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Too late she realized Gram had been keeping this a secret from her grandson. “Yeah. She said something about having things to do. I’m not sure. I could be wrong.”
“Is that so?” Gherring mused. “I think Gram and I may need to have a talk.”
“Please don’t get me in trouble with your Gram.”
“It’s not like I wouldn’t have found out she was staying. I just think she may be up to something.”
“Leave me out of it.”
“Sure. If it’s possible, I’ll leave you out of it.” His face grew more earnest. “You know—”
“We’re here. I’m so tired I think I may fall asleep with my clothes on.”
“Do you need someone to carry you inside?” His dimples deepened.
“No, I’m good.” Anne scrambled out of the limo as if she might catch on fire. “Thank you for holding me. I mean for holding me up… with the rope. Not… never mind. See you tomorrow.”
She trotted into the building and ran to press the elevator button. To her distress, he sauntered to the elevator just as the door opened and stepped inside with her. She fumbled inside her bag for her keys, effectively eliminating the need for conversation.
“So you don’t need any help?”
She glanced up to see his eyebrows waggling. “You have to stop teasing me.”
“It’s hard to resist when you’re so easy to tease. But really Anne, I wanted to say—”
The elevator doors opened on the tenth floor, and Anne made her escape.
“Good night, Mr. Gherring.”
As the doors were closing, she looked back to see him beating his forehead with the palm of his hand.
Back when I was a teenager, my dad used to do that every time we talked.
Gherring must be frustrated with her. Probably because she was too sensitive. If only she didn’t take everything so seriously. But it was so hard not to be sensitive around Steven Gherring when his very presence made her nerves tingle. Perhaps she could get some acting lessons from Ellen.
PowerPoint
After a hectic work morning, Anne headed next door for lunch at Papa’s Place. George and May had made her promise to catch them up on things, so she headed down alone. Spencer met her at the door. “Hey Anne! Have you found a match for me yet?”
“No luck so far. None of them are willing to compete with all the girls that are constantly hanging around you, vying for attention,” she teased. She started to head back to her table, but stopped dead in her tracks. “How old are you, Spencer?”
“I’m twenty-five. Why?”
“And you’re in grad school, right?”
“Yep, getting my MBA.”
“Do you like climbing?”
“Sure. Climbing, bouldering, hiking, mountain biking, skiing—just about anything outdoors.”
She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and found a picture of Emily and Charlotte. “Want to go climbing with me and my girls this weekend at a climbing gym? And do you think you could find another friend to come along? I don’t really know any young guys for us to hang out with.”
Spencer stared at the picture in his hand, and his mouth dropped open. He looked up with a grin. “I think I could find about twenty friends who’d be willing to go climbing this weekend if I showed them this picture.”
Anne laughed. “Great. I’ll call you and set up a time.”
“Oh and by the way, search no further for a match for me. I’ll take either one. Are they smart too?” He paused a moment and looked at the picture again. “Never mind. Who cares?”
