The Things I Want

"Dad, what was all that with that lady at the restaurant?" Angie asked her father.

"What was what?"

"No... no.. no, don't even act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You were staring at her. I saw you give her that look. Don't deny it."

"What look?"

"The I-love-what-I-see look."

Gregory chuckled, then went ahead to narrate his encounter with Rosie.

"No way!"

"I would have said the same thing if you told me the story."

"But who doesn't know you? She must really be from another planet. Maybe she was upset that the person she was waiting for didn't show up. She was looking so beautiful. I kind of liked her dress. I would also be mad if I put in so much effort into my appearance and get ghosted." Angie said.

"Or maybe there was no boyfriend. She may have said that to get rid of me." Gregory shrugged.

"No, there was definitely a boyfriend. She looked the part. Poor her, It's possible she ran into her colleague and decided to tag along. A girl's dress and makeup can't just go to waste." She said, loosening her hair clip. "So tell me, did you enjoy Beatrice's company, do you like her? She's a very lovely person."

"She's okay," Gregory replied.

"Okay? Just okay. Come on..., give me something."

"She's okay, really. The only problem is that I'm not ready for a relationship yet, Baby."

"But when will you be ready?" She asked taking a seat beside her father.

"I need time, I want to take my time. I want to feel an attraction to whomever I will be with, I want to fall in love too if possible. Go out on dates, spend time with her. I want friendship, Angie." Gregory said, caressing his daughter's hair.

"I understand." She nodded. "I'm forcing these women on you. You should take your time. But you don't have to take too long though. I want you to be happy and experience love again. And I understand that I might be pushing you too much by forcing these women on you. So, I want you to take your time and get everything you want. You aren't asking for too much anyway." She smiled, looking at her father.

Gregory held Angie's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Do you think Beatrice had fun today? I mean she tried insisting on coming home with us and I couldn't help but notice her face when I insisted We drop her off at her place." She asked, smiling.

Angie chuckled, "she was pissed. Not just at you, she was also pissed at the lady from earlier." She added, letting out a small laugh. "I'm so tired. I need some rest." She yawned.

"You can rest in your room Baby. Mrs. Dee ensured that it's neat and well kept." Gregory told her

"Mrs. Dee..., you should increase that woman's salary. She literally does everything. I wonder what the other two housekeepers do most times." She closed the door behind her and left for her room.

Gregory smiled, sitting at the edge of his bed, he picked up his phone and placed a call to his head of security.

"Find out all you can about Roseline, the lady that came to Coastal-inn today with the man from ZED Agency. I want everything you can gather on my desk Monday morning." He hung up and started getting ready to retire for the night.

...................

Gregory's wet chest glistered with the glow from the sun. He glided smoothly out of the swimming pool and sat comfortably on the lounge chair, turning to Maxwell who was lying on one of the chaise, a sunshade on his eyes and a glass of wine.

"Oh Max, how I love this place, I can't even begin to explain it." He said, pouring some wine into the empty glass placed on a side stool beside his chaise.

"I know, man, it's like a home away from home. Somewhere you can run to and hide comfortably without the hassle we face every other day at work." Maxwell replied. "Believe me, Drewers remains one of the most beautiful and serene locations in the whole of Palverase." He added.

"I agree." Gregory replied, leaning his back on the chair while sipping from his glass. "I'm thinking of bringing my children down here whenever Nelson visits. Or I'll just bring Angelina and we can come again when her brother visits. She rarely has time for herself and her boyfriend, oh, that boy is just too calm. He can't even hatch a plan and kidnap her to some fun place. I mean, take her away from work for a few days. That's what romantic lovers do." He complained sadly.

"Angelina has a boyfriend?" Maxwell asked, laughing.

"She said he's just a friend." He shrugged. "But the boy has feelings for her. You don't need to blink to notice that. But you know Angie..."

"Well, congratulations to you, man. At least you know something about her love life. I don't know a thing about Becca's love life. Just the ones she tells me and so far, she hasn't told me anything about her relationship." Maxwell lamented.

"You have to ask her, don't keep silent. They won't tell you of their accord."

"I did, I asked. But she said she's not with any man yet. So, I let her be. Don't want to be in her way all the time." Said Max. "But Angie's boyfriend, do you know him?" He asked.

"I met him twice or thereabouts. She keeps introducing him as a friend though." He said, scratching his head. But you know you can actually run a check on Becca's love life if you wanted."

"Nah, Gee, it's not worth it. That would mean prying into her privacy. I'll just let her be and hope she talks to me about it when she's ready." Max replied.

He tapped Gregory gently on the chest. "Gosh, Greg, that's some thickness there. Do you sleep at the gym now?" He touched Greg's bare chest once more.

Gregory chuckled, shoving Max's hand away. "It's called dedication and determination. I have to look good in my outfits. I can't afford to be lazy about my health." He added. "And you, why did you really ditch the gym?"

Max laughed. "I can't kill myself. Have you seen the intense exercise routines those gym instructors expect us to do? I can't even try those. Potbelly isn't such a bad thing. Do you know how many damsels fall for this beautiful physique of mine every single day? As long as I have enough pretty little ladies to have fun with, I'm all good." He said sipping his wine merrily. "Six packs ain't some food or money. Nobody really cares.”