Chapter 537 Enjoy the Pursuit
Morning at HarmonyKeys
So, this kid's banging out some piano tune, but man, he looks like he's about to face the firing squad—totally on edge.
May's phone buzzes on the piano, and she checks it. It's a text from Tyler, asking if she's free tonight.
They just met last night, and now he's already hitting her up again. Dude's definitely into her, which is kinda cool.
May smirks, feeling a bit full of herself. Of course, a hot and talented chick like her would catch Tyler's eye.
Susan got lucky, but May's got skills. And skills get noticed, eventually.
May thinks she's gotta play it cool, not seem too eager. She should probably act like she's busy, but her fingers betray her: [I'm free.]
'Whatever, going home means dealing with people I can't stand, so why not go on a date? Plus, I dig Tyler's attention.' What she won't admit is she's been checking her phone all day, waiting for his text.
The piano music stops.
"Done?" May asks the kid.
"Yes, Ms. Wilson, I'm done. I'm sorry, I didn't play well. I'll try harder." Please don't yell at me.
May gives him a gentle smile and pats his head. "Why so tense? You did fine."
The kid looks at her, totally shocked. Just yesterday, she tore into him, saying he had zero talent and would never play well.
Today, she's all nice, but it freaks him out even more. He feels uneasy, even when she pats his head, he wants to flinch.
"Ms. Wilson..." The kid swallows nervously.
"Are you scared of me?" May asks.
The kid nods, then quickly shakes his head. "No, Ms. Wilson, I..."
May explains, "I know I was tough before, but it's for your own good. If I'm not strict, you won't improve."
Despite her words, he's already lost all confidence from her scolding and wants to quit playing the piano.
Being strict and being a jerk are two totally different things.
The kid feels frustrated but doesn't dare say anything. He's scared of getting yelled at again. So he just nods. "Thank you, Ms. Wilson, I get it. I'll work harder."
"Good, keep going."
After class, May heads downstairs.
Her assistant is all excited, looking out the window. "Ms. Wilson, that hot guy from yesterday is here again."
"I know." May acts like she doesn't care.
But the assistant is pumped. "Is he chasing you? He must be. He drives a Range Rover; he looks loaded. Ms. Wilson, when did you snag such a great catch?"
May snaps back, "Are you saying I'm not good enough?"
"Of course not. Ms. Wilson, you're awesome too. I'm just curious. What's his deal? His family must be rich, right?"
"Just average. He's only a VP at a bank. His mom's a diplomat, and his dad's a banker." May says it like it's no big deal, but inside, she's totally bragging.
"Wow! That's some background! That's impressive!" The assistant gushes, "That's high society. Ms. Wilson, you should totally go for it."
May frowned. "Do you even know how to talk? What do you mean I should seize the opportunity? He should be the one seizing the opportunity with me. I’ve got the goods, and plenty of guys are after me. Meeting me is his jackpot."
"Yeah, you're right." But the assistant thought, 'The Wilson family's still way below his league. From an outsider's view, it's May who's reaching up.'
But she kept that to herself, not wanting to get chewed out.
"Didn't you see how hard he's chasing me?" May asked.
"Yeah, he must really like you, Ms. Wilson. You should give him a shot. But I think you’re into him too, right? You seem pretty chipper today."
"Really?" May asked herself.
Could she be satisfied with just one Tyler?
Her current standard was a guy like Caleb.
But hey, being chased by a guy still feels good, right? She was definitely in a better mood today. And she did like Tyler.
"I'm off work." May said.
"Okay, have a good date."
"What date? I haven't even said yes yet." May said, acting all proud.
"You're off work." Tyler got out of the car and opened the door for May. "You look stunning today."
May had dressed up on purpose. She had a feeling Tyler would ask her out today and spent half an hour just picking out clothes in the morning.
"Really? I didn't even try that hard." May said casually.
"A natural beauty like you doesn't need to try." Tyler replied.
May thought, 'Damn right. I am a knockout.'
"Aren't you busy today?" May asked, "Banks are usually swamped."
"Yeah, if I were busy, twenty-four hours wouldn't be enough. But you're more important than work."
Even though it was sweet talk, coming from Tyler, it felt genuine. May felt delighted. What woman doesn't love hearing nice things?
"Work shouldn't be delayed." May said.
Tyler replied, "Yeah, I know. I was worried it might mess with your work, but I wanted to see you so bad. You were on my mind all day, so I couldn't resist texting you. Hope you don't mind."
May not only didn't mind, but her heart was racing. It had been a while since a guy pursued her so passionately. She appreciated every word Tyler said.
But she couldn't show it, so she stayed cool. "Grabbing a meal with a friend won't mess with work."
"Yeah. I'm just glad you gave me a chance."
"What are we eating tonight?" May asked.
"You'll see." Tyler kept it a mystery.
May smiled. She liked surprises.
On the way, Tyler asked about May's work and praised her, "It's impressive that you run such a big chain of training centers on your own. Most women I know are housewives."
May shot back, "If I became a housewife, it’d be a waste of my talents. Not to brag, but if I hadn’t taken over the family music school, I could’ve started a billion-dollar company on my own. My family held me back."
Tyler nodded. "Yeah. But this way, you can juggle your career and have time for family, the best of both worlds. I admire women like you who are both talented and ambitious. No wonder I was hooked the first time I saw you. May, you're truly special."
May's heart raced even more. The words women most want to hear are "special," which means unique.
May couldn't help but ask, "And compared to Susan?"