Page 38 of Just the Pool Boy at Vampire Mansion

“Not for the moment, although I do hope that will change soon.” He smiled as though amused.

“Right.”

“So, Owen, you’re here about the pool maintenance position?”

“Yes. You said you had an opening, so here I am.” I spread my hands, then clasped them together in my lap again.

“That’s right. Your timing was fortuitous, as I mentioned that morning.”

So, we weren’t going to mention that the body floating in his pool had been his previous pool guy?

“When can you start?” he asked.

“Don’t you want to know my qualification?”

“You’ll do just fine.”

His smile was back, filled with too many perfect white teeth all in two perfect rows. Perfect like the pool, like the lawns, like the house. It was all so perfect that my senses were itching to break something or nudge a cushion out of place.

“I can start tomorrow. I may visit next door in the morning, so is the afternoon alright?”

His golden-brown eyebrows rose. “Next door?”

“Yeah, I work there too. That’s why I was there . . . when we met.”

“The Witherbornes.” He sneered it, like a general comment. “We don’t get along.”

I smiled and tried to look unfazed. “I don’t get involved in the private lives of my clients.” Haha, I definitely did not have beers with their handsome sons and trespass on their neighbors’ grounds in the middle of the night.

Jeremy crossed his legs and carefully placed his hands on top of his knees. “You do know they’re vampires?”

“I had noticed.”

“How do they seem to you?”

“How . . . in what way, sir?”

“Are they in distress?”

That was a weird question. “Not that I’ve seen, but as I said, I don’t get involved⁠—”

“And the heir, how is he, generally? In good health? Not sick?”

“As far as I know . . .” Physical health, fine. More than fine. Physically, Theo was a ten. Mental health? Not doing so good. But I didn’t think Jeremy was asking out of kindness. Was he on the list of people who wanted Theo out of the way? Why did he care?

“That’s good.” He tapped his chin. “Hm, good. Yes, very good.”

Wait, it was good that Theo was alright? So, he didn’t want him out of the way?

This was all very confusing.

This was why I was here, to find out what the heck was going on with these people, and what Jay had gotten involved in that had killed him. And now, why Jeremy was so interested in Theo’s health.

“So, uh, what happened to your last pool guy?” I tried to ask it all innocently, but from the way his eyes narrowed, the innocent act had landed flat.

Jeremy cocked his head, birdlike. “We both know what happened to the previous pool boy.”

“Oh, right, yeah.” The elephant had arrived in the room. “The pool incident.”