19. Company Pool
“Mom,” said Emily. “You can’t wear gloves and a coat over your wedding dress.”
“Why would you plan an outdoor wedding for me in December when you know how cold-natured I am?”
“Sorry I didn’t get to consult with you. But Steven gave us strict instructions not to say anything.”
“Do you know how hard it was to keep it a secret? It was almost impossible for me. Maybe Miss Perfect didn’t have any trouble,” Charlie complained, poking her sister with her finger.
“What would you have done if I’d turned him down?”
“Mom, we knew you were in love with him.” Emily exchanged a glance with her sister.
“Really, Mom,” said Charlie. “It was so obvious. I think you were the only person who didn’t know.”
“That’s not true.”
“What did the people at work say when you told them?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, Mom.” Her grin was smug. “Were they shocked?”
“I’m sure some of them were shocked.” Anne tried to recall. There had to be someone who hadn’t suspected.
“Sam!” she proclaimed. “Sam was surprised. She thought Steven was dating Ellen.”
“What do you expect from a girl who uses a boy’s name?” Emily teased.
“Hey!” Charlie aimed a shoe at her sister.
“The point is we knew you’d say yes,” said Emily. “But poor Steven… I think the original plan was to ask you Monday night. And then at lunch you pulled that stunt with Ellen, and messed everything up. He cut it kind of close, waiting until last Saturday.”
“I think maybe there’s a lot of stuff you never told us,” Charlie checked her hair in the mirror. “Care to fill us in on a few details? Like, hmmm, was last Saturday the first time he ever kissed you?”
“Oh… look at the time,” Anne said. “We’d better finish getting ready.”
“Eventually, we’ll find out what really happened,” said Emily.
There was a knock on the door, and they heard a man’s muffled voice. “Time to go!”
“Coming, Dad,” said Anne.
* * *
It all felta bit surreal after they arrived at the Arboretum Japanese Garden. She could see people sitting in white chairs and hear the light melodies of classical music. When the cello started playing Bach’s Prelude in C, her dad said, “That’s our cue. Are you ready, Annie?”
Anne took her father’s arm, the unbroken one, and they started down the hill toward the small gathering.
“You look very beautiful, you know,” he said, his voice cracking a little.
“Thanks, Daddy. You look so handsome in your tuxedo.” She grinned up at him. “You know, maybe we should find a wife for you too. You’ve been alone an awfully long time.”
He chuckled. “I’m an old dog—too old. No new tricks for me.”
“We’ll see.”
“You’re shaking. Are you cold or nervous?”
“Just cold.”
She was scared out of her wits. What on earth was she doing, getting married at her age? How could she get used to living with someone when she’d been alone for so long? What would they do during holidays? What if he lost interest after a few months?
Then she saw him. Steven Gherring was standing at the front, waiting. He had eyes for no one but her. And she could see it in his expression—he treasured her. This was a man she could trust. He would take care of her. He would lay down his life for her. The closer she got, the safer she felt. And when her dad deposited her on Steven”s arm, she knew. This was where she belonged.
“You look amazing,” he whispered in her ear, brushing her cheek with his lips.
“It’s not time for that yet.” Charlie’s words sent a ripple of laughter through the crowd.
The pastor spoke. It must have been eloquent and meaningful, but she’d have to watch the video to find out. Anne was only aware of Steven. His hand was caressing hers where it rested on his arm. The flex of his muscles against her. The adoration and promise in his eyes. Sometimes he would squeeze her hand or lean over to kiss her head. She couldn’t get close enough to him. How had they managed to stay apart for so long?
He had to nudge her every time she needed to respond, and she hoped she answered correctly. He slipped a ring on her finger, and she placed one on his. They promised to love each other until death parted them. Her heart turned over in her chest at that thought. She prayed it would be a long time before that happened.
