Page 78 of One Bossy Date

“Oh, okay. When?”

“Half an hour.”

“That’s fine.” It meant that I had to change before she arrived. I’d have to go and shower quickly now, so that by the time she got here, I wouldn’t come walking out of the guest room. She’d surely question that. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Don’t worry though, you won’t have to do anything. No need to stress.”

It was about time I proved to Anders I wasn’t a fragile Russian doll, wobbling at the slightest nudge of inconvenience. “It’s no problem.” I brought the treadmill to a stop (not too unhappy about that). “I’m looking forward to seeing her. I’ll just go clean up before she gets here.”

“All right, sounds good.”

After my shower, I put on a long creamy-white knitted cardigan dress, curled my hair, and let it hang in loose tendrils. Anders’s mom arrived not too long afterward.

“Yoo-hoo, my dear,” Lilian greeted me merrily when I opened the door for her. She kissed my cheek and wrapped me in a hug. “I hope you two are fine.” She winked at me, referring to my fake baby.

My stomach churned with guilt, but luckily, she didn’t wait around for an answer. A small group of people stood behind her, and she introduced them as her caterer, decorator, and event planner. After a friendly hello, she took them in and showed them the space. They started doing measurements around the open-plan living area, deciding where to put the extra-long dinner table—apparently, it had to be separate from the kitchen, so the caterer and waiters could do their preparations there. Anders, smart as always, had long ago disappeared to his home office.

We were standing off to the side of the space and watching her team work.

“Darling, you look simply wonderful in that dress,” Lilian told me. “Donatella Versace? Or Gaultier?” Lilian caressed the material and frowned.

Walmart.

“No, it’s not a designer dress. But I’m happy you like it,” I gushed, glad I’d made a good choice in her opinion. Not that it really mattered. She wasn’t my real future mother-in-law or anything, yet I still wanted our interactions to be as smooth and hitch free as possible. “What will you wear for dinner tomorrow?” I asked her. I’d been wondering what I was going to wear for days, and I was feeling a little panicky because I was running out of time.

She had an answer immediately prepared. “I bought this burgundy power suit, and I’m going to wear my black stilettos with it. Do you think that’ll feel Christmassy?”

“Definitely. It sounds like a real ‘Mrs. Claus is in charge now’ kind of look.”

“Oh,honey. I never thought of it that way. That’s absolutelyperfect.” We laughed together. “What about you, dearest? What will you wear?”

I froze momentarily. I didn’t own a ton of clothes, and I definitely didn’t own anything Christmassy. I also hated to admit that I had waited until the last minute, and still had no idea what would be suitable. However, I had a feeling Anders’s mom—being a woman herself—would understand. “Um. I’m not sure, actually. My closet is full of bright clothes, but maybe that wouldn’t be appropriate for a Christmas dinner?”

“Says who?” Lilian waved her hand through the air, dismissing the thought. “I have some bright pieces. Would you like to come see them? Maybe we will find something for you.”

Wait, what?I was temporarily at a loss for words. “At your place? You mean,now? I…ah…”

“Of course! Oh, don’t fret, honey. It’s not a problem.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, wanting to be polite, but feeling excited too. She wore beautiful designer clothes that had no age to them, so I knew she would have something—anything—better than what I had, or what I could afford to buy for myself. This was a Godsend.

“Of course! Anderson, dear?” she called out, walking toward his office and stopping at the doorway. I waited to find out what she would say. “I want to take Zoe over to my place. That’s all right, isn’t it? Will you spare her for just a few hours?” She turned to smile at me.

I vaguely heard Anders’s reply: “Sure. If she’s up for it, go ahead.”

Once the party planners were finished, I grabbed my bag, and we were on our way. Lilian’s chauffeur drove a few blocks and escorted us up to her apartment. It wasn’t the penthouse of the building, but it might as well have been. It was charming. Situated on one side of the complex, it was a double story with a grand staircase in the lobby, and a small wet garden beneath the steps. There was the constant sound of trickling water among the ferns and reeds. I loved it. Pretty sure it was Lilian who asked to have real plants at the Windham Construction offices.

She floated into her kitchen while a private chef was cleaning up. “Hello, Mrs. Windham.”

“Hi, Wendy!”

I marveled at the size of the kitchen. While her apartment wasn’t as open plan as Anders’s, there were still wide archways in between each space, giving it a free-flowing ambiance. The second archway on the other side of the kitchen allowed the view to an incredibly comfortable-looking lounge.

“Would you like a quick tour, honey?” Lilian had noticed my wandering eyes.

“Oh, I won’t say no.”

She seemed only too happy to share her life with me. She led me into the lounge and revealed that the massive painting above the gas fireplace was, in fact, a TV in disguise. She winked. “I love my romance. Movies, TV shows, you name it. And I love books. Dear, do you like to read?”

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