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She was hitting on me. Six months ago, I would have asked her to dinner with every intention of serving myself up for dessert. Not now. Fuck that. I had the best woman a man could want. I had no desire to look at another woman.
“Thank you,” I said. I stood up from my seat and gathered my belongings, ready to leave the conference room. The woman didn’t seem to take the hint and followed me as I made my way out of the room.
“I was hoping we could grab a drink later and we could talk about that tech more in depth,” she said with a sultry smile. I turned to her, my expression serious. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m in a committed relationship.”
Her smile faltered, but she quickly regained her composure. “Oh, of course. I didn’t mean to overstep. It’s just that your presentation was so impressive, and I thought we could benefit from discussing it further.”
I nodded, my tone softer now. “I understand. But I’m afraid I have to respectfully decline. I’m faithful to my partner.”
She gave me a small nod, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. “I understand. Maybe another time. It was nice meeting you.”
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me with a sense of relief and pride. I knew I had made the right decision. As I made my way back to my office, I couldn’t help but think about my partner. She was the one who had helped me get to where I was today. Without her support, I would have never been able to present in front of these investors with such confidence.
Izzy was looking at me from the breakroom.
“What?” I asked.
“Oh nothing.” She grinned. “I was just watching to see how you were going to handle that.”
“I handled it just fine,” I said.
“You did, but you know how you could have avoided that?”
I shook my head. “I swear I didn’t encourage her.”
“You need a ring,” she said. “If you were wearing a wedding ring, you wouldn’t need to beat the ladies off with a stick.”
I rolled my eyes. “I saw no sticks.”
“You know you want to marry Dee,” she continued. “When are you going to take the plunge?”
I let out a deep sigh and leaned against the wall. “I love Dee, but I don’t know if I’m ready for marriage.”
Izzy raised an eyebrow. “What’s holding you back?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a big commitment, you know? And what if things go wrong?”
Izzy chuckled. “Things will go wrong. That’s just a part of life. But if you truly love each other and are committed to working through those challenges, then you’ll make it work.”
I nodded slowly, considering her words. She had a point. Dee and I had been through so much together. “I do see myself being with her for the rest of my life, but things are so hectic right now. Dee’s got school and she’s giving it her all. I don’t mind taking our time. I know we’re going to be together.” Izzy nodded understandingly, her eyes turning a little softer. “I get it. But just don’t wait too long, okay? You never know what could happen tomorrow. Life’s too short to not take a chance on love.”
I smiled at her and nodded. “Thanks, Izzy. I’ll keep that in mind.”
As I headed back to my office, I couldn’t help but think about what she had said. Maybe it was time to take that chance. Dee and I had been together for years, and we had been through so much. I knew without a doubt that I loved her. Maybe it was time to show her just how much I loved her. Maybe it was time to propose.
I had just gotten situated at my desk when Cam came in. “Good job in there,” he said. “I think you nailed it.”
“I hope so. More investment capital and we can start manufacturing.”
Cam nodded, a proud smile on his face. “I have no doubt we’ll get the investment we need. You’re a great salesman. Speaking of investment, have you thought about proposing to Dee?”
I froze, caught off guard by his question. “What makes you say that?”
Cam shrugged. “I don’t know. You two have been together for a while now. Seems like the next logical step.”
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “Izzy just said something similar.”
Cam grinned. “Looks like the universe is trying to tell you something.”
