Johanna
Anne struggled to decide what she should tell Johanna. Were there sparks? There was definitely some kind of passion burning that night. But she couldn’t tell if that blaze had been for Henri, or if it was just because of fifteen years in the cold. He was beautiful to look at, and his attention had done wonders for her sagging ego. Kissing him was certainly exciting, and she was looking forward to a repeat performance. She knew she was playing with fire—she’d teetered on the edge of control. Finally she decided to skirt around the question but give enough details to satisfy her friend’s curiosity.
Dear Johanna,
I can only tell you Henri is a great kisser! I’m sure my long dry spell made me even more appreciative of his skill. I’m determined to limit our physical relationship to kissing, for the time being. I know that may seem antiquated, but I won’t be satisfied with less than total commitment. Anyway, it would be difficult to do more since an ocean separates us. But the exciting news is Henri has invited me to come to Paris over the Thanksgiving holiday! I’ll get to use my passport and see Paris! Mr. Gherring doesn’t like Henri, so we’ve had some strain in our work relationship. He doesn’t know I’m going to see Henri in Paris. But his grandmother and I are joining forces to find a potential wife for him. (This is strictly confidential, so don’t breathe a word about our plan!) I think Mr. Gherring won’t be so interested in controlling my personal life when he has a wife to love him. Everyone deserves sparks, right?
Anne
She read over her reply one last time and pressed send. She hoped her new friend would be satisfied with her response. Anne thought about going upstairs for a run, but she finally opted for curling up on the couch with a good book. She would put off her workout until tomorrow. She had leftovers from her lunch she popped in the microwave for a tasty dinner. She chuckled to herself as she remembered her lunch with Gram. Perhaps a better description would be interrogation. Just then her cell phone rang, and she answered the unidentified call.
“So have you made any progress?” Gram’s voice demanded.
Anne laughed. “Not since lunch today. I didn’t know it was that much of a crisis.”
“My heart is feeling a little weak today. I think we should hurry.”
“Did you try talking to him again? Suggesting he should consider dating—really dating?”
“Hon, talking to that boy is like banging your head against a brick wall.”
“Okay, well I did have a thought.”
“What’s that?”
“It just so happens I’m in charge of arranging for Mr. Gherring’s escort to a fundraising dinner on Friday. I’m supposed to let the publicist choose someone, but this time I thought I’d pick his escort personally. I’ll look at all the available women, and choose the one I think he’d like. I’ll make sure she has the qualities we think would be good for a wife.”
Gram sounded dubious. “Couldn’t hurt. But he’s so stubborn. We need something to really shake him up.”
“Did you have something in mind?”
“No, not yet. But I’ll think of something. This time I’m taking the gloves off.”
“Gram, I think you’re a formidable opponent. Mr. Gherring won’t know what hit him. But you should know he tried to find out from me what we talked about at lunch today. Don’t worry though, I didn’t give anything away.”
“Good job keeping it under the table,” said Gram. “Why do you call him Mr. Gherring? Don’t you know him well enough to call him Steven?”
“I’m just trying to show him some respect. I already have trouble smarting off to him. The least I can do is call him Mr. Gherring.”
“Hmphh! I’ll call you tomorrow and check on your progress.”
Anne tried to go back to her book, but she was distracted with thoughts of Steven Gherring. This had to be her most challenging match ever—to find a wife for New York’s most eligible bachelor. She decided to work on a list of qualities.
Beautiful
Young Kind of young (30-40 years old)
Smart
Educated (must have a college degree)
Sophisticated
Talented
She pondered a bit. These were rather superficial things. But Steven was special. He deserved a wife who would understand him and care about him. He needed someone who loved him for himself and not for his money or power or popularity. How could she put that on a list? It was her list. It didn’t have to look great. One-word descriptions wouldn’t work for this part.
Loves him for himself, not his money