Clay stopped and looked at her. “Clay?” she repeated.
Clay blinked his eyes a few times. “I’m sorry, Gina. I’m out of it. What did you say?”
Gina flashed a big smile. “I just asked if you needed any help.”
“Thanks so much, but I’ve got it.” Clay raised his file folders full of papers up in the air and shook them gently.
“Clay?” she asked, as he turned away. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Thanks for asking.” He answered with a smile and continued into the copy room.
Gina was a stunner. There was no doubt about that. She had bright eyes and short brown hair that suited her bubbly personality. She reminded him of a pixie. Clay liked how friendly she was with everyone she met. She was also smart and that turned him on, had he allowed himself to be turned on by anyone other than Caroline.
Caroline.
He found himself lost in thoughts of her again. What was it that made Caroline seem so distant lately? At first he thought it was the loss of Johnny, but later sensed there was more to it than that. Night after night he had tried to get close to her, but she often complained about being tired and instead of asking him about his day, she opted for sleep, or her television shows. He could see in her eyes that she no longer lit up when he walked through their apartment door and he couldn’t figure out what had made them get so off track. Convinced it was his fault, he wracked his brain for every moment, or piece of a conversation that seemed wrong.
When he couldn’t pinpoint it, he got desperate. Desperate for the old Caroline to come back to him…the one who couldn’t wait for him to get home from work…the one who talked nonstop about the future. Their future. He needed things to be right with her. She balanced him, and if she was out of balance, everything was out of whack. His world made sense as long as Caroline was a part of it.
He hadn’t realized it, but he left the office and walked down a busy street. Clay suddenly found himself in front of a jewelry store. His eyes lit up as if they recognized that “a-ha” moment that currently stared him in the face. He realized what he needed to do. This would make her happy and everything between them would be right again.
The engagement ring section was the largest in the store. He browsed case after case, peering through the glass at the sparkling diamonds that reflected back at him. He had no idea there were so many styles and types. He almost called it quits right then. Convinced he had to do this, he continued to look at each ring until he found the perfect one. His finger pointed at an almost two-carat princess-cut stone with smaller diamonds on each side. The sales clerk helped him into a back room where they examined the diamonds together and talked over the price.
“This is perfect. I’ll take it,” he told the saleswoman confidently.
“She’ll love it. It’s a gorgeous ring.”
Clay exited the jewelry store with his new purchase in hand. The green velvet box sat inside a small bag with string handles. His face glowed as he walked toward the office, excited to show off his new purchase. His mind raced with ideas on exactly how and when to propose.
He tried to convince himself he was doing the right thing. It had always been his intention to marry Caroline and he knew she had every intention of marrying him, as well. Sure, this deviated from her five-year plan a little, but would she really mind?
Chapter Eight
Bailey bounded in Caroline’s direction holding a beautiful bouquet of stark white roses scattered between dozens of bright yellow tulips.
Caroline smiled. “Oh, Bails, you shouldn’t have.”
Bailey laughed. “I didn’t. I saw them delivered and told Lucy I’d bring them over to you.”
Caroline grinned from ear to ear. “Clay’s never sent me anything other than roses before. These are freaking gorgeous!” she commented excitedly.
“No kidding,” Bailey added. Caroline glared at her before Bailey continued, “I mean…no offense, Care, it’s just that Clay doesn’t really think outside the box, if you know what I mean? He’s completely predictable.”
“Brat.”
Bailey stuck out her tongue. “Just to prove my point…what are your plans tonight with Mr. Matthews?”
“Just dinner that I know of.”
“Of course,” Bailey said through a yawn.
Frustrated, Caroline exclaimed, “Stop it, Bailey. You like Clay!”
“Of course I like Clay, but he’s just so predictable. Sends you roses, takes you to dinner at some fancy restaurant you don’t really want to go to in the first place. It’s just the same thing all the time. Don’t you ever get—I don’t know—bored?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Not really. I’m not you, ya know. I like knowing what’s coming. Knowing what and who I can count on. It doesn’t bore me, it’s sort of…comforting.”
“Boring.”
“Secure.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” Bailey tossed over her shoulder as she walked away.
“Come on. That’s not fair,” Caroline whisper-shouted at her back.
Bailey stopped and turned back around. “Obviously there is something major going on with this Jackson character. I’m just wondering why—if Clay is so perfect and you’re so secure and happy—this guy is affecting you so much?”
Caroline’s eyes narrowed into angry slits as she spat out, “I don’t know.”