Page 7 of In Charge

“Yup, got this little lady drunk more times than I can count hiding behind the bleachers during football games.” Bo laughed. He leaned forward and pointed at Maya. “Or was it you getting me drunk? Oh, hell. What does it matter? We got drunk a lot.”

“Wish I could’ve seen that.” I glanced at Maya, looking for a reaction, but I didn’t get one. She laughed but I didn’t see any hints of embarrassment or regret as they reminisced about their schooldays

“We had fun didn’t we, Bo?” She held up her glass of wine and clinked it against his. “Did you ever imagine back then that this is where we’d be as adults? I mean, you’re a mega rock star.”

“Look at you. If someone would’ve told me you’d become some fancy-schmancy elitist executive, I would’ve died laughing. But it suits you.” He held his glass high and downed the last of his wine.

“I wasn’t meant for the country life.” She laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love home, but this is where I belong.”

“So, how did you two reconnect after all these years?” Based on the rehash of high school shenanigans, they’d lost touch over the years. What I was dying to know was how Maya arranged this meeting and managed to swoop in right as Bo had a fall out with his previous manager.

“I ran into her after a concert—was it two years ago now?” Bo scratched his head. “Jeez, it’s been two years now. We got to talking, and she gave me her card. Said if I ever needed new management or top-notch PR to give her call. And, well, I assume you’ve heard about my wife. Damn sight it was seeing her fucking my manager.”

“I’m sorry, Bo. I hate that this is the reason you called.” Maya wrinkled her nose with a frown.

Well played, Maya. Not the wife issue, the planned meetings and strategic placement of her information. I’d wager that run-in two years ago wasn’t an accident. It didn’t take me long to learn Maya strategically planned everything around her—including apparent accidental run-ins with new high-profile clients to make sure her name was at the tip of their tongue should they ever need new representation.

There was rarely a reason for panic with Maya in charge. And if there was panic, it was someone else's fault. Like mine.

“Yeah, well. Shit happens and this time it happened to me.” Bo filled his glass with more wine and smiled. “Nothing I can do about it now except move on.”

“Cheers to that.” I held my glass up and nodded.

We all laughed, ate great food, and drank too much wine. It was the best night I’d had in a long time. Not only was there good company, but Maya was amazing to watch in action. Every word she spoke and every action she made was perfectly planned, yet appeared natural. When Bo Jensen signed the contract without hesitation, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Maya Stone, senior VP with PenTalent Agency, had just broken new ground. PenTalent managed plenty of wealthy elitists, but breaking into the music industry with a rock star like Bo Jensen was going to bring in more artists, skyrocketing our music industry client base. No wonder Dad is so adamant about not letting her slip away. I’d crunched the numbers myself. I saw the potential. With this new division, PenTalent would easily break a billion dollars in revenue this year alone.

And I just watched in wonder as she sealed the deal.

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