Anderson realized too late that he should have anticipated this.
Holly looked from one man to the other. “Will someone clue me in as to what’s going on here?” she asked. Her eyes settled on Anderson.
“Well, I’m—” He stumbled with the words. He hadn’t wanted her to find out like this.
“Anderson’s our new consultant,” Felix said. “He’ll be working with our legal department.”
“I see...” Holly glared at Anderson. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Just what did he think he was doing going behind her back to work for the station?
“It’s good that he already knows someone here. It will make the transition that much easier.” Felix looked at Holly. “Why don’t you show Anderson around?”
“I’d be happy to,” she mustered. He had some explaining to do. She waited till they were alone before confronting him. “Why the hell did you decide to work for KOEN?”
Anderson cocked a brow. Clearly she was pissed, though he wasn’t quite sure why. It wasn’t as if he had stepped on someone’s toes. Or had he? “Actually, I’m not an employee of the station, technically speaking.”
“Don’t patronize me,” she said. “You’re working with the legal department, whatever you want to call it.”
“Okay, okay, whatever.” He took a breath. “It’s still not what you think.”
“So why don’t you tell me what it is, then, Anderson?” Holly tried to keep an open mind, but she wasn’t comfortable with someone she was involved with also being part of her workplace.
He resisted the urge to give her a hug to calm her down, feeling it wasn’t appropriate in the setting. “I offered my services here because I thought it was a nice way to spend more time with you in a professional environment.”
“But why?” she asked, trying to wrap her mind around it. “This isn’t a game. It’s where I work.”
“I know,” he said, lowering his voice. “I care for you. We get along well. So why not see if that applies under any circumstances?”
“I’m not sure I understand where you’re coming from.” She met his eyes. “You don’t need to prove to me that we can get along great wherever we are. I already know that.”
“So what seems to be the problem?”
Her brows knitted. “First of all, you should have come to me before you came up with this plan, and I would have told you it was a bad idea. Secondly, I have made a habit of never dating anyone I work with. I’m sorry.”
Anderson took a moment to collect his thoughts. He had gone about this whole thing the wrong way and had now boxed himself into a corner. He couldn’t lose her. Not over this. “I’m sorry,” he said in earnest. “You’re right, I should have told you my plan. I actually hoped it would please you, not turn you off.”
“I’m not turned off,” she told him. “I’m being practical. Work and romance simply do not mix, even with the best of intentions. Maybe you’ve never had a workplace romance.”
He peered at her. “And you have?”
“Once, a long time ago,” Holly admitted. “It was short and not very sweet. I knew then that I’d never make that mistake again.”
“We’re not a mistake,” Anderson said. “Far from it.”
“I feel the same way—as long as we keep our professional and personal lives separate.”
“As far as I’m concerned, they are separate,” he told her. “You’ll probably never see me around here. Most of the time I do my consulting over the phone or at a restaurant. Nothing has to change between us.”
In spite of wanting to believe that, Holly knew she couldn’t back down. “Are you saying you’re not going to tell Felix you’ve had a change of heart?”
“I’m not quite sure it’s that simple,” he said.
“I think it is,” she insisted. “I’m sure that if you’re honest when you explain things, Felix will understand.”
Anderson frowned. “Problem is, I made a commitment to act as a consultant. As a professional, my reputation means as much to me as yours does to you. If I come across as unreliable, it could sully my reputation.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you came up with this master plan of yours,” Holly said sharply. “Or maybe you just don’t give a damn what I think.”
“You know that’s not true,” Anderson said.
“I don’t know anything, except that we can’t be together if we’re employed by the same business.”
He could see that she had drawn a line in the sand, as had he. “Why don’t we go somewhere and talk about this?”
“I think we’ve already talked enough.”
Anderson sighed. “I don’t.” He reached out for her hand, but she turned away.
“I have some other errands to run, so...” She left it at that, wanting to get out of there before any more words were said that could further strain whatever was left between them.
Minutes later, Holly was driving away and feeling disappointed with Anderson. She had not seen this coming and had really thought they were about to embark on something special. But if he couldn’t respect her wishes about her workplace, what type of future could they honestly expect to have?
Chapter 7
Holly was at home watching television—well, more like staring at the screen but having no idea what was on. Her mind was preoccupied with Anderson and wondering if she had gone too far in asking him to terminate his business relationship with the station. It had been more than a week since they had argued about it and neither had called the other. Was it really worth losing what they had simply because he did consulting work for KOEN, supposedly as a means to get closer to her?
Just as she began to have second thoughts about it, Holly wondered if she really needed to lower her principles for a man who seemed to think it was perfectly fine to romance someone in the workplace—even if the romance had come before their professional acquaintance.