But then, her face was in his hands. And he kissed her. And she lost herself in his kiss. At first his lips caressed hers gently, and then he couldn’t seem to stop. He kissed her harder and his mouth was demanding. He staked his claim on her, and his intent made her insides quiver.
“Ahem!” Emily cleared her throat. “Could y’all wait an hour, please? You’re still my mom.”
The preacher announced them as Mr. and Mrs. Steven Gherring. When they turned to face the crowd, Steven smiled and waved at a group of people standing a distance away, behind the bridge.
“Who’s that?” asked Anne.
“That’s the reporters. Let’s give ‘em a good picture.” She squealed as he scooped her up into his arms and kissed her full on the lips, to the delight and applause of the guests and other observers, alike. And then he carried her down the aisle.
* * *
“Areyou sure you didn’t ask her to marry you after midnight?” Katie asked Steven. “I was so close to winning the pool!”
“What pool?” asked Anne.
“The company pool on when you guys would get engaged,” answered Jared. “I started it and today was my day—I should win something for picking the wedding day.”
“You were no help to me at all,” complained Sam to Anne. “I was trying to get some inside information so I’d have a better chance of winning. You threw me completely off.”
“That’s right,” Tanner agreed. “And I made the mistake of listening to Sam. My day is still a month from now.”
“And then Mr. Gherring got his picture in the social column with that actress,” said Sam. “That really threw me off.”
Anne congratulated herself as she watched the couple interact. Another successful match. Though she had to admit she was a bit off with Steven and Ellen.
“How did I not find out there was an office pool on our engagement when we weren’t even dating?” She turned to Steven. “Did you tell everybody except me?”
“No way,” said Katie. “I knew way before Steven did. The man is clueless. But not as clueless as you.”
“Even I knew,” said Gary, squeezing Katie’s hand. “That night you brought her to climb with Steven. He’s never been so interested in belaying before. And I’ve never seen him show off quite as much, either. You know he doesn’t usually climb without a shirt on.”
Jared chimed in. “I suspected even before we went to Switzerland. Sorry boss, but it was obvious.”
Steven laughed good-naturedly. “At least I wasn’t the last to know. That would be Anne, for sure.”
“It all seems pretty dreamlike to me,” Anne exclaimed. “If you think about it, it’s a miracle I even got the job.”
“You’re right, Anne, I can’t even believe he hired you. But I really thought it was funny when you didn’t know who he was.” Katie turned to Gary. “You should have seen his face.”
“Yeah, that was the best part,” Gary said to Steven. “The great Steven Gherring having to work to impress a girl.”
“He didn’t have to work hard to impress me.” Anne squeezed his hand. “The hard work was getting me to admit it.”
“I just thank God you somehow ended up in that group of interviews,” said Steven.
“God might have had a little help.” Katie raised her eyebrows. “You should talk to Gram…”
* * *
Anne and Stevenfound Gram and Mr. Hamilton talking to Mr. Greenly and Minnie.
“Minnie,” said Anne as she hugged her. “Thanks for coming. And I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for taking care of Gandalf.”
“Oh sweetie, you know how much I love that dog. And we wouldn’t have missed your wedding for anything.”
“So you’ve met Mrs. Gherring?” asked Anne.
“We met a long time ago,” said Gram, with a chuckle.
“You know each other?”
Minnie smiled. “Of course. This is my Aunt Margaret. I think I’ve mentioned her to you before.”
Anne’s eyes grew large as she gawked at Gram. “You’re Minnie’s Aunt Margaret? Gram? That’s incredible! I wish I’d known you were Minnie’s aunt! She always talked about you. In fact, she used to tell me you wanted to fix me up with your…” The words died on her lips as she recognized the truth.
Gram’s self-satisfaction was obvious. “You’re absolutely right. That’s why I got Minnie to ask for a copy of your resume.”
“Yes,” Minnie laughed. “I think I gave you some story about sending your resume to a friend in Fort Worth.”
“And then,” Gram said, “I just had to convince Katie to give your resume to the recruiter and make arrangements for your interview.”
“But…” Anne’s brain couldn’t form a complete sentence.
Steven asked, “What made you think she’d even agree to go to New York for the interview, Gram?”
“Minnie convinced me I should go.” Anne arched an eyebrow. “How could I pass up a free trip to New York?”
“Gherring Inc. doesn’t pay for interview trips for PAs.” Steven turned narrowed eyes to Gram.
“I did what I had to do.” She blinked innocent eyes.
Anne began to fit the pieces of the puzzle together in her head. “You were behind it all? You knew who I was that first day? You lied to me the whole time?”
“I never lied to you, dear. You just assumed I had no idea who you were. I never said that.”
“But you said we were plotting together to find a wife for Steven.”
“And we did plot together.”
“But Gram, weren’t you trying to fix me up with Evan? You never suggested anything about Steven…”
“I never intended for you to end up with Evan, dear. It was always Steven. I tried subtle suggestions, but you were all fired up about finding a different wife for him. I had to be creative to pull it off.”
“And when you bought me that dress and invited Evan to the Christmas party?”
“I was desperate to light a fire under Steven, to get him moving.”
“Your little fire almost got Evan killed,” Steven said. “I can’t believe you let Anne wear a dress like that around him.”
“The dress was for you, Steven. And it worked quite well. You can’t blame me for Evan’s behavior. I didn’t tell him what to do. He did that all on his own.”
“And when you kept saying you didn’t like Henri? Was that part of your plan?” asked Anne.
“No,” chuckled Gram. “I really don’t like him.”
“At least we’re in agreement on that, Gram,” Steven grinned. “That’s why I sent Michelle over there during the Thanksgiving holidays. I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone, if they got back together.”
Anne looked at her husband in shock. “You never told me you sent Michelle to be with Henri.”
“Sorry, honey,” he said, without a hint of sincerity. “But you forgive me, right?” He planted a firm kiss on her lips.
“I don’t know. But I like the way you apologize.”
She asked Mr. Hamilton. “And were you in on the plot too?”
“Margaret tried to explain it to me, but I don’t quite understand how women think,” he said with a perplexed smile. “You had me pretty confused when you dropped by the shop on Saturday morning.”
“Not nearly as confused as I was.”
Mr. Hamilton handed Anne a gift bag. “I know you don’t usually open presents at the wedding reception, but I’d like to explain this one.”
Anne was delighted. “It’s heavy… Did you carve something for me?” She dug into the large bag and pulled out a beautiful pair of carved wood figures.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, as tears sprang to her eyes. “I can’t accept this, Mr. Hamilton. This is ‘Inseparable Love.’ You said you were going to give it to your granddaughter.”
“Well,” he said with a sly wink, “soon, that’ll be true.” He put his arm around Gram and gave her a little squeeze.
“Ohmygosh! You’re getting married?” Anne hugged Gram first and then Mr. Hamilton. Steven picked his Gram up by the waist and twirled her around.
“Put me down this instant,” fussed Gram. But she was laughing in spite of herself.
“When?” asked Anne. “When are you getting married?”
“We’ve got to get married pretty quickly,” said Gram with a straight face. “Before I start showing… People will talk.”
At this, the entire group fell into hysteria.
* * *
The wedding couplefound Ellen and Ben. Ellen gave Anne a sheepish grin.
“Have you forgiven me yet?”
“I don’t know…” Anne teased.
“I hated doing it. It was the hardest acting job I’ve ever had.”
“Wow,” Steven chuckled. “I didn’t know I was that bad.”
“You know what I mean,” said Ellen. “Anne looked so hurt. I felt awful. No offense, Anne, but you’d make a terrible actress. You couldn’t hide your emotions at all.”
“I don’t know,” said Steven. “She had me convinced she was done with me at the party.”
“That’s because I was done with you.”
