Page 60 of Mr. Fixer Upper
“You got a lot of boo-boos,” Ashton announced studying the visible bandages on her arms and legs. Paige wished she’d worn jeans.
“Just some bumps and bruises,” she assured him.
“Was I brave, Miss Paige? Mama says I was.” Ashton danced from foot to foot in new dinosaur sneakers.
She crouched down in front of him. “You were very brave,” Paige agreed. “You stayed calm, and that made me feel calm, too.”
He grinned and threw his arms around her neck, squishing the flowers between them. Paige laughed and returned the tight squeeze.
“Five minutes out,” Andy announced over the headset. Paige released Ashton and stood up.
“The Dufours are on their way. Are you staying for the reveal?”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Ashton’s dad promised. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get the signs for Malia ready.”
They hustled off, leaving Paige with an armful of flowers and damp eyes.
“If you go get the Kings, I’ll find some water for these,” Sam volunteered, appearing at her side.
“You’re the best, Sam. You can never leave this show.” It was a threat she made weekly and interchangeably.
He grinned, his Colgate smile blinding. “You say that to all the PAs.”
She headed off to the craft service tent and found Gannon and Cat tossing popcorn into each other’s mouths across a table.
“We’re ready for you guys,” Paige called.
Cat caught a kernel with her mouth and shot her fists in the air. “Popcorn Mouth Catcher Champion!”
Gannon tossed a handful at his sister. “I demand a rematch.”
“The rematch can wait for a few hours,” Paige said with mock sternness, picking kernels out of Cat’s hair. “Meanwhile there’s a crowd of two hundred waiting to be dazzled by you two.”
“Tough job,” Cat said, applying a shiny pink layer of lip gloss with a handheld mirror. “You ready, big brother?”
“Let’s get this over with,” Gannon sighed. It was his trademark reveal day rally cry, and Paige had often joked she was going to get t-shirts made with the saying on it.
He followed his sister out and gave Paige a smoldering look promising naked, sweaty things to come as he sauntered past.
It was going to be a really good day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The reveal went down in Gannon’s book as one of his favorites. Carina was in tears before he and Cat dropped the sheet unveiling the house. Malia was so excited she ran in circles until Paige had to catch her and coax her back into frame.
When she saw her bedroom Malia was rendered completely speechless, which according to Carina had never happened in all her six years on the planet.
They deserved it, in his opinion. The show always did a decent job of vetting the families, but the Dufours were a home run. He watched Carina and Malia thank every single crew member personally and knew they all felt the same way. That little girl and her strong-as-hell mom were the reason they’d come to the set early and stayed late, the reason they’d had more volunteers this week than on any other job. And he felt proud to be a part of it.
He ducked out of the chaos inside the house. He wasn’t exactly a people person to begin with, and spending an entire week surrounded by bodies and questions and people needing things from him was draining… and annoying. He was looking forward to a few days of peace and quiet. But for now, he’d take the pockets of it where he could find it. And he could find it in the craft service tent. No one wanted cold coffee or stale breakfast pastries, so he helped himself and enjoyed the solitude, kicking back in an uncomfortable folding chair.
His solitude was short-lived.
“Gannon!” Malia poked her bald head covered by a pink ball cap into the tent. She was still carrying the Disney princess backpack she’d worn when Sam had delivered her to the set for the reveal.
Gannon held up a donut. “Want some? What are you doing out here?”
She skipped over to him cheerfully, and he sent up a silent “fuck you” to cancer. Malia grabbed the donut and took a healthy bite. “I came to say thank you.”
