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As the lights flickered to signal the end of the intermission, Anne returned to the theater to take her place next to Gherring. She continued to talk with Johanna until the lights dimmed and the second half began. At first, she sat stiffly in her chair, but soon she was absorbed in the excitement of the musical production. Occasionally, she sensed Gherring looking at her, but when she glanced his direction, he seemed to be ignoring her presence.
Then the two lead characters began to sing the emotionally tugging duet. Anne couldn’t help herself, as tears streamed down her face. She thought of all the people in her life that had loved her and effectively changed her life. Sniffling, she dug into her purse looking for a tissue, but Gherring handed her his handkerchief. She looked up, gratefully mouthing, “Thank you,” and he simply nodded, a slight smile on the face that had looked so grim the entire evening.
When the play ended, she clapped so hard she thought her hands would break. She even threw in a shrill wolf whistle, at which her three companions stared in amazement or perhaps mortification. But she didn’t care. She would’ve thrown flowers at the feet of the actors if she were able. Gherring must have enjoyed the evening despite having to go with her, because he actually smiled and talked pleasantly as they walked out of the theater into the lobby. Suddenly, his expression became a glower.
“Hello Anne!” exclaimed Henri as he took her hand and raised it to his lips. “You look very beautiful tonight. And who is this lovely friend you have with you?” he asked, indicating Johanna.
“You must be Henri.” Johanna addressed the dashing man with twinkling green eyes. “You are just as charming as Anne described. But you are wasting your flattery on me—I am already taken,” she said as she took Alexander’s arm. For his part, Alexander seemed unfazed by Henri’s flirtations.
“That is sad for me, but lucky for him.” Henri smiled teasingly. “But this one beautiful woman is already too much for me.” He tucked Anne’s hand in the crook of his arm.
Gherring spoke between clenched teeth. “What are you doing here
, Henri?”
“I am here to escort the beautiful woman home, with a little detour en route.” He winked at Anne. “And we should go now. I have so little time with ma jolie femme.” He led her quickly out the theatre doors. She didn’t look back, but she felt Gherring’s intense stare. She knew Johanna would report Gherring’s reaction when she came by the office the next day. They strolled along the street, teeming with people despite the late hour.
“Henri, maybe this was a bad idea. Mr. Gherring looked really angry. What if he fires you?”
“He cannot fire me. On paper I work for Gherring, but only by agreement—by contract with our company, La Porte. We have joint ventures with Gherring Inc. Mon père (my father) is chairman now, and I will be chairman in two years. Monsieur Gherring needs me.” He chuckled a bit. “But he does not like me, that is for certain.”
Then he stopped and his eyebrows drew together. “Mon dieu! He could fire you. Je suis désolé. I am sorry—I was not thinking. I should take you back?”
Anne considered for only a moment. “No. I’m not going back. I can’t let him think he can control my personal life. He’s only my boss at work. If he fires me, I’ll just go back to Texas.” She took Henri’s arm and started walking again. “Now tell me about Paris… Is it as beautiful as they say?”
Emily’s face looked irritated as she FaceTimed with her mom. It was Wednesday night, and Anne was reporting in to her daughter. Unfortunately, Emily had learned of her mom’s date with Henri from her sister, and now she was demanding details. “I can’t believe you didn’t even call me.”
“There just wasn’t time…”
“But you called Charlie. You even showed her the dress before your date.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But you’re still my favorite.”
Emily knew this game well. “But didn’t you tell Charlie she was your favorite?”
“Yes, but of course I was lying to Charlie. You’re the real favorite.”
Emily chuckled. “Okay, just give me the details about the big date so I can tell Charlie I heard about it first.”
“As you know, first I went to a musical with the Kleins and Mr. Gherring.”
“How was it?”
“A-ma-zing! I can’t even tell you how much fun it was.”
“I knew you’d love it. But how did Mr. Gherring act? Was he weird about being seen with you, like you thought he would be?”
“No, he wasn’t too bad. He was uptight as usual until after the play, when Henri showed up.”
“So was he mad you were going somewhere with Henri?”
“Ohhhhh, yeah. He was furious. It turns out he can’t stand Henri. Something in their past. But Henri was a perfect gentleman. We walked to a coffee shop, and I got the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my life. And then we walked around a bit. I was getting cold, so he took off his long wool coat and put it over me. I thought he would freeze to death, but he swore he was used to the cold weather.
“He told me all about Paris, and the little town in the countryside where he grew up. Then we took a taxi back to the apartment, and he walked me inside. He kept the taxi outside, so I knew he wasn’t trying to get invited upstairs.”
“Did he kiss you goodnight?”
“He just said, ‘Vous êtes si parfaite.’ And then he hugged me. When he pulled away, he bent down, and I thought he was going to try to kiss me. I was so nervous. But he just bent down and lifted my hand up and kissed it.”
