“Over me?”
“Something like that.”
Gregory was getting a really bad headache. He wanted to go and find Diane, but he had no idea where she would be. If only they could talk…
But his body was thinking of doing something other than talking. And it was distracting.
“What do you think I should do, Clint? I asked her to marry me…”
“I know. And you freaked her out.”
“Not in so many words…”
“That’s pretty much what Maggie said.” Clint shook his head. “I’m guessing you weren’t too subtle about it, either.”
“How can you be subtle with asking someone to marry them?”
“When it comes to Diane Gilbert, you definitely need the softer approach.”
Gregory was beginning to wish that he hadn’t invited his friend into his office; he was beginning to feel embarrassed. How did he think Clint was going to sympathize with him?
“What am I going to do, Clint?”
“What do you want?”
“It’s simple, isn’t it? I want Diane as my wife.”
Clint arched an eyebrow.
“As your wife? You’ve only known her for a couple of months.”
“Sometimes, just a few minutes is all you need to know what you want.”
“You’ve wanted women before, and you are successful in getting them.” Clint tilted his head to one side. “What’s so different about Diane that you want her to marry you?”
“It’s just that. She’s different. She makes me feel differently.” Gregory rubbed at his chest. “It’s right here. That sense of feeling full and content. I’ve not had that with a woman before. It’s…well, let’s just say that it’s pretty strong, and it won’t go away whenever I think about her.”
“Sounds like she’s made an impact on you,” Clint mused. He shook his head. “Of all the people you could have fallen in love with, it had to be someone who’s pretty much the opposite of you.”
“I’m sure this is going to cause you a lot of amusement.”
“On the contrary, I understand exactly what you mean.”
“You do?”
Clint nodded. Gregory didn’t think he needed to ask; he knew his friend too well, and from his demeanor recently, he had guessed that Clint was in love. Although he didn’t expect it to be with Maggie.
That was a surprise.
“What do you think I should do, Clint?” Gregory asked.
“You’re asking me about what to do with your love life? You’ve never done that before.”
“Well, I need to, now. Especially as you’re in the same position as me.” Gregory peered at his friend. “How are you coping with it? Does Maggie know how you feel?”
“She does. She was the one who said those three words first.”
“Really?”
Clint nodded.
“But I think the difference between Maggie and Diane is that Maggie was willing to embrace something different. She wants to be her own person, and it helps that her parents, while they’re still firmly in the Baptist community, are open-minded enough to let her explore things for herself.
Maggie is far more relaxed about things than anyone I’ve encountered from the community here.”
“But her parents don’t know about the two of you?”
“They don’t. They’re still keeping with their faith, and Maggie doesn’t want to give them heart attacks. She doesn’t flaunt herself in front of them. But the fact that she’s comfortable in her own skin to embrace who I am despite our religious differences…” Clint smiled, looking a little dreamy. “It’s quite endearing, actually.”
Gregory didn’t know what to say about that for a moment. Clint’s expression was saying that he was running on cloud nine. Gregory wished he could be there himself. It would certainly make him feel better about the situation.
But it was hard to be on that cloud when the other person was practically running away from him when having to face their mutual feelings.
And Gregory was sure that the feelings were mutual. He saw it every time he looked into Diane’s eyes. She felt the same as him, but she was fighting with herself about it. It was extremely frustrating, and it put a dampener on everything.
A knock at the door made Gregory jump. Growling, he glared at the door.
“What?”
The door opened, and Brent stuck his head in. That just made Gregory want to snarl, but he held back.
“What is it?”
“You’ve got a visitor. A woman.” Brent had a disapproving look on his face. “Says she wants to see you.”
For a moment, Gregory thought he was talking about Diane, but then he realized that Brent wouldn’t be talking about her in that way, nor would he be looking at Gregory like he had committed a crime.
“Did she say what her name was?”
“No, just that she had to talk to you, and she doesn’t want to cause a scene.”
Clint looked bemused.
“Why do I get the feeling he’s talking about Jessica?”
“Jessica?” Gregory groaned. “That’s the last thing I want right now.”
“Shall I let her in, Mr. Benjamin?” Brent asked.
Gregory sighed and nodded.
“Okay. Show her in.”
Brent disappeared. Clint frowned at Gregory.
“Are you sure about this? She’s been causing you problems, and this could be a setup.”
“If it will make her go away faster without any issues with the police being called, I’ll take it.” Gregory stood up and rolled his shoulders. “Although I didn’t like the way Brent was looking at me. I need to have a word with him about that.”
“And try not to snap at him for his engagement to Diane while you’re at it,” Clint grunted.
“Is it supposed to be a secret?”
“Their engagement? It’s probably going to be made public shortly. But you and Diane…isn’t that supposed to be the secret?”
Before Gregory could respond, the door was open again and Jessica was walking into the room. She didn’t seem to have any fire in her. If anything, she looked rather solemn.
Immediately, Gregory was on his guard. What was going on? Jessica had to be up to something.
“I’m sorry for bothering you, Greg,” Jessica glanced at Clint, “do you mind if I have some privacy with you?”
“Given our previous interactions, I think Clint should stay.” Gregory came around the desk and leaned against it with his arms folded. “What do you want, Jess?”