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She smiled.
His heart lurched. There it was—that smile. And it was only for him.
“Uhmm... No problem. Any time. I’ve worked with this program before.”
“So, uhmm... Do you want to go to lunch at Papa’s? I’m going with Mom and Steven.”
He tried to hide his surprise. Why was she asking him to go with her? He thought she wanted to avoid him.
She looked down as color rose to her cheeks. “Uhmm, you don’t have to go. I mean... If you have other plans...”
“No, I don’t have plans—I’d love to go.”
“Okay.” She lifted her huge blue sparkling eyes, peering through her lashes. “And, thank you.”
She smiled again, and his heart turned a flip inside his chest. He was in big trouble.
Chapter Two
Anne couldn’t stop smiling. Having lunch with her daughter brought such joy, and this would likely be the first of many. She’d missed Emily so much since she left Texas to move to New York. They were sitting at their usual lunch spot—a table in the private room at Papa’s Place. Papa George and May gladly accommodated Steven Gherring so he could dine away from the public eye. She and Steven had dined at this table numerous times since they’d gotten married. But today Emily was with them, and Anne was excited. She gave her husband an appreciative glance. He’d been instrumental in convincing Emily to make the move to New York. Now, if she could only get Charlie to move here as well, everything would be perfect.
Emily had brought Spencer along to lunch. Anne attempted to tamp down her curiosity. Did their relationship involved more than friendship? She thought she’d seen him glancing at her daughter with rather adoring eyes, but she couldn’t be certain. They spoke as if they were simply buddies. She really wanted to question Emily, but she’d been warned not to interfere in her love life. Since she’d been matching up couples for a number of years, Anne found it quite difficult to resist the temptation to intervene a little.
“You’re not eating your lunch, Mom,” Emily observed. “I thought pot roast was your favorite.”
“I know, but I’m not hungry.”
“And I think it’s becoming a trend,” said Steven. “Are you losing weight?”
Steven was getting worried—she had to distract him.
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten on a scale. I get like this when I get stressed.” She pinned him with a playfully stern look. “Like when I thought you were sleeping with Ellen.”
“Will you never let me forget that little incident?” His lips curled in a guilty smile before he turned, clarifying to Emily and Spencer. “I was only trying to make her jealous. And nothing happened at all.”
“You called me up to your apartment with some made-up excuse, and you had Ellen lounging on your couch with a glass of wine. And you had your shirt unbuttoned. And you had soft music playing...”
“But I was only pretending to do what you said you wanted me to do,” he protested in a playful tone. He defended himself again. “She was trying to get rid of me by pawning me off on another woman.”
Spencer’s eyes were the size of saucers, but Emily was chuckling.
“I admit it,” Anne grinned. “I asked for it. But don’t you remember I could hardly eat for four days.”
“But this has been longer, hasn’t it? And what are you stressed about?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you look so good today. I’m probably worried some girl is going to steal you from me.” She winked, hoping her flirtatious remark would throw him off his pursuit.
“You do look a little thin, Mom,” Emily countered. “You should try to eat. Maybe the meat is too much. Try your salad.”
“Fine. I’ll eat something.”
Anne forked a piece of lettuce and transferred it to her mouth. She ignored the wave of nausea and forced herself to swallow. If it had only been nausea, she could have handled it. But the nagging pain seemed to be there even when she wasn’t eating.
“Maybe you should see a doctor.”
Her ploy had failed—Steven was still watching her pick at her food.
“I’m not going to the doctor every time my appetite changes a smidgeon. I promise you I’m fine. But I don’t want everyone to watch me while I eat. Can we change the subject please?”
