No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Chapter 866
"What's the matter? Am I not good enough?" Grant admitted with a shrug, seemingly unfazed.
Fanny and I just laughed it off, thinking he was joking. The more casually someone admits something like that, the less likely it is
to be true.
Maybe Grant was just bored with the small crowd, but he decided to play the gallant escort, showering Fanny and me with
attention. This, of course, didn't sit well with Ernest. "If you're trying to win over a girlfriend, leave my wife out of it," he grumbled.
"Come on, Mr. Collins, remember when you were begging me to take you out for dinner and give you a raise to make sure your
wife was taken care of? I'm just doing what I've gotten used to," Grant shot back, not missing a beat.
Ernest was unfazed. "That was then; this is now. Keep your distance from my wife, and... if you're doing all my work, what's left
for me to do?"
Grant just laughed it off. "Man, if you wanted to impress your wife, you could've just said so instead of playing games."
"Grant, no wonder you've been single for thirty years," Ernest quipped.

Grant took it in stride. "Not for long, though!"
He turned to Fanny with a mock-serious look. "Isn't that right, Ms. Willis?"
Fanny played along, her voice dripping with mock drama, "Why, it's an honor."
"You mean it?" Grant's eyes widened in exaggerated surprise.
Fanny paused, then nodded. "Sure, why not?"
"Oh my God, I'm not dreaming, am I?" Grant's over-the-top reaction had us all chuckling. I couldn't take him seriously.
"I object," Sinclair said, stepping in and gently ushering Fanny behind him.
Grant put his hands on his hips, "And why's that, exactly?"
It was a good question. I watched Sinclair, waiting for his response. A woman's intuition is rarely wrong, and I could sense
Sinclair had a soft spot for Fanny. She, however, always denied it, possibly because she couldn't get past the whole "family"

thing. After all, Sinclair was her uncle, albeit only a few years older than her.
"Aren't you interested in fishing? I'll take you," Sinclair said instead, taking Fanny by the hand and leading her away.
Fanny obediently followed, leaving Grant to move forward, but I stopped him. "Are you really getting into character here?"
"Character? I'm serious. I'm genuinely pursuing Dr. Willis," Grant replied earnestly, throwing me for a loop. I glanced at Ernest for
some clarity.

Ernest, catching my signal, came over and put an arm around Grant's shoulders. "It's great that you're finally opening up, but
you've chosen the wrong person."
"How is it wrong? Dr. Willis isn't married or seeing anyone, right? I'm single tog. We're not ten years apart, and we get along well.
How is that wrong" Grant laid out his reasoning, and for the first time, I realized he wasn't joking.
This could get complicated.
Fanny probably had no idea Grant was serious about her.
"You're not wrong, but the issue is Dr. Willis doesn't feel the same way about you," Ernest said bluntly, no beating around the
bush.
"She doesn't feel that way now, but if she falls for me, then she will," Grant said, demonstrating the determination that made him
a successful boss, though maybe not the best approach in romance.
Ernest was silent for a moment. "Grant, there's nothing wrong with pursuing someone you like, but as your friend, I'm advising
you to let this one go. For your own good, consider moving on."
"Why? Does she have someone?" Grant asked.
Ernest glanced at me, and I understood his silent request. I stepped in. "Yes, she has someone in her life, both loving and being
loved. Either way, you can't compete with that."
Grant looked between us. "Are you two ganging up on me, trying to crush my hopes here?"
"Better to nip it in the bud now than let you get hurt later," Ernest said, giving Grant's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Honestly,
we're telling you this because we care. Otherwise, we'd just sit back and watch you hit a wall."

Grant let out a long breath. "So I should be thanking you, huh?"