“Slow down! What happened?”
“Mark John asked me to marry him.” Daisy was stunned. She didn’t speak for a long moment. “Daisy? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here,” Daisy said, shaking her head as if to clear away the fog of confusion. “Wow. That’s unexpected. I guess congratulations are in order. Right?”
“I haven’t given him an answer yet. I just can’t believe it!” She let out a short squeal.
“Wow,” Daisy said again. “How did this come about?” She wanted to be as happy and excited as Jude was, but something didn’t feel right about this whole thing.
Maybe it was because Mark John had just suggested breaking up not forty-eight hours previously. And Jude had come to believe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
Daisy wondered if Jude remembered that.
“You remember what happened in the office yesterday,” Jude began. “I didn’t want to take Mark John’s calls because I was afraid of saying the wrong thing and making his mood worse. He’s been so agitated lately. Anyway, I ended up going to his house. Remember he was there to wait for someone? The electrician or the plumber or someone? Well, when I got there he was working at the kitchen table and whoever it was hadn’t shown up yet. So I sat down with him and we talked for a long time.” She paused.
“Go on,” Daisy encouraged her.
“He told me that he’s been very nervous about the prospect of taking the next step with me because his first marriage ended in such tragedy. He got so upset about it that he decided it would be better to take a break for a while than to have to worry about getting married.”
“So then what?”
“Suddenly I knew he was the one and that I would wait for him. I took his hand in mine and told him that I didn’t want him to worry about taking the next step because I would wait for him for as long as he needed. He said he was hoping that would be my response and our talk had convinced him that worrying about our future was a silly thing to do. Then he proposed! Isn’t that exciting?”
“Yes, it’s very exciting. So you haven’t given him an answer yet? What are you waiting for?” Daisy hoped to hear Jude say that she wasn’t sure this was the right thing to do, but Jude disappointed her.
“My mother always told me: never give a man an answer the first time they ask. Always wait until the second time. That makes him think that he’s really, really lucky.”
Daisy wanted to say That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard and you’re too smart to believe such dreck, but she stayed silent.
“What do you think?” Jude asked, her excitement building again.
“I think it’s incredible,” Daisy said. She didn’t want to lie and she didn’t want to tell the truth, so she figured Jude would interpret that statement whichever way she chose. And as she suspected, Jude chose to interpret it as congratulatory.
“Thank you,” she gushed.
“So when are you going to tell him?”
“The next time he asks me.” Jude said, in a tone of voice which suggested she thought Daisy might not have been listening.
“So did he get down on one knee?”
“No, he just sat across from me and looked into my eyes. It was so romantic.” Humph. Doesn’t sound all that romantic, Daisy thought ungraciously.
“Aren’t you glad the plumber or electrician or whoever wasn’t there?” Daisy asked with a short laugh.
“Yeah. He never did show up. So we had the afternoon to ourselves. Of course Mark John took the rest of the day off. We went for a walk and had a celebratory late lunch and everything was just so perfect.”
“Well, I’d better let you go so you can call everyone,” Daisy said.
“I only have to call my parents,” Jude answered. “But you’re right. I should call them now. I just wanted to tell you first.”
“Well, I’m honored. Thank you. Will you be at work tomorrow?”
Jude groaned. “Yes. I can’t take another day off, especially if I’m going to be needing vacation days for a honeymoon.”
“Just one more thing,” Daisy said. “What does the ring look like?”
“He didn’t give me a ring yet. He said we can pick it out together.”
“Oh. Okay then. See you tomorrow.”
When she got off the phone Daisy continued brushing her hair slowly and thoughtfully. She couldn’t help feeling that this was not the right step for Jude and Mark John to take. It was a little before six o’clock when she put her hair in a ponytail and headed over to Murphy’s Pub. When she arrived she found Grover waiting for her at a table inside. She sighed and sat down heavily.
“What gives?” he asked. “I thought you’d be excited to have dinner with moi and go see your thriller.”
“I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Like what? Care to share?” he asked as he handed her a menu.
Daisy told him all about the phone call from Jude, stopping only long enough for them to order wine and burgers.
“Do you think I’m wrong?” she asked at the conclusion of her story. Grover sat back and contemplated the tabletop.
“It definitely sounds like you’re right, but you never know. What one person thinks is romantic and wonderful might be repulsive or at least questionable to someone else.”
“That’s true,” Daisy conceded. “I just hate to see her making a mistake that’s so life-changing.”
“You’ve become pretty good friends with her, haven’t you?”
Daisy grimaced. “Sometimes I feel like she thinks we’re closer than I do. She went from being totally standoffish at work to fast friends really quickly. Sometimes I wonder if she’s just grasping at the first person who came along and tried to see beyond her prickliness.”
“She doesn’t have any other friends?” Grover asked.
“Well, I guess there’s Mark John. But when she called about their engagement, she said the only other people she needed to tell were her parents and she wanted me to know first.”
“Sounds like a best friend to me.”
“Me, too. But I feel a little weird because I don’t feel the same way about her.”
“You want to know what I think? I think you should stop worrying about it.”
“You’re probably right. Who knows? Maybe someday we’ll be so close that I’ll think of her as my sister,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes and snorting a little laugh.
“So what else is going on?”
“Have you talked to Helena? She and her new boyfriend, Bennett, are going to Aruba together.”
Grover raised his eyebrows. “That was quick. They haven’t known each other that long, have they?”
“Not really,” Daisy said, shaking her head. Then she laughed. “She thought it would be fun if you and I went, too, but then decided she and Bennett should just get to know each other better.”
Grover smiled. “Aruba would be a fun trip. But I’m not sure I would want to go on vacation with Helena. Something tells me I’d never be able to relax, not with the way she’s always on the go. It would be fun to go with you, though.”
Daisy felt a not-uncomfortable warmth at his words. She glanced at him and then quickly looked away, gazing around the restaurant.
Grover cleared his throat. “Well, I can’t be spending that kind of money, anyway. I’ve got to save all I can, especially with the party cancellations I’ve been getting.”
“You’ve gotten more?” Daisy was disappointed to hear it. Why couldn’t people mind their own business?
“A few. Let’s talk about something a little more pleasant,” he suggested.
“Fine by me,” Daisy agreed.
“So,” Grover said, a little too loudly, “are you looking forward to the movie? I haven’t seen any of the reviews.”
“I read a couple. I think it sounds really good.” Talk remained on the safe topic of thriller movies until they finished dinner and left the restaurant. It was a warm evening and they had plenty of time to get to the movie theater.
They walked slowly, enjoying the sights and sounds of a Washington summer. The shadows were beginning to lengthen along the brownstone-lined streets when Daisy tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. Grover reached out to grab her arm, but he wasn’t quick enough and she landed on her knees and the heels of her hands.
“Are you all right?” Grover asked, bending down to help her stand up.
“Yeah. Only my pride is really hurt, I think,” she answered, grimacing. Grover held her elbow while she examined the scrapes on her hands, then she pulled up her pant legs and looked at her knees. There was a little bit of blood, but not much. She was more upset that she’d ripped her favorite linen pants.
She could feel her face redden from embarrassment and she looked up at Grover. He was looking at her with his lopsided smile, a sympathetic look in his eyes.
“What am I going to do with you?” he asked, pulling her close to him and giving her a little squeeze. He let her go and she fumbled with her purse, not knowing what else to do.
But she wished she could get another whiff of his cologne—up close.
They slowed their pace even more to get to the theater, with Daisy limping along and wincing every so often from the pain in her knees.
They both loved the movie and debated it the entire way back to Daisy’s apartment. When they arrived in front of the coral-hued old house, Daisy invited Grover upstairs for a glass of wine.
“I’d better not,” he said. “You should get your hands and knees taken care of and get some sleep. Maybe take some aspirin so it won’t hurt so much in the morning.”
“Okay,” Daisy replied. She was surprised at how disappointed she was. “You sure?” she asked.
Grover smiled and nodded. “I don’t think it’s a good idea right now.”
He turned and walked up the street, waving as he left. Daisy watched him leave, wondering what his cryptic words meant. Why wouldn’t it be a good idea to have a glass of wine?