Does she want to deal with me or not? he asked himself. She probably still thinks that I’m a player because of Catherine that night. But she’s been around me enough to know that I’m too busy for that. What is she waiting for?

Ivan was itching to call her and go for broke that night. Then again, he didn’t want to seem anxious and ruin the rapport that they had established.

Is she looking at me only as a friend? he questioned.

He forced himself to call Ida anyway, only for her to answer her cell phone with the same brevity that he had gotten used to from her.

“Oh, hey, Ivan, are you ready for another big night this Friday? I’m just doing some last-minute running tonight. Is everything okay?”

No, it’s not okay, he wanted to tell her. I need to touch a woman right now.

Instead, he answered, “Yeah, I’m good. I was just wondering what you were up to tonight.”

“Well, that’s nice of you. I’m around. But I guess I’ll see you on Friday.”

Ivan paused. He said, “Well…I was hoping I could see you before Friday.”

“Yeah, I know, but between my day job and helping out my mother at the restaurant and a few other things I’m trying to do, I just run out of time.”

Ivan thought, Okay, so I just need to leave her alone, then, and keep it business.

“All right, I’ll see you Friday, then,” he responded.

When they hung up, Ivan shrugged it off and went back to work on the tax papers.

THAT FRIDAY NIGHT at Raymond’s Hot Spot Lounge in southeast San Diego, no more than sixty-five people had shown up to party by midnight. Nearly half of the people who did show were die-hard supporters of Thomas Jones and the San Diego Urban League.

Needless to say, Ivan was disappointed.

“Well…what do you think now, Ivan?” Thomas asked him near the bar. His purpose was not to rub it in, but to see how Ivan would respond.

Ivan stared into the crowd, wearing a silk red shirt under his charcoal-gray sports jacket, a combination he had come up with for that evening. He had been doing his mental calculations when Thomas approached him at the bar.

Ivan wouldn’t break even on this event. He still had Ida and his DJ to pay. He was already thinking about the next promotion and how to plan his way back into a profit.

“Looks like you were right,” he finally admitted to Thomas. “Maybe you can’t get all the crowds.” He was swallowing his first piece of humble pie.