Page 158 of Finance Bros
I nod.
“That’s plenty of time to bounce back if it doesn’t work out.”
“I’ve never really been in a relationship before,” I admit.
“They definitely have their pros and cons,” she says.
“Were you head over heels for your ex when it all started?”
“A hundred percent,” she says.
“You think you’re more cautious now?” I ask.
“I think I’m just looking for different qualities. He wasn’t very nice, my ex. There were red flags.”
“Like what?”
“Like he was a terrible tipper.”
I laugh. “I agree that’s a red flag.”
“I didn’t expect him to cheat, though. That never occurred to me. So, I admit, that makes me question my judgment a lot more than I used to.”
“Sorry,” I say.
She shrugs. “I wasn’t the one for him. That’s how I see it now. There’s a man I’ve been talking to who works a floor down in my building. Also divorced, similar story. Like I feel like I can just tell he would never cheat because he’s so—can I say devoted if we’ve never been on a date?”
“You haven’t gone out with him? Has he asked?”
She shakes her head, laughing softly. “No. But he texts me all the time. Random things. Stupid things. Like he’s determined to keep my attention.”
“Do you like him?” I ask.
She shrugs. “He’s growing on me.”
“Mal’s like an invasive tumor I’ve had since I was a kid, so I know the feeling. You should ask him out.”
“Oh, God…” she says like I asked her to try rock climbing without a harness.
“Wait—before I convince you, show me a picture.”
She does, and I determine based on looks and his LinkedIn profile that he’s good enough for her. We order our food, and I try to convince Norah to step outside her comfort zone. I promise her she can always run anything potentially shady by me. and I’ll keep her from doing something she’ll regret later.
She pays the bill after an easy forty-five minute conversation, and we slide out of the booth, ready to put the final touches on her presentation.
Taking my hand again she says, “Thank you.”
“For what?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Reminding me it’s okay to go after what I want.”
“You did the same for me.” I give her a hug, grateful to her for giving me friendship and hope at a time when I was operating on an extremely shaky foundation.
“You’ve mellowed out a lot, you know,” she says, still in my arms.
I laugh, burying my face in her hair. “I might be happy or something crazy like that.”
“Enjoy it, Ryan. You deserve it.”