“And I still owe Ben for letting me borrow his girlfriend.” Steven extended his hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We’re already sold out for two weeks, thanks to your support and the extra publicity.”
“I’m glad. But I got the best end of the deal.” Steven gave his wife a squeeze.
“I guess I don’t get credit for your match with Ben, do I?” Anne asked Ellen. “You managed to get his attention without my help.”
“You mean I managed to get her attention,” Ben lifted her fingers to his lips and placed an adoring kiss. “I kept asking her to do special rehearsals with me, just so I could spend time with her.”
“I thought you were worried about the play because I kept forgetting my lines every time you touched me,” said Ellen.
* * *
Anne spottedJohanna and hurried toward her with Steven trailing behind.
“Johanna! I’m so excited y’all came. All the way from Germany to Texas!”
“I would not have missed it. I am surprised it took Steven so long to make it happen.”
“You owe Johanna too,” Anne declared to Steven. “She was the one who came up with the plot for me to teach you a lesson at the Christmas party. Although… I kept forgetting the plan.”
“Johanna!” Steven complained. “You already knew the truth. Why were you plotting against me?”
“If I had not stirred up her anger a little, she would not have even gone to the party. Am I right, Anne?”
“Wait, Johanna,” said Anne. “You knew? Why didn’t you tell me before the party? Why did you make me memorize all that stuff and follow that silly plan? Why didn’t anybody just tell me?”
“Anne, dear, you still had not admitted to yourself you were in love. I had to get you to that party and force Mr. Gherring’s hand. I knew if he saw you with another man, he would quit his little charade with Ellen.”
“It almost backfired when Anne ran away,” said Steven. “It’s a good thing I’d already enlisted Rayna to keep an eye on her and report back to me.”
He laughed as Rayna and Antonio came up behind Anne to give her a hug.
“Rayna—you traitor,” Anne teased her friend. “Seriously, that night, I was really mad at you.”
“It’s not like Mr. Gherring told me he was in love with you. I’d never have been able to keep that a secret. He only told me he was worried about you getting in trouble since, you know, you’re not really a New Yorker.”
“And I was helping her,” said Antonio, “because it turns out keeping track of you was a full-time job.”
* * *
George and Maywaved the newlywed couple over. “You look beautiful, Anne,” said May.
“May cried through the whole wedding,” said George. “My handkerchief is sopping wet.”
“Now that we’ve got you matched up, we need to get back to work on Spencer,” said May.
“Has he said anything more about Emily?” Anne asked. “Because she’s not telling me anything.”
“I heard that.” Emily sneaked behind her mom, wrapping her in a hug. “No meddling, Mom.”
“I think Emily deserves a little meddling,” said Charlie. “Remember, she actually talked to you on the phone after she talked to Steven, and didn’t breathe a word about his plans.”
“You knew and you didn’t tell her either,” Emily accused her sister. “You just didn’t have my great acting skills, so you didn’t answer her phone calls.”
Anne turned aside to Steven and said quietly, “Hope you’re prepared. This arguing goes on all the time.”
“We’re not arguing,” said Charlie, “It’s just friendly banter.”
“No, it’s a quarrel, and I’m winning,” declared Emily.
“No, it’s a battle of wills, and I can last forever,” Charlie countered.
“It’s a mêlée and the rest of us are innocent bystanders. Have mercy!” Anne complained to Steven. “You see what I mean? They’re constantly provoking each other.”
“Like me and Evan?”
“No, that’s more like mortal combat,” Anne said. “Have you forgiven him yet?”
“For getting handsy with my wife? No!”
“To be fair, I wasn’t your wife yet. I wasn’t even your fiancée.”
“You were the one who wasn’t being fair.” Steven nuzzled her hair. “Teasing him with that dress.”
“I didn’t want to buy it—Gram picked it out.”
“From now on, you can only wear it in front of me.” He leaned in close to whisper in her ear, sending goosebumps down her arms. “Although, I won’t promise I’ll let you keep it on for long.”
