I started booking pedicures because I wanted to see her again

I never expected the woman I met late one night to be the same person holding my feet two weeks later.

I am over 40. She looks around 30.

Now I keep booking pedicures at her salon, but I cannot tell whether she likes me or is only being nice because I am her customer.

My name is Nick, and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I first met her one evening at a small restaurant near downtown.

I had stopped there after meeting a friend. She was standing near the entrance waiting for a takeout order.

She was Asian, petite, and very pretty. She had long dark hair and a quiet smile.

We looked at each other a few times before I finally said hello.

I normally do not approach women much younger than me. I worried she might think I was being strange.

But she smiled and started talking to me.

Her name was Linh.

She told me she was Vietnamese and had lived in Utah for several years. Her English was good, although she sometimes paused to choose the right word.

We only spoke for about fifteen minutes.

She asked what I did for work. I asked whether she lived nearby.

Then her order was ready.

Before leaving, she gave me her number.

That made me think she might be interested.

We exchanged a few messages over the next week.

Nothing serious.

She worked long hours and sometimes answered late at night. She told me she usually worked six days a week and was too tired to do much after closing.

I asked what kind of work she did.

She said she was a nail technician at a salon about ten minutes from my home.

I had never visited a nail salon before.

A few days later, one of my coworkers mentioned getting pedicures because he spent so much time standing at work.

That gave me an idea.

I searched for Linh’s salon and booked an appointment with her.

When I walked in, she looked surprised.

Then she laughed and asked whether I had really come there for a pedicure.

I said my feet needed help.

That part was true.

I had never paid much attention to them, and they did not look good.

Linh told me not to worry because she had seen worse.

During the service, we talked almost the entire time.

She seemed different at work.

More confident.

She knew what she was doing and joked with the other nail techs while taking care of me.

I enjoyed being around her.

When I paid, I tipped well.

Not because I expected anything from her.

She had done a good job, and I knew she worked hard.

Before leaving, I asked whether she wanted to get dinner sometime.

Her smile disappeared for a second.

Then she said she had been very busy but would let me know.

I understood that was not a yes.

I did not want to pressure her, so I left.

She sent me a message later that night thanking me for coming.

She added that she had enjoyed talking with me.

That gave me hope again.

Two weeks later, I booked another pedicure.

My feet did not really need another one so soon, but I wanted to see her.

Linh teased me about becoming a regular customer.

I told her maybe I had finally learned to take care of myself.

She laughed.

This time, she asked more personal questions.

She wanted to know whether I had ever been married.

I told her I was divorced and had been single for several years.

Then I asked whether she had a boyfriend.

She said no.

She explained that dating was difficult because she worked so much.

I wanted to ask her out again, but I remembered how uncertain she looked the first time.

I decided not to bring it up.

After that, I visited the salon every three or four weeks.

Sometimes I got a pedicure.

Sometimes I only had my nails cleaned.

The other workers started recognizing me.

One of them joked that Linh had found herself a very loyal customer.

Linh became embarrassed and told her to stop.

I could not tell whether she was embarrassed because she liked me or because she wanted everyone to understand that I was only a customer.

That uncertainty started bothering me.

Outside the salon, Linh still messaged me occasionally.

She sent pictures of food.

She asked how my workday had gone.

Once, she called me after having a difficult customer and talked for almost an hour.

But whenever I suggested meeting outside the salon, she became vague.

She said maybe when work became less busy.

The salon always seemed busy.

I began wondering whether I had misunderstood her friendliness.

Maybe she gave me her number because she felt uncomfortable refusing me that first night.

Maybe she liked talking to me but did not want anything romantic.

I did not want to become the older man who kept visiting her workplace until she felt trapped.

Then something happened during my last appointment.

A younger man came into the salon carrying drinks.

He walked directly to Linh’s station and handed her one.

They spoke quietly for a minute.

She looked happy to see him.

I felt jealous immediately.

I knew I had no right to feel that way.

Linh and I were not dating.

She had never promised me anything.

Still, I became quiet for the rest of the service.

She noticed and asked whether something was wrong.

I said I was tired.

When the man left, I asked whether he was her boyfriend.

Linh looked surprised.

Then she told me he was her cousin.

I felt foolish.

She asked why I wanted to know.

For once, I decided to be honest.

I told her I liked her and wanted to take her on a real date, but I did not want to make her uncomfortable at work.

Linh stayed quiet for several seconds.

Then she told me something I had not expected.

She said she liked me too, but the age difference worried her.

She is 30.

I am 44.

She said her family would probably ask many questions.

She also worried that I only found her attractive because she was younger and Asian.

That part hurt, but I understood why she wondered.

I told her I liked the way she talked, the way she remembered small details, and how comfortable I felt around her.

I also admitted that I first approached her because I thought she was beautiful.

I did not want to pretend her appearance had nothing to do with it.

She appreciated the honesty.

Then she asked why I kept booking pedicures instead of simply inviting her somewhere again.

I told her I had invited her once and did not want to keep asking after she avoided giving me an answer.

She said she had not been rejecting me.

She had been nervous.

She did not know whether dating a customer could cause trouble at work.

She also said the salon workers already watched everything we did.

That explained why she acted different whenever I asked her out inside the salon.

Before I left, Linh agreed to meet me for coffee on her next day off.

She made one thing clear.

It was only coffee.

No promises.

No pressure.

I agreed.

Our coffee meeting lasted almost three hours.

We talked about our families, our past relationships, and what each of us wanted.

Linh said she did not want something casual.

I told her I did not either.

But she still seemed cautious.

Near the end, she asked whether I would continue visiting the salon if dating did not work out.

I said probably not.

Not because I would be angry.

I would not want her to feel uncomfortable every time I walked in.

She nodded and said that was a good answer.

We have now gone out three times.

Nothing physical has happened except one hug.

She still messages me, and she has agreed to see me again.

But I cannot tell whether she is moving slowly because she is careful or because she does not feel enough attraction.

I also worry about our age difference.

Fourteen years does not feel huge to me, but maybe it does to her.

She is building her career and still talks about having children someday.

I already lived through a marriage and divorce.

I do not want to waste her time.

I also do not want to walk away from something that could become real just because I am afraid of looking foolish.

The part that worries me most is how we met.

I was attracted to her before I knew anything about her.

Then I started visiting her workplace because I wanted to see her.

I believed I was being respectful, but maybe booking services was still a form of pressure because she had to be friendly while working.

She says I did not make her uncomfortable.

Still, I want to handle this correctly.

Should I keep dating her slowly and let her decide whether the age difference matters?

Or should I step back before feelings become stronger and her workplace becomes part of a relationship that may not last?