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“Oh, stop. I don’t think kids say that these days, anyway.”
I shrugged. I’d never been one of the cool kids, so I wouldn’t have known either way. “Tell me about him.”
“I mean, he’s the sweetest. The way he takes care of Walter…” Georgia pressed a hand to her heart and sighed.
“I’m sure he’s paid well.”
She made a face.
I put my hands up. “Sorry. I guess I’m cynical.” It wasn’t a guess—I knew I was cynical, but I got it honestly. As far as I could tell from the limited time I’d been in LA, it wasn’t a bad trait to have out here.
“There’s affection between the two of them,” she insisted. “It’s not fake.”
“So why do you want me to meet him?”
“Maybe because you are cynical?” She ducked her head. “I’m scarred after the experience with my ex-fiancé. I wanted to get your opinion of him, especially because people out here are so…”
“Hard?” I suggested, remembering how Trenton had characterized it the first night we’d met at the club. For all his talk about how LA changed people, he seemed like a well-adjusted nice guy, unless it was all a ruse.I dismissed that thought. I might have been flighty enough to walk into a men’s room in a nightclub, but I was shrewd when it came to the important things.
“Exactly,” she said. “They actually live in Tennessee, but still. I don’t trust my own judgment. I’m coming to understand that I might be too forgiving.” Georgia saw the best in people, which was something I liked about her. It was a refreshing change from my family’s tendency to scrutinize every little thing. It did make me worry about my friend being taken advantage of, though. “I’ll give you my honest opinion when I meet him,” I assured her.
The next morning, I checked my phone right away, hoping Trenton had texted me to tell me rehearsal was on after all, but there was nothing. I sighed. I was irritated but didn’t feel like I had the right to question where he was. Considering he had been a last-minute addition to the show, I probably should have been happy he was willing to commit to as much time as he was.
I felt bad for the contestants whose partners were sticking to the three-hour minimum required of them. Trenton and I already had gone well over that, and I didn’t feel like we were anywhere close to being ready. We would have even less time in subsequent weeks, so I hoped the duet thing started to come a little easier.
Thank God Trenton and I had natural chemistry that translated into the music, though that same chemistry also provided a different challenge—like trying not to get naked with him again. I talked a big game, but I was weak for him. If he had seriously propositioned me, I would have given in. The fact that I could trust him not to do that, since I’d made it clear we needed to keep things platonic, only made me more tempted.Oh, the irony.
Since I had the time, I hit the hotel’s meager gym. That got old quickly, so I downloaded yet another karaoke version of “Stay” to practice with since the studio hadn’t yet delivered on the track we would use for the show.
Late that evening, after I’d already scrounged up my own dinner, Georgia came to my room with a takeout bag. “Have you eaten?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I gave her two sarcastic thumbs up. “Another yummy salad.”
She set the bag on my table and opened it, letting out its heavenly aromas. “I couldn’t stomach another salad. If this burrito makes me look fat on the show, so be it. I have another one if you want it.” She unwrapped hers and took a huge bite.
Inhaling deeply, I groaned. “You’re a bad influence. Maybe just half.”
She handed me the foil-wrapped food. “Atta girl.” Her eyes widened. “Oh! Guess what?”
“What?” I asked absentmindedly as I unwrapped the burrito, mentally calculating the odds of not dropping pieces of it all over myself.
“I found out why Trenton canceled on you today. He was filming an interview forThe Nightly Show.”
I frowned, wondering why he hadn’t told me that when he’d canceled. Since he hadn’t given me a reason, I’d had the unkind thought that he simply might have been blowing me off. I realized that wasn’t fair. WhileSing Battlewas my priority, he had a whole career outside of the show. I couldn’t expect him to forgo an opportunity likeThe Nightly Show.
“What time does it come on?” I asked. I rarely watched late-night television.
“Um… ten, I think? Let me check.” Georgia consulted her phone and determined she was correct.
“Do you want to stay and watch it with me?” It was already past nine.
“Sure.”
“So…” I grinned. “Did you see Brandon?”
She pursed her lips. “Not very much. That’s why I was so late getting here. Walter had a bad day today, so I spent most of the day waiting around to see if he would feel better.”
“Was he ill?” I wondered what would happen if a celebrity partner had to bow out in the middle of the season. With twenty-four of them, it was a fair concern and something I hadn’t considered.Yay… something else to stress over.