If he cared about my feelings at all, he would have asked me first if it was okay for him to be a legal consultant at the station, she thought. But no, like most men, he did what he wanted to do without thinking about my feelings.
She was miserable, and he was to blame. Maybe it was better that she had found out now how selfish Anderson could be before she got too deeply involved with him.
Holly’s cell phone rang and she hoped it was Anderson. Instead, it was her brother, Stuart, calling.
“Hey, sis,” he said cheerfully.
“Hey back. Is everything all right with the girls?”
“Yes, they’re fine, other than missing their favorite aunt. What about you?”
“I’ve had better days,” she admitted.
“Want to tell me about it?”
“Not really,” she said, folding her legs beneath her on the couch.
“C’mon, that’s what big brothers are for. Maybe I can help.”
Holly finally decided to let down her wall of resistance and told him about her situation with Anderson and where things now stood.
“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone,” Stuart said.
“Now you do,” she told him. “At least I was. I’m not so sure anymore where this is headed, if anywhere.”
“My advice is to stick to your guns,” he surprised her by saying. “I think you did the right thing standing up for yourself. If he refused to back down, that’s telling you he might not be the right guy for you.”
“You think?” In fact, Blythe had suggested the same thing. Holly was confused. She enjoyed Anderson’s company and he had been a true gentleman. But then he had to go and break the magical spell by stubbornly refusing to tell Felix he had made a mistake. “I thought all you guys with your superior attitudes stuck together.”
Stuart laughed. “Not this time,” he said. “Sorry to disap
point you.”
“You didn’t,” she told him. “Just the opposite.”
“Look on the bright side—if this dude turns out to be a flake, you can always relocate to Portland and I can introduce you to someone who would worship the ground you walk on.”
“Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t want anyone to worship me. I want someone who is my equal in a relationship.” She had thought that was the case with Anderson, but apparently he was only interested in a relationship on his terms.
“Well put, little sister. Now I know why you’re such a great role model for Dottie and Carrie.”
Holly was flattered. Her nieces were little angels and deserved much more than they had gotten from their mother. Stuart was great with them, but he could only do so much as a father. She hoped he would find someone soon to share his life with.
She felt better after hanging up. Perhaps it wasn’t in her best interest to call Anderson and let him back in her life. Maybe he had moved on in spite of the supposedly deep connection they had between them. So why put herself out there if it wouldn’t accomplish anything other than letting him have his way?
* * *
Anderson sat at the bar next to his friend Lester, tasting some suds and trying to figure out what went wrong between him and Holly. One moment they were seemingly well on their way to something extraordinary, the next their relationship had stalled for reasons that eluded him. Did she really want to end things simply because he was doing some consulting work for her employer? What was that about?
Moreover, why couldn’t he swallow his pride and do the right thing? Wasn’t she worth that and a hell of a lot more?
“This is on you,” Lester said, getting his attention.
“What’s that?” Anderson asked.
“There you are trying to sabotage a relationship again.”
“That’s not what this is about,” Anderson said.
“Isn’t it?” Lester’s eyes narrowed. “Whenever you let a woman get close, you manage to successfully push her away.”
Anderson tasted his beer. “I didn’t push her away. It was just the opposite. I tried to get closer, but she shot that down.”
“No, you shot it down by putting her in a position where she would have to break her own rules, which were there for a reason,” Lester said. “You need to respect the fact that she wants her professional space separate from her personal life. If you had told her up front what you had in mind, she could have stopped you in your tracks. But it didn’t work out that way.”
“All right, so I screwed up,” Anderson conceded. “How do I fix it?”
Lester eyed him hard. “You know how. Tell the station you can’t work for them anymore because of a conflict of interest or because you have too heavy a workload, or whatever.”
“Then what does that make me—a wimp for giving in?”
Lester laughed. “No, it makes you a man for recognizing what’s most important in life. In this case, I think it’s Holly, if I’ve read you correctly.”
“You have. I want her back in my life.”
“So you have your answer,” Lester said, lifting his mug. “We both know you don’t need the money and that you have consulting gigs left and right. Don’t screw up what seems to be a good thing before I even get a chance to meet her.”
Anderson grinned. “Yeah, I’ll try not to deny you that opportunity.”
Was it too late? Yes, it had only been a week since things had stalled between him and Holly. But that could be a lifetime in a relationship. Did she see him as someone who wouldn’t bend and, therefore, poor boyfriend material in the long run?
Or, like him, would she view it merely as the type of bump in the road that every relationship experienced at one time or another?
* * *
The next morning, Anderson called Felix Yasmin and told him that he would no longer be able to work for KOEN, citing that he had overextended himself and wouldn’t have been able to give them the attention they deserved from a legal consultant.
