Page 11 of Love Unexpected
“Just tell her, Rosie,” Greta said. “Jade is your friend. You shouldn’t be freaked out about this.”
“I’m in love with Isaac,” I blurted, squeezing my eyes closed even as the words tumbled out. I peeked one eye open. “And I have been for a very long time.”
Jade reached out and placed her hand on top of mine. “Look, I get it,” she said, her voice soft and Southern and lyrical. “I’m a lesbian who’s been married for three years, and evenI’ma little in love with Isaac. He’s as good as they come.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, not so much from embarrassment as from relief at having finally told Jade how I felt. I quickly launched into an explanation of the message I’d sent and how I hoped she’d work her magic to get it in front of Isaac.
She studied me for a long moment after I finished my explanation.
“I’ve known Isaac a long time,” she finally said. “I was managing his social media for free when he was still recording in his parents’ basement. He’s the one who encouraged me to get a degree in marketing, and when he expandedRandom Iinto the warehouse and realized he needed more help, I was the first person he called. We’re tight, Rosie. Did you know he was the one who introduced me to Diedre? He was in my wedding party when she and I got married.”
I swallowed. Suddenly, involving Jade seemed almost as risky as involving Isaac’s twin sister, Dani. “I didn’t know that.”
She eyed me warily, her silence nearly pushing me off the edge of reason.
“You know what, it was a dumb idea,” I said, holding up my hands. “I just...I’m not really good at the whole in-person thing with guys. Not at first. And I thought...if he could just get to know me...but forget it. It’s really fine.”
“You know how many women reach out to him every day?” Jade said. “I get it all. Photos, invitations to hook up, photos thatareinvitations to hook up, if you get what I’m saying. People asking for money, people asking for mentions or likes or shares. It’s all made me a little protective of Isaac’s privacy.”
“I get that. I really do. But I didn’t send him an invitation to hook up,” I said. “You know me well enough to know I would never do that. I just sent him some artwork. It’s a Red Renegade album cover, and I genuinely just thought he might appreciate it.”
Jade’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows went up. “You’re a Red Renegadefan? That’s...different.”
I looked from Jade to Greta. “Seriously? Does no one else around here have decent taste in music?”
Jade chuckled. “You thought he might appreciate it? Or you also hoped he might respond?”
“Of course I hoped he’d respond. If he could just get to know me a little bit.. .” I shrugged. “I think we could be friends.”
“Friends?”
I was going to start sweating if she didn’t ease up soon. “Or more than friends. What else do you want me to say? I really like him. I just want a chance to get to know him. For him to get to know me.”
Jade eyed me up and down in a way that made me feel like a contestant on American Idol. “What’s your favorite tv show?” she asked.
“Mine?”
She gestured for me to answer as if it was obvious why she needed to know.
“Um, that’s hard. ProbablyChasing Rainbows.The last season in particular.”
Jade nodded. “Favorite book.”
“That one isn’t hard.A Chain of Tomorrows, by Peyton West,” I answered without hesitation.
Jade tugged at the sleeves of her oversized sweater and leaned forward. “Okay. How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?” she asked.
“You totally know the answer to that,” Greta said. “You were there when she went off on her rant about overpriced roses and the commercialization of human emotion.”
Jade grinned. “That’s right. I’d forgotten.” She studied me a moment longer, her expression giving away little as to whether she liked my answers or not. Had I known it would lead to such a thorough vetting, I never would have asked for Jade’s help. I might have stood a better chance hitting up one of her team members who wouldn’t care quite so much.
“Last question,” Jade said. “How do you feel about high heels?”
An image of Bridget parading through the warehouse in wedges taller than my morning latte flashed through my mind. Did that kind of thing really matter to Isaac? It had to be why Jade was asking. But it couldn’t matter. Isaac wasn’t that guy. I didn’t know him as well as Jade or even Greta. But I knew enough to make some guesses, and I just couldn’t imagine him caring about what kind of shoes a woman wore.
Either way, I wouldn’t lie about it. I was me, and I liked me. I wouldn’t change who I was, even for Isaac Bishop.
I glanced down at my Converse. “Um, IthinkI own a pair? I maybe haven’t worn them in years, though. Not since my uncle’s wedding.”
