She found my salon before I found her number

I met Brooke at a gym in Fairhope, and the whole thing started because neither of us was paying attention.

I was moving away from one machine while she was stepping toward it, and our shoulders bumped. It was not hard, but we both stopped and apologized at the same time. She laughed, I laughed, and then we stood there for a few seconds longer than necessary.

I was 33 and working full-time as a nail tech. Brooke was 37, white, blonde, and clearly more comfortable in the gym than I was. I recognized her after that, but we never had a real conversation. We would nod or say hello when we passed each other.

One evening, she asked what I did for work. I told her I worked at a nail salon nearby. I gave her the general area but did not tell her the salon name. I was interested in her, but I could not tell if she felt the same way, and I did not want to come across too strong.

About a week later, Brooke walked into my salon.

I was surprised enough that I almost forgot to greet her properly. She said she had searched online and figured out which salon I worked at. Fairhope is not a huge place, so it was probably not difficult, but I was still impressed that she had made the effort.

She booked a basic manicure with me.

Brooke had healthy nails and did not need much work. During the appointment, we talked more than we ever had at the gym. She asked about my family, how long I had been doing nails, and why I chose that kind of work. I asked about her job and how long she had lived in the area.

Before leaving, she made another appointment for the following week.

Then she came back the week after that.

A weekly manicure was more than she needed, but I did not question it. Sometimes she changed her polish. Other times, I only cleaned up her nails and applied a clear coat. Most of the appointment was just us talking.

I liked seeing her, but the situation made me cautious. She was paying for my time, and I did not want her to feel that I was using my job to ask her out. I also worried that I had misunderstood everything and she simply enjoyed having someone to talk to.

After several weeks, Brooke finally asked why I never spoke to her outside the salon.

I told her the truth. I liked her, but I wanted to keep things professional while she was sitting at my table.

She said she had been booking every week because waiting to run into me at the gym was taking too long.

That cleared up a lot.

We started meeting for coffee and dinner on my days off. She still came to the salon, but not every week anymore. Once we began dating, she usually booked only when she actually wanted her nails done.

A few months later, we decided we were officially a couple. There was no big announcement. We had dinner near the bay, talked about what we both wanted, and agreed that we were not interested in seeing anyone else.

Brooke still jokes that she had to track me down because I was moving too slowly. She is probably right. I thought the shoulder bump was just a small gym accident. She apparently saw it as an introduction.