How can a love shy man get the girl of his dreams?

I am a love shy man, I am 42 years old and have never had a proper relationship with a woman. I do have a close female friend who I have know for about 12 years. We met when we work together while she was a student and I worked in the shop she had a part time job in. She was 19 at the time and I was 30. Normally I have felt very nervous around women and unable to talk to them but with her it was different and we became friends. Admittedly I felt more than friendship for her but as she was seriously involved with another man at the time I put those feelings to the side and in a way it also took the pressure off, knowing that there would be nothing more between us. After she finished college she moved away but we kept in touch she would visit me once or twice a year and we often spoke on the phone or played chess online! All this time she was with the same man and it seemed that they would always be together.

However in the past year the relationship has ended amicably as he has taken a job over seas and she is returning to study. She will be visiting me again for the first time since she and her partner split next month and I'm already feeling nervous, it feels like all these feelings I have repressed for so long are bubbling up and taking over. I want to much to be more than a friend to her and yet I'm terrified that she will reject me. Even just talking to her on the phone recently has left me a gibbering wreck.



What can I do to test the waters with her without scaring her off or losing her friendship?



Note: If you don't understand love shyness pls see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love-shynessHow can a love shy man get the girl of his dreams?
just try testing her mention goin out to dinner like date then if she agrees maybe tell her how u feel at the meal but work ur way into it and drop hints... u never no maybe she feels the same but if she doesnt tell her its ok u want to be friends that u would rather have her in ur life as a friend rather than not at all =)