took one Benadryl, considered for a moment, and downed another. She really needed a good night’s sleep. She decided to pull on sweatpants and grab a blanket and go for some fresh air on the rooftop patio while waiting for the antihistamines to kick in.

With her feet clad in furry house shoes and a cup of chamomile tea in hand, she wrapped the blanket over her shoulders and headed up the elevator. She’d only discovered the peaceful haven the previous weekend, and had been itching to sit outside ever since. Her home in Weatherford had a big back porch with comfy chairs where she often sat to have tea in the early morning or at night before bed.

She opened the exterior door and peeked outside, assuring herself the retreat was deserted. She settled in on a comfy cushioned couch and sipped on her tea in solitude, enjoying the feeling of being outside with a clear view of the sky. Gradually she became drowsy and slunk down on the couch, snuggled warmly in her blanket and breathing the cool air. She could almost imagine she was camping.

“Anne… Anne…” The voice broke into her consciousness. Woozy from the residual Benadryl, she ignored the voice, refusing to give up her sleep. “Anne!” This time the voice was more urgent, and she felt a gentle shake on her shoulder. “Anne, it’s morning. You need to wake up.”

Whose voice was that? Was it Tom? She felt someone brush her hair gently off of her face. She peeled open her groggy eyes and tried to decipher her surroundings. Steven Gherring was peering at her, only a few inches away.

He smiled. “Sorry to disturb you, but you were still out like a light. I was afraid to let you sleep past six. That’s what time it is now.”

She sat up abruptly. “Oymygosh! I fell asleep outside! How did you find me?”

“I sometimes come out here when I can’t sleep.” He chuckled. “But this time, Goldilocks was asleep on my couch.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up last night?”

“Believe me, I tried. Are you
on
something? You would
not
wake up.” He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “So I decided I had two choices: carry you down to your room or stay out here with you. I was afraid to do the first one. I thought you might be offended.”

“You stayed out here with me all night? Where did you sleep? You must have been freezing.”

“Well, I left you alone long enough to bring both of us extra blankets. And I slept on that lounge chair. It was comfortable enough.”

Anne surveyed her surroundings, taking in the fluffy down comforter that surrounded her and the pillow she’d slept on.

“I’m so sorry you had to do all this and sleep outside. I couldn’t sleep so I took a couple of Benadryl. But I’m so glad you happened to find me. I would have been frozen solid, and I probably wouldn’t have woken up ‘til nine or ten o’clock. Unless I froze to death.”

She stood up, stretching her stiff muscles, and gathering her things. They walked inside to the elevator. Gherring tried to hide his discomfort from the long night on a lounger, but she could tell his movements were stiff. She felt so guilty.

“I didn’t actually say it, but thank you. I really mean it,” said Anne.

Gherring smiled, his gaze intense over the pile of pillows and blankets he held. He took a slow breath, as if searching for words. “Anne, I’ve only known you for a few weeks—”

“Yes, but I hope you won’t judge me yet. I know I’ve been clumsy and sensitive and disrespectful, and I’ve mixed up the time by an hour. And now I’ve fallen asleep outside alone on the roof and almost missed work. But I’m usually
very
responsible. I really
can
do this job. And I haven’t actually screwed up anything at the office, have I?”

“No, but—”

“You really can’t blame me for going up there at night, since you admitted
you
do the same thing. Although I guess it is a little different since I’m a woman and you’re a man.”

“I don’t—”

“I know you probably think it was stupid that I took two Benadryl instead of one, but I was afraid one wouldn’t be enough.”

“Actually, I—”

“I refuse to take sleeping pills, because I heard they’re addictive, so that’s why I use Benadryl. Please, give me another chance. You promised me a three-month trial. You wouldn’t fire me before the three months is over would you?”

“Anne, I would never—”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Gherring—you won’t regret it!”

She gave him a hug with her arms full of blanket and her tea mug in hand, and rushed off the elevator to her apartment.

Gherring’s posture was still rigid when he arrived at the office. Anne felt so responsible for his state she resolved to make it up to him. Somehow. She threw herself into her work, plowing through the PowerPoint Presentation. She added creative graphics and animation, but not so much as to be distracting. Photographs of Bern, Switzerland proved the presentation was personalized for their company. She was working so hard she didn’t notice Sam at her desk until she said her name for the third time. “Anne!”

“Oh hey. Sorry, I was just on a roll, and when I’m absorbed in something I’m in another world.”

“Impressive powers of concentration. Hey, Tanner and I wanted to take you to lunch today.”

“Well, I’d love to if I make enough progress on this presentation. I can’t get this one slide to look right. I’m fixin’ to pull out my hair. It’s got to be really good this time.”

“It’ll be great, I’m sure. But you’re the one who always says you shouldn’t skip meals. Right?”

Anne grimaced. “I did say that didn’t I? Okay, I’ll go. Twelve o’clock? Next door?”

“We’d be glad to take you some place new, but I know you’re devoted to Papa’s Place.” Sam smiled.

“Do y’all have something to tell me?” Anne waggled her eyebrows.

