She followed him to the door, scrambling for a cover story. “I’m sorry, Mr. Gherring, I didn’t think you’d mind—”
“I know exactly what you’re doing. This is just part of your little plan with Gram, right?” His voice was quiet but left no doubt of his anger.
Anne’s face was burning. “No, I—”
“Give it up. We both know you can’t tell a lie.”
“But you can’t leave now. It would be rude.”
“I can’t believe you still want me to… after all that’s happened…” His eyes hardened into cold blue slits. “Fine! I’ll meet your friend, if that’s what you really want.”
Striding back to the table, he slid into a chair next to Ellen. “It turns out one of my appointments has canceled this afternoon. I have plenty of time for lunch, after all. Tell me about yourself, Ellen. You’re in a play?”
“Yes, it’s my first role. I’m trying to break into the business. I have the lead, but we’re a really small production.”
“What’s it called?”
“Rainbow Junction. Have you heard of it?”
“No, I’m afraid not. But that’s no matter.” He flashed his deep dimples at her. “What’s that fragrance you’re wearing? It’s intoxicating.”
“It’s called ‘Rain.’ Do you like it?”
He picked up her hand and lifted her wrist to his nose. “That’s really nice. It’s light and sweet. It suits you.” He held her hand a moment longer before he released it.
Anne kept a smile plastered on her face as she observed their interaction.
“Thank you, Mr. Gherring.” Ellen blushed, a pretty rose color rising to her cheeks.
“Please. Call me Steven.” His smile was devastating. “You know, Ms. Dean, I just might be interested in supporting this play of yours financially. We should get together and talk more about it.”
“Thanks Mr. Gher—I mean, Steven. We could really use some financial support. It’s a great play, but it’s so far off Broadway no one knows about it.”
“Ellen, I have a terrific idea. I have a benefit dinner tomorrow night. Why don’t you accompany me? We could talk more about your play.”
Anne jumped into the conversation. “Wait. You have a dinner tomorrow night? I didn’t know about that—”
He pinned her with cold, angry eyes. “No, you didn’t. That was not an accident. I purposely left it off your calendar.”
He turned back to Ellen. “Can you believe that Ms. Best has been plotting with my dear grandmother to set me up with a potential wife? Yes, it seems she’s even resorted to meddling with my dinner escorts. Unbelievable, right?”
“That’s pretty crazy, I guess.”
“Yes, indeed. It seems she’s working overtime to get me hitched. To someone. To anyone who’ll have me, I suppose. Despite the fact I specifically asked her not to interfere. So Ellen, are we on for tomorrow night?”
“Sure.” She glanced nervously at Anne.
“Great.” He smiled, his sky-blue eyes studying Ellen. “Your hair is really striking. Do you do something to straighten it?”
“No, I’m one quarter Asian. It’s naturally straight.”
He reached out and lifted a lock of her long hair in his hands, gazing as the silky strand slipped through his fingers. “I hope you’ll wear it down tomorrow night. I really like it.”
“Sure… okay…”
“Ms. Best,” he said without taking his eyes off of Ellen. “I’ll need Ellen’s contact information.”
The waitress arrived with their orders, but Steven stood. “I’m sorry for the