When I’m finally able to find my voice, I ask Teresa, “Um. How did you and your husband meet?”
“I contacted him on Twitter.”
“Really?”
She nods.
“So it was love at first tweet?”
“I wish. I practically stalked him for a year. He finally agreed to meet me for a cup of coffee in between meetings, but…we’ve been together ever since,” she says. “It took him forever topropose, though. They just need to be tied down. I really don’t know if you understand how lucky you are. I have girlfriends who applied to a matchmaking service in Sausalito specifically because they’re hoping to be set up with your boyfriend. But apparently he won’t even sign up for it.”
So, he wasn’t kidding about the matchmaking service.
I can’t stop thinking about what John said, wondering if he really had a crush on me.
At this dinner, I learn that he has two offices in Palo Alto—one at Brainy Biz headquarters, where he is still an advisor, and one at his venture capital firm, which is called General Relativity Ventures. Where he employs thirty people. He is cautious about rapid growth and scaling too fast, he says. His ambitions are tempered by a desire to one day have a family, he says, reaching for my hand again.
I have to wonder why he’s trying to impress this upon Mr. Investor Guy. Does John need to convince him that he’s a well-rounded guy, like with the guy in England? It doesn’t seem like Phil needs any more incentive to do business with John. Surely he isn’t trying to impress me by saying that. He must know that I can’t start a family until I’ve retired from dancing. Surely he doesn’t plan to have a family withmeone day. Surely this twinge of emotion I’m feeling is sympathy for the woman he ends up with and not jealousy…
Thankfully, I don’t have to follow that train of thought because a well-dressed young man who’s around my age approaches our table hesitantly, shaking John’s hand and thanking him because Brainy Biz helped him score a great job.
It seems I’m the last person in the Bay Area to realize what a catch John Brandt is.
When Teresa excuses herself to the ladies’ room and John and Phil are busy chatting about whatever it is wealthy investorschat about, I take a moment to check my phone. I have over three hundred new followers on Instagram and a DM from Milo.
MILO
I super hate you. You look fire in that dress. But I still hate you. Also, yay!
And I have another text from my brother.
NATHAN
I know this isn’t about me, but this is very weird for me.
I write him back:
Trust me, it’s weird for me too.
He immediately replies, which is rare.
NATHAN
Weird in a good way?
ME
Too early to tell.
I want to ask John about what he said to Teresa. But saying the wordsWhat you said about your feelings about meout loud tonight would be like trying to do a grand jeté tournant in a level-one ballet class. I had to work up to that. I had to learn progressions first. Basic grand jeté, strong pirouette, sauté arabesque. And those were just the foundation skills. I’m not even capable of telling this person that I had a crush on him when I was a toddler.
So. Baby steps. In my sexy nude heels.
CHAPTER 10
JOHN
Iam crushing Step Three.
