AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Would you come in for dinner?" I invited him.
"I already had enough to eat. I don't think I can eat anymore," he replied while rubbing his tummy.
"But you can cook for me," I said, still hoping he would get the hint.
"My cooking is terrible," he sighed.
I sighed, opened the door, then let myself in. Before I closed the door, I took a look at him and he waved. Yeah, he didn't get it.
"Ethan, why do you think I asked you to come over for dinner?" I asked.
"You want me to eat?" he guessed and raised a brow.
"I wanted you to spend the night," I corrected. "But it's fine."
"Wait…why didn't you just say that?" he asked as he made his way to the door to leave.
I shut the door and locked it.
"Stacy come on, I didn't know," he said and knocked repeatedly.
I sighed. "You really are helpless, aren't you?"
Clumsy and a man who didn't pick up on most social clues…yet talented, handsome, and the most caring man I knew. I really did love him.
Ethan
Stacy didn't let me in. I sighed and started making my way to the guest house. I thought about everything that had happened so far. Stacy, who was a stabilizing force to my clumsy nature, loved me back.
When I said the words, “I love you”, I had flashbacks of the time I told someone else the same thing, and a part of me worried that I would get a repeat response. But as she said she loved me too, my heart melted with pure joy. As I walked down the street, I started to wrack my brain: how best could I help her with her dream.
"Maybe it's time I called out the big gun," I said to myself.
Chapter fifteen
The Best Way to Save Her Dream
Ethan
My vacation time was over, but I had yet to return to Richmond for two reasons: Stacy was still in Glenn Allen, and I still hadn't figured out how exactly I wanted to help her hospital. The hospital was doing fine, as I was there to help out. If I left, even with all the new equipment I had offered, most people might stop coming.
I had done my part: I had trained the nurses and even made some of the regular patients not rely on me too much. All this was an avenue to make the hospital's structures sustainable. There were still items of equipment the building needed, but I couldn't just keep buying everything; it would make Stacy think I wasn't letting her get a handle on things.
In helping someone achieve their dreams, you must let them have their own part to play; and that part should be the major one; or else, the dream is no longer theirs, but yours.
"You've done a lot for this old place, and I'm really grateful," Henry said. "You even helped save James' life. How can I ever repay you?"
Henry had returned from his downtown visit and was in a casual meeting with me.
"You don't have to repay me or anything. The fact that I got to learn while helping out is enough," I assured him.
"Your flattery is a major selling point," he said with a sigh. "So, what's the verdict? Are you still buying the place?"
I glanced over at Stacy. She looked away and focused outside the window.
"I would love to," I said. I saw her shoulders twitch and she hugged herself, rubbing her arms like she had a chill. "But I don't think it's what you want. If I buy it, it becomes mine and ceases to be yours."
She turned to look at me, her face a mixture of confusion and appreciation.
