Chapter 4
CARA
“Calvin, Calvin, Calvin.” It spills out of the ballroom like the chorus to an overplayed pop song.
Men buzz. Women sigh. Couples dissect every line like scripture.
The morning session just wrapped, leaving a ninety-minute break before part two. It’s two-thirty on the dot and Jules looks like she’s balancing on a tightrope over open flame. Calvin? He’s in campaign mode for President of the Universe.
The second his feet hit the floor, people swarm. Questions fly, phones raise, voices pile on like he’s the messiah of modern dating. Calvin handles it like he was born for this. He answers, laughs, signs a book, even straightens one guy’s stance in thirty seconds flat.
Then he glances past them. Straight to us. Jules shifting like the floor’s hot under her shoes. Me, trying not to combust from secondhand swooning.
He closes out the last question, claps a guy’s shoulder, and cuts through the noise like it isn’t even there.
“Come on,” he says, voice low. And suddenly, we’re outside, sun on our faces, slipping into the back of a yellow cab.
We cram in tight. Jules in the middle, her knee pressed against his. Calvin gives the driver an address far from the hotel strip.
Lunch without the fanboys. Perfect.
I lean toward Jules, stage-whispering like he’s not right there. “Hey Jules, is it just me, or is this not the same guy who was taking Riot’s abuse last week?”
Her lips twitch. She doesn’t answer.
Calvin catches it, amused. “You two are dangerous together.”
“Relax,” I grin. “Truth and honesty, right, Coach?”
I keep going. “And since we’re on that theme…” I glance at Jules. Poor thing—nowhere to hide.
“...Jules just told me what happened after hours.”
“What?” Jules blurts, loud enough to make the driver flinch. Her hand clamps over my mouth like she’s guarding nuclear codes.
“Ignore her,” she mutters with a nervous laugh, cheeks pink as she glances at Calvin.
I peel her hand off, laughing. “Oops. Guess honesty has its exceptions.”
Calvin shifts, nudges Jules lightly, his glance saying more than words. She ducks, trying to hide the blush that betrays her.
We pull up to this little off-the-grid deli. Chalkboard menu. Mismatched chairs. Finally, a place that doesn’t reek of self-help cologne.
Inside, we slide into a corner booth. Calvin leans back, shoulders loose, one arm stretched along the seat. He looks happy. Jules sits stiff, like she’s bracing for checkmate.
I take the end seat, third-wheeling with the bread basket. The bread doesn’t judge me. It never does.
“Calvin, Calvin, Calvin,” I mutter into the crust. Neither of them hears. Of course.
We’re halfway through sandwiches when it happens.
A tall, sandy-haired guy hovers by our booth, clutching a notebook like it’s scripture. Twenty-six, maybe. Clean-cut. The kind who probably rehearsed his hello three times in the mirror before walking over.
“Uh, hey,” he says, eyes darting from Calvin to Jules before landing on me. His grin is sheepish but earnest. “Sorry to interrupt. Calvin, man… your session earlier? Game-changing. I can’t wait for part two.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. What’s your name, my friend?” Calvin’s voice is warm, easy.
“Rodney.” He straightens a little. “And you’re with… Exhibit A, right?” He grins at Jules, flicks his gaze to me, then back to Calvin.
Jules growls under her breath.
Rodney shifts toward me. “And you? That was hilarious.” He turns to Calvin, eyes wide with admiration. “Man, you’re unreal. A living legend.”
This is my out. My ticket from third-wheeling to field research.
The guy’s still smiling, bless him. He has no idea he just wandered into my experiment.
I toss my hair back and steal Calvin’s own line. ‘“Excuse me sir, I saw you… umm, standing there and… hi,’” I extend my hand, dead serious. “I’m terrified, by the way, but I think you’re worth the risk and I have to ask… want to get together sometime?”
Jules nearly chokes on her drink. Calvin covers his mouth, shoulders shaking.
Rodney blinks, stunned — notebook clutched to his chest like he’s debating whether this is a prank or the greatest moment of his life. “Uh… yes. I mean… yeah. Absolutely.”
I slap the table, delighted. “Perfect. First date starts now.” I slide out of the booth. “You buy me a coffee and a cookie and tell me how you ended up at Calvin’s seminar.”
Rodney lets out a nervous laugh but still nods, too far in to back out.
I brush crumbs off my jeans and grin. “Come on, rookie. Time to test your confidence in the wild.”
Jules points her straw at me like a weapon. “See you later, Cara.”
