Chapter 7 An Explanation At Last #4
“He told me you thought you didn’t matter anymore,” Greg continued quietly.
“That you felt pushed outside my life piece by piece.” His jaw tightened.
“And the worst part is… I can see exactly why you thought that.” He paused and Carry swallowed once, emotion pressing into her chest again.
“I should’ve gone after you,” Greg said.
“The second you walked out of Pimico, I should’ve gone after you instead of standing there trying to understand the situation.
” He let out a frustrated breath. “I thought I was protecting you from pressure and politics. Instead I made you feel alone.” Carry’s fingers tightened lightly around her coffee cup.
Greg looked down briefly before continuing.
“Do you know why David and I started pushing you into those executive meetings?”
She shook her head slowly. “I thought it was what Pimico needed. Dual verification and good notes.”
“Because you were being evaluated for Junior Associate.” He looked back at her directly.
“You weren’t just another employee to me, Carry.
You were being brought into leadership.” Her eyes widened slightly.
“I’d told you that I had a plan to make you a Junior Associate.
David went to Alice and she insisted that you demonstrate the skills necessary to fill that kind of role.
” Greg gave a faint, almost painful smile.
“I’d already started drafting the recommendation papers with David before all this exploded. ”
“…What?” she asked softly.
“You earned it,” he replied immediately.
“Every bit of it.” A small pause. “And after that…” He hesitated for the first time since sitting down.
“I was going to ask you to marry me.” That hit harder than anything else had.
Carry stared at him silently. Greg’s voice lowered slightly.
“I already had the ring.” Her breath caught.
“In fact, it was in my hands when I came running to the desk. I had a death grip on it so I wouldn’t drop it.
” He paused, looking at her, judging how to continue.
“I just…” He ran a hand through his hair.
“I kept waiting for the right moment. The stable moment. The moment after things settled down.” He laughed bitterly under his breath.
“Turns out life doesn’t really work that way. ” Silence settled heavily between them.
Carry finally looked down into her coffee again before speaking quietly. “Greg… I didn’t leave because I stopped loving you.”
“I know,” he answered immediately, then realized he needed to listen silently.
“But I felt invisible.” Her voice remained calm, though emotion sat underneath every word now.
“Not unwanted. Not unloved exactly… just…” She searched for it.
“Secondary.” Greg lowered his eyes. “You and Veronica already had a public relationship, and Erica still lingered over everything too. Pimico was going through the grinder with the Marsdens attacks on our clients; the pressure was everywhere and Alice kept treating me like I was some obstacle that needed to be corrected.” She looked back up at him.
“And through all of it… nobody told me anything.” Greg didn’t interrupt once.
“I didn’t know about your actions to make me a Junior Associate.
I didn’t know you were planning that kind of future with me.
I didn’t know where I stood in your life anymore.
” She shook her head faintly. “All I knew was everybody else seemed to understand the situation except me.”
That landed hard, and Greg whispered out, “I’m so regrettably sorry, Carry.”
Carry exhaled slowly. “So when Veronica sent me the offer for the third time, it made me think. She offered me something directly—something clear—it felt like for the first time in weeks someone actually wanted me there.”
Greg nodded once, painfully. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “I can see that now.”
She looked at him carefully for a second before continuing softer this time.
“Billy helped me understand some of that.” Greg’s eyes lifted slightly at Billy’s name, though he stayed composed.
“He listened without trying to steer me,” Carry said.
“That mattered more than I realized.” A faint pause.
“And his family…” Her expression softened.
“Everything slowed down there. That Sabbath dinner. The Synagogue and Scripture.” She smiled faintly to herself.
“Peace.” Greg studied her quietly now. “I’ve started reading the Scriptures with him,” she admitted.
“Not because someone pressured me into it. I just…” She shook her head slightly.
“I needed something real again. Something steady.”
“The synagogue?” Greg asked gently.
Carry nodded. “It feels different than what I grew up around. Not exactly church.” Her eyes lowered briefly. “Less performance. More truth.”
Greg leaned back slightly, absorbing that. “You went to the synagogue?”
“I’m still trying to figure things out,” she said honestly. “About faith. About myself. About us.” Then she finally looked back into his eyes fully. “But for the first time in a long while, I don’t feel like I’m drowning.”
Greg stayed quiet for several seconds before answering.
“I’m glad,” he said softly. “I want you to know something, Carry. I know I made huge mistakes in the past, but I’ve never stopped loving you.
I want you to be happy, wherever you are, be that at Pimico or Veronique.
I only want you to be truly happy.” And Carry realized he meant it.
Not strategically. Not possessively. Just honestly.
“I’m glad you feel that way, Greg, because I’m finding myself at Veronique.
It’s hectic and fast paced, but I feel like I belong there.
On top of that, I’m surrounded by my friends, Cassie – Wendy – Katie and even Billy.
We’ve become like a family there. I might have chosen differently if you’d told me that you were actually actively making the arrangements to move me to Junior Associate.
” She paused to sip her coffee, then looked at him.
Greg got lost in her enchanting green eyes.
“I’m happy where I am, but I’m not happy where we are.
Something is broken between us, and I don’t know what it is or how to fix it. ”
“I’ve sensed that too,” Greg admitted slowly. “I waited when I should have acted. Please forgive me for that.”
She looked directly into his eyes, then whispered, “I do forgive you Greg, but you have to understand, I won’t be hurt again.
You’ve been going between us and not making a commitment.
IF we are going to move forward, it’s complete and total openness and honesty.
I’ve finally seen why Veronica has a sway on you.
She’s real and patient and confident. I’m becoming more confident in myself and I’m willing to put the choice in your hands, so long as you are honest and gentle.
I know who I am now, and I know my value.
The question is, do you?” That struck him to his core and Greg was taken aback.
He looked at her carefully, slowly taking it all in.
“You have been dating multiple women, so I think I should also have the same option. If you truly want me, you are going to have to win my heart.”
Greg sat there silently, absorbing every word as Carry slowly stood from the table.
She looked at him one last time, emotion lingering in her enchanting green eyes before turning away.
And with that, she walked away, Greg stunned into silence as he watched her disappear across the cafeteria floor, the gentle sway of her hips slowly vanishing from view.