by Lauren Wood
“I don’t think anyone’s complaining,” I blurted. God, I really was making a fumbling mess of this. “What I’m trying to say is…You look great. Better than I’ve ever seen you, from what I can recall.”
Suddenly, I was racking my brain to remember anything I did recall. I had never really looked twice at Jada before. She was sweet and shy. Not one to demand the attention of a room. There was the added hindrance of a certain bro code that said the little sister of your friends and co-workers were off limits. There was reason not to look, but she had never really gone out of her way to make that difficult either…until now.
“Thank you,” she replied, commanding me to my senses again.
“Keep at it. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working.”
“Good to know,” she grinned.
That smile. How did I never notice that smile before with those perfect white teeth and those dimples? Her eyes were captivating, and they lit up when she smiled, making it impossible to look anywhere else. I was almost angry at her for hiding it all away for so long.
The momentary silence between us lasted longer than it should have, and was quickly turning awkward. I had to say something to ground us again, to bring it all back to normal.
“Oh, by the way…I have the contact info for that woman I wanted to recommend for your interviews,” I told her. “Her name is Isabella, and she’s eager to talk to you. She’s never used Heartstring before, so you’ll have a chance to present our audience with the point of view of starting the service from start to finish. It will be a valuable perspective, I think. And Isabella is a great face for any company. I think people will really be drawn to her story and persona.”
“That’s great!” she said, pulling out her phone. “How can I reach her?”
I spouted off my sister’s number from memory, and it should have ended there.
“Let me go ahead and give you my number too. You know, in case you need to reach out for anything as you dive into this.”
“Oh,” she hesitated. “Well, sure. But…I already have your number.” She held up her phone to show me my name in her contacts as proof. “We’ve known you so long. I must have gotten it from one of my siblings at some point. I don’t remember why. Or you might just be a standard company contact that Lucas handed out.”
“Makes sense. I’m sorry to say I don’t have your number, though.”
She took my phone from my hand and typed it in before handing it back. I didn’t know why I felt the thrill of getting a chick’s number. Sure, that’s what I had done. But it wasn’t like that.
“I’m a little nervous about interviewing, honestly,” she admitted. “It’s something I always thought I’d be good at it, and I’ve always wanted to try. But it’s still hard to try something for the first time, even if you are really excited about it.”
I loved the way she cut her eyes away when she talked. Even with her new look, she still carried an endearing shyness. It gave away her kindness and humility—a trait that was rare in most of the women I found myself surrounded with.
“How about dinner?” I blurted suddenly, surprising myself. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I just had this urge to be around her more. To be alone with her. But that wasn’t reason enough for betraying the bro code, or any of the other lines I had crossed by spitting the invitation out.
“For tips and advice, I mean,” I added quickly, trying to save myself. “If you have anything you want to talk through. I could try and help you get ready.”
The excuse sounded like such obvious bullshit, I could barely stand to hear myself say it. I was kicking myself for letting my words get so far ahead of me. I was never one to speak accidentally or blurt things out without thinking them through. Which left me unprepared for how to recover.
I studied the reaction on her face. She seemed just as surprised as I was, but took the explanation to heart. I could see her thinking it over.
“Sure, okay. If you don’t mind and you have the time,” she decided, looking optimistic and grateful. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”
“Just busy having dinner with you.” I smiled. Jeez, what was wrong with me? I couldn’t have spat out a cheesier line if I had been trying.
She chuckled under her breath and started to turn for the elevators. “Great. Thanks, Jack.”
“I have your number now,” I said, holding up my phone. “I’ll text you the details.”
The elevator doors slid closed in front of her, saving us both. An instant dread washed over me. Lucas and Joshua would kill me if they had seen or heard what just happened. Not that I couldn’t take them, but I didn’t want to have to. Honestly, I kind of wanted to kill myself for acting so unexpectedly.
I turned around and shook my head. Since when did a pretty girl throw me off so much? Especially one I had known since we were kids?
No sooner than I had the thought, I looked up to see another old friend standing there, watching me intently with her arms crossed.
“Victoria Sloan.”
“Jack Landson,” she smirked. “I heard you were hanging around here for a while. I just didn’t know you were hanging around Jada while you were at it.”
I quickly crossed the lobby floor to close the gap between us and avoid any risk of someone overhearing her.
“She’s starting a new project, and I was just giving her some tips.”
“I’m sure,” she said dryly, taunting me.
Victoria was another old friend from high school. I had known her just as long as the Meadows family, and now she was one of them—married to Lucas. She had always been hot as hell, but she was another one I never gave a second thought to. Lucas always had a claim on her. At least that was one boundary I was still successfully managing not to cross.
“She looks good, doesn’t she?” she tipped her head towards the elevators where Jada had just been. “I helped her upgrade her look.”
“You did a…” I cleared my throat, stopping myself from word-vomiting any further. “You did a great job. She’s always been a very sweet girl.”
