I looked up to find one of the event organizers. “Yes, ma’am?”
She smiled. “I wanted to let you know the brunch mixer is about to wrap up and everyone will be taking their seats in a moment if you’d like to head to the stage.”
Willow and her friends had already slipped out of the lounge and were heading down the hall toward the ballroom. Her hips swung in a sassy walk. Bubblegum hair spilled down her back as she tipped her head back and laughed at something one of the other ladies said.
The organizer cleared her throat. “Um—is there anything I can get for you before you head to the stage?”
Someone in the ballroom spoke into a microphone, requesting that everyone take their seats. The muffled instruction was enough to snap me out of the haze.
I stood and tucked my tablet beneath my arm. “No. Thank you, though. You all have been too gracious.”
I followed her to the wings of the stage and waited behind a fake tree as the panel moderator gave a quick welcome speech and ran through the events of the day.
I spotted Willow through the leaves, looking so fucking pretty.
Part of me wondered if I had hallucinated how beautiful she was while we were standing under the fluorescent lights in the checkout line.
But today she was ten times more breathtaking. The stage made her glow like a summer sunset full of cotton candy skies. And that mouth on her . . . Her quick wit was something else. I fucking loved it.
“This year, we are so excited to bring a cutting-edge expert in romance, dating, and relationships to the Rom-Con stage. His podcast,Leading Man, is the number one lifestyle and relationship podcast in the country. His revolutionary relationship coaching program, The Ford Method, has garnered international accolades for its no-nonsense take on dating. And today, he’s here with us to discuss his approach to helping people fall in love. Please give a warm welcome to Ryan Ford.”
I strode out from behind the fake tree and offered the crowd a quick wave as I made my way to the podium and adjusted the microphone. The panelists I would be joining at the end of my presentation sat to the left, putting Willow in my peripheral vision. She maintained a look of indifference as I began my speech, but the tight line of her lips betrayed her obvious contempt for me. Well, for who she thought I was.
Unfortunately for both of us, I was going to piss her off a little more.
“Picture this,” I began. “It’s a Friday night in New York City. The weather is perfect. All over Manhattan, people are going onfirst dates. They’re seeing shows together. Taking walks through Central Park. They’re laughing over dessert. They’re making human connections. They’re experiencing those singular moments in life that change everything.” I paused. “And you’re standing in line at a convenience store, buying a vibrator and pineapple seltzers. Alone.”
Out of the corner of my eye, Willow stiffened.
“It begs the question, why? The average human spends 29,228 days on Earth. By the time you reach adulthood at eighteen, you’re down to 22,646 days. Fourteen thousand of those days will be spent working, leaving you 8,646 days of living. You have to make the most of those 8,646 days. Why in the world would you spend even one of those eight-thousand-something days in a checkout line, buying seltzers and bad sex toys?”
Willow was fuming from her seat on the wing. The woman looked like she wanted to throttle me. Whitney reached over and gave Willow’s arm a squeeze, but it did nothing to break her death glare.
“For many, dating is this big, elusive concept. We assume everyone knows what to do to fall in love. But the truth is, most people don’t. Most people don’t have cliché, sitcom high school dating experiences where they go through a regimented set of baby steps that train them to find the love of their life as an adult. As I crafted The Ford Method, my research taught me that falling in love has nothing to do with romance. It’s not about the flowers and chocolates. It’s about establishing human connections. As society becomes more and more isolated due to working remotely or establishing friendships through social media platforms, the confidence to approach someone face-to-face is a fleeting skill. With The Ford Method, I coach romantics through the first twelve weeks of their relationship. With ninety-six percent of my clients moving their three-month romancesinto long-term relationships or marriages, I’d say I know a thing or two about what it takes for two people to fall in love.”
Willow gagged.
I breezed through the rest of the presentation. I showed off client testimonials, a photo of my wall of wedding invitations, and how I believed romance books encouraged people to take a hard look at what was acceptable to them in real-world relationships. I covered the key points of my program and method, giving them an overview of what people are seeking in relationships. It was just enough information to entice the authors and publishing professionals in the audience to buy the course and experience it themselves to deepen the characters they write.
“And you can consider it a business expense,” I quipped. “Gotta get all the tax write-offs you can, right?”
The crowd laughed in agreement, but Willow had tuned out. I stole a moment to look at her by assessing the crowd from side to side. She glowered at me, but quickly tamped it down when Wander elbowed her.
“At the end of the day, I want to destigmatize asking for help. Men, in particular, struggle with that. It’s why I grab my microphone and answer calls from my followers on my podcast. If one man sees another man asking for advice, chances are he’ll ask for advice too. No one shames the best quarterbacks in history for still having a dedicated quarterback coach in the pros. I’m encouraging men and women alike to get in the game, knowing they have someone on the sidelines to help them call plays. Forgive the sports analogies, but sometimes that’s what it takes—speaking someone’s language, in their tone of voice, to build that trust. Whether it’s friendship, a whirlwind romance, or the kind of lifelong love story that makes it to 'til death do us part, it’s about meeting people where they are. Thank you.”
The crowd graciously applauded as I picked up my tablet from the podium and joined the panelists, grabbing the empty chair beside Whitney West.
Apparently, Willow found a spot on the back wall that was utterly fascinating.
“Fancy meeting you here, cupcake,” I said with a smile, though I intentionally avoided looking at her. “How was your night? Did itrock?”
Whitney clapped a hand over her mouth to hide a laugh.
Willow’s face turned bright red. “You douchebag?—”
Wander kicked Willow’s ankle to shut her up, nodding toward the microphones the two of them were holding.
Microphones that wereon.
