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“Wait.” Fitz leaned onto his forearms and lowered his voice. “Does she work here?”
He shook his head.
Fitz’s gaze scanned Jasper’s face, searching, then he broke into a big grin. “She does. Holy shit. Holyshit.”
“What?”
“You only have one new person in your life besides me. It’s your girl,” Fitz declared. “Hollyn. You’re hooking up with the woman who can get you press, you sly bastard.”
Jasper froze. “I—”
Fitz waved a hand. “Don’t freak out, Jas. I’ve got you. I won’t tell anyone. But damn, you really are an ambitious fucker.”
Jasper’s jaw clenched. “It’s not like that.”
Fitz gave him a patient look. “You’re telling me that you just happened to start giving lessons to and hooking up with Hollyn, and then you just happened to find out that she could hold the key to helping your local show break out?”
Frustration was building in Jasper, making his mouth go sour. “That’s not what this is.”
Fitz snorted. “You told me when you moved in that you weren’t looking to hook up with anyone. Plus, your last girlfriend was a loud-mouthed comedy actress. Hollyn’s cool and seems nice enough, but she hardly talks. She’s a project. No guy looking to steer clear of the dating game wants a project.”
Jasper stood, fully pissed now. “She’s not a fucking project. She’s a person. Who’s actually fantastic when you get to know her.”
Fitz lifted his palms. “Don’t get all puffed up about it, Jas. All I’m saying is that if she wasn’t Miz Poppy, would you be hanging out with her?”
Jasper opened his mouth but then shut it again.Technically, he wouldn’t have been. That connection was what had brought them together. And technically, theyweredoing an exchange of sorts. But damn if he was going to let it sound like he was using her. They were helping each other out. Benefits on both sides. He was giving her lessons. She could get him a review. They were both enjoying spending time together. Neither had gone in with any expectations beyond that.
Except he was about to ask her for a good review. He was about to lay an expectation at her feet.
Damn.
“Don’t talk shit about her again,” Jasper said, quiet warning in his voice. “We started talking because she needed the lessons for her job. The site wants her to do a Miz Poppy reveal and then start doing video reviews. The dating stuff happened naturally.”
Mostly true.
“Wait, she’s going to doa reveal?” Fitz’s expression lit like he’d gotten what he wanted on Christmas morning.
“Yeah, that’s the plan. In a week or two. I’m helping her get ready for it.”
“Jas, that needs to happen at your show,” Fitz said, voice brimming with excitement. “Let her be a guest star. She can get the whole thing on video to submit to the NOLA Vibe or even live stream it. You can promote the show as having Miz Poppy as a special guest. That will get people out there. People want to know who she is. It’s genius.”
Jasper shook his head. “No way. I’m not asking her to do that.”
“Why not? It could help you both. She gets her reveal done and has you there to help her through it. She and her website get publicity. You and your group get publicity. Your potential investors get to see the whole thing. Wins all around.”
Jasper couldn’t let the idea creep into his mind. The amount of buzz that could generate would be killer. But asking Hollyn to get onstage was asking too much of her. She’d made a ton of progress with their lessons and the videos they’d been practicing with, but it was still just her and him. Being in front of a bar full of people, revealing herself as Miz Poppy. It would be a lot. “I don’t know if she’s ready for that kind of thing. She was going to do her reveal on video, but not live in front of others. The option for multiple takes and editing are important to her.”
Fitz gave him a look, clearly undeterred. “Ask her. Tell her you’ll be there with her every step of the way. I’d bet she’s capable of it. She just needs a little encouragement to take the plunge. It could be her graduation from your lessons.”
Jasper let out a sigh. Hollynwascapable in theory. She was great when she forgot the camera was there and had a good time. Her tics were still there, but he had a feeling people would get used to that as part of her if she gave them the chance. She even had a bit of a knack for improv. In so many ways, she’d be the perfect special guest. But the last thing he wanted to do was push her too hard too fast.
“Or maybe that’s part of it?” Fitz pinned him with a look. “Maybe you don’t want the lessons to be over. You sure you’re not holding her back just to keep her needing you, Jas?”
Jasper reared back like he’d been hit in the face. “Are you kidding me right now? What the fuck, man?”
Fitz lifted his palms in a don’t-kill-the-messenger motion. “I’m not trying to be an asshole, but I’ve been there. It’s nice when someone needs you for something, when being around them makes you feel like the big man. Especially when you feel completely out of your depth in the rest of your life.” He ran a hand over the back of his head, a grim expression crossing his face. “I was in a relationship for two years with that setup. She was in a bad marriage and needed someone to make her feel good and worthy. I didn’t know what the hell to do with my life, and she made me feel like I was her savior. But in the end, we were just each other’s crutch. I know it feels good to be helping Hollyn, to be the guy she can lean on. But is it really about her or is about you trying to repair all the holes your ex and LA poked in your ego?”
Jasper wanted to punch something, possibly his friend, but the words were seeping into him like acid in open wounds. Was that what this was? Was he feeling all these things for Hollyn just because she made him feel better about himself? Made him feel like he wasn’t a fuckup?