Felix accepted his decision, but made it clear that if things should change in the future, they would be happy to have him back on their legal team.
Anderson didn’t plan to go down that road again. Not when Holly was a much better bet for his future.
He called her and hoped she wouldn’t hit the ignore button when she saw his name on the caller ID.
“Hi,” she said, answering for a video chat.
“Hi.” Anderson was delighted to see her lovely face again. “How have you been?”
“Busy, for the most part,” Holly said.
He wondered if that meant too busy to miss him very much. “I wanted to let you know that I’m no longer a consultant for KOEN.”
“Really?” Holly was surprised at the news. It had really seemed as if he had dug his heels in for the long run.
“Yeah, it wasn’t a good fit,” Anderson told her. “But you are.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’m sorry if I caused us to fall offtrack. I hope it doesn’t mean we can’t get back on it.”
“I think we can,” she said. “And your apology is accepted.”
Anderson breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to know.”
“I should probably apologize myself. Maybe I did jump the gun in not wanting you there, but—”
“You don’t have to explain,” he said. “I understand. It won’t happen again. I just want to pick up where we left off and see how things go.”
“I’d like that, too,” Holly said, smiling.
Anderson grinned. “I’ve missed you.”
“Same here.”
“Can I take you out to dinner tonight?”
“Dinner sounds good,” she said. “Only this time I’d like to cook you a meal.”
“Even better,” he said. “But only if I bring the wine.”
“Be my guest. Seven-thirty?”
Anderson got her address and could hardly wait to see her in person. This time he was determined not to make the same relationship mistakes he had made before. He would see this through, no matter what was in store.
* * *
At six o’clock, Holly did a little more tidying up of her house before preparing the meal. She wanted it to be special. She hadn’t cooked for a man other than her father and brother in some time. The menu for the night was breaded veal cutlets, mashed potatoes, greens, corn-bread muffins and peach cobbler. She had learned how to cook these and other foods from her mother, who could make any meal from scratch.
I’m so glad Anderson called, she thought while peeling potatoes. It had been killing her not seeing him, even though it had been her decision. But she had begun to wonder if her reasoning was worth ending a relationship that seemed so full of promise. Also, having Anderson in her life had made Holly aware of the void she had been seeking to fill through her job and volunteer work. She understood now how much she had really missed male companionship.
Especially in the form of Anderson Gunn.
While the food was cooking, she got ready for her dinner date, slipping into a mulberry-colored halter cocktail dress and matching sandals. She pulled her hair back with clips and splashed a touch of perfume along her neckline and on each wrist.
When seven-thirty rolled around, the food was ready and so was Holly.
The doorbell rang right on cue and Holly peeked out and saw Anderson standing there. She took a sweeping glance at her house, as if she could change anything that wasn’t quite right at this point, before opening the door.
“Hi,” Anderson said, grinning.
“Hey.” Holly returned the smile. “Did you find it all right?”
“Sure did. I have GPS in my car, so it practically drives itself anywhere I want to go.”
“Mu
st be nice.”
“Yeah, it is. But not half as nice as you look tonight.”
“Thank you.” She beamed.
Holly showed him in. She closed the door and faced her guest, who looked spiffy in a black shirt and taupe pants. His head was freshly shaved and he was holding a bottle of red wine.
“I hope this will do,” Anderson said, handing her the bottle of cabernet sauvignon.
“I think it will do just fine,” Holly said, smiling at him.
“Great house you’ve got here.”
“I like it,” she admitted. “It suits me.”
Anderson was inclined to agree. He hoped to see more of it after dinner. He inhaled the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, which made his stomach growl. “Do you need me to do anything, maybe open the wine?”
“That would be good,” Holly said. “Other than that, just make yourself at home and dinner will be served shortly.”
Anderson was glad that they seemed to have gotten past his error in judgment. As far as he was concerned, it was ancient history, and they hopefully had a lot of future to work on.
After opening the wine and pouring it into two goblets, Anderson sipped some while admiring photographs in the living room of Holly and two people he assumed were her parents. They had obviously both passed on their best qualities to her. Within a few minutes, Holly called him to the dining room.
“The food looks delicious,” Anderson said as they sat at an oval glass-top table.
“Thanks,” Holly said, beaming. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief that he liked what she had prepared. “I love cooking, but don’t do it often enough.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Between work and other activities, the art of fine cooking has had to take a backseat these days.”
“Tell me about it.” Holly really was glad to have Anderson in her home for the first time. She avoided any talk of him trying to mix business with their personal lives, since they had gotten past that and could now once again focus on them. She watched Anderson eating, believing that food really was the key to a man’s heart. “Be sure to save room for dessert,” she said playfully.
Love is in the Air Page 6