* * *
“Haven’twe been here long enough?” Steven whispered in her ear as they sat at the table. “We’ve already had cake and toasts and thrown the bouquet. What are we waiting for?”
“Everyone’s having a good time visiting.”
He reached under the long tablecloth and fumbled with her skirt until his hand found the bare skin of her knee. Her eyes opened wide as he began to slowly edge his way up her thigh.
“I’m thinking they could have a good time without us,” he breathed into her ear.
Her face heated, first from embarrassment, and then from the sparks that began firing in her nervous system.
“Steven!” she warned in a harsh whisper.
“What?” His voice was innocent, but his hand continued its slow progression. “We’re married now, and no one can see what I’m doing under the table cloth. You only need to keep a straight face.”
Her eyes closed and her breathing increased. She grabbed his hand.
“I can’t control my expression when you touch me.”
“I know.”
“So you can’t do that here!”
“I know. That’s why we need to leave now.” He kissed her ear and trailed his lips down onto her neck.
Anne attempted to push him away. “Steven, people can see you.”
“Then take me to some place where they can’t see me,” he urged while his hand attempted to move closer to his goal.
“Okay, okay!” she said, attempting to keep her expression neutral. “Just say something. Make some excuse.”
He stopped the advance of his hand, and smiled victoriously. “It’s a deal.”
He stood and tapped on his wine glass to get everyone’s attention, pulling her to her feet. She hastily adjusted the skirt of her dress.
“Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family. Thank you all for coming to share in this time of celebration. We hope you’ll stay and talk and eat and dance for as long as you’d like. But I’ve waited fifty years to find this woman—my perfect match! And now… We’re going to go make up for lost time!”
The crowd chuckled and applauded, while Anne’s face flamed brightly. But Steven swooped her up effortlessly once again into his arms and carried her away.
“I don’t think you quite understood my intent when I asked you to make an excuse,” she told him over the noisy approval of the guests.
“Then let’s make sure you understand my intent.” He grinned at her as he walked. “I intend to take you to the hotel room. Shut the door and lock it. Then I intend to slowly strip off these clothes, starting with this dress. And I intend to kiss each parcel of skin I expose when I undo the buttons on the back.”
“Steven, you can’t talk about it.”
“I don’t think you can stop me.” His eyes twinkled. “Then when the last button is undone, I intend to slip it off your shoulders and let it fall in a puddle on the ground. Then I’m going to feast my eyes on you, while you stand in whatever lacy little underthings you have on.”
“What if I have on a girdle and granny panties?”
“Then I will rip them off with my teeth and burn them so you can never wear them again,” he promised, waggling his eyebrows. “Should I stop and buy some matches?”
She giggled. “No, you were right. I’ve got lacy little things on under here.”
“I knew it!” He groaned, stopping to place her on her feet and drawing her into a kiss. He pulled her against him and pressed his hips so hard against her she gasped.
“We’d better hurry!” She took his hand and pulled him along behind her.
“Wait.” He laughed. “I haven’t finished telling you what I’m going to do. You know, after I take off those lacy underthings.”
They made it to the limousine and crawled into the back. She sat down and patted the seat next to her, but Steven knelt on the floor in front of her. He lifted her foot and took off her slipper.
“What? No spike heels?”
“No, I decided against them. I’m somewhat better at walking in heels now, but you tend to keep me slightly off balance anyway.”
“I thought I’d give you a little demonstration of that thing where I kiss your skin as I expose it,” he said, lowering his mouth to her foot.
“Not my foot!” she exclaimed, trying to pull it away.
“Just trust me, I promise not to tickle.”
He held her foot firmly, and pressed gentle kisses on top of her toes. Then he slid his lips on the top of her foot to her ankle. He softly touched his tongue on the inside of her ankle.
“I love the way your skin tastes,” he declared. She watched his progress with hooded eyes.