Victoria’s face tightened as she stepped closer, taking an intimidating stance. “A very sweet girl. One who doesn’t get out much or date. She’s not seasoned to heartbreak like some of us.”
I threw my hands up in mock surrender. “That’s none of my business. More than I need to know about one of my execs.”
“One of your execs?” she questioned. “So, you’re planning on sticking around for a while then?”
“It’s been discussed some, but…”
“Just don’t let any ideas about staying here lead you to thinking it’s a good time to settle down with a nice girl. When guys like you try that old cliche, you end up miserable, and you leave an otherwise innocent and happy woman just as miserable with you. Jada deserves better than that.”
“Again, just giving tips and guidance—which is my job. The better point here is for you not to let your crazy assumptions get back to Lucas and stir up any drama.”
“I’ll stay in my lane if you stay in yours,” she sang with a smile before flipping her ponytail and marching off.
6
Jada
My face wrinkled with a confused and flustered smile as I left Jack standing there in the lobby. Was I crazy, or was he flirting with me? I looked around, wishing there was anyone else around who might have seen the interaction and could help me interpret it. Maybe I was just being delusional, but I could have swore he was thrown by my new look. And the follow-up dinner invitation had me just as thrown as him.
I groaned with my back up against the elevator wall, suddenly realizing the mistake I had made. I was so taken back by his invitation to dinner that I forgot the next night was book club. I may not have been sure of his real motives for asking me out, but I wasn’t about to rock the boat by asking to reschedule. Romantic or not, I was going to have dinner with Jack Landson tomorrow night.
I pulled my phone from my purse to call Jane and let her know. I should have known she would
n’t let me off the hook easily. I had never missed a book club meet-up before.
“Dinner? With a man?” she fired off rapidly. “So…a date!? I don’t think you’ve ever once mentioned dating before. Ever.”
Once again, people’s assumptions from the box they had all put me in were coming to light. It felt like if I sneezed differently, it’d make front page news with my friends and family.
“No, it’s true. I don’t really date often…or…ever, as you said. Twice,” I sighed. “But this isn’t really a date. It’s just an important work thing.”
“Tell me everything,” she insisted.
I quickly rattled off the details. How I’d known Jack since high school. My whole family had. Yes, he was hot, but also off limits and completely out of my league. He seemed a little flirty in his response to my new look, but I wasn’t sure that had anything to do with him asking me out to dinner. He specifically said it was just for giving me tips on the new project.
“Sounds like a date to me,” she decided when I was finished.
“What about anything I just said implies a date?” I asked, baffled.
“You don’t know much about men, Jada. But if a man wants to take you to dinner, I don’t care what he says about the reason for it…He’s attracted to you and wants to be around you more.”
“Jack Landson. Attracted to me?” I laughed. “I may not know much about men in general, but I think I know enough about this specific man to say that’s not what’s happening here.”
I stuck to my guns for the rest of our call, but by the time I hung up, I couldn’t stop my heart from soaring with the possibility that maybe Jane was right. Could Jack really have just asked me out on a date?
The thought carried me on a cloud the whole way to my meeting with Isabella the following afternoon. I followed her instructions on gaining entrance to the mysterious, unmarked brunch spot she wanted to meet at. The speakeasy-like building had no sign, but once I gave the password to the woman at the front, she let me right in and directed me to a private room where Isabella was waiting.
I marveled at the tropically decorated room, complete with palm trees and salt fountains that filled the air with the scents of the ocean. Isabella was decked out in a pool-side worthy dress, draped elegantly on a set of satin pillows in the floor around a low table.
“Isabella?” I asked, like an idiot. Who else would it be?
She pulled her sunglasses down her nose, revealing the most disarming pair of eyes I had ever seen on a woman. She was undeniably gorgeous with her classic auburn waves and painted red lips. She looked like something out of a Lana Del Ray music video, and I immediately felt less accomplished in my makeover.
“Have a seat,” she waved at the cushion across from her.
I couldn’t stop staring as I took my seat, watching her take a careful bite of the shish kabob appetizers already served on the table. I tried to piece it together in my mind…Jack’s first mention of her. His insistence that I interview her. Who was this woman? Surely she wouldn’t be a romantic interest of his if he was peddling her off to find a man on Heartstring.
Or maybe…Maybe there was something about her that wasn’t good for his image. I couldn’t imagine what, but if they wanted to keep their relationship a secret from the public eye…making her separate dating life public would accomplish just that. She certainly looked like the kind of woman Jack should be with, far more than I did.
“You’re Jada,” she purred. Her voice was deep and sultry, and her words seemed very sparse and carefully chosen.
“Yes, nice to meet you. Thanks for agreeing to this,” I swallowed, watching her take another bite. The sauce-drenched meat and veggies looked delicious, but I knew I could never sink my teeth into them without spilling or getting sauce all over my mouth. I couldn’t eat as gracefully as this Isabella lady could.