I start toward the counter, tossing a wink over my shoulder. “Lovebirds, I’m doing you a favor. You get privacy, I get caffeine. Everybody wins.”
Rodney scrambles after me, cheeks pink. “Uh—I’m Rodney, by the way.”
By the time I come back with coffee, I’ve relocated two tables away. Close enough to toss in a quip if they get too mushy, far enough to pretend I’m not watching.
Rodney sits across from me, still pink but curious. He leans forward, lowering his voice. “So… how do you know Calvin?”
I laugh so loud half the deli turns. “Guilty. That’s Exhibit A. Believe it or not, she was Calvin’s first love.”
Jules glares over Calvin’s shoulder. Calvin just shakes his head, smiling like he can’t decide if I’m a menace or a genius.
I sip my coffee, smug.
Best lunch break ever.
By the time Rodney and I demolish a cookie and swap three sarcastic takes on Chicago traffic, Calvin is checking his watch like the responsible grown-up of the group.
“We should head back,” he says, calm but with that edge that means he’s already half on stage in his mind.
“Duty calls,” I sigh, watching him. Jules glows in a way you can’t fake, Calvin looks like he’s holding a storm in his chest, and I’ve got a rookie date who can actually keep up. Not bad for improv.
We pile into a yellow cab, shoulders bumping, the scent of coffee still clinging. Rodney claims the front like he’s guarding a motorcade.
“Where to?” the driver asks.
“Westin River North,” Calvin says.
Rodney catches my eye in the rearview, grinning. “Careful, Cara. You’re riding next to the Living Legend. I’d be nervous.”
“Please,” I smirk. “Cal’s Exhibit A’s problem. I’m more interested in the newest Exhibit.”
His ears flush, but he rolls with it. “Exhibit B, huh?”
“Exhibit Rookie,” I shoot back.
Calvin chuckles. “Jules, you invited her.”
She hides her smile, slips her hand into his, squeezes. The look she gives him is all soft edges.
She glances at Rodney. “Careful, Rod. Cara will steal your heart if you’re lucky.”
“And your fries,” I add, deadpan.
He laughs. “If I could be so lucky.”
“You should be terrified,” I shoot back.
“Only your cuteness terrifies me,” he fires.
Calvin shakes his head, laughing under his breath. “My protégé. We’ve got openings on the coaching team.”
Rodney grins, picking up the cue. “Not to mention this cutie.” He twists in his seat, arm extended toward me. “Pinch me. Tell me I’m not dreaming.”
I give him a good pinch, and he jerks. “Ow!”
“Congrats,” I say. “You’re awake.” I lean in, grinning. “The real question is... can you handle it?”
Laughter fills the cab quick, easy, real. Even Jules and Calvin trade that long-suffering couple look while I grin.
At the hotel, Rodney has his wallet out before anyone can argue.
“I’ve got it,” he says, casual but confident.
I tilt my head. “Well look at you, Exhibit Rookie. Climbing ranks already?”
“First impressions matter.”
Calvin blinks, surprised. He’s the type who always pays, but this time he laughs. “Dang, Rook. I see you. Thanks a lot.”
Something in that exchange makes me smile. Maybe this city isn’t so boring after all.
Rodney glances back as we climb out. “See you tonight?”
“Oh, you’ll see me,” I say, grinning. “Just don’t get distracted staring at me instead of the slides.”
He laughs, and out of the corner of my eye I catch Jules watching me with that look, like she knows something I don’t.
Maybe she does.
Inside, the crowd is already trickling back, the energy building again, anticipation sparking off every conversation.
Calvin straightens his shoulders, slipping back into his role, but I catch the look he gives Jules before he does. Warm. Unmistakable.
I fall into step behind them. “Hey, lovebirds,” I mutter just loud enough for them to hear, “try not to combust before the Q&A.”
Jules shoves her elbow into me for the eighth time today, still smiling.
“Can’t make any promises,” Calvin says, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. Quick. Bold. Unhidden. Then, before heading backstage, he lingers, eyes locked on hers, unflinching.
Near the door, three students gasp like they’ve just spotted a celebrity in the wild. One claps a hand over her heart. ‘Practicing what he preaches,’ someone whispers.
Jules doesn’t even notice. She’s radiant in it, glowing so bright the whole room bends around her.
And me? It hits somewhere deep. Not jealousy exactly… just that quiet ache that whispers, God, I want that.
I glance around for Rodney, half-tempted to ask where my cheek kiss is hiding.
I toss my coffee cup, smile to myself, and think, if that kiss was a preview, the next session won’t be a seminar.
It’ll be a wildfire.