“No, it’s only been a few weeks. Don’t be silly.”

“Hmmm, I notice you didn’t deny it was a future possibility.”

“You’re impossible. Did you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” Anne laughed. “See ya later.”

She went back to work, but shortly after got a call from Gram.

“Hello, dear. I just wanted to ask about this date you’ve planned for Steven. Who did you say this girl is?”

“She’s a news reporter. She hasn’t made it big yet, but she’s getting a lot of attention. I think she’s very intelligent and well informed. She’ll be able to carry on a decent conversation.”

“But is she the kind of girl who knows the importance of family? She may be totally self-centered. Steven doesn’t need a girl like that.”

“I have no way of knowing, but it’s worth a shot. Mr. Gherring is a wonderful, caring man. Any girl would be lucky to have him. Surely she’ll recognize that and be sensitive to his needs.”

“But that’s just it. These women decide they want Steven, but what they really want is to be ‘Mrs. Steven Gherring’. It has nothing to do with caring about him and putting him first.”

“Well if she tries to take advantage of him like that, I might just beat her up.”

“That’s more like it,” laughed Gram.

“But we should at least give her a chance, don’t you think?”

“I’ll reserve my judgment, but do you have a backup plan?”

“I’m evaluating everyone I meet as possible wife candidates. Well, every smart, pretty, sophisticated female between the age of thirty and forty.”

“Humph! How did you come up with that age range?”

“First off, Mr. Gherring always goes out with younger women, so that must be what he likes. But personally, I think girls under age thirty just don’t have enough life experience to go with Steven. And over forty, they’re not pretty enough and too set in their ways to change. You know how it is. Marriage is all about compromise. It’ll be hard enough for Mr. Gherring, having been single for so long, without saddling him with a bossy woman who’s inflexible.”

“It does seem like you’ve given this a lot of thought, but we may have to re-evaluate along the way. I’m having dinner with Steven tonight. He somehow discovered I’m staying in town, and he’s a little suspicious.”

“But he can’t know we’re plotting against him—I mean, plotting
for
him—can he?”

Gram laughed. “Don’t worry, dear. I have a feeling this time I’m going to get my way.”

“I’m glad I’m on your team and not playing against you.”

“We can talk on Sunday night when you bring the girls to dinner. I’ll send a car for you.”

“Thanks Gram, that’ll be great.”

“Bye, now. Have fun with your girls.”

“Thanks, I will. Bye.”

Soon Anne was immersed in the presentation again. Time flew by until Sam and Tanner stopped by her desk. “I figured you wouldn’t stop working if we didn’t come get you,” said Sam.

“Y’all are ready for lunch already?”

“It’s after noon, sweetie.”

Anne picked up her cell phone. “Oh you’re right.” She hit save and closed her laptop. “Let’s go. I want to hear everything, from the beginning. I am
sooooo
good.” She began singing “Matchmaker” from
Fiddler on the Roof
.

Gherring’s voice came from his doorway. “I didn’t know you could sing.”

Anne choked as she twirled to face him. “Mr. Gherring, I didn’t know you were there.”

“Don’t stop on my account; you have a nice voice—”

“We’re going to lunch. Would you like to come?”

“No thanks. I think I’m going to take a nap. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

Anne felt the blood rush to her face. Sam and Tanner were staring at her. She escaped to the elevator while they trailed behind her.

“Wait up. Why are you so embarrassed? You actually sounded pretty good,” said Sam.

As the elevator doors closed, Anne saw Gherring chuckle before giving an exaggerated yawn.

After lunch, Anne called Jared and Jeff to make sure they were on schedule with turning in their PowerPoint data. Both agreed to bring up what they had before five o’clock.

She wondered what it would take to do something more than being a secretary. Perhaps if she went back to school and got an MBA, she could have a job like Jeff’s. It would be exciting to have an important job and travel around the world. She didn’t regret the decision she’d made to pursue motherhood rather than a career. But what was to stop her from doing something different with her life? With the confidence she gained from taking on this job and moving to New York, something entirely out of her comfort zone, maybe she could do something really interesting. Maybe after she found Mr. Gherring a wife, she would check into night school.

Hoping Gherring wouldn’t overhear her conversation, she took her phone and personal laptop and headed to the break room to talk to Henri. When Henri’s face appeared on the computer screen, he looked ecstatic to see her. “
Mon bel ange
—I have missed you.”

Every time she saw Henri, she couldn’t believe a man that handsome would be interested in
her
. “Wow, I love your new scruffy look. I think this is my favorite so far.”

“I am glad you like it.” He grinned at her. “I have been doing nothing but work, work, work. Anna-Laure had a birthday party yesterday. I bought her a pony.”

“A pony? You bought her a
real
pony? I wish you’d been
my
uncle when I was a little girl.”

“But I am very glad not to be your uncle. There would be no kissing, if you were my niece.” He chuckled. “And I will buy you as many ponies as you want. But perhaps you would prefer diamonds or sapphires…”

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not buying me anything. This trip to Paris is too much already.”

“But the Paris trip is for
me
, so I can see you.”