Even though that second kiss had felt like electricity running straight through my soul, I wasn’t the sort of girl that incredible men actually called.
4
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Jared
Even though being called back into work at the last minute ruined my plan to ask Tara out for a drink, it may have been for the best.
The guys all mocked the hell out of me for showing up at our new project’s safety meeting while wearing a suit. I was used to getting grief from them, since the five crane operators of Vincent Frostwell Construction were a tightly-knit group. It was kind of like having four brothers who loved to stick their noses in my business and give me grief at every oppor
tunity.
In some ways, it was convenient, that we quite often kept a close eye on each other. We all needed lightning fast reflexes and perfect concentration to do our jobs safely, and checking in with each other constantly kept us on our toes.
It was a relief to get home and finally strip out of Jessie’s fancy suit. I wasn’t sure whether I liked the feeling of wearing it or not.
Not just the physical sensation of wearing something fancy that I was afraid to get dirty. People treated me differently. I honestly hadn’t been expecting that. The only time I ever wore a suit was for weddings, and the occasional fancy work celebration.
Once I was comfortable and feeling more like myself in old jeans and a t-shirt, I stretched out on the worn blue couch with my phone in my hand.
Should I call her?
Tara was unbelievably beautiful. Sure, she was around ten years younger, but that didn’t bother me. She had the kind of beauty that lit her up from within, giving me a thrill every time I glanced in her direction. Her sweet shyness made me desire her even more.
Setting my phone down on the wooden coffee table, I had to think carefully before I acted. The guys always said to wait at least three days before calling a girl.
Somehow, that felt shifty. Playing games with someone’s emotions was just not cool.
Leaning back to gaze up at the stucco ceiling, the image of Tara’s expressive blue eyes danced in front of me. She had looked so terrified out there on the runway. Yet she had been so brave when I asked to kiss her for the photographers.
I still couldn’t quite believe that she let me kiss her again afterward.
I’d only had a couple of girlfriends, and never for more than a month or two. Maybe I was a bit behind, but I was still figuring out how women worked.
When I had been running deliveries for the Welsh brothers, tearing around on a motorcycle and partying my head off, I never thought about the future. Now that I was straightened out with a respectable job and a comfortable if not lavish home, I was ready for a good woman in my life.
Normally, when I liked a girl, I would ask around and get a bit of information about her, so I had a few things to talk about. There were too many feelings racing through me to do that this time, and I didn’t even know who I would ask anyway.
All the dating articles swore that women wanted assertive men. I didn’t want to make a shy girl more nervous, but Tara had certainly needed me to take charge and help her today. Should I do that again?
Nodding to myself, I grabbed my phone and sent her a text.
Me: Hi, Tara, this is Jared. Just wanted to be sure that you got home safe.
I sent the message before checking the time, but luckily it was only 7 o’clock.
When her reply came in two minutes later, I grabbed the phone so fast it crashed to the floor. Thankfully, I always used an industrial strength case, since at work my phone fell onto bare concrete quite often. .
Tara: Hi. Yes, I went straight home, actually.
Me: No champagne and partying?
Tara: No, I didn’t really know anyone there.
Me: Some people enjoy parties for meeting new people.
Tara: It’s not really my thing.