back on his bar stool with a cool and self-satisfied smile and Cliff rolled his eyes.
"Typical." he said. "Why is it so easy for you? Why would a nice girl like Carla want to take a risk with a guy like you? Diane said she's just not the type."
Daniel laughed. "She had no complaints."
"God, you're so slick." Cliff told him with a shake of his head. "You're just too smooth, you know that?"
"I know that."
"Of course you know that,” Cliff sighed. "So, what now? Are you going to see her again?"
"No." Daniel said. "She wasn't interested and I had second thoughts about this different girl idea. She's a baker, Cliff. Can you imagine me with a girl like that? If I was desperate to settle down and marry someone tomorrow, maybe I'd had taken her on a date and see how things could be with her, but right now it just doesn't seem like the right thing to pursue."
"Oh, don't pretend that you pulled away because you just had too many options." Cliff scolded him. "You chickened out."
"You think?" Daniel asked with a single raised eyebrow.
"I know,” Cliff insisted, looking at him seriously. "You met a regular, sweet, nice young woman who isn't going to be impressed with all this... "
He threw his hands in Daniel's direction as he searched for the word, " flash .., and you got scared that you'd met your match."
"Not at all." Daniel said with a shake of his head.
"‘Not at all’." Cliff parroted. "You know I'm right."
Daniel hadn't considered it, but maybe Cliff was right. Dan knew that his perfected appearance, expensive suits and impressive career had always helped him to draw the admiration of women from his field, but perhaps he was a bit uncertain about whether a woman who wasn't part of the high rolling world he lived in, would still like him when she wasn't dazzled by his reputation and lifestyle.
"I think it was just the wrong time for her,” Daniel said, pushing his self-doubts away. "She's running her own business."
"And you're busy too. I’ve heard it all before. There's got to come a day when that's not an excuse anymore. I think you should call this woman and take her out on a real date. Spend time with a nice down-to-earth girl for a change."
"No. It's too late for that." Dan told him.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm dating Brooke from Holland & West."
Cliff looked at him in surprise and lowered his brow curiously.
"The lawyer from the other company in the merger?"
"That's the one,” Daniel said with a tilt of his head.
"Let me guess. She's blonde?" Cliff gave a half smile.
Daniel sighed under the inquisition and shrugged unapologetically. "It makes more sense to date someone who does what I do." Dan told him.
"No. It doesn't." Cliff argued. "It's convenient, but it stops being convenient the second you realize that someone as stubborn as you gives you a headache." He pointed his finger in the air to punctuate his statement.
"That's enough about me,” Daniel said quickly, to change the course of the conversation. "How as the honeymoon?"
Cliff eased back and smiled then, letting go of some of the frustrations towards his friend, who he thought always made bad choices when it came to women.
"It was perfect," he said. "Just Diane and I with nothing to worry about." He took a swig from an expensive artisan beer and then sighed despondently. "I suppose it won't last, though." he said. "Diane's already started to talk about having kids."
Daniel chuckled at his friend's predicament and took a swig of his own brew.
"That's marriage," he said. He looked at his watch and drank down the last of his beer. "I'm sorry, Cliff, I have to go. I'm meeting Brooke across town in twenty minutes."
Cliff waved his hand in a gesture of goodbye and stayed to finish his drink. Daniel stepped outside and flagged down a cab to meet Brooke at a restaurant. She was waiting for him on the sidewalk outside with a beautiful dress and a stormy expression.
She was a beautiful woman. She had long blonde hair, which hung in a smooth
"Typical." he said. "Why is it so easy for you? Why would a nice girl like Carla want to take a risk with a guy like you? Diane said she's just not the type."
Daniel laughed. "She had no complaints."
"God, you're so slick." Cliff told him with a shake of his head. "You're just too smooth, you know that?"
"I know that."
"Of course you know that,” Cliff sighed. "So, what now? Are you going to see her again?"
"No." Daniel said. "She wasn't interested and I had second thoughts about this different girl idea. She's a baker, Cliff. Can you imagine me with a girl like that? If I was desperate to settle down and marry someone tomorrow, maybe I'd had taken her on a date and see how things could be with her, but right now it just doesn't seem like the right thing to pursue."
"Oh, don't pretend that you pulled away because you just had too many options." Cliff scolded him. "You chickened out."
"You think?" Daniel asked with a single raised eyebrow.
"I know,” Cliff insisted, looking at him seriously. "You met a regular, sweet, nice young woman who isn't going to be impressed with all this... "
He threw his hands in Daniel's direction as he searched for the word, " flash .., and you got scared that you'd met your match."
"Not at all." Daniel said with a shake of his head.
"‘Not at all’." Cliff parroted. "You know I'm right."
Daniel hadn't considered it, but maybe Cliff was right. Dan knew that his perfected appearance, expensive suits and impressive career had always helped him to draw the admiration of women from his field, but perhaps he was a bit uncertain about whether a woman who wasn't part of the high rolling world he lived in, would still like him when she wasn't dazzled by his reputation and lifestyle.
"I think it was just the wrong time for her,” Daniel said, pushing his self-doubts away. "She's running her own business."
"And you're busy too. I’ve heard it all before. There's got to come a day when that's not an excuse anymore. I think you should call this woman and take her out on a real date. Spend time with a nice down-to-earth girl for a change."
"No. It's too late for that." Dan told him.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm dating Brooke from Holland & West."
Cliff looked at him in surprise and lowered his brow curiously.
"The lawyer from the other company in the merger?"
"That's the one,” Daniel said with a tilt of his head.
"Let me guess. She's blonde?" Cliff gave a half smile.
Daniel sighed under the inquisition and shrugged unapologetically. "It makes more sense to date someone who does what I do." Dan told him.
"No. It doesn't." Cliff argued. "It's convenient, but it stops being convenient the second you realize that someone as stubborn as you gives you a headache." He pointed his finger in the air to punctuate his statement.
"That's enough about me,” Daniel said quickly, to change the course of the conversation. "How as the honeymoon?"
Cliff eased back and smiled then, letting go of some of the frustrations towards his friend, who he thought always made bad choices when it came to women.
"It was perfect," he said. "Just Diane and I with nothing to worry about." He took a swig from an expensive artisan beer and then sighed despondently. "I suppose it won't last, though." he said. "Diane's already started to talk about having kids."
Daniel chuckled at his friend's predicament and took a swig of his own brew.
"That's marriage," he said. He looked at his watch and drank down the last of his beer. "I'm sorry, Cliff, I have to go. I'm meeting Brooke across town in twenty minutes."
Cliff waved his hand in a gesture of goodbye and stayed to finish his drink. Daniel stepped outside and flagged down a cab to meet Brooke at a restaurant. She was waiting for him on the sidewalk outside with a beautiful dress and a stormy expression.
She was a beautiful woman. She had long blonde hair, which hung in a smooth
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