What's Life Without the Sprinkles - By Misty Simon Page 0,81

anger to drowning in sorrow. From loving and kind to hurt and distraught. And through all of it she had been his Claudia, no matter how many times he had tried to pretend otherwise. “I love you with all I have, Claude, and I always have.”

“What the hell took you so long to say anything then, you big bozo? You could have saved me a bunch of stupid dates, not to mention those awful flats that I will never wear again, if you’d just spoken up.”

“See you got yourself a live one,” Fred called out as he helped his girlfriend out of the car across the street. Now they had even more witnesses. Great.

“What are you doing over here?” Nate loosely held Claudia’s hand while he got a good look at the woman who had snagged his neighbor’s heart. Big pinkish hair dominated a petite, rounded woman. Glasses perched on her small nose and only slightly dimmed the vibrant twinkle in her faded eyes.

“Edna wants to do a little decadent shopping, since I told her we should get hitched, and I can’t say no to my loveykins, can I?”

“You did not tell me, Fred Watson.” She turned to Nate while smacking Fred in the arm with her purse. “He got down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage. He said he wants to grow old together, the silly thing. I told him I’d grow older with him but I was already old.”

Fred’s big laugh was accompanied by her tinkling laughter, and it was beautiful.

“Now, son,” Fred said. “I have some business to attend to with this young lady there in your arms, but we can do the flower thing first, if you need to take a little time.” Fred waggled his eyebrows.

But there was no way Nate was going to drag her upstairs and have his way with her, frantically, when Justin would be home in less than an hour, by his watch, and Logan was in the window, and Fred was downstairs. Talk about witnesses.

“I’m going to walk Claudia around the block, and then she’ll be right back with you.”

“Take your time there, son. It’ll give me more time to make eyes at Edna and talk her into trying a few things on for me out of Ms. May’s collection.”

“Take a lesson from that man,” Claudia whispered in his ear.

“Yeah, take a lesson from me and get that girl around the corner where you can kiss her senseless without all these eyes watching.” Fred laughed and Claudia blushed.

“We’re going.”

Nate had taken three steps with Claudia’s hand in his when Fred’s next words stopped him in his tracks. “Always thought that girl was made for him. Circled each other for years, but they have that kind of time. You, my dear Edna, were smart enough to talk me into things much sooner.”

And then Fred was in Decadence and Claudia and Nate stared at each other on the front sidewalk.

“Let’s go to the park.”

Nate eyed her short black dress and the way it hugged her every curve. The benches were mostly clean at the park, but she might regret her decision. If she needed to do this out there, though, who was he to complain?

He led her through the concrete entryway and waited for her to take a seat on the wooden bench under an oak tree. She continued to stand and pace.

“You go ahead and have a seat. I need to stand for this. I’m too agitated to sit.”

He did as she asked, wanting to make sure she wasn’t going to bolt.

“I’m hoping you heard every word I said and believe them all. I heard about sprinkles today, and it changed things for me.”

“I’ve known you loved me. But aren’t I just the cake? What is the significance of sprinkles?” He braced himself for the answer. He wanted to be the sprinkles, whatever it meant. He wanted that badly.

“No!” She yanked at her hair, pulling the pins out of her beautifully arranged waves. “God, how stupid am I?”

He didn’t think he was supposed to answer that question, under penalty of death.

“I mean every word and regret every moment I haven’t recognized you as more than Nate-my-friend.”

“I’ve liked being Nate-your-friend, though. Maybe it just wasn’t time for us.”

“I think it’s time for us now,” she said.

“This doesn’t have anything with Peter leaving, does it? I don’t want you to settle because you’re panicked.” Though it was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to say, there was