“Yeah, Cal here is a real do-gooder.”
A new guy walked up to our table, and Cal rose to his feet to give him a one-armed hug.
“Ladies, this is Lucas,” Cal said before mussing up the guy’s dark blond hair. “Lucas, this is everyone.” He waved toward the table.
“Hi, everyone.” Lucas’s light blue eyes beamed as he grinned at all of us. “Can’t stay. Date with a ridiculously hot cop. Don’t wait up,” he said to Cal.
“Make good choices,” Cal warned before Lucas hurried off as quickly as he’d arrived.
Cal sat back down, his leg pressing against mine again as he leaned in, closing off our conversation from the rest of the group. “That was my best friend. We work together.”
“He’s adorable,” I said with a grin.
“Too bad you’re not his type.”
“Why are all the good ones gay?” I teased, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“What am I, chopped liver?”
“I’ve never liked liver.”
“It’s an acquired taste.”
Well, damn. So much for his personality sucking. The least he could have done was have a crappy one, be overly cocky or unintelligent, something that might shut my heart down. It would have only been fair to the rest of the male population.
“Where are you from?” Cal propped his elbow on the table and angled his body toward mine, giving me his complete attention.
“Los Angeles.” Actually, I lived in Malibu, but it seemed easier to just say LA to people who weren’t from there. “You?”
“New Jersey. But I came here for college and decided to stay.”
Someone at our table laughed, but neither Cal nor I looked up from our conversation.
“Do you like living here?” I asked.
“I love it.” He took a sip of his drink. “Have you seen much of the city yet?”
“A little. It’s really pretty. Completely different from California.”
He nodded. “Tell me about this conference. What are you learning, and do you think it will help your business?”
What am I learning? God, could this guy be any closer to my own business-minded heart?
“It’s actually pretty interesting. They brought in a bunch of speakers who are experts in their territories to share their marketing techniques, personal stories, and what they feel works and doesn’t work in terms of relationship building. There’s a lot of information on advertising and social media. It’s hard, though, because each market is completely different. What works for someone in Alabama most likely isn’t going to work for someone like me.”
“Why not?”
Cal’s genuine interest in my thoughts and opinions fanned the fire in me. I could talk about what I did all day, every day, if he’d let me.
“I work in Malibu mostly. I can sell anywhere in the general LA area, but I’m focused on that particular stretch of beach. It’s a lot bigger than people realize. I tend to have clients with a lot more money to burn, so the rules that might apply to, say, someone who only deals with young couples looking to buy their first homes, they don’t apply to me. I have to take all this information that I’m learning and figure out what parts of it might work with my clientele.”
“Are you self-employed?”
“I work for a broker. Haven’t decided yet if going out on my own is the smartest thing for me. I’m still building my client roster and making a solid name for myself.” I shrugged. “And to be honest, I’m not sure that in a state like California, it would make sense for me to be my own boss. The tax implications on small businesses are killer, and the very idea of hiring employees makes me nervous.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. California is brutal. You should move.” His lips curved up. “Probably to Boston. I’ve heard it’s great here.”
I laughed. “Yeah? I don’t know. I’m sort of attached to where I live.”