The Pool Boy (Nashville Neighborhood, #2)

by Nikki Sloane

“You. Lying. Bitch.” Venom dripped from every word. “He’s half your age, and my son. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“I am ashamed,” I whispered to him, “of how I lied to her.” He stroked a hand over the back of my head and hugged me closer. “She was going to be mad no matter what, and try to tell us we couldn’t.” While he was right, “That doesn’t make it okay.”

She was a storm. She’d get all worked up, only for her emotions to peter out, and then she’d be able to see reason. I just had no idea how long her category five hurricane was going to last.

“Don’t be ridiculous. She can’t be your girlfriend,” she announced. He didn’t miss a beat. “You don’t get a say in who I date. How many more times do I have to tell you that?”

She stared at her son like he’d lost his mind. “She’s too old for you.” “Nope.” He hauled another box up into his arms and shot m...

Didn’t she understand her attempts to shield him had also prevented him from learning the lessons that failure could teach?

“No,” he said. “All you’ve ever wanted is what’s best for you.” His posture was tense and confrontational. “You don’t care about what I want.” She gasped. “Of course, I do.” “Really? Do I even like working for Bill’s company?” His question should have been rhetorical because even I knew the answer, and yet . . . she looked confused. As if she’d never even considered it.

She slung down her ultimatum with defiance burning in her eyes. It’s her or me, she silently screamed at him.

Her voice was hollow and meant only for me. “He’s making a huge mistake with you.” It wounded me deeply, but I pretended her words didn’t reach me. “It’s his to make.”

All I could think about was how young she was. Practically his age. She was America’s sweetheart, and maybe the only girl on this planet his mother would approve of.

I wasn’t Erika Graham anymore because I’d become a volcano of fury. “Are you fucking kidding me? You just lied, and now you’re asking me to believe you?”

It hurt to breathe. He was supposed to be better than Clark. Troy had told me he didn’t understand people who cheated, but . . . had it just been bullshit? I should have known better. He’d lied to his mom so many times, lying had to come easy for him now. And I hadn’t just participated in lying with him, I’d actively encouraged it. God, I was so stupid.

“Christ, I can’t believe I made the same mistake with you so fast.”

Troy went wooden. “Love?” He’d latched onto that word, and I needed to put distance between it and us as quickly as possible. I couldn’t love him. It wasn’t possible for me to fall in love this quickly. This feeling of drowning in him was just the newness of our relationship.

Oh, he didn’t like hearing that. “So . . . what are you saying? You want to give up? Just because I made a dumb mistake and things might get hard?”

Did I want to give up? My thoughts were a mess, and when I didn’t respond immediately, he withdrew like I’d slapped him. Surprise and hurt painted his expression, and the temperature in the car plummeted twenty degrees.

“You know what?” he snapped. “I’m tired and kind of hungover, so maybe you should go before I ...

He’d all but told me to get the hell out of his car. It was even more clear when he started his engine.

He had to shout it over the storm. “She said you’d give up on me as soon as the going got tough. Like you always do.” Was he talking about his mother? My mouth hung open as the cold rain pelted down on me, making me numb. “Don’t prove her right, Erika.”

Clark was still in his work clothes, a collared button-down shirt and slacks. His eyes went enormously wide as he peered at me. “Erika?” It was rude, but since he’d come onto my property without an invitation, I did the same.

The animosity inside me waned. “You’re not together?” His eyes turned glassy. “A few months ago, he, uh . . . went back to his wife.” “Oh, Clark . . .” He’d told me he’d fallen in love, and despite everything, I hurt for him. I meant it genuinely. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry,” he said between ragged breaths. “I tried not to, but I loved him with everything I had. So much, I got lost in him.” And now that Derrick was gone, Clark was simply lost.

“You didn’t tell Jenna about Troy and me because you thought she deserved to know. You did it to hurt me. I’m not ready to forgive that.”

Everyone moved on except me.” He sniffled. “You’re a better person than I am.”

They’d been working on his rendition of ‘Reckless.’ Was this why he’d lied? He’d wanted to keep it a surprise? It was a lot to process. When I peered at Troy, his eyes were cryptic. What was he thinking about?

If Ardy had no issue with us dating and working together, others would follow his lead.

“You said you’re all in, so let’s be all in together. I’m not doing it without you.”

I hadn’t thought of the song as a duet before, but now I didn’t want it to be anything else.