The Pool Boy - Nikki Sloane Page 0,62

last twenty years building.” Her stare was inescapable. “Troy turned him down. Want to guess why?”

I pressed my fingertips to the base of my neck. “Oh, Jenna.”

“This was an incredible opportunity he just passed up, all for a chance at something that I think, frankly, is a fantasy.”

With the way she was looking at me, there was no need to say it out loud. She blamed me for putting this fantasy in Troy’s head.

I opened my mouth to defend him, but she cut me off.

“Troy turned down what Bill and I hoped for, so he could follow this dream. So, I don’t want you to promise us anything, except you won’t let him get hurt. Can you do that?”

How the fuck was I supposed to answer that, as either his manager or the woman he was secretly involved with? Nothing was guaranteed in music or life. Certainly not in love.

Love?

I must have made a face because Jenna’s soured. “Yeah, I thought so.”

She left the half-empty drink on my counter, snatched up her purse, and headed for the front door.

“Wait, wait,” I said, catching her arm in the entryway, finally coming to my senses. She was upset, and she could argue she had a decent reason to be, but I’d let her control the conversation far too long. “I need to say something.”

Jenna lifted a wary eyebrow.

“Just you wait,” I told her, “until you see the video of his performance. When he sings, Jenna? Everything stops.” I drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t fill his head with bullshit. You can be mad at me, but I’m not wrong. He’s incredibly talented. In fact, he might have the best vocals I’ve ever heard, as an agent and a musician.”

She paused. My friend wanted to believe, but her practical side was reluctant. “Really?”

The word was a whisper from her, but mine was loud and confident. “Really.”

I wanted her to see his potential like I did. I’d had parents who didn’t believe in me, and their doubt set me up for failure. It made it so much easier for me to give up. I didn’t want that for Troy.

“You’re going to be so proud,” I said.

If she didn’t believe in him after that, then I’d have to believe for her too.

I was in the hot tub with a glass of wine when I heard the back gate creak open, and longing fired through me as Troy appeared in the lamplight from the patio. He had on a simple white t-shirt and his red board shorts. The sun had set recently, and fireflies sparkled in the night air as he set his guitar case down on a deck chair.

He was so attractive it was disorienting.

Or perhaps the dizzy feeling he caused was something else. It wasn’t just his body I desired or his music. I wanted all of him now.

Which was crazy.

But when he set his gaze on me and flashed a sexy smile, I couldn’t help myself. I wondered if this feeling could last. It was scary how much I wanted it to.

“Hey. There’s beer in the fridge,” I said, “if you want some.”

If he noticed I was affected by the sight of him, he hid it well. Troy nodded, disappeared into the house, and emerged with an open can clasped in his hand a minute later. As he sauntered up to the edge of the hot tub, his eyes studied my bikini top like he was determining the fastest way to get it off, and my heart went into overdrive.

He plunked his beer down in the cupholder on the ledge, grasped the sides of his t-shirt, and lifted. His smooth, tanned skin came into view, and I sucked in a breath. He could be on the cover of a fitness magazines.

Once he got big, maybe that was something I should look into.

Crap. It was getting harder to keep the business side separate from our personal relationship when we were alone, and I wondered if I should quit trying to do it.

Troy stepped out of his flipflops, and I moved to make way for him to climb into the hot tub beside me. The water sloshed around as he dropped into the seat opposite me and spread his arms out across the back edge. It was an invitation to climb into his lap, but I couldn’t take him up on it yet.

“You told your mom about your audition.” I said it soft and conversational, just loud enough to be heard over the jets.

The