“Wow! That’s so romantic.” Emily held the back of her hand to her forehead in an exaggerated swoon. “What does that mean—what he said to you?”
“It means ‘you are so perfect.’ And today, he sent a box of candy to the office—dark chocolates.”
“The best. Did it have a note with it?”
“Yes, it said, ‘Vous avez gagné mon cœur.’ That’s ‘You have captured my heart!’”
“Wow, Mom. So do you like him?”
Anne thought for a moment before she spoke. “Yes, I like him. No doubt, he’s pretty hot. I don’t even know why he’s interested in me. He makes me feel very special. Like I’m important. He seems to like everything about me, even my lack of sophistication.”
“But?”
“But I feel like… It’s hard to explain. I feel like he’d have to change for us to have a future together, and I think he knows it. And I feel like he wishes he could change, but he knows it’ll never happen.”
“That’s a lot of feelings, Mom. You know you can’t depend on your feelings. Did he actually say any of those things?”
“No, but he said it with his eyes and his actions. I know he’s a bit of a player, but he treated me like I was a lady. Like he was protecting me from himself.” Anne sighed. “And then there’s Mr. Gherring.”
“What about Mr. Gherring?”
“Johanna said he barely spoke on the way back to the apartment after I left with Henri. And then today, he literally didn’t speak to me. He just avoided me altogether. He must have been at work by six thirty, and he stayed in his office or conference room in meetings all day. There was no opportunity to talk to him.”
“So, do you think he’s really mad at you? For defying him and going out with Henri?”
“Or maybe because of the picture that came out in the social column.”
“What picture?”
“I’ll text you the link. Sam showed it to me at work today. It’s a picture of me and Gherring sitting together at the play. I had no idea anyone was taking pictures. It was really emotional, and you know how I am. I was watching the play and crying, and Gherring was staring at me. The caption read, ‘Steven Gherring breaks another heart!’”
“I can’t believe it. They really don’t give him a break, do they? I never realized how hard it is to be rich and famous.” Emily thought for a moment, and then smiled. “But I’d still like to give it a try.”
“I really do feel bad for him. I took my roses home today, so he wouldn’t feel like I’m flaunting Henri in his face. From the little I know of Henri, I have a feeling he does things on purpose to irritate Mr. Gherring. Everything is like a game for Henri, and Gherring takes everything so seriously. I wonder if he ever relaxes and lets loose.”
“So, are you and Henri going out again?”
“He told me he’d call me tonight, but he’s in Chicago until Friday.”
Emily looked smug. “Okay, I’m going to call Charlie and tell her everything, so don’t bother to call her yourself.”
“You’re so helpful.” Anne raised an eyebrow, but Emily didn’t look intimidated.
“Don’t mention it. That’s why I’m your favorite.”
Thursday, Katie was back at the office. Anne updated her on the plans for the big reception and briefed her on the new contracts she’d sent to the legal department. Then she casually mentioned Henri’s name.
“Henri was here? I love him—he’s so much fun. A little flirty, but he doesn’t mean anything by it. Gherring hates him, though.” Katie gave a furtive glance toward Gherring’s office doors.
“Why does Gherring dislike Henri?”
Katie kept her voice low. “This is just between us, right? But I think you need to know. About five years ago Steven was engaged to a Michelle Caravan. She was sweet and beautiful, and very rich—an heiress to the Caravan estate. But she wanted to have a family, have children, and Steven wouldn’t even discuss it. At least that was the gossip around the office. Steven and Michelle broke up very discreetly, kept everything out of the press.”
Katie stopped to check over her shoulder. “A few months later, Henri started dating her. They dated for six months or so, and she was pretty serious about him, but Henri broke it off. This time it was very public. The breakup happened in France, and the paparazzi took some candid pictures with them arguing and her crying. No one really knows what happened, but Gherring was convinced Henri was cheating on her. He’s hated Henri ever since, but tolerated him because of business.”
“That makes sense now,” Anne said.
“What do you mean? Did Gherring have words with Henri?”