13. Cal
Chapter thirteen
Cal
Tennessee knew how to put on a show for autumn.
Call me a cliché, but I loved me a pumpkin spice latte and watching the leaves change colour.
Southern Idaho lived in a perpetual shade of mostly brown year-round, so our autumnal display wasn’t anywhere near as spectacular as this part of the country.
Walking through downtown Nashville was an eruption of blazing oranges and yellows.
I was going to appreciate the colour explosion while it lasted.
“You ready?” Myles asked while we suited up in the locker room after our meet and greet before the game.
“To wipe the ice with these guys? Absolutely.”
He paused mid-lacing his skates and shot me a knowing look.
Of course he wouldn’t let me get away without answering truthfully. Having Myles for a friend was like having an external conscience. He had a gift for reading the emotions of everyone around him, no matter how hard you tried to hide it. “Fine. I’m nervous. Happy?”
“Don’t be. Seriously, Jules picked the best imaginable person for you to practice with. There’s no pressure.”
If Myles was saying that, it meant I had nothing to worry about. “Can I get a hint?”
“I’m under strict orders to keep my mouth shut.” He smiled softly. That same sappy smile that only appeared when he was thinking about his wife. “Jules had a lot of fun doing this. I won’t spoil that for her.”
This was one of those rare times I regretted that my best friend was married to my sister. He always took her side—not that I wanted him not to. As much as I might gripe about their unfailing need for PDA, he was good for her. The best, really.
Still, a guy needed his best friend in his corner sometimes.
Coach Thompson called the room to order and launched into a pep talk. My muscles itched to hit the ice, play hard, and work out my nerves.
By the time we skated out for warm-ups, the arena was electric. The air was crisp and sharp with cold and determination.
I held myself together while Hailey Bishop, America’s country music sweetheart, sang the national anthem.
She was a big-time star but also a close family friend since she was Juliet’s best friend Stephanie’s cousin.
And Stephanie was an honorary little sister (all three of Juliet’s friends were), which made Hailey one by proxy.
Sorta. It was confusing, but basically, she was family. Enough said.
Hailey and Juliet waited in the stands, cheering. Despite being out of our home state, there was something comfortable about having familiar faces in the crowd.
Popping my mouth guard in place, I skated into position. The buzz of the crowd fed my pent-up energy. It was go time.
We played hard and won against Nashville 3–1.
Gotta love that high of winning an away game. Although, they’d come out fighting even harder for a win on home turf tomorrow.
After showering, I hurried through a couple interviews Bells had lined up. I answered questions, took pictures, and signed a few jerseys before I made a dash for my rideshare. Usually, I took my time with fan interactions, but tonight was different.
I had a date to get to.
Per my request, Juliet had made reservations for a private room at my favourite wings place.
I wasn’t a big name in Nashville, but I had enough clout to be recognized.
And the paparazzi theorizing about my love life was the last thing I wanted to run PR for.
Bells might try and make me fake date someone, and while I was thrilled it worked out for my friends Nash and Stephanie, I had zero desire to go that route.
No thank you.
I kept my baseball cap low and after taking a selfie with my driver, who was wearing a Chargers hoodie, I strode into the restaurant.
Flyers was the best wing joint in the city.
If I came to Nashville for one reason, it was for their saucy wings.
It was almost eight, so the place was quiet.
Just a few teens studying in the back corner and what appeared to be a first date at one of the tables, given the awkward glances being exchanged.
Wings on a first date is a bold move. Solidarity, brother.
A server escorted me to a private side room where a woman was already waiting at the table, doing some sort of origami with her napkin.
“Hey, there,” I said with an easy smile. Nerves? Never heard of those.
The woman’s head bobbed up like a groundhog, and I almost laughed. Until I recognized her.
“Hailey?” I stared aghast at the curly-haired pixie with hazel eyes and a small beauty mark on her right cheek.
“Cal?” She blinked rapidly like she was trying to clear her vision. Then she cackled so hard it would have made Ursula from The Little Mermaid proud. “Oh, this is too perfect!”
I shifted, gripping the back of my chair but not sitting down. She found this amusing? “Uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but we’re friends.”
She snorted. “Thanks for letting me down easy.”
Shoot. “I meant—”
“Relax”—she held up her hand—“I’m not reading into this. Jules said she had a friend who wanted to ease back into the dating pool on a practice date. We don’t have to make this weird. Besides, I’m on a man ban, and I broke that for you, so you’re welcome.”
