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"What do you mean go out?" Beverly frowned. "Go out where? Are you asking me on a date?"
Roy smiled, his eyes crinkling around the edges. "Yes, I'm asking you on a date. I want to spend more time with you, and I want to be more than just friends."He closed the distance between them and took her hands in his own. "I want you to know that I'm serious about this," he said softly as their eyes met in mutual understanding. "I want us to have a real relationship, but I understand if you don't feel ready yet."
He swallowed hard as emotions threatened to run wild within him.
"Will you explain why it is you want me as your girlfriend?" she asked finally. "What do you see in me that makes me special enough to be asked?"
Roy was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to ask him such a pointed question. The truth was, he didn't have an answer that would do justice in conveying the depth of his admiration for her, but he tried anyway, searching within himself for the right words to express his feelings.
"Beverly," he said, squeezing her hands gently. "I see in you something that I haven't seen in any other person before. You're strong, brave and kind-hearted... qualities I admire greatly and aspire to embody myself." He paused, giving her time to process what he had said before continuing."I know you have been through so much, but that you're going to mass and learning about the faith... I think it's wonderful. You're wonderful." His voice softened as he spoke with tenderness and admiration. "You are so remarkably unique and I want nothing more than to get to know you better... if you'll let me."
He smiled at her, but the longer she remained silent, the more he became nervous.
So he continued to talk. "I care about you deeply," he said taking a step closer to her. "You have the most beautiful way of looking at things.You have a wonderful sense of humor that I find utterly charming, and I love that you're always curious about life. Most importantly, I'm drawn to how true you stay to yourself no matter what other people think or say about you."
He closed his eyes, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. When he opened them again, Beverly looked thoughtful but still uncertain. With a gentle smile, she shook her head.
"Roy," she began cautiously, searching for the right words as she spoke. "I am very touched by your offer, and I'm grateful for how much you care about me. You do make me feel special, like I can overcome anything, and I love that feeling of security, but I'm not sure if this is the right time for us to be taking our friendship to a romantic level." She smiled sadly at him. "I think it would be better for both of us if we took things slowly. We'll always have our friendship. I... I'm just not ready for a relationship right now."
Roy's heart sank at her response, yet despite the disappointment he couldn't help but feel proud of her for knowing and respecting what was best for herself. He nodded in understanding and stepped back, his hands falling away from hers.
"I understand," Roy said quietly.
He wished more than anything that things could be different between them, but he also knew that if they were to truly have something special together, it had to start from a place of trust and mutual understanding. So with one final look at her beautiful face, he smiled sadly and turned away, fiddling with some of the greenery in the grotto as if nothing had ever happened between them.
She breathed in deeply enough for him to turn and look at her once more.
Beverly smiled, her eyes misty. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice filled with emotion. "I'm honored that you have such high regard of me. I just..."
"I understand," he repeated.
"This isn't something I take lightly," she continued. "I know this is hard for you to understand, but I feel like if we get together now, neither one of us can truly become who we need to be in this life.I... I'm still trying to find out who I am without my father, and the company... I just need to find my place in the world."
"I understand," he said for a third time.
Beverly's smile looked painful, and she grabbed her things and walked of, taking a part of him with her.
ChapterTwenty
When Beverly arrived home, she almost wished she could have slipped up to her room, but no. Her mom was waiting for her and jumped to her feet as soon as Beverly entered the house.
"What's wrong?" her mom asked.
"Nothing's wrong."
"I might not have been around as much as your father was, but I can tell that something happened. You can tell me anything."
Beverly hesitated and slowly shut the door behind her. "It's Roy."
"Did something happen? Is he all right?"
"He's fine. It's done. I finished up all of the work at Hidden Creek Orchard, and now's the part that I hate. Moving on and finding another job. It's always a letdown of sorts when a job is finished. I mean, there's an initial rush when you complete the task, but then you need to have another job and another and another, and each of them is unique so it's always fun and challenging, but until you find that next job..."
"I know," her mom said gently. "Your father would always feel the same way. We would talk about that often. But... I don't think that's all that happened, is it?"
"Roy asked me out," Beverly admitted. She crossed her and sat on the couch, not willing to sit on her father's recliner.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Why are you two going to do?"
