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“Just blame it on me. I’m the one who took the ball and carried it out of bounds.” Anne reminded herself to keep a closer watch on Gherring’s office door in the future.
Katie and Anne went to lunch at Papa’s Place, and Anne invited Gherring to come along. He declined, but agreed to allow Anne to bring him something to eat when she returned.
“I can’t believe you’re getting him to eat lunch. I’ve tried telling him skipping lunch isn’t healthy, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“That’s because I’m a mom,” Anne declared. “I know how to speak with authority and how to guilt someone into doing what you want. It’s a useful skill.”
As they returned with Gherring’s daily special, Gram called Anne’s cell phone.
“I won’t keep you, but I’m picking you up after work. I’ll give you a ride home because there’s someone I want you to meet.”
“That sounds great. See you at five.”
She delivered Papa’s food to Gherring at his desk. He looked at her curiously when she entered his office. “You know you don’t really have to go to the climbing gym tonight.”
“Aha. You’re afraid I’ll beat you, right?”
“Of course not—”
“You should be… I’m gonna beat you like a drum.”
“We’ll see,” Gherring replied with a wry grin.
“Yep, we’ll see.” Anne was thinking she couldn’t wait to see. She couldn’t wait to see his muscles rippling as he climbed on that wall. After all, she worked hard. She deserved a little entertainment.
Anne secluded herself at her desk to look through the escort candidates from the publicist, Charles Cooper. There were ten portfolios, complete with pictures. Anne scanned through the files, quickly eliminating three that were in their twenties. Gherring needed someone with more maturity and life experience. Four of the remaining were excluded because the contenders didn’t have a college degree. She was disappointed only three met her basic requirements, but all three were strikingly beautiful. One was a model, one was an actress, and one was a news reporter aspiring for a television anchor position.
Anne read all three resumes, but quickly settled on the third—Sharon Landry. She reasoned Sharon would be the most capable of captivating Gherring with interesting dialogue. Anne had no way of knowing whether she would be caring and committed, but at least she had potential. She called Charles and asked a few more questions about Sharon. He described her as sophisticated and smart, a real go-getter. Anne thought that might be just the ticket.
Once she’d finalized Gherring’s escort arrangements for the Friday night fundraiser, she could concentrate on preparing her PowerPoint presentation. She decided to call Jared and Jeff and use her mommy-powers to guilt them into getting their portions of the presentation information to her desk as soon as possible. Both men easily succumbed to her skillful pressure, promising to have the majority finished by Thursday and the final portion by Monday morning. She smiled in self-satisfaction.
When she left the office at five o’clock, Gherring was still secluded in his office. Katie had arranged for a seven o’clock climbing session, so Anne would just have enough time to get home and grab a bite to eat. She found Gram waiting in the back seat of the car as promised. As Anne was climbing in, Gram was already quizzing her about the prog
ress in their matchmaking plan. Anne explained her escort choice, proud of her find, but Gram still seemed skeptical of success.
It still took almost twenty-five minutes to make it back in the heavy traffic, but Gram had the car stop a few blocks short of the apartment.
“Come with me.” Gram nimbly stepped out of the car.
Anne followed her to the door of a shop. The sign read, “Carved Wood Creations.” There was a closed sign hanging in the window, but Gram opened the door and marched inside, causing a small bell to ring out their presence. A tall, thin, white-haired man appeared from the back room.
“Mrs. Gherring,” he said as his face crinkled into a broad smile. “I didn’t know you were in town.”
“Good afternoon Mr. Hamilton. I’ve brought someone by to meet you. This is Anne Best, my Steven’s new secretary. Anne, this is Gus Hamilton.”
Mr. Hamilton grasped both of Anne’s cold hands in his warm ones. His fingers were rough and calloused. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Anne.”
Before Anne could respond, Gram continued her introduction. “Anne lives in Steven’s apartment building and walks right past your shop almost every day.”
“Do you like coffee?” he asked Anne.
“Yes, she does,” Gram answered. “And we could both use a cup to warm us up now, if you have a fresh pot.”
“Of course I have a fresh pot. Just give me a moment.” Gram walked with him behind his work counter and disappeared into the back room.
Anne looked around the shop. It was filled with woodcarvings in a plethora of sizes and designs. The display was dominated by a large number of carved persons, six to eight inches high, that fit together in pairs or groups. The figures were intricate and detailed. So exacting Anne could detect wrinkles in the clothes. The faces were expressive and poignant. Anne had never seen anything like these creations. Each set fit together exactly, like a puzzle. There was a man, standing while holding a woman in a tender embrace, her head resting against his shoulder. Turning and twisting the female figure slightly while lowering her from the male’s arms could separate the two. Another set included a young child, walking between two parents, swinging from their hands. There was a pair lying on their sides, the man supporting his head with his left elbow while his right was draped over the female who nestled against him.
Anne explored the fascinating creations, marveling over the complex fitting of the beautiful sets and touched by the emotions displayed on the tiny faces carved from wood. She picked up a particularly intriguing set, slightly larger than the others, perched behind a small sign that read “Inseparable Love.” A male figure was standing with his back slightly arched for balance, his arms around the waist of a female figure who had her legs intertwined around his hips and her fingers locked behind his neck. Their eyes were closed and their lips touched lightly in a lover’s kiss. So intricate was the carving, she could detect the stitching in their jeans. But no matter how she rotated the pair, she couldn’t find a way to detach them.
