Page 80 of Mr. Fixer Upper
Paige growled in frustration, scaring a guy in gym shorts and a tank top walking a fluffy dog that couldn’t have weighed more than five pounds. “That’s not fair! And yes, I know that life isn’t fair, but when I signed up to be a field producer, I wasn’t signing up to be talent and a puppet!”
“Wanna meet for a drink?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Paige scowled at her reflection and stood on her tiptoes trying to see more of the dress. The tiny bathroom vanity mirror only afforded a boobs-up view. “We need to move,” she announced.
Becca stuck her head in from the hallway. “Damn, you look amazing. Why are we moving?”
“We need a bigger mirror. And a dining room table. And I sleep on a twin mattress. I’m twenty-eight, and I don’t have any real furniture. My life is sad, and we should move right now so I don’t have to go to this thing.”
Unperturbed, Becca twirled her finger in the air. “Spin, babe.”
Paige complied, not feeling any excitement at all when Becca applauded.
“It’s perfect.”
The dress was the color of crushed cranberries. The skirt was a short A-line that hit at mid-thigh. The top was fitted with a modest scoop neck. But the modesty disappeared when she turned around and the back was almost completely open, framed from the neck to the waist with a scalloped opening. It was gorgeous, but Paige wished that she was wearing it anywhere but where she had to go tonight.
“I don’t want to go.”
Becca crossed her arms and tapped her fingernails on her arm. “Okay. It’s time whether you want to hear it or not.”
“No. It’s not time. I definitely don’t want to hear it. I want to wallow.”
“You’ve wallowed for twenty-five days. Time’s up. You are going to this party. You are going to smile for the cameras. You are not going to burst into tears when you see Gannon King. And you are not going to shrivel up and die when you see Meeghan Traxx. You are going to go be your fabulous, professional, strong, independent, hot-as-hell self.”
“But I don’t wanna.”
Becca jabbed a finger in her face. “Uh-uh. Does that sound like something the director of a society-changing, award-winning documentary would say?”
“No,” Paige grumbled.
“What would a director of a society-changing, award-winning documentary say.”
Paige pasted on a brilliant, phony smile. “Fuck off.”
“That’s what your eyes say to Meeghan, to the camera,” Becca told her.
Paige noted she didn’t mention Gannon. It was probably because her roommate was enamored with the custom King coffee table he’d had delivered to their place. Sure, it was beautiful, sexy, stunning. All of Gannon’s furniture fell under that label. But it fit so perfectly into their space that Paige had wondered just how quickly Becca had booted Gannon from the apartment. It looked as though he’d had ample time to take measurements.
“I can do this,” Paige gritted out.
“Reputation is everything, and tonight is the night you cement yours as a professional,” Becca reminded her.
“I’m a damn professional,” Paige announced to the mirror.
“That’s my girl. Don’t be anyone’s doormat tonight. Who knows? Maybe you’ll walk out of there with a job offer.”
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Paige got out of the cab and studied the twenty-story building where she would meet her worst enemies. Normally, she didn’t go to these kinds of things. This was a party thrown by the network to showcase the Manhattan apartment recently renovated by Drake Mackenrowe