"Weirdo? Just because he talks to me in a chat room doesn't mean he's weird."
"Is he wearing the same suit?"
She glanced at Austin again. "It looks like it. Why?"
"That might be a good sign. A wife would see that he wore a different suit the next day."
"I hadn't thought of that."
"Maggie, just go find a guy your own age. That one looks too old for you."
"How old do you think he is?"
"Thirty, maybe older."
"I'll go ask him."
Just as she started around the building, Jim took hold of her arm. "Don't tell him who you are. By the way, who are you in this ridiculous chat room?"
"I'm sissy3211," she answered, wiggling free of his grasp.
"Sissy? That's appropriate. You're afraid of a real relationship."
"I am not. I dated once."
"Once? Bravo! I…" Jim had a lot more to say, but Maggie had already walked away.
She leisurely strolled to the bench, sat on the other end and pretended to watch the water cascade down each tier of the fountain. She didn't think he noticed her the first time she glanced at him, but the second time, he was looking directly at her.
"Mesmerizing, isn't it," Austin said.
"Very," she answered. This time when Maggie looked at him, he was pulling something out of his pocket.
"Jackie," he said into his cellphone. "Any news?... I see…of course, I'll send that as soon as I get back to the office…He is a beauty, isn't he. Tell Carl he can ride him anytime he wants. I keep him pastured at Evergreen Stables and I'll let them know to expect him…By the way, ask Michael to come by the office. I have a gift for the three of you…you too." He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.
"You have a horse?" Maggie asked
"I do," Austin answered. "Do you like horses?"
"Very much."
"Do I detect a British accent?"
"Not much of one, I hope."
Austin smiled and nodded. "I have to go." He stuffed what was left of a sandwich back in his bag and stood up. He looked directly at her, nodded, and walked away.
She watched him walk across the one lane street in front of the Gladstone Building and then go inside. She kept her eyes on him as he walked to an elevator and then went in when it opened. He didn't look back, which was a good thing, she supposed. In a movie she saw once, the main character said if he looked back, it would mean he was interested. She wanted him to be interested, but in Sissy3211, not a woman he happened to see on a bench.