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27
Clara
Clara laid in her bed, thinking about the proposal.
“I’m an idiot,” Clara said.
“What are you an idiot about?” Charlie asked.
“Dillon,” Clara said. “I love him. I’m in love with him.”
“Why did you tell him no when he asked you to marry him?” Charlie asked.
“Because I was afraid,” Clara said. “I thought that I loved John and that he loved me. After being with him for all those years, I realized that I didn’t love him at all. Then, he tried to kill me. I was afraid that if I trusted myself again to love someone that I would be hurt.”
“Do you feel the same for Dillon that you felt for John?” Charlie asked.
“No. It is very different. I don’t quite know how to explain it, but what I feel for Dillon is more intense,” Clara said. “It is more encompassing. I feel as though there was something missing before, but I feel whole when I’m with Dillon.”
“Sounds to me like you are in love with him,” Charlie said.
“It’s not just how I feel about Dillon and how he treats me,” Clara said. “It’s also how he treats Zeke and how much Zeke loves Dillon. I don’t think that Zeke loves his father as much as he does Dillon. I know that Dillon has spent more time with him the last few weeks than his father ever did.”
“That says a lot about a man,” Charlie said.
“I know that Dillon isn’t like John. I know that Dillon would never do anything to hurt either me or Zeke,” Clara said.
“With all of this, tell me again why you told Dillon no when he asked you to marry him?”
“Because I panicked,” Clara said.
“It’s not too late to fix it,” Charlie said. “The man loves you. He isn’t going to stop loving you overnight.”
“I know. But what if he has changed his mind about wanting to marry me because I hurt him?” Clara asked.
“Woman, you are driving me crazy. You love him. He loves you. You need to call him and tell him that you were wrong and that you want to marry him,” Charlie said.
Clara looked at Charlie and nodded.
“I know that you’re right,” Clara said.
“So do something about it,” Charlie said, clearly exasperated. “Don’t keep that man on the hook waiting forever.”
Clara nodded, wondering how she was going to fix everything and whether Dillon would still want to marry her.
Later that morning, the doctor came in to Clara’s room. He looked at her wounds and nodded with satisfaction.
“Everything is healing nicely,” the doctor said. “You’ll be able to go home this afternoon, as long as you promise to take it easy. You are not allowed to go back to work or do any strenuous activities.”
“I need to get back to my café,” Clara said.
“Not until I say that you can,” the doctor said. “Don’t make me keep you in the hospital until you are completely healed.”
“I’ll make sure that she stays home and doesn’t do anything more than sit on the couch and read a book,” Charlie said.
The doctor looked at Charlie and grinned.
“Fine. I’ll behave myself,” Clara said.