“Forgive me for asking, but…Why exactly do you need to sign up for Heartstring?” I asked slowly. “No offense. You’re just so…so…Well, I can’t help but think if someone like you has to turn to online dating to find someone, the rest of us are screwed. You must have men lining up around the block to take you out.”
She offered a reserved smirk. “I guess you could say that. But that kind of attention makes you guarded. Maybe I’ve become too picky and off-putting to men. I don’t give anyone enough of a chance. At least that’s what Jack seems to think.”
“So, this was Jack’s idea?”
“I’m certainly not in any rush for a relationship,” she replied, taking a sip from her cocktail.
“Okay,” I nodded, pulling out my pen and pad to take notes. “That’s a good perspective to offer our audience. I imagine a lot of people might sign up out of pressure from friends and family.”
“And how is it that you know Jack?”
I sensed some concern in her tone, which was laughable. As if a woman like me could ever give someone like her any amount of competition.
“Oh, he’s just an old friend,” I waved. “My siblings and I have known him since highschool. He does a lot of work for Heartstring.” I paused then ventured to add, “So, if you have a thing for him…You obviously have nothing to worry about.”
“A thing for him?” she laughed. “God, no. This isn’t West Virginia.”
I wrinkled my brow, staring back at her cluelessly.
“I’m his sister,” she barked, like I was an idiot for not knowing. “So, if you have a thing for him, you obviously have nothing to worry about. Not with me anyway. Maybe every other woman on the planet, but not me.”
“Oh, of course,” I buried my face in my hands. “How silly of me. I guess now that you mention it, I can see the resemblance. It’s strange, though. I never knew Jack had a sister.”
“We attended different high schools. You would have never seen me. My mother shipped me off to an all-girls boarding school. The same one she went to. Our family believes that’s the best way to keep teenage girls out of trouble.”
I tried not to smile too obviously from my restored hope that maybe, just maybe, I did stand some kind of chance with Jack. But even with Isabella out of the running, there were still plenty of other obstacles that made it unlikely.
“Did it? Keep you out of trouble?” I asked, refocusing.
“I learned a lot,” she answered tightly. “So, what do you need from me? A confessional about my experience creating an online dating profile or something?”
“Eventually, yes. First, I just want to learn more about you and your dating history. We’ve covered why you’re signing up for Heartstring. But mostly, I just want to know who you are as a person, so our readers will be more invested in your story. Then they’ll be more inclined to follow your journey with online dating.”
“Very well,” she sighed like some kind of royal queen. “Proceed with your questions.”
I carried on, as she requested. Isabella was reserved, but in a mysterious kind of way that always left me wanting more. She always gave away just enough to keep you on the hook, but left me with more questions than answers. I had always heard that mystery made a woman more desirable, even though I had never mastered the art of it myself. I was good at disappearing into the background, but not in a way that left anyone looking for me.
The longer we talked, the more I started to think Isabella was the key to this transformation in my life. I wanted to be more like her…to be alluring and captivating. The only thing she was lacking was being “down to earth” or “approachable,” but watching her…I was beginning to realize those were the exact qualities I wanted to rid myself of.
By the time we finished, I was determined to find some way to be friends with her. Maybe then some of her charm and sex appeal would have a chance to rub off on me.
“Let me give you my card,” I said, digging through my bag. “That way I can reach you for the next interview. Or you can feel free to reach out to me if you have any more thoughts you want to share…or if you ever just want to grab a drink or something.”
“Oh, god, no! So sorry if I…No, I’m not…I…”
“You don’t swing that way?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” I blushed.
“I don’t either. I was just teasing, Jada. I’m surprised Jack’s dry sense of humor hasn’t rubbed off on you after knowing him so long. We’re both big fans of sarcasm and dark humor.”
“Noted.” I tipped my pen in the air. “I just meant that…Well, it was nice talking to you today. And to be honest, I’m in need of more inspiring women in my life aside from my sister. You’d be doing me a favor to let me hang around sometime…Oh god. That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”
“You’re cute,” she smiled, saying it like I was a lost puppy or a small scared child. “I’ll give you a call sometime, Jada. Otherwise, I guess I’ll check out this website of yours and report back for our next chat.”
7
Jack
I hesitated outside of the restaurant, wondering if it was too much to go in without her and get a table. I showed up early to deliberate on that very thing. I had already made a point to tell Jada we’d meet there, as opposed to me picking her up. Another line in the sand between a date and a friendly dinner.
But I was at odds with myself. For something so platonic, I was overthinking every little detail. I worried about being rude by going in without her, but adjusting my hair and tie in the reflection of the window to make sure I looked my best.
I was so worried about making it clear to her that this wasn’t a date, but apparently there was some part of me that needed reminding this wasn’t romantic in any way.
What was I even thinking, offering to give her tips anyway? What the hell did I know about interviewing people? Sure, I could ask the right questions to suss out the results a client was expecting through my consultations. But beyond that, I didn’t have any special knowledge about interviewing people. Which only brought more suspicion on to my own motives for this dinner.