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Gherring offered to buy dinner for the whole group, so the young people jumped on the idea. He took off his hat and glasses and immediately procured a table for six in a restaurant with a two-hour wait. Anne pretended to enjoy herself during the extravagant meal, working hard to avoid eye contact with Gherring.
After the limousine dropped the boys off, they returned to the apartment. The girls were exhausted but excited from their eventful day in New York.
“Hey Mr. Gherring,” said Charlie. “I hate to ask and you can say ‘no’ if you want to. But can Mom take a picture of us with you?”
Gherring grinned. “Okay, but only if you send me a copy.”
Anne looked through the camera viewer at her two beaming girls standing next to Steven Gherring with his arms around them. Why did she have a lump in her throat?
She snapped the picture and handed it back to Charlie. They rode the elevator to their floor, but Gherring stopped her before she could escape to her room. “Can I talk to you alone for a second?”
“Sure.” Her voice quivered.
Gherring gestured toward a pair of chairs in the elevator foyer. Anne sat down with her back stiff, studying the pattern on the rug.
“Ms. Best, I’m sorry I was so forward with you tonight.” He leaned toward her, but she refused to look at him. “You’re quite different from any
other woman I’ve known, and I’m not really sure how to act around you.”
“It’s okay—”
“No wait, I want to finish. I want to correct a couple of things you seem to believe about me.”
“I’m sorry I said that stuff. I was just rambling—”
His scalding finger pressed against her lips to silence her.
“The first thing is I haven’t dated that many women. I’ve attended events with quite a few, but that’s a far cry from having a relationship.”
She made the mistake of looking up. He captured her gaze and she couldn’t pull her eyes away.
“The second is I do remember the few women I’ve actually dated, and that’s because of the third thing. I’m a very careful man. Everything I do… Remember this… Everything I do means something to me.”
She would’ve gulped if there had been a drop of moisture in her mouth.
Evidently satisfied, he stood and started to walk away, before turning back. “And let me correct that last thing I said on the boat—I would never let you freeze to death. No matter how stubborn you were.”
With those words, Gherring got on the elevator and closed the doors, leaving Anne very much alone. And more confused than ever.
Sightseeing
Anne and the girls slept late on Sunday morning. “Let’s go to Central Park today,” said Anne. “We can walk from here, and we’ll make a picnic lunch. After that we’ll go to Grand Central Station and the Empire State Building.”
“Okay,” said Charlie. “Today is picture day. We’ve got to get lots of them, because I haven’t posted many. And this may be our last chance to see New York. Who knows how long Mom’s going to keep her job?”
She was probably right. Mr. Gherring had seemed pretty irritated last night.
Emily gave her mom a hug. “Mom, she was just teasing. Mr. Gherring seems to like you a lot. You’re not going to lose your job.”
“I’m not so sure. I just can’t seem to think straight around him. I’m always putting my foot in my mouth and making things awkward.”
Emily frowned. “Mom, I’ve got to ask you… Do you like Mr. Gherring?”
“Of course I like him. Don’t you?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“Yeah Mom,” said Charlie. “I think maybe you like him a little more than that. I couldn’t blame you if you did.”
