Her Best Match: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 1) (35 page)

“Are you kidding me? That makes my life sound downright dull, and I was feeling pretty good about it.” Ellen leaned in close. “Details, I want details. What was it like to ride on Steven Gherring’s private jet?”

“Ohmygosh, it was amazing. But you know, if you were to meet Mr. Gherring and y’all hit it off, you could find out for yourself.”

Ellen rolled her eyes. “Are you still on that kick? And tell me again why
you
don’t want to date him? What’s the secret? What’s wrong with Steven Gherring? Does he have some hidden deformity? Does he swing both ways? There must be something wrong with him, or you’d be going after him yourself.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him, I promise.”

“Then why has he never gotten married before? Or maybe he
has
been married before?”

“No, he’s never been married. He was engaged before, but they broke it off.”

“But in the magazines and newspapers, he’s always got some girl hanging on him. Every time, it’s a different girl.”

“That’s just it. He doesn’t really date. It’s like he thinks every girl out there is only after his money, so he doesn’t give them a chance.”

Ellen laughed. “Only half of them are after his money—the other half are after his body. Have you ever seen pictures of him without a shirt?”

Anne felt her face heating up. “Yes, I’ve seen him.”

“Ah, ha! You’re red. You’ve seen him up close and personal without a shirt. When was this? On the private jet? Just how
private
was this jet?”

Anne scrambled to cover her blunder. “No. When we went climbing, remember? Didn’t I tell you Mr. Gherring went climbing with me and the girls the morning before we came to meet you at the bookstore?”

“Maybe… I don’t remember that. But anyway, what’s wrong with him? Why don’t you want to date him?”

Anne sighed. “I just know I’m not his type. For one thing, I’m older than the other women he dates. The oldest one I know of is Michelle, and she’s still five years younger than me. It’s not like I wouldn’t date him if he asked me. But he’s known me for two months, and he hasn’t asked me out. So I don’t think that would ever happen.”

“Why do you care whether he has someone to date or not?”

“I just care about him. I want him to be happy, and I know finding the love of your life can do that for you. It worked for me. And if I’m right and y’all hit it off, then you’ll find the love of your life as well. And just as a bonus, he can provide financial support for your plays.”

“Anne, I’m perfectly willing to meet him, and we can just see what happens. You said Gherring Inc. supports the arts? Have they underwritten plays before?”

“I’m almost positive they have. I can certainly find out. But even if he hasn't done it before, he might do it for you.”

“There is one other little complication.”

“What’s that?”

“I kind of have a crush on my leading man.”

“You do?”

“Yes, but he’s not interested in me. So I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“Well if things don’t work out with Mr. Gherring, I’ll figure out a way to make this guy notice you.”

Ellen laughed. “You know, I think you’d really do that. It’s a deal. When do I meet Mr. Gherring?”

“How about next Monday, after the Thanksgiving holidays? Lunch at Papa’s? I’ll do my best to get him there, but no guarantees.”

“What should I wear?”

“Wear a dress and show off those dancer legs.”

“You’ve got it. And if it flops, you have to help me catch Ben’s attention.”

“Deal.”

By the time the lunch rush was over and May came to join them, Ellen had to leave.

“Do you need to go too, Anne? I’m sorry I was tied up so long,” May said.

“No, I’d love to stay and chat,” said Anne.

“Tell me all about your trip.”

“Do you mean Switzerland? Did you know about that?”

“Yes. Although I think I found out through the grapevine. I’m pretty sure Spencer told me about it.”

“Spencer knew?”

“Sure. He found out from talking to Emily.”

“He was talking to Emily? She just told me they texted. She didn’t say anything about talking to him.”

“Oh, he’s been talking to her alright. He’s talked to her every day since she left. He’s saving up his money to fly to Texas.”

“Does she know that?”

“Well I don’t know. I only hear about it from Spencer. But he’s crazy about her, I think. I’ve never seen him act like this before.”

Anne stared at May. “I’ve got to talk to her and see what’s going on. Either she’s hiding something from me or she’s leading him on. I don’t want Spencer to be hurt.”

“Or it could just be Spencer’s moving a little faster than she is. When he makes a decision, that’s it. He jumps in with both feet.”

“Oh… Not Emily… She thinks about everything and then thinks some more and then maybe she’ll try it. Just test the water with her toes.”

“I don’t know, they don’t sound too compatible, do they?”

“I disagree—I think they could be really good for each other. Strike a great balance. Hmmm…” Anne drummed her fingers on the table. “I need to find a way to get her back out here.”

“If this works out, we’d be aunt and mom-in-laws together.”

“I’d love to be related to you and George. Woo hoo—this is fun!”

Anne made sure she was five minutes late to dinner with Mr. Gherring. She didn’t need to catch him in any state of undress. She wanted to compose herself and reestablish their professional relationship. As soon as the door opened, her senses were assaulted with the aroma of food cooking. He let her inside and hurried back to the kitchen.

“Make yourself comfortable. Dinner’s almost ready.”

She followed him into the kitchen, noting he was fully dressed in khaki pants and a dark blue sweater. Still, she remembered exactly what his chest looked like under that sweater. She could see his muscles flexing through the fabric, even when he was just cooking dinner. She was hopeless.

“That’s smells wonderful. What is it?”

“It’s a stir fry with shrimp, steak, chicken, and veggies. Hope you like it.”

Her stomach rumbled noisily. “If it tastes as good as it smells, I’ll love it.”

“Could you set the table? You’ll have to look around for placemats and such. I don’t ordinarily use the dining table.”

