Page 26 of Somewhere in Seattle

JD didn't want to keep anything from Jordan, but he also didn't know how to say any of it.Was she right about what she said? Was he mean to her?He certainly hadn't meant to be. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Everything he ever said to Jordan was meant to protect her and help her. He was stunned that she thought he was mean, and he just stood there and let her walk away.

JD couldn't get Jordan off of his mind all evening. He had gotten to know her some since she moved to Seattle, and the last impression he hoped to make on her was that he was rude. He didn't want it to be that way, and he didn't know what to do to fix it.

JD wasn't an expert when it came to matters of the heart. He grew up with women in his life, and no one had ever told him he was mean or rude. He had a no-nonsense personality that served him well in business and other life endeavors. He played division one college basketball on a team that went to the playoffs multiple times. Also, during college, he invested two thousand dollars in his roommate's app idea. That created his first windfall, which he invested in a couple of apartment units. JD made one good business decision after another, and he was now extremely successful.

He was focused and determined, and not the least bit distracted. He did not get tempted by consumerism or impressing people with his lifestyle. He lived well within his means, and it just so happened that his means were now a lot. JD now owned and managed over a hundred properties, quite a few of which were completely paid off. Most were apartments, but he also owned and leased a couple of retail spaces. He went to school for engineering, but he was mentally built for obtaining property and maintaining it, so that was what he did with his time. Sometimes, he was a construction worker, a plumber, or an electrician. He did most of the handyman work himself until it became too much. He now had a full-time assistant in the office, Ruth, and a second employee who did the handyman work alongside him.

JD was a busy man. Nobody would ever describe him as a time-waster. He was not one to beat around the bush. If there was something that needed to be said, he would say it. He hated the thought that his matter-of-fact personality had been hurting Jordan's feelings. She had said he hurt her feelings just about every time they spoke, which JD couldn’t believe because he actuallylikedher and thought they were becoming friends.

He thought about it for so long that night that he ended up calling his sister. Gwen was older than him only by three years, and she already had a husband and three children. Two of them were girls. Surely, she would have some advice for him.

"Hello?" Gwen said, answering her phone. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, why?" JD asked.

"Because you normally text me."

"It's, no, it's, everybody's fine. I just… I figured the kids were in bed already, and it was too long to text, so I thought maybe you could talk on the phone for a minute."

"Uh-oh."

"No, no, it's no big deal. It's just… a female."

"Uh-oh," she said, with even more enthusiasm. "That is a big deal, JD. You met somebody? Oh, my gosh. It's Valentine's Day, too. How sweet. Does Dad know?"

"No, Gwen. Please. No. I didn't meet anyone. I met someone, but she's, it's, I'm not dating anyone or anything. There's just someone that I like and I've miscommunicated with… not that I think I've done that because I meant everything I've ever said to her… " JD trailed off with a groan, knowing he was suffering from an unusual bout of inarticulation.

"Oh my, are you tripping over your words?"

He breathed, doing his best to calm himself. "I just didn't expect you to mention Dad, and don't want you to go run off and talk about it to Dad—or even Claire or Isaac."

"Why not?"

"They all know her, and we're not there yet. Not even close. I'm just trying to communicate with her, and she said I'm, I… she said that I'm mean."

"Who said you're mean? You went out with some girl and she told you that?"

"No, I didn't go out with her. I told you, we're not dating. We've never been on a date. She doesn't even know I like her. I don't think she would like me back even if she did. She told me I hurt her feelings a bunch."

"Did you?" Gwen asked, sounding stunned.

"I didn't mean to if I did. When I first met her, I probably wasn't the nicest, but that was because I had the wrong impression of her intentions. But since then, I thought I was being nice."

Gwen took a deep breath. "Is she worth even messing with?" she asked. "Is she being high-maintenance? Some people have issues with stuff like that. They'll beat you down and tell you what you're doing wrong all the time to get you dependent on their approval. I think it's called narcissism."

"She's not a narcissist, Gwen, she's really sweet. She's the one who's telling me I'm hurtingherfeelings."

"That's what those people do. They trick you into thinking it's your fault."

"She's not like that. I really do think I came across as… too serious for her or something."

"Well, JD, if you're being yourself and trying to act normal, and she thinks something is wrong, then maybe it's just that your personalities don't work together. You dated that one girl back in college, and your personalities just didn't click."

"My personality clicks with Jordan's. If it doesn't, then it's my fault. She's sweet and innocent, and if something is wrong, it's my fault."

"Oh my gosh, JD, you seriously sound bad over this girl. Did you say her name is Jordan?"

"Yes, but please don't mention that to anyone. I don't have it bad for her." JD felt odd saying that. He did have it bad for Jordan, and denying it felt wrong. "I'm only telling you about her because you live in California, and you don't know her. I don't want Dad and them to find out."

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