Chapter Twelve
After my successfulseduction (at least that’s what I was calling it), things between us changed enormously, but for the better.
We still spent nearly every evening together, but we didn’t always go out. More often than not, he would come to my townhouse or I would go to his place and we would cook together or order in. We watched television or movies, sometimes working together if we were both swamped, or we would sit in companionable silence as we read. It was all perfectly ordinary but exactly what I always wanted to have with Jordan.
In fact, I was having the time of my life.
Jordan also wasted no time in following through on his suggestion that he and I have brunch with my father and his aunt. Within two weeks, he’d made the arrangements and reservations.
While I was thrilled that he wanted to introduce me to his beloved aunt, his only living relative, I was also nervous. Not just nervous, terrified.
I hadn’t been at this point in a relationship with a man in nearly ten years, not since law school. I was out of practice and I had no idea what to wear. Nothing in my closet seemed appropriate. I didn’t want to wear one of my work skirts or slacks because they seemed too professional for a Sunday brunch and I didn’t want to wear jeans because they seemed too casual for such an important meeting. I wanted to make a fantastic first impression without appearing as though I were trying too hard.
The Friday beforeThe Big Brunch, I arranged to meet Chelsea, Grier, and Yancy for lunch. Lucy surprised us all by showing up as well. I had already decided to take the rest of the afternoon off and go shopping for the perfect brunch outfit.
I met the girls in the lobby and we headed out to walk to our favorite Chinese restaurant a few blocks away.
As we walked, Lucy fell in step beside me. “So you’re meeting his aunt this weekend, right?” she asked.
Suddenly her surprise appearance made sense. “Yes.”
“And your dad’s coming?”
“Yes,” I replied, glancing at her speculatively. “Is that why you came today?”
Ignoring my question, she asked, “Have you picked out your outfit yet?”
I shook my head. “I’m going shopping after lunch.”
Lucy beamed at me, hooking her arm through mine. “Awesome! I have the afternoon free so I’ll go with you. I need to do a little shopping anyway. Chris wants to go somewhere tropical for a few days at the end of the month and I have nothing to wear.”
“Did someone say shopping?” Chelsea interrupted.
“Tanya and I are going shopping after lunch,” Lucy explained. “You should go with us!”
Chelsea laughed. “Like my slave driver boss would give me the afternoon off with no notice.”
“Well, I do have a little influence with him,” Lucy stated. “I bet I can talk him into it.”
With that, she dug her phone out of her bag and called Chris, taking a few steps ahead of us for privacy. I didn’t want to hear whatever she had to promise him to get Chelsea out of work on a Friday afternoon.
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” Chelsea asked. “About this brunch, I mean.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only because I know you. Is there a specific reason you’re nervous? Other than it’s a big step?”
I glanced at her. “I am nervous about meeting his aunt, but…” I trailed off, unsure how to explain my concerns.
“But what?” Yancy prompted from the other side of Chelsea.
I hadn’t realized that Yancy had joined in our conversation. I glanced at her and shrugged. “It just seems so quick. We’ve only been dating a few weeks.”
At my statement, Chelsea began laughing. “Quick? You dated the man for months two years ago. How is that quick?”
“We weren’t dating then,” I argued.
It was Yancy’s turn to laugh. “Tanya, you said he liked to have dinner with you and stayed with you the nights you were together. That sounds like dating to me.”
