Chapter 14 - THE MAN WHO NEVER ASKED HER TO KNEEL
Gabriel Whitmore remained part of my life.
At first, our relationship was professional.
He helped explain the trust's history.
He introduced me to independent advisers.
And he never made decisions for me.
Eventually, our conversations became less formal.
We talked about books.
Music.
My mother's journal.
His childhood.
The lives we'd imagined before responsibility changed everything.
One evening, we walked beside Lake Michigan.
The wind was cold.
Gabriel looked at me.
“Evelyn.”
I smiled.
“Yes?”
“Would you have dinner with me?”
I laughed.
“We've had dinner dozens of times.”
He smiled.
“Not like this.”
I stopped walking.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
Then smiled.
“I'd like that.”
For the first time in years, I felt excited about the possibility of love.
May you like
Not because I needed someone to rescue me.
But because someone had finally learned to see me as an equal.