He pushed the trailing dress upward as he slid his lips up the shin of her leg toward her knee. His hands caressed her calf softly, sending chills up her spine. Then he repeated the process on the other leg, until she was practically melting off of the seat.
“I don’t want you to stop. You haven’t even touched me above the knees, and I’m already going crazy.”
“I know,” he said, his breathing heavy. “Watching your face is making me crazy too.”
He dropped her foot and seated himself beside her, leaving her to mourn the loss of his touch.
“I’m not going to let our first time happen in the backseat of a car.” Then he chuckled. “Maybe the fifth or sixth time, though… It’s pretty fun.”
* * *
“I’m kind of nervous,”she admitted as he began unbuttoning her dress and applying the promised kisses.
“Why are you nervous?” he asked between kisses as he worked his way down.
“Because… look at you.” He stopped his ministrations to stare at her.
“What about me?”
“Your body… I mean no one really has a body like that. Your chest and your stomach—they’re all muscles, and you don’t even have any fat anywhere. How can I compete with that? I’m afraid you’ll be… you know, disappointed. You’ve been with younger women, and I’m afraid when you see me—”
He turned her and stopped her from speaking with a possessive kiss.
“Watch what you say. Don’t start criticizing my wife.” He kissed her again, and his mouth slid down her neck. She moaned and lifted her chin. His lips wandered down to her chest and his tongue explored the tender skin peeking out of the bodice of the dress.
“Now these breasts,” he said as he ran his fingertips along the lacy plunge of the neckline. “I haven’t actually seen them yet. But I have lain awake at night fantasizing about them and agonizing over not possessing them.” He kept gliding his fingers gently back and forth, sliding them slightly under the edge of the lace, as her breath became shallow panting. Suddenly, he withdrew his hand, and she cried out in protest.
“Your body is mine now, and I love every bit of it. And now, I’m going to make love to every bit of it—every square inch of skin. I’m going to kiss and nibble and lick you until I’ve propelled every doubt from that worrying brain you have.”
He kissed her again, deepening the kiss and plundering her mind. Her legs started to give way beneath her, and he held her against him tightly. She was acutely aware of his hard muscles pressing against her.
“But when I finally get to make love to you…” He held his face close to hers and gazed at her, his clear blue eyes shining with affection. “You’ll never doubt again you are perfect for me. That we fit perfectly together. That you were made for me.”
He kissed her again. “And you’ll have just a tiny glimpse of how much I love you!”
* * *
The sun was peekingthrough the curtains of the hotel room. Anne and Steven lay in a tangle of sheets, her eyes closed, her head resting on his arm, her body pressed against his. Drowsy, content, blissfully happy. That’s how she would describe herself. Was it really true? Was she really married to Steven Gherring? She looked at his sleeping form. Yes, it was true. And he loved her. He’d proven it to her. Over and over and over. And over. Perhaps she’d made him wait too long, after all. He seemed determined to make up for lost time.
Her mind drifted. She’d started out looking for a little adventure and ended up with a whole new life. Mrs. Steven Gherring. What could possibly be next? Travel. Meeting lots of new people all over the world. Helping Steven with his work. And he’d promised to make the girls a big part of their lives. He’d already offered Emily a job at Gherring Inc., although she was fussing about needing to prove herself.
But Anne still had work to do on the matchmaking front. Her girls needed husbands. And she hadn’t found anyone for Spencer, or that sweet young man who played sad guitar music in the subway station. Who else? Hmmm…
“Michelle!” She sat up in bed, her mind alert with excitement.
“What?” Steven rubbed his sleep-heavy eyes. “What about Michelle? Is she here?”
“I just realized Michelle would be perfect for your cousin, Evan.”
He stared at her until understanding dawned on his face. “I see I have work to do.” He threw back the sheet and gazed at her with a wolfish grin. “I’m going to drive all thoughts of my cousin from your mind.”
And he did.
* * *
The End