“You know,” he said softly, “I—”
“Hey Steven! Are you ready to climb? I’ll belay you.” Gary called from across the room.
Gherring sighed, and turned toward Gary. “I’m coming, buddy.”
What had he been about to say? That he was proud of her?
Anne stood next to Katie while Gherring tackled the challenging climb. His muscles flexed and bulged as he pulled himself under an overhang using only handholds. Katie leaned over and whispered in Anne’s ear, “He looks pretty good for a fifty-year-old, don’t you think?”
Anne, who’d been thinking he looked pretty good for any age, nodded her head in agreement. She decided climbing was a really great spectator sport, at least when the scenery was this good. “Does he come here a lot?”
“Yeah, he and Gary were friends and climbing buddies before this, and Steven encouraged him to start this gym and was one of his initial investors. In fact, that’s how I met Gary. Steven was pretty mad when he realized he was going to lose his executive assistant, but I think he’s finally accepted it. He didn’t really have a choice, and it’s helped a lot since you showed up. At first, he was so pouty he turned down every candidate.”
“Why do you think he hired me? After turning down all those others?”
“Don’t get your feelings hurt, but you made him laugh.”
“He laughed at me?”
“No, you’re taking it wrong. He laughed because you surprised him. It takes a lot to surprise Steven after so many years in this business. He’s become pretty cynical, I think. It’
s more like he laughed at himself, for being caught by surprise.”
“Hmmm, that’s not really too flattering. But I guess it makes sense. Oh!” she exclaimed as Gherring slipped and caught himself with his fingertips on the hold, while his feet searched for a purchase on the wall. He regained his footing and continued upward, every muscle straining. Anne felt the tension in her neck finally ease when he reached the top and fell back to descend. “So do you ever climb?”
“Me? No way. I’ve got no desire to climb. But I’m happy to watch Gary and cheer him on. He’s opening another gym, and I’m going to help him run the business after we’re married.”
“Do you think we got away with our little fib about Gary?”
“I don’t know, but I guess we just need to quit talking about Steven.” She smiled. “Or else we need to watch his office door a little more closely.”
On the ride home, Anne chatted about the climbing experience and asked questions about technique and the climbing wall construction, attempting to keep the conversation from turning serious as it had on the way there.
“You were a lot more confident on your second climb. The big rookie mistake is relying too much on your arm strength. Your leg muscles are much stronger.”
“But you sometimes were climbing with just your arms. You know, when you were under those ledges.”
“To be honest, most women don’t have the arm strength to do that. Plus, I have years of experience and strength from climbing and weights and swimming.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I forgot you have years and years of experience…”
“I said ‘years’ not ‘years and years.’”
“Maybe by the time I’m your age, with all those years of experience—”
Suddenly Gherring was tickling her side, and she dissolved into helpless laughter. He didn’t relent until she shouted. “I give up! I take it back! You’re not old!”
Her cheeks were aching from laughter and burning from her body’s response to his touch. Even his tickling started a little fire inside her. She was glad the back of the limo was dark so he couldn’t see her flushed face.
“Will you try it again?” he asked. “The climbing?”
She sucked in a heavy breath. “I think so—it was fun. You know what? I should bring the girls to the gym this weekend. I think they’d like it. At least Charlie would.”
“They’re coming to New York?”
“Didn’t I tell you? They’re coming on Friday and going back Monday. I’m so excited. In fact, I think we’re going to go eat with your Gram one night.”
“Gram is staying here through the weekend?”