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Will take care of him
Will commit for life
She thought further. What else did he need? This girl had to be strong enough to stand up to him a little, or he wouldn’t respect her. She couldn’t be wimpy. But he wouldn’t want someone who irritated him all the time, like she did. She finally decided on the final qualities.
Not a pushover
Not too bossy
Anne folded up the paper and put it in her purse. She could use this as a reference and also show it to Gram. His grandmother might want to add something, and Anne was a little nervous at what that might be.
The next morning, Anne got up early to run. She loved running before work, when no one was in the gym. She was a bit of a morning-person, unlike her two daughters—she had learned early on it was best not to speak to them at all for the first few hours of the morning. After three quick miles on the treadmill, Anne hurried for the elevator. She had plenty of time. It was only six a.m.
When the elevator doors opened, Steven Gherring was there, totally dressed for work, with briefcase in hand. Anne stepped in and pressed the button for her floor, self-conscious of her sweaty body and mussed hair.
“Why are you going to work so early?” she asked.
“This is when I usually leave for work.” He raised his eyebrows as he observed her condition. “Are you planning to wear that to work?”
“What do you mean? It’s only six o’clock in the morning.”
“I think I can read the time, but perhaps I’m in error. Why don’t you check for me?” He stretched out his arm to show her his wristwatch. Anne read the dial. She grabbed his arm to look more closely.
“It’s five after seven!” she shouted, as the elevator stopped and two more people joined them. “How did this happen? I’m an hour off!”
The elevator stopped on her floor and Anne rushed off. She scrambled into her apartment, showered and dressed in record time. She couldn’t go out with wet hair because of the cold, so she took the extra ten minutes required to dry her heavy tresses. It was seven thirty-five. She knew she was going to be late. And she couldn’t even make up a great excuse because Gherring had caught her red-handed. She hoped this wasn’t a sign of how bad her day was going to be. She hurried down, intending to run all the way to the subway station in her bright blue running shoes. Hopefully her deodorant would hold up to the challenge. When the elevator reached the lobby, she sprinted toward the door.
“Wait! Stop!” G
herring’s voice came from behind her. “I thought we might ride together today.” He pointed to the limo waiting outside.
“You waited for me? I can’t believe it—thank you.” They climbed into the car and she collapsed into the seat. “I can’t believe you waited for me—that was so nice.”
His brows drew down over his clear blue eyes. “Why is it so surprising I waited for you? You don’t think I can be nice?”
“Hey I’m just thanking you. Don’t get your panties in a wad.”
“Get my… What? What did you say?”
“Nothing. I’m sorry I thanked you.”
“It’s not that you thanked me. It’s that you seemed so incredulous about my display of geniality.”
“I’m glad you gave me a ride, but I don’t want you displaying your geniality. Isn’t there a law against that?” Anne kept a straight face for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing. When she accidentally snorted, she clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide.
He joined the hilarity, and she laughed until she had tears in her eyes. When she gained control of her breathing, they had what could only be called a pleasant conversation. She didn’t dare mention it, or he might be offended.
“Should I get out after you’ve gone so no one sees us together?”
“I think it’ll be fine, as long as I don’t display my geniality.”
She dissolved into helpless laughter while he exited the limo. He bent down and offered his hand to help her out, and she took it. Big mistake! Something like a bolt of lightning sizzled up her arm. Obviously, she was letting her emotions run wild.
She scrambled out of the car and pulled her hand free. “Thanks for the ride.”
“It was my pleasure.”
Those eyes… crystal blue pools! She could get lost in them. And she had! She was standing there, staring at him, like some kind of star-struck girl. Her heart pounded so loud she couldn’t even hear what he was saying. Probably something about how she shouldn’t presume anything just because he’d given her a ride in his limousine.
