Page 17 of Tailored for Them

“Why?” I pressed.

Jacqueline squinted her eyes as she faced forward, avoiding my gaze, “I really don’t know if I should say.”

“Jacqueline,” I reached forward and squeezed her bicep, “I want to know why someone wanted my contact information.” I raised my eyebrows at her, and she nodded once before exhaling and replying.

“They said they were interested in asking you out.”

A swarm of butterflies took off in my stomach from her words, “Really?” I noticed right then that I was smiling, and I removed my hand from Jacqueline’s bicep to press my hand to my cheek.

Yup. I was blushing.

“Oh. I see,” I tried to keep my cool, but I couldn’t.

Taylor wasinterestedin me.

I was a grown woman, closer to forty years old than thirty, and yet I was still blushing as if I were a teenager who had just discovered her first crush.

Then, as my stomach dropped, I realized something.

“They haven’t texted me yet,” I sighed the words when the elevator doors opened, and we all filed off the elevator.

“They will,” Jacqueline nodded to herself, “They were blushing like you are when they asked me for your number.”

“Should I—” I stopped, letting Brandon walk ahead a bit as Jacqueline loitered in the lobby with me, “I mean, do you think—if they text me—that I should go out with them?”

Jacqueline shrugged, “If you want to.”

I did want to, but that didn’t necessarily mean Ishould.

Her dark eyes studied me in that intense way that intimidated more people than not. Before I could continue, Jacqueline spoke up again.

“Taylor is one of my favorite people. I think you’d have fun with them.” She nodded to herself, as if settling the discussion.

Perhaps it really was as simple as that.

“Yeah. I think you’re right,” I murmured.

And with that, Jacqueline smiled and pulled her phone out, waving goodbye before we parted ways.

I stood there in the lobby of our building for a moment, staring at Jacqueline’s retreating form, while trying to picture Taylor Desmond blushing while asking for my phone number.

I couldn’t.

Did they even get nervous? I wouldn’t peg them as someone who got nervous asking for someone’s number.

I replayed that conversation with Jacqueline multiple times in my head on the drive home. Trying to remember every detail, wondering if I heard Jacqueline right or if I made the entire conversation up in my head.

Was I ready to date someone like Taylor?

Did they even want to date, or did they just want to hook up?

I remembered Sarah’s words from the previous week, how Taylor didn’t “do relationships.”

I frowned to myself.

But…maybe I needed a break from relationships too.

Maybe I needed to have fun with someone like Taylor, to help me get my groove back.

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