She went into the dining area and searched through the buffet and found two linen placemats, napkins and silverware. There was a china cabinet with glassware and plates. Gherring had already set out a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. He came in with the steaming food just as she finished.

“Wow, I haven’t seen this china in a long time.”

“Is it okay? I found it in the bottom of your china cabinet. You have another set, but I really liked this one.” The plates were a simple design, white in the center with cream-colored rims and gold encrusted edges.

“These belonged to my parents. It’s a Minton pattern. I think it’s called Buckingham. And it’s great to use them tonight. I dislike owning things I don’t use.”

“My folks were too practical to own china. And I don’t even remember my mom. She died when I was three.” She took a bite. “Oh, wow—this is so good. I’d be fat if I could cook like this. I’d just eat all the time.”

He chuckled. “I doubt that seriously. You and your girls look like you’ve got metabolisms that works overtime. You’re fortunate.”

“Oh that’s true. I’m so lucky, because I really eat like a horse.” Anne covered her mouth. “Oh that sounded kind of crude. Sorry.”

“No problem. I’ve already told you I prefer horse-like eaters to bird-like eaters.” He grinned. “As long as you don’t actually look like a horse.”

“So… about the job. I’ve been thinking. Are you having regrets about this? I mean, we’re talking about creating a whole different position that doesn’t fit into your current framework. I can be a bit impulsive at times. I want you to be honest with me.”

His dimples flashed. “Why don’t you hold that thought until after dinner? I think I know you pretty well. If you start thinking too much, you won’t be able to eat.”

Her mouth hung open. He was right—her stomach often refused food when she was upset about something. “Okay. We’ll wait. So what shall we talk about? Should we go with… qualities you would like in a wife?”

He laughed. “Not again—that one upsets
my
stomach.”

“Tell me about growing up with Gram.”

His expression grew contemplative. “That‘s a good one. Good memories. Gram took me out of boarding school when my parents died. I grew up in Gram’s house—the one where you had dinner.”

“And Michelle?”

He frowned. “What about Michelle?”

“She told me you were family friends.”

“That’s true. I used to change her diapers. She was born when I was ten years old.”

“I see—so you’ve
always
liked younger women.”

His mouth twitched up on one corner. “We didn’t date until long after we were grown.”

“Mmmm. Okay, where did you go to college?”

“Columbia and Harvard Law.”

“Really? I didn’t know you went to law school.”

“That was my rebellious stage.”

“You rebelled by going to law school?”

“I thought about going into politics instead of running the family business that had been waiting for me. It felt like I didn’t have a choice. But in the end, it was in my blood. I had a knack for it, even more than my father.”

“And then, you absorbed yourself in your business and forgot to get married and have a life.”

“That’s what Gram would say. But the magazines reported my life was too wild, and that’s why I never got married. It just depends on who you believe.”

“And are you happy?”

“I’ve spent my life building an empire. Our charitable foundations have done a lot of good things. And you’re the only person I know who looks at me with pity, even though I’m a billionaire.”

“Let me ask you this. If you had to choose between being rich and having Gram in your life, which would you pick?”

He answered with a shake of his head.

“You see—you don’t even have to answer. I know you know what’s most important in life. I’m glad you have Gram. I’m just sad you never got married. But I’m just as sad for people who’ve only had bad marriages. There’s nothing like finding the love of your life, who loves you back the same way.” She sighed. “Even if you lose them after ten years.”

“I don’t disagree with you. You and Gram, both—you act like I’ve never tried to find a wife. I’ve looked, but—” He stopped abruptly. “Why am I discussing this with you? This topic is officially off limits. And I’d better not catch you trying to set me up with a potential wife.”

Anne’s mouth went dry. This hadn’t gone well at all. She’d have to proceed very carefully and be extremely subtle. Subtle—fat chance. She would just be sneaky instead. The wheels began to turn…

After dinner, Steven settled Anne in front of the fireplace with a cup of cocoa. “Dinner was incredible, and now, hot cocoa and a fire. I’m in paradise.”

A pleased expression on his face, Steven lounged next to Anne on the buttery-soft leather couch. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I like to be appreciated, and it’s fun to make you smile.”

“So, about the job. I feel like I may have forced you into this.”

“Ms. Best, I’ve never been forced into a business decision by anyone in my entire life. Rest assured your influence, while formidable, does not equal compulsion.”

Anne’s spine stiffened. “Mr. Gherring, I certainly feel chastised for my presumptive assertion. Please accept my sincerest apologies. I was not suggesting your manhood had been detached. I was merely offering you an opportunity to withdraw the proposed job alteration with aplomb and promising not to take unwarranted offense.”

Gherring held up his hands. “I surrender! I bet you always win when you play Scrabble, don’t you?”

“As you said, I’m formidable.”

“So, about the job. If you went to CMA, you’d start at eighty thousand, since you don’t have a degree or job experience. I’m willing to give the assistant position a try for three months. It’s an intriguing idea. If it works, you’ll get at least a ten thousand dollar raise, plus bonuses. If it works really well, you could make as much as you would in CMA.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” Anne asked in a small voice.

“Then you’d be terminated.”

Anne felt a rock in her stomach. “I’m a pretty confident person, but I’m not
that
confident. I don’t think I want to take the risk—”

“Anne, really? You think I would fire you? If it doesn’t work, we’ll renegotiate.” He chuckled at the relief on her face. “How did you ever live this long when you’re this gullible?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“But there is one caveat.” His expression grew serious. “This deal we’ve made with Bern… You and Jared will need to work with those two companies, just as if you’re in the CMA department with him. I have yet to think what title to give you, but we’ll come up with something.”