ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

When the song ended, Anderson stepped back. "Excuse me."

Shana watched Anderson walk away. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she said under her breath, "That song was too personal. Zack did it on purpose, didn't he?"

Jeff glanced at Zack. "Probably."

"I've hurt him."

Jeff whispered, "Little lady, I think you need to go after him."

"What should I say?"

"Speak from the heart."

"I can't. A relationship with Drew isn't allowed." Her eyes met Jeff's.

He motioned her to go. "You'll find the words."


TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 26 part 2

Shana knocked on Anderson's door. "Drew, it's me. May I come in?"

Anderson opened the door and stared at Shana. "Have you ever been in a man's room before?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Only my brother's. Papa wouldn't approve."

"You've done a lot lately Benjamin wouldn't approve of, haven't you?"

"Yes." Shana accepted Anderson's offered hand as he led her to the front porch.

"We wouldn't want to upset Benjamin again, would we? We'll talk out here." Anderson motioned toward a rocker. "Have a seat."

"Were you being sarcastic, when...?"

As he pulled up a chair, he nodded. "I was. I promised your dad I'd protect you; in all ways. I haven't done a very good job. I feel I've let a lot of people down."

Shana licked her lips. "Drew, it's my turn to do the talking."

Anderson sat with legs spread apart. He hung his head, with his hands clasped together. He looked up at her. "Okay."

Shana knelt before him. "Every day, you look at me like I'm the most amazing woman you've ever met. I'm honored." She wiped an escaped tear from her cheek. "But I don't deserve it."

He stared into her eyes, took her hands in his, and helped her to her feet. "Please sit beside me when you talk with me. You're not beneath me. You're my equal."

She sat. "I don't understand."

"At your parents' house you stated Liam only wanted you to be a baby machine. You wanted a man to respect and value you."

"That's true, but I still don't understand."

"I'm not sure you can have both. Either you're subordinate to your husband or you're respected. I don't understand how you can be both."

"Papa values Mother."

"I'll give you that. It does seem they have an equal partnership. How often does that happen in a traditional Jewish home?"

Shana studied the wooden floor.

Placing his hand under her chin, Anderson raised it so their eyes met. "Sweetheart, don't be afraid to look me in the eyes. I'll never hurt you physically or emotionally. I may disagree with you, but I'll always value your opinion." He paused. "Please answer my question."

"My parents are probably an exception. I'm only going by friends' comments while growing up. Hannah's parents were similar to mine."

"How'd they take her marriage?"

"When they got engaged they weren't very happy, but they understood how much they loved each other. Her parents had watched it develop through the years. By the time the wedding came, they'd accepted it."

"You know how I feel about you. I think your parents would come around too. I feel you're afraid they won't so you won't allow yourself..."

Shana stood as she interrupted, "I need to leave." She turned to walk away.

Anderson walked in front of her. "I won't let you run from this. You need to face your feelings." He took her hands. "I've seen the way you look at me. I know you have feelings for me, but every time they come to the surface, you try to hide from them. I want to know why. I've done most the talking, and you said it's your turn."

"I feel I've hurt you. I never want to do that." Shana, again, looked down.

Anderson raised her chin. "Please look me in the eyes. You have no reason to be ashamed."

"You're every girl's fantasy of the perfect husband. You're kind, generous, handsome, strong, protective, and rich."

Anderson's eyebrow rose. "Only not yours."

"Mine included." Shana released a deep breath. "Only I added Jewish."

"I see."

"I can't ignore the Jewish part. I've tried, and it won't go away."

Shana started to look at the ground, but Anderson moved her face up. "Look me in the eyes."

"It's harder to talk that way."

Anderson drew her into a hug. "I know."



Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective