A Different Kind of Forever(85)
He put his fingertips together and tapped them against his upper lip. “Can I at least court you? Properly, that is. Give me a chance, Diane, a real chance. Let me touch you now and again without all those red flags going up.”
Diane smiled tiredly. “How special you are, Quinn. Court me. What a lovely phrase.” She covered her face with her hands, and took several deep breaths. “I need a little more time, Quinn,” she said at last. She dropped her hands. “Can we wait until after Friday? Please?”
He stood up and walked around to her side of the desk and pulled her up from her chair. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, long and deeply, and she kissed him back, pushing Michael away.
Quinn broke the kiss and looked at her tenderly. “I will wait until Friday. But I will be with you Friday night, unless you tell me otherwise, all right?”
She nodded, and Quinn left her office. Diane stood there, trying to sort things out inside her head. She walked out of her office and down the hall to Marianne. The secretary waved her in. Marianne was looking through a fat computer printout when Diane came in, closing the door behind her.
“What’s wrong?” Marianne asked. “Emily again?”
“No. Quinn just asked me to marry him.”
Marianne pushed aside the printout and looked at Diane incredulously. “He what?”
“Yes.” Diane walked over and sat down across from her friend. “Just now. He said we were well suited.”
Marianne shook her head. “You are so entertaining this year, I cannot begin to tell you. He’s right. You’re very well suited. You two make a terrific couple. There have been more than a few people making that observation.”
“Marianne, have you heard anything about Quinn and I?”
“Quinn and me,” Marianne corrected automatically. “Really, Diane. And yes, I’ve heard all sorts of things. Are you deaf as well as blind? Did this come as a surprise to you? Don’t you notice the way the man looks at you?”
“But, but, I told him,” Diane sputtered, “I told him about Michael. He said he understood.”
“So? He understood. That’s fine. But obviously it didn’t change his feelings toward you. Let’s look at this for a minute. He divorced his wife, and from what you’ve told me, it cost him dearly, and not just money-wise. He came back here for you. He finds you mooning over another man. Fine. But did you really think he was just going to shrug his shoulders and gave up? After all that? Good God, Diane, you amaze me. Are you really this stupid about men? I’ve never dealt with them as romantic partners, and I thank my good Lord every night for that, but even I’ve figured out the way they work.”
Diane slumped down in the chair. “So, now what do I do?”
“Do you want to marry him?”
“I’m not in love with him anymore.”
“But you were once. You were crazy to be with him.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“And with Michael you’ve always had, well, reservations.”
“I know,” Diane said miserably.
“Look, Diane,” Marianne said seriously, “I only want what’s best for you. And I know Michael is all you can see right now. But Quinn is a good man. He obviously loves you. He’s asked you to marry him. Has Michael?”
“You know he hasn’t,” Diane said miserably. “He hasn’t said a thing in weeks. I wish I knew what was going on with him.”
“So, call him.”
“I tried. The number I had is no longer working. He hasn’t answered my e-mails. God, I am so upset about this.”
“You’ve got enough to be upset about with Emily. I’d forget about Michael, Diane, unless he makes a serious comeback.”
Diane sighed. “Quinn is coming with me Friday night.”
“Well, that will certainly be a statement.”
“Yes, I suppose it will.”
“I’m so sorry, Diane,” Marianne said gently. “Michael was glorious.”
Diane stood up. “I have the final outline done, for the grad class. I’d like you to take a look.”
“Great. How about lunch tomorrow?”
“Fine. See you then.”
Kevin’s car was parked in Diane’s driveway when she came home. It was just after four, which meant Kevin had to have taken off early from work. Diane’s heart was in her throat. That was either a good thing, or a very bad thing.