A Modern Day Persuasion (22 page)

Rick didn’t wait to hear Anne’s reply and began to walk away. Not wasting a moment, she moved swiftly in front of Rick’s exit route, not caring how her actions appeared.

“…but the fireworks, they’re not even half way through!” Anne gasped. Then taking one more leap of faith she pleaded, “Please, can’t you stay?”

“There’s no reason anymore,” Rick replied, his eyes portraying the closed state of his heart.

It felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Anne stood there feeling the hurt of his words—
so I’m not enough of a reason for him to stay
… the thought slowly penetrated Anne’s mind.
Here I’ve pined for Rick for nearly eight years and this is how I am to remember him and be remembered
?

“Anne,” Will interrupted the depressing thoughts. “Speaking of fireworks, we’re standing in the way. We need to go sit down.”

Anne, who was normally courteous, couldn’t have cared less at this point about blocking other people’s views. She was also extremely irritated at Will since he was most likely the cause for the cool demeanor Rick was now exhibiting.

“Don’t worry,” Rick said, looking between the two of them pointedly and adding harshly, “I’ve
seen
enough. Now excuse me so that I can be on my way.”

Anne’s shoulders slumped as she watched Rick aggressively move past her without even a backwards glance, disappearing into the crowd and out of her life. She stood there deflated and drained as if the very essence of her had been removed. Anne remained in this state until Will jarred her back to reality when he circled his arm around her shoulders, expressing a wish to head back. Will’s touch seared her. Anne was shocked to find how repugnant Will now was to her
when merely days ago he seemed handsome and entertaining. Everything in her wanted to push Will away but was too weary to fight.

Her dad chose that moment to appear, carrying three ice cream cones in tow. “Good! I’ve found you!” Mr. Elliot said as he approached, totally oblivious to what had happened merely seconds before. “Ice cream anyone?”

Although indulging in ice cream seemed like a great antidote for a broken heart, it held no remedy for Anne. However, the rare kindness shown by her father proved too much for Anne and without warning, despite her resolve to stay strong, she burst into tears and fled.

Walter stood there perplexed. “Did I choose the wrong flavor? That’s not like Anne to be so picky,” he bemoaned with an injured tone. Mr. Elliot turned to Will for sympathy but found none. Will also declined the offered cone as the young man followed in haste after the distraught Anne. Her dad frowned, “Now what am I going to do with the two extra cones? Has everyone around here gone bonkers? Good gravy! This is Haagen-Dazs we’re talking about!”

Chapter 40

Fortunately for Anne, she had visitors to occupy her time and mind. Mary, Charles, and the boys had arrived, as well as Etta and Mrs. Musgrove.

Since Anne was to be one of Etta’s bridesmaids, she was quickly recruited to help with arrangements for Etta’s forthcoming wedding. Anne felt grateful for this occupation as it filled her days with enough activity to avoid almost all interactions with Will and Rick. Etta was all aflutter at having such an abundance of bridal selections at her fingertips while staying in California. Etta and her mother heavily relied on Anne’s attendance at the numerous appointments with cake makers, decoration warehouses, florists, and most importantly, wedding dress boutiques.

On this particular day, they were at their fourth dress shop with Etta gazing at herself in a full length mirror. Anne tried not to be bored, but just at this location alone Etta had tried on at least two dozen or more selections. As Etta returned to the dressing room, Anne sat in a corner, resting her eyes from all the excitement while Mary preferred to look through magazines. Not wanting to feel left out, Mary had tagged along even though her complaints had become a constant occurrence. Luckily, this bridal boutique had a gossip magazine full of pictures to keep Mary occupied for the time being.

“Anne!” Etta called out, jarring Anne from her rest.

“Hmm?” Anne responded rather absentmindedly, not bothering to look up. If Anne was to be honest, she considered Etta a bit excessive in her search for the ultimate dress. During the past two hours alone, Etta had declared five different dresses to be ‘the one’, only to later change her mind. Although this was aggravating, Anne tried to remind herself that perhaps she might be as tiresome when her time came. At this reflection, Anne suddenly stopped short. An unwelcome thought came to her mind
…but will I ever get to be a bride
?
What if marriage never happens for me
? These thoughts depressed Anne greatly, since at this point, matrimony seemed highly unlikely.

