Page 11 of Mr. February

“Chad again?”

“Yes,” Jenny said as she exited the stall. “He thinks I’m playing hard to get. Can you believe this guy? He said that buying me a Valentine’s Day gift isn’t necessary, but since I’ll be free next week, we might as well get together. What the hell is wrong with him?”

“So many things!” Gloria answered with a cheeky grin. “All the more reason for you to be out of town so he won’t be hounding your door.”

“That’s a compelling argument.”

“And if you find a charming geek to while away a few hours or generate some heat with, even better!”

“Give it a rest, already. I’m not doing that.”

“Keep an open mind. It doesn’t have to be Wade. You could meet someone there, someone you won’t have to see again, so there won’t be any of the weirdness you’re so worried about. I still think Wade is the best choice, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s into you specifically, not just you as a woman who might touch his dick. When geeky guys are interested, their attentiveness is off the charts.”

“How many geeky guys have you dated that you’re such an expert?”

“Dated? Only one, and it was a disaster because we worked together. We were both too dramatic, and he was crazy jealous any time I talked to any of my all-male co-workers. He knew flirty was my native language, but somehow, he thought it was just to lure him in. He learned how wrong he was.”

Gloria winked at her. “However, if you’re asking how many one-night stands I’ve had with geeks, the answer is much higher. Almost all my hookups have been geeks. Even that long weekend when I messaged you to let you know I was still alive was a geek.”

Gloria sighed dreamily. “Yeah, that was an awesome weekend. Whatever-his-name-was knew how to follow directions. That’s another thing! Geeks like taking instruction almost as much as they like figuring things out for themselves. Regardless of your confidence or interest level, they’ll take care of you.”

She snorted at a memory. “As long as whoever you pick isn’t a virgin. But if he is, just knock one out with your hands or mouth so everything else lasts longer, and you’ll have a slave for life if you want one.”

Gloria laughed when she caught Jenny’s expression.

“There’s no need to freak out. You don’t have to take my word for it. Figure it out for yourself, or don’t. But give yourself the option so you’re not stuck fending off annoying calls and visits from Chad the— What should I call him?”

Conversations with Gloria often left Jenny feeling lost.

Gloria snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it. We’ll call him Chard from now on.”

Jenny couldn’t help the snort that burst out of her at Gloria’s ridiculousness. That’s how it always was with them. Jenny would freak out about something and find herself in an emotional spiral. Gloria would waltz in and confuse and amuse her until she realized she felt lighter.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me.” At Gloria’s excited yelp, Jenny tempered her friend’s enthusiasm. “To go to the conference, I mean. That’s all I can promise. I will keep an open mind to other opportunities, but I’m not like you.”

Gloria shot her a dirty look, but Jenny begged her friend to understand. “That wasn’t a dig at you, and you know it. You’re a force of nature. I’m not confident and sassy and witty and charming like you are. Plus, I don’t have the ability to wrap men around my finger with just a smirk and a head toss.”

“That’s true. You’re the best, but you have absolutely no idea how to talk to men. It’s almost impressively bad.”

“Exactly my point. I don’t know how to flirt. I can’t be comfortable enough in my own skin to let someone I’ve just met see me naked. God, I wish I could. You have no idea how much Ihatethat Chad is the last person I had sex with. Trust me, if I can bring myself to change that situation, I will.”

Jenny squared her shoulders and straightened her spine while she checked her reflection in the mirror in advance of meeting with her boss.

“I am going to the conference, assuming Elizabeth hasn’t changed her mind in the past ten minutes, and I will do my best to be open to new experiences.”

“Honestly, you don’t have to try that hard. Your biggest problem is you think too much.”

“Yeah, I know. That doesn’t help me, though.”

“You’re not listening. Just… stop trying. You don’t have to be any different than you normally are. You’re funny and interesting and weird, and most of the guys here hang on your every word. But since you don’t see yourself that way, you can’t imagine that someone else would. You don’t have to do anything different.”

“Oh, God. Are you telling me to be myself?” Jenny rolled her eyes when the two women made eye contact in the mirror. “I’vebeen doing that for a while, and it hasn’t gotten me very far. What it got me was Chad.”

“No, that’s you trying too hard. The version of you that you are with me, or at work, or when you’re around people you’re comfortable with is not the same version of you I’ve seen when you were with Chard. I know it’s easy to say, ‘stop worrying so much about it,’ but that is my recommendation.”

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