Hoping he’s just fishing to see if he hits a target, I say coolly, “And your point is?”
“I think you know what my point is.” Calvin rubs his thumb over his lip. “I wouldn’t kiss and tell if I were you. For example, if you’re in the trees by the skateboarding park, say during the annual fair? I’d maybe be a little more careful about who I bring into the woods with me. Because not everyone’s going to be as understanding…”
My jaw’s turned to steel, and it’s all I can do not to punch this guy out. “Calvin, you have no idea what you’re dealing with here.”
“I think I actually have a pretty damn good idea.” He smirks. “And you could lose everything if you keep acting on your impulses. I’m a reporter, not a confidante. And there’s only so long I’ll keep quiet for.”
“What do you want?” I ask him. “Because if you didn’t want something, you wouldn’t give a shit about threatening me.”
“I want the one thing I’ve never gotten with this paper—a front-page story.” He shrugs callously. “And I don’t personally care who I have to take down to get it.”
I lean in close to him, my hand on his shoulder like I’m casually telling him something. But my intent is clear, and Calvin’s eyes widen the closer I get.
“You want some advice?” I say in a deadly-calm voice. “Stay the fuck out of my private life. Because if you cross that line, I swear to God, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Your career as a reporter will be over.”
I leave the locker room, determined to talk to Olivia.
But before I can even look for her—
“Jenson!” Sheldon calls out from behind the metal gate where he’s standing with Max and Todd. “My bachelor party starts now! Let’s go!”
* * *
Olivia
Cindy and Dee take Kyle and Connor home with them for the night so Jenson can hang out with Sheldon and his wedding party. Max goes with them, and Hayley and I take Bernie with us to the coffee shop and proceed to drink far too much caffeine.
“I don’t want to keep things quiet about Jenson and me anymore,” I confess. “I want to go public. No matter what happens or how much it upsets the apple cart of Liberty Falls and our families, I want to take that risk. I need to.”
“Any other day, I would say ‘yay!’ But Sheldon and Cara are getting married tomorrow night,” Hayley points out. “Just because Cara hates bachelorette parties and isn’t having a pre-wedding soiree doesn’t make her wedding any less real. And assuming your families will need a little time to adjust to the news? It could ruin the night.”
“God, you’re right. I can’t run the risk of wrecking Sheldon’s night. It’ll be okay. We can wait a little longer.”
Hayley laughs. “Speaking of…look who just walked in.”
I turn on the couch and lock eyes with Jenson walking toward us.
Hayley gives me a hug. “I’m going home. See you tomorrow at the wedding.”
I wave goodbye to her and invite Jenson to join me on the couch. He pats Bernie, who whines happily.
“I thought you’d be out with my brother,” I say.
“Sheldon’s friends are cool, but they plan on going all night at the bar.” He stretches out his jeans-clad legs on the coffee table. “I’d rather hang out with you.”
I smile at him. “And I’d rather hang out with you. Let’s go to my house.”
We don’t say much as we walk slowly through town, but as soon as we’re inside my house, Jenson says abruptly, “Calvin confronted me after the game. He knows.”
My skin goes cold. “What do you mean?”
“About us, Olive. He made some insinuation about kissing someone in the woods during the fair.”
“I saw him!” I say, remembering the movement I’d noticed. “Right before Auntie Sue’s accident. I was going to mention it to you, but I forgot about it.”
He puts his arm around me, and we sit on the couch in my living room. Bernie settles at our feet.
“I wonder how close he was to us that day.”