“Well, what do you think?” an animated Etta squeaked with newfound excitement. There upon a pedestal, Etta stood, reverently stroking the soft, white sheathy material of the dress. It shimmered with beauty and gathered becomingly at Etta’s waist as the folds of the gown worked magic to enhance her already lovely form. To complete this stunning dress, an exquisite and very lengthy train flowed behind, showcasing impeccable bead work.

The sight took Anne’s breath away. Etta looked fantastic in the gown—a picture of perfection. “Oh, Etta…it’s magnificent!” Anne exclaimed.

Mary, at hearing the awe in Anne’s voice, took a moment to tear her eyes away from the scandal magazine to bestow her approval. “Wow, Etta, you look incredible!”

Judging by Etta’s smile, Anne presumed the search for the ultimate dress was complete. To cement Anne’s intuition, Mrs. Musgrove and her daughter embraced one other, tears brimming in Clara’s eyes.

While the two finalized a few needed alterations with the seamstress, Anne looked wistfully through the dresses, wondering if one day, she too, would have the opportunity to wear a wedding gown. Although the selections before her were beautiful and elegant, it had always been Anne’s dream to wear her mother’s dress. Anne had discovered the vintage
gown while packing up the house in Oregon. Not being able to resist trying it on, Anne was ecstatic to find it fit perfect, almost as if it had been made especially for her. But with her 26
^th
birthday fast approaching, Anne felt as if her young, girlish dreams were quickly evaporating. The final blow had been Rick’s rejection at the Fourth of July celebration. Anne had always held out hope that despite their long separation it would be Rick she’d one day walk down the aisle to—and now that dream had been destroyed.

Anne’s stomach growled, reminding her it had been hours since her last meal. Looking at her watch, she realized it was almost time for the girls to meet up with Charles, Rick and Harve for lunch. The idea of being around Rick almost made Anne’s appetite vanish, but she would suck it up, at least for her stomach’s sake.

“Ready?” Mary asked Anne when she finally located her sister wedged between two tight aisles of wedding gowns, “I’m starving!”

Anne nodded and followed Mary out of the maze, hoping the meal would be worth the pain of being in Rick’s company.

“Where are the kids?” Charles asked Mary when they all finally met up at the mall’s restaurant.

“With my dad. He took them to a movie,” Mary replied from behind her menu. She couldn’t decide between the Biggie’s Buffalo Burger or the Spicy Sausage Spaghetti.

Charles nodded and then accepted Anne’s offer to vacate the seat next to Mary so he could be near his wife. Rick and Harve had already seated themselves, so Anne cringed when she realized the only spot left was next to Rick.
Just my luck
, Anne thought as she slowly sat down.

Rick inclined his head in her direction, but to Anne’s relief she was spared an acknowledgment by the arrival of the waitress who greeted everyone with a kind smile. “It looks like your party is all here now? Are you ready to order or should I give you a few minutes to look over the menu?” she
inquired politely. The group indicated they needed more time, and the server left to check on her other tables.

“Did you find a dress, Etta?” Charles asked his little sister after deciding on his selection for lunch.

The glow on Etta’s face was answer enough, but she left no doubt when she excitedly began to describe the dress in vivid detail. Anne smiled and listened, but periodically allowed her eyes to sneak peeks at Rick. To Anne’s surprise, during one of her glances, he leaned towards her and began to speak in a hushed tone. Breathless, Anne listened.

“So…when am I to wish you congratulations?” he asked, avoiding eye contact.

“Congratulations…for what?” she whispered back in confusion. Anne found herself not only flustered by Rick’s close proximity, but was now perplexed by his question as well.

“Your engagement to Will Elliot,” he stated matter-offactly, his voice flat and infused with a hint of accusation.

“What are you talking about?” Anne asked flabbergasted, trying to piece together the puzzle his words had created. This didn’t make sense. She wasn’t engaged to Will! And who would spread such a rumor?

