Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,85
Billy at the table.
He grinned when he saw me. “Good day at work, honey?”
“The best.” I took a long sip of my beer, draining the entire neck and then some before slamming it down on the table and reaching up to loosen my tie. “How is she?”
“At rehearsals.” He gave me a slow onceover, his brow furrowing when he lifted his eyes back to mine. “Frankly, she’s looking much better than you. Have you slept?”
“Minimally,” I grunted. “I haven’t managed more than a couple of hours a night. She’s still doing the show then?”
“Yeah, it looks like it.” He tore at the label on his bottle, shredding tiny pieces off it while staring at me from across the table. The look in his crisp blue eyes was intense. “I went to bat for you with her, Carter. Don’t make me regret it. You need to take care of yourself.”
I cocked my head, noticing something in the depths of those familiar eyes of his. “Why would you do that?”
“Maybe I’ve been where you are. Maybe I wish someone had gone to bat for me, and maybe I wish I’d have handled it differently myself. It doesn’t really matter. She’s my little sister and you were my best friend for a long time. I want to see you both happy.”
“You’re not quite the lady-killer out there that she thinks you are, are you?”
He shrugged, tearing another piece of the label off. “I am now, I guess, but it wasn’t always like that. We’re not talking about me, though.”
“It sounds like we should be.” I might be in a piss-poor mood, but Billy was still my friend. I’d dragged him all the way here. The least I could do was to get caught up with him too. “How’s life really been treating you? You keep saying everything is good, but it sounds like I’m not the only one who hasn’t been saying everything there is to say.”
“Does anyone ever say everything there is to say?” He blew out a heavy breath. “Rylee is the important person right now. What’re you going to do about her?”
“I met Andrew Parker today,” I said, holding up a finger when he narrowed his eyes at me. “It was a one-day-only gig. Anyway, he gave me his card to give to Rylee. According to him, she’d have a shot at Hollywood if she wants it.”
Billy’s shoulders came down as he relaxed, his head dipping forward when he laughed. “Please don’t tell me you’ve built that up as another hurdle between you two in your head?”
I shrugged, and he reached out to punch my bicep. “People out there have been after her for years. Jules must have at least a dozen numbers he’s collected since he started managing her. She’s not interested, and even if she was, she wouldn’t go if you couldn’t go with her.”
“I don’t want to hold her back.” I tried saying it nonchalantly but my old friend knew me better than that.
“Jesus. You two really just need to fucking talk to each other. She’s crying to me about not holding you back with her disease, and you’re crying about not holding her back in her career. In the meantime, all both of you want is to be together.”
My gut clenched and my stomach rolled. “I’m not crying, but what are you talking about? I told her I wasn’t worried about that.”
“Well, she was still worried about it, although I think she’s coming around.” He chewed on his lip, seemingly unsure if he should continue. Muttering “fuck it” under his breath, he brought his gaze back to mine and leaned forward. “You’re both as stubborn as mules. When you talk to her—and you will talk to her because otherwise all my efforts will have been for nothing—just tell it to her like it is.”
Before I could reply, the door to the bar swung open and Nathan Biles himself walked in. Lo and fucking behold.
“This can’t be a coincidence,” I grumbled, and Billy’s gaze followed mine.
He cursed softly. “No, it can’t be. You tell anyone we were going to be here?”
I shook my head but my eyes drifted to the bartender. “Guess he wasn’t worried about me causing shit after all. That fucking guy has eyes everywhere.”
“You don’t get to be the number-one asshole in a profession filled with them by sitting back and waiting for people to come to you.” The vehemence in Billy’s voice told me there was more to this story.