“Libby, is something wrong?” Taylor asked when she broke away from a pack of other sta and sat down next to her.“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Did Jennifer Borgmann tell you why she was leaving?”
Her thin eyebrows scrunched together. “Not at all.”
“And you haven’t heard anything new or negative about me this morning?” She talked around the massive boulder in her throat.
Taylor shook her head. “No. Nothing. And the first thing I do while I make co ee every morning is check.”
“Then why is she dumping us?” The question was really aimed at herself.
Libby: I’m sorry to hear you want to leave. Finding love isn’t a simple proposition. It often takes a few matches before we find the perfect fit. If you’re willing to give us a chance, I’d love another opportunity to match you. We had a number of other excellent candidates.
Jennifer: There’s just nothing else I think you can do for me.
Fighting the wave of nausea that burned the back of her throat, Libby reminded herself that she couldn’t cry in her waiting room in open view of half her sta , even if Jennifer leaving her felt like the straw that took down the camel. She was definitely the camel. If she couldn’t keep a new client who’d come to her without being skeptical that a woman loving woman could match people of any gender, she had no hope with the others already hanging on by a thread.
A photo popped up on her phone of Jennifer and Gale cuddled up in front of a roaring fire in a very cozy looking cabin.
“What is it? What did she say?” Taylor asked, her cheeks and neck bright red while every other inch of visible skin turned milk white.
“I don’t know,” she replied.
“May I?” Taylor grabbed the phone when Libby was too stunned to respond and zoomed in on the picture.
Taylor’s horrified faced burst into tears. “They’re engaged!”
“What? No! What?” Libby snatched the phone back. She hadn’t really noticed they were holding their hands out.
Though, to be fair, she’d been stuck on the whole getting fired part to really study the image.
“It’s a little soon, but I guess when you know, you know,”
Taylor said, still crying as she laughed.
Libby’s pent-up anxiety manifested into uproarious laughter. They needed the win.
They moved into the conference room to call Jennifer and get all the juicy details. When they were finished, Libby stopped Taylor from leaving the room.
“You did a really amazing job, Tay.”
She smiled and shifted under the weight of the compliment. “All I did was sort some people out.” She shrugged.
“You put Gale at the top of the pile, exactly where I would have put her. I’m really impressed. You were a big part of changing someone’s life, and I want to celebrate that.”
“Well, I learned from the best,” she said, her skin flushing again.
Libby replied with a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
Taylor wiped away another tear when they separated.
“Just for the record, I did not think they were getting engaged.”
Libby smiled. “When you know, you know, right?” The image of Reagan popped up in her mind. “Hey, do you have time to help me with something? I want to do an art sale fundraiser thing.”
“For Reagan?” she asked with a knowing smirk as they left the conference room and headed for her o ce.
“Maybe,” Libby replied coyly.
“Count me in.” Taylor lingered at her door for a moment.