“Man ban?” Was this some sort of younger generational slang? Just how old was I? How old was she, now that I thought about it? Twenty-four or twenty-five, maybe? That was at least a seven-year age gap.
She smirked, clearly reading my confusion. “I’ve dated a string of duds, so I’m off the dating wagon for a while. Be glad I don’t consider you one.”
“So I’m a pity date?” That was not doing great things for my ego.
Hailey twirled a breadstick before pointing it at me like a mini sword. “No pity from me, mister. Now sit and tell me about that adorable munchkin of yours. Did she like the sequined boots I sent?”
I groaned, dropping down into a chair. “You are the sole reason behind my recurring nightmares about sequins.”
Hailey clasped a hand to her heart. “Do not desecrate the masterpiece of shiny objects.”
We ordered our wings, and surprisingly, conversation followed easily.
She was a great conversationalist, equal parts funny and charming.
It was easy to see how she’d acquired the moniker of America’s Sweetheart, especially with barbeque sauce currently smudged on the tip of her nose.
She was cute. But despite the dark curls and hazel eyes right in front of me, blonde hair and chocolate eyes haunted me.
“Can I drive you home?” I asked after I paid.
Hailey smiled as she slid on her plaid jacket. “That’s kind of you, but I’m a ways out. How about you drive us to your hotel, and I’ll take it from there?”
“I can grab a rideshare—”
She waved me off. “Don’t bother. How are we doing this? If we both go out there, tongues will wag.”
Unfortunately she wasn’t wrong. It was times like this that I hated being a public figure. I couldn’t even leave a restaurant without a battle strategy. “Want me to pull your car out front so you can make a run for it?”
“I like the way you think.” She dug around in her leather-tasseled purse, muttering, “Where are you?”
“What are you driving these days?” I asked, shoving my hands in my jean pockets.
“Uh . . . a car? Oh, here—no, that’s not it.”
“What kind?”
She scrunched her nose in thought, not unlike how Khia would. “Well, it’s blue, and it has a dent in the fender. It’s Nana’s old one. Nash and Steph drove it out to me last month.”
My lips twitched. “Make, model?”
“Nissan? Nassau? Ah, here!” She dangled the keys in front of me.
I took one look at the key fob and burst into laughter. “It’s a Toyota, Hails.”
“I’m not a car guy, okay? Wait, it’s the same model as Stephie’s . . . uh, matador? Margarita?”
“Matrix?”
“That’s it! It has four doors and great gas mileage. That’s as good as I can reckon.” Hailey winked. “I’m running to the ladies’ room. See you in a few.”
Still chuckling, I tugged my ball cap over my eyes and plunged out into the cold night air to bring the car around. I barely pulled to a stop before Hailey flew across the sidewalk, launching herself into the passenger side.
“What are you doing?” I laughed, cranking the heat. “Is the boogeyman chasing you?”
“Forgive me for trying to not draw attention to the fact that I was hopping into a vehicle with you at night.”
I grinned. “You draw attention everywhere, Hails.”
“You’re such a flirt.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment since I’m trying to not make a fool of myself.”
She patted my arm like a grandma. “You’re doing great.”
The hotel was only ten minutes away, and Hailey chattered lightly about her cross-country tour, starting next week. She’d be spending the next six months on the road with only a short break for Christmas. I parked a ways from the main entrance and shifted to glance at my companion.
Her smile was sunny, even in the dimly lit interior. “Thanks for tonight. I had fun.”
“Yeah. Me too.” And I meant it. Hailey was great, and maybe in another world, another lifetime, we could have been more . . . if I didn’t think of her like a sister. Yeah, no. I climbed out of the driver’s seat and jogged around to her side to open the door.
She hopped out with an impish smile. “I’ve been dying to ask all night, so please appreciate my restraint—who is she?”
“Huh?”
Hailey crossed her arms. Probably trying to look fierce, but she failed epically.
Even with the heeled boots she was wearing, she was still a foot shorter than me.
“I know that look. You’re pining for someone.
” She hummed and tapped her lips. “The girl who got away perhaps. A certain Noelle Shepherd?”
My jaw dropped. “How did you—?”
“Juliet.”
“Juliet has a big mouth,” I grumbled.
“I think she didn’t want me to get my hopes up.”
I reared back in surprise. “What now? You mean—”
“C’mon, Cal. I have eyes, and you’re gorgeous. Not my type—”
“What, athletic with a pretty face?” I waggled my eyebrows.
She snorted. “Famous, my dude.”
“Uh, how many musicians have you dated?”