Page 44 of Scoring Chance

“Why not? I’m a great boss!”

“And The Hunger Games is merely a fun competition.” Cal raises his eye at his husband. “Sweetie, I love you with all of my bacon-saturated heart, but I wouldn’t want to work under you either. Tanner’s too nice to say that, so I am. Friendship and business shouldn’t mix.”

“Tanner can be the judge of that.”

“I’ll think about it. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“I can see if there are any openings at my old grocery store,” Cal says. When he married Russ, he quit to be a full-time voiceover artist. I love hearing his shapeshifting voice on commercials. Cal snaps his finger, a brilliant idea coming to him. “Oh! Okay, I know this is going to sound a little cray…”

Russ presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Never a good sign when he starts a sentence that way.”

“Have you considered Only Fans?” Cal offers the idea as if it’s perfectly logical. “I know…crazy. But also sexy. And cool. I know people making good money doing it. You can set your own hours. And because of all the hockey sports you play, I’m sure you have a good body under there. You probably own a lot of jockstraps, too, which will come in handy.”

Russ shakes his head, his ears red with secondhand mortification. “I am so sorry, Tanner.”

“What? It’s a legitimate career path. Sex. Work. Is. Work.” Cal presses his finger into Russ’s chest to emphasize each word.

“Who do you know who’s doing OnlyFans?” Russ asks his husband.

“The gal who works behind the counter at For Goodness Cakes. I go in there every Friday for my weekly ‘You Made It Through Another Week’ red velvet cupcake. We got to talking, and it came up.”

“It just came up?” Russ asks.

“We’re both entrepreneurs navigating the ever-shifting digital landscape for creatives.”

It’s never a dull moment talking to Cal Hogan. He and Russ are like the Barbenheimer phenomenon brought to life.

“I’ll give it some thought,” I tell Cal with the same diplomacy as I used to brush off Russ’s job.

Russ turns to his husband. “Have you been considering Only Fans?”

“I thought about it. But I prefer that you’re my only fan, Russ.” Cal winks at him, and despite their bickering, the fire burns bright between them. For a second, I think of the playful banter Des and I had while washing dishes the other night, how the purr of Des’s smug tone can get me flustered in all the right (or wrong) ways.

“Since you’re not currently working, we could use some more help at the Halloween carnival,” Russ says. “I need volunteers.”

“The school is putting on a Halloween carnival? Last year, we did a trunk or treat.” I scratch at my head.

“Everyone does trunk or treats. They aren’t special anymore. I’m envisioning a festival slash carnival, right here at the school. Hay rides, haunted house, possibly a ride or two.” The blaze of ambition twinkles in Russ’s eyes. He was never a man satisfied with the status quo when it came to school activities.

“That sounds like a lot,” I tell him.

“It’s going to be great,” Cal gushes, nudging his husband proudly with his elbow.

“We’ll see. I worry I’m over my skis a bit.” Russ shrugs.

“You are not! If there’s anyone who can orchestrate the first Sourwood Elementary Halloween Carnival, it’s you. I believe in you.” Cal leans up and sneaks a kiss from his husband.

“Are you helping out, too, Cal?” I ask.

Cal barks out a laugh. “No. For the sake of our marriage, I am staying away from all school volunteer gigs.”

Halloween is something to look forward to, a nice distraction away from my job search and whatever is going on between me and Des. Why not?

“Sure. I’m in.”

“Perfect. Our first meeting is this week. I’ll give you a schedule,” Russ says, already pulling out his phone.

“You don’t want to check with the rest of your committee first?” I ask.