Damaged Souls (Broken Man) - By Christopher Scott Page 0,12
she was wearing. Before English class Tuesday, a fully clothed encounter interrupted at the last second by her friend Susie. Then, coming so close yesterday but never getting the perfect opportunity with Logan around.
Tonight will be perfect. The banquet will go late, and Jack had already asked him to drive Delaney home after work. Maybe they could stop to get something to eat, maybe they could just park the car and talk, maybe he could walk her to the door and kiss her goodnight.
Don’t get carried away, Greg, he reminded himself to focus on the matter at hand. One thing at a time, he watched Delaney move to the next table as he realized he was behind on the silverware. God, this is going to be hard, he tried to calm down as he got back to work.
“What’s going on, Greg,” Sheila interrupted his thoughts as she opened the half door behind the bar and began prepping for her customers.
“Not much, Sheila,” he smiled, pleased to receive a reprieve from his thoughts. “Just getting ready for tonight.”
“Looks like you are doing more than that,” Sheila teased him as she always did, the mother of two teenage daughters herself. “Greg, why don’t you just ask her, you know you want to.”
“Trust me, I tried all week,” he remembered their conversation from the weekend before. “The moment hasn’t been right, but I am going to do it tonight.”
“Well you better before some other guy snatches her up,” Sheila reminded him of the competition and ratcheted up the pressure. “Will you do me a favor and hand me that jar of olives.”
“Sure,” he replied as he retrieved the olives from the waitress station. “Sheila, can I ask you something.”
“Of course you can, Greg.”
“What do you really think of me,” Greg tried to put his finger on his confusion. “I mean, what would you think if I showed up at your door to take one of your daughters out.”
“I would be very happy, Greg,” she looked confused at the question. “Why wouldn’t I be. You are kind, polite, and if I was eighteen, I would jump your bones,” she smiled and teased him.
“That’s not what I mean,” he was serious as he thought of his conversation with Jack. “I mean, you know, I don’t have much. I don’t come from a good family, I’m not smooth and polished, and my truck is about to fall apart. Maybe Jack and Amanda just want me to ask Delaney to the prom because I’m safe.”
“Greg,” Sheila paused for emphasis and looked him in the eye. “Stop thinking that way. None of that stuff means anything, and Jack and Amanda want you to ask Delaney because they like you and they trust you with her. What matters is how you feel about each other, and one day, both of you are going to realize how special that feeling is.”
“Thanks, Sheila,” he was reassured. “Now I know why you are such a good bartender.”
“No problem, just promise me you are going to ask her.”
“I promise,” Greg committed himself and went back to editing his mental proposal.
* * *
Maybe I shouldn’t talk to him about it tonight, Delaney thought to herself as Greg drove her home from work. He has been acting kind of strange all day, really all week for that matter, and he has been so quiet on the way home. Something must be bothering him.
I hope everything is okay at home, she figured that might be the problem even though Greg had told Jack everything was fine. I just wish he would talk to me about it, Delaney knew she was going to have to drag it out of him as they turned into her development. He needs to get it out of his system and I need to tell him what happened today. He really should be the first to know.
“What do you have planned for the weekend,” she opened the conversation with an easy one.
“I’ve got to catch up on a bunch of mowing tomorrow and we both work that event tomorrow night,” Greg went over his schedule as he pulled into her driveway. “Going to try to get everything done tomorrow so I can take it easy on Sunday. How about you.”
“Work tomorrow night, wide open on Sunday. Maybe we can do something then,” she looked at him hopefully as he unlatched his seatbelt and she thought for a second he might lean over and kiss her.
“That sounds good,” he replied as he opened