“Charles told me the two of you will most likely wed this fall,” Rick answered, flipping over his menu as if totally uninterested in her reply.

Dumbfounded, Anne croaked, “What! Why on earth would Charles say such a thing?” Rick’s head jerked up at Anne’s vehement response, causing him to look at her with surprise. Anne met his eyes squarely, and continued, “I’m no—”

“Are you ready?” interrupted a voice. Both turned to see the waitress all set to take orders. Trying to be calm, yet feeling anything but, Anne looked at her menu to quickly scan for an item to select.

“I’ll start with you,” the server said, motioning to Rick.

Looking a bit shaken, Rick nodded and reached for the menu. After a quick perusal, he said, “I’ll have the…um… the Santa Fe Burrito.”

The waitress wrote it down then turned to take Anne’s order.

“Anne!” Mary exclaimed dramatically. Anne at first wondered if Mary was upset she was taking too long to order, but how could that be when the waitress had just given Anne her full attention? The wild-eyed gaze on Mary’s face however told Anne the outburst was due to something entirely different.

“I think I see Will Elliot!” Mary said, motioning to the window. “Come, look!”

Anne realized Mary wanted her to confirm the observation, but with Rick watching, it would be extremely awkward, if not downright embarrassing. Anne attempted to dissuade her sister, “I don’t see how it could be. He told me he was to be out of town for the next few days on business.”

With the waitress still standing patiently in front of her, Anne turned her attention back to the menu. But Mary wasn’t giving up that easily.

“I’m certain it’s him. Please come and look!” Mary persisted.

Anne sighed, knowing her sister would not quit until she got her way. “I’ll have the Thai Salad,” she told the waitress and then reluctantly moved to join Mary at the window.

Once there, Anne looked down at the busy street below. The amount of traffic was mind boggling. The four driving lanes looked more like a highway with rushing commuters hurrying to get back to work before their lunch time was up. Along the street were several upscale shops where many pedestrians could be seen. Mary instructed Anne to gaze near the entrance of Ralph Lauren. Sure enough, standing before a display window was the one and only Will Elliot.

Mary’s look was not only smug, but also triumphant at seeing her sister’s astonishment. “And isn’t that Susan Clay
standing next to him?” she asked with curiosity. “I thought he didn’t like her.”

Taking a closer look, there was no mistaking the woman next to Will—it was indeed Susan. In fact, the two looked rather on good terms as Susan openly flirted while pointing to an item through a shop’s window that she apparently liked.

“Yes, you’re right…” Anne said in puzzlement, and Mary nodded in agreement.
Why would Will need to lie about being out of town
? she thought.
And even more of a mystery…why is he with Susan
?

Despite meaning to, Anne found her curiosity aroused and momentarily forgot about the interrupted conversation with Rick. But that was not the case for him. With Anne distracted, Rick was able to study her unguarded, taking considerable interest in Anne’s behavior. He took pains to observe both her demeanor and also her response at discovering that the
rat
was in town, and worse—with another woman. Judging by Anne’s reaction, Rick felt there must be some truth in what Charles had told him, otherwise why would Anne invest such notice in what was happening below. What he couldn’t understand was why she would give her heart to someone so untrustworthy? It gave Rick just one more reason to hate the man.

Chapter 41

Once the group had finished lunch, they strolled down the same street where Will and Susan had been seen earlier. Although the two in question were long since gone, Anne still couldn’t shake the odd feeling at seeing them together. One thing Anne knew for certain was that Will must be up to something so she made a mental note to be on guard.

“Anne,” Charles called to her, gaining her attention. “We were all thinking about seeing a play next Friday. Would you like to join us?”

Anne brightened at the suggestion. She hadn’t gone to a theatre in ages, and the idea sounded great. Just as she was about to accept, Anne’s excitement quickly evaporated when she recalled a prior obligation. A charity to raise funds for the American Cancer Society was being held in their home, an event her father planned annually since his wife’s death. Because it involved gambling, Anne wasn’t too enthusiastic about it, but to honor both her dad and departed mother, she had agreed to assist where needed.