Page 16 of Slipperless 5

No sooner had I said that than the challenges came at me from all directions.

“How do you know he’s not doing it just to get what he wants out of you for his business?” Ellie asked.

Adding to it, my friend Christine, questioned, “Yeah, let’s say everything goes perfectly. Then what? Is he just going to dump you?”

“N-No, you don’t understand,” I said, as I began to plead with them. “You weren’t listening. We’re not actually together, so he wouldn’t dump me.”

Ellie and Christine burst into laughter at the same time.

“Fiona, honey,” Ellie began, with a hint of disgust in her tone. “When a man like this gets what he wants, you can be sure you’ll never hear from him again. If you don’t think that’s being dumped, I don’t know what is.”

As they chided me, I reached for my soda and took a sip of the lemony sweet beverage, preparing myself for some kind of response. But, before I could get a word out, my other friend, Kelly, interrupted, offering a different perspective.

“Well, maybe he’s just not used to being with one woman. I mean, even Fiona said he made a habit of dating women around the office.”

As she finished speaking, she turned and looked at me for confirmation. Still holding the ice cold glass, now made wet by condensation, I placed it down on the table.

Nodding, I replied, “Yes. That was going on long before I arrived.”

Cheri interjected, “I’m with Kelly. Let’s get real here. He’s a gorgeous man and worth billions of dollars.”

She straightened her posture for a moment and then with her arm extended, she made a sweeping gesture with her index finger, pointing to everyone seated at the table.

“Any one of us would jump at the chance to be with someone like that, in spite of him being rough around the edges. How many of us have been with men way worse that had nothing going on in their lives?”

For emphasis, Cheri paused for a moment and raised her own hand. “Me… and I know I’m not alone.”

Sheepish grins spread across the table as each of them admitted to their own past failings.

“Okay, Cheri,” Christine began, pointing towards me. “But that doesn’t mean Fiona has to go through the same crap we did. Shouldn’t we be trying to help her?”

“Of course,” Cheri said, as she nodded. “We are helping her. But just because each of us has had bad experiences with men like him in the past doesn’t mean she’s going to.”

“Yeah,” Kelly said, as she sat upright in the booth. “For all we know, he’ll sweep her off her feet and marry her in a beautiful tropical island.”

“Stranger things have happened…” Cheri added.

By now, it was clear my friends were divided into two camps over Gabe.

If I were being purely logical about it, I had to acknowledge the fact each side made valid points. But, as much of the past few months had shown me, the feelings Gabe stirred inside me had nothing to do with logic. Further, he’d done nothing other than just be himself the entire time. In fact, in that moment, I felt compelled to make the point clear.

“You guys,” I said, as I leaned my upper body over the table and propped my elbows up on it. “I know he has his share of flaws, but he’s been kind to me. Doesn’t that count for something?”

The entire table fell silent as I asked my question. They exchanged glances with one another for a few seconds.

All of these women had experience with men, the likes of which I would never know. They’d been pursued in one form or another since they were teenage girls. If I could count on anyone to be objective and give me honest advice in this situation, it would’ve been this group of women. Sensing their sudden uneasiness about dispensing advice based on my last question, I continued.

“You two,” I began, as I pointed at Ellie and Christine. “You’ve both said I need to be careful and that there’s every chance he could just end this at any moment and break my heart.”

Without giving anyone a chance to speak, I looked at Kelly and Cheri right away.

“Whereas you guys are telling me that I should basically go for it and not worry about the outcome.”

The four of them began to nod in unison, as they looked at one another first before turning their attention towards me.

“So, can you see how I’m confused about what I should do?”

Just then, Cheri reached over and wrapped her hand around mine. I glanced up towards her and met her eyes as she squeezed me.

“That’s just it, honey, we can only tell you what we think. In the end, the final decision is up to you.”

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