There was a pounding at her door. Genghis barked.
Josie pulled away, frowning, annoyed that someone had the nerve to disrupt her blissful surrender.
Are you expecting anyone? Rick asked.
No. Were you?
Rick laughed, looking down at his attire, or lack thereof. Only you, dear.
Josie went to the door and got up on her tiptoes to look out the peephole. Oh, /shit,/ she hissed, slamming her eyes shut and doubling over in distress. After taking a second to calm herself, she looked at Rick and said, My whole freaking family is here. You should probably put on some pants.
CHAPTER 17
When was the last time Gwen Anders had felt desperate?
Never.
Therefore, Gwen had not prepared in advance for the day she found herself in desperate need of male attention, for someone to recognize her intellectual complexity, her shrewd approach to finance, and her impossibly firm buttocks.
Regardless of her lack of preparation, that was where Gwen was that Monday evening, in the lobby bar of the St. Regis Hotel. Shed been telling herself that she just needed to get out, do some top-shelf people-watching, munch on a few wasabi peas, and sip on a decently prepared cocktail or two while contemplating her next move. In reality, she was just plain desperate for someone to tell her she was the most beautiful woman theyd ever seen, which made her no better than the dozen other well-dressed thirty-somethings alone or in a gaggle of girls, their perfectly made-up eyes darting around the room, the fear barely concealed in each playful flash of seduction. Their prey: the visiting millionaires returning from a day of dealmaking.
After a half hour of this unpleasantness, Gwen was ready to leave. Yes, shed recently been rejected by the man of her choice, tossed aside for a chunky obituary writer named /Josephine,/ of all things, as shed discovered while in Ricks office that morning. (The man shouldnt leave his background checks open on his desk like that.) And yes, due to that humiliation, shed been forced to resign her position. But she was still Gwen Anders. She would rise above it all.
She took a last sip of her ginger-pomegranate cosmo and prepared to leave. The desperation in that bar had a foul smell to it, clashing terribly with her Acqua di Parma perfume. She had just reached for her purse when she saw him.
Tall. Mediterranean. Black hair combed back and long at the collar.
Patrician nose. Wide mouth. No suit for this manhe was in jeans and a wrinkled linen jacket over a wrinkled cotton button-down. He moved with the grace of a man who was in full command of himself and his world, despite the fact that he looked like hed just spent a couple days on a plane, in coach.
In an instant, Gwen no longer felt desperate. She felt alive. When the man casually turned her way she knew hed already seen her, possibly even selected her before hed entered the hotel lobby. He seemed like a man who carefully calculated all of his chance encounters.
She couldnt help itthe left corner of her mouth curled and her eyelids grew heavy.
He headed right toward her. He sat down without an invitation. And with an accent thicker than a tipsy Antonio Banderas, he said, You are an exquisitely beautiful woman.
Gwen laughed as she got up to leave. She strolled through the lobby, certain that he was admiring her audacity and her impossibly firm buttocks in equal measure.
He caught up with her on the sidewalk. The evening was windy and she felt her hair blow around her head like a halo.
I would like to photograph you. That is all. The sincerity dripped from his words and his dark eyes.
Gwen laughed again and signaled for a taxi.
Please do not deny me, he said.
Thats when it hit hershe didnt need this man. She didnt need any man.
She had herself. Thats why she had come here tonightto remind herself that she was still everything she had always been, even if Rick Rousseau didnt want all that she was. Gwen hadnt been desperate for a mans attention after allshed been desperate to rediscover her self-respect.
She got inside the cab, knowing that as of right that second, her days of wine-soaked self-pity were officially over.
Please do not go, he said, his last plea before she reached for the door handle.
Have a pleasant stay in San Francisco, she said, slamming it shut.
Gwen asked the taxi driver to wait for her at the public phone booth in Cow Hollow. She got the same terse voice mail. She left an equally brief message: This is Gwen Anders. Disregard my previous message. It was a terrible mistake.
I forgot.
Thats what Josie said as she opened the door to her mother, father, brother, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew.
How could you forget Daddys birthday? Beth said, adjusting Chloes position on her hip.
The crowd began to push into her apartment.
I didnt forget his birthdayI just forgot we were going to dinner.
Donald shot her a doubtful look. Since when do you forget about a meal?
Were you in the middle of cooking something? Josies mother sniffed the air, then headed into the kitchen.
Her father was on his way to the sound system. Nat King Cole? he asked.
Beth stopped in the center of the room, raising her eyes to the painting. She spun around abruptly. Oh, my God, Josies getting ready for a date! And where in Gods name did you get this gorgeous painting? It almost looks /real/!
Her mother poked her head out of the kitchen. Whose beef Stroganoff recipe are you using? It looks delish!
Thats when Rick came out of her bedroom.
Its his recipe, Josie said, pointing. And his painting.
Rick was wearing a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a cotton sweater over a T-shirt. He smiled graciously, and didnt miss a beat.
Hello, everyone. Mr. Sheehan, nice to meet you. He extended his hand and approached Josies dad. Im Rick Rousseau. Rick moved seamlessly over to Josies mom. Mrs. Sheehan. Im Rick. Ive heard so much about you. He kissed her cheek.
An openmouthed Beth was next. So nice to finally meet you, Beth. He touched her shoulder. This must be Chloe. Oh, and hello, Howie. Is this Calvin? He moved toward Howie, shook his hand, and touched the younger child on the head.
Im Donald, Josies brother said, extending his hand to Rick. We apologize. We didnt mean to Its my fault entirely, Rick said, addressing everyone. Genghis had stopped sniffing and jumping on the new arrivals and now sat at Ricks feet. Josie had no idea Id be hereI surprised her with dinner when she got home from work.
Oh… my… God, Beth whispered, her eyes huge.
We were headed to the Olive Garden for my birthday party, Josies dad said, shoving his hands in his trousers. The one down at the Stonestown shopping center. They have unlimited breadsticks. Ever eaten there?
Its a /galleria,/ Dad, Beth corrected him.
Its a shopping center with a frilly name, Josies father said. I ought to knowI put in half their plumbing. So, would you like to join us, Rick?
Rick looked pleased by the invitation and turned to Josie for the go-ahead. She was shocked. Rick had met and charmed everyone in her family in less time than it usually took her to get Genghis to stop humping their shins.
She smiled at Rick, thinking he was the bravest, strongest man shed ever known.
Id be honored, sir, Rick said to Josies dad.
Let me get my keys, Josie said.
We can fit you in the van, her dad said. Plenty of room for everyone.