“Come on, man,” Clint said as he gulped down some beer, “spill. If you’re going to be in a despondent mood and I’m staying over, the least you can do is tell me what the fuck’s going on.”
Gregory sighed. Clint was his best friend from middle school, and they shared everything. But now he felt like he was sharing something too intimate. He had to tell someone. If he told his mother, she would be between telling him to marry Diane or to leave her alone as they were from other sides of the tracks, in a manner of speaking.
“I think I’ve found her, Clint.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know when we were in high school and we talked about knowing when we had found that particular woman we wanted to be with, and we wondered what it would be like.” Gregory paused. “Well, I found out. It’s like being hit by a ton of bricks.”
Clint’s eyes widened.
“You’ve found your forever woman. Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“And I thought Jessica was your forever woman.”
“I got butterflies around her, yes, but with this woman…it is different. More intense.” Gregory stared at his food. He had barely eaten, and he had been starving when they ordered. “But she’s probably the worst possible pairing you could have for me.”
“How so?”
“She’s a member of the Baptist community in Cascade.”
Clint stared. Then he burst out laughing. Gregory flinched, looking around at the other people eating in the restaurant.
“You don’t need to be so loud, Clint!”
“I’m sorry, but…,” Clint coughed and tried to stop laughing, but he was still giggling, “I never…never thought…you would end up thinking that the forever woman would be religious.”
“I think someone’s laughing at me,” Gregory grunted. “I didn’t expect to be captivated by someone who was treating me like I was a parasite. Even if I was a parasite that she was fascinated by.”
“Eh? Is that even possible?”
“Apparently, it is. I saw it myself. She wanted to bolt, but she clearly wanted to stay. There was so much indecision in her eyes.”
Clint shook his head, still grinning as he picked up his drink.
“Honestly, Greg, this is the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”
“I’m glad I can make you laugh, but you’re not helping me with what I should do.”
“Well, you don’t need me to tell you, do you? Whenever you want something, you go out and get it. And you always get it. The same applies to women. So why would this stop you now?”
“Because she’s probably the complete opposite of what I thought my forever woman would be.”
“Because she’s a Baptist? I’m sure you two can find some common ground.”
“It’s not just that. I asked at the office about her.”
Clint smirked around a mouthful of fries.
“I bet that was an entertaining moment for the staff.”
“This isn’t funny, Clint.”
“I think it is.”
Gregory groaned. His friend was not helping. The one person he needed to ask advice from, and Clint was laughing at him. He absently started moving his food around his plate again. His stomach was growling, but he was sure the food would turn to ash in his mouth.
“Well, everyone in the office knows who she is. They were talking about how amazing she was in the choir at the funeral. Her name is Diane Gilbert.”
“Wait, what?” Clint stopped chewing. “Diane Gilbert? Pastor Gilbert’s daughter?”
“You know him, don’t you? You know pretty much everyone in Cascade.”
“Of course, I do. I’ve done work on the house for him,” Clint stared, “you’re saying that it’s Pastor Gilbert’s daughter you’ve become attracted to? Seriously?”
“What do you know about him?”
“He’s a very religious man. Very focused on his job working for God.” Clint swallowed his mouthful. “His wife passed away when his daughter was just a toddler. Cancer, I think, and it was pretty aggressive. It’s been just Pastor Gilbert and his kid ever since. Never remarried, just raised Diane on his own.”
“It’s just the two of them?”
“Pretty much. I spoke to Diane a couple of times when she brought me out a coffee or something to eat now and then.
Apparently, it’s a custom of theirs to feed pretty much anything that moves, and she’s a damn good cook,” Clint nodded, “she was very nice. Really polite. And she’s certainly very pretty. I can see why you like her without the Baptist part getting in the way.”
“Do you know much about Diane?” Gregory asked.
“You mean, did I turn on the charm with her? I did attempt to at one point, but Gilbert himself caught me. He pretty much warned me off her.”
Normally, Gregory would be laughing at how his friend, who was a guy women gravitate towards, was shot down by a father, but there was something in his stomach that loosened itself when he heard that Clint hadn’t been successful with charming Diane.
Was he actually jealous? His whole mindset was a mess, and it was giving him a headache.
“Does he not like anyone talking to his daughter, then?”
“I don’t think it’s that. I think he didn’t like having a non-Baptist man flirting with his daughter,” Clint shrugged, “that’s fine by me. I respect that. It was just harmless flirtation on my part, anyway. But he’s not going to take kindly to someone who isn’t a member of his congregation taking an interest in Diane.”
“Isn’t that a little too strict?”
“It’s not up to me,” Clint arched an eyebrow at his friend, “it sounds like you’re bothered by it, though.”
“Damn right, I’m bothered by it.” Gregory sighed and pushed his plate away. He was giving up on his meal now. “Of all the people I had to find attractive and hit me like a sucker punch, why did it have to be her?”
“So, does that mean you’re going to back away from her?”
It should have been. Gregory knew that was the right thing to do. But he couldn’t. In his head, that was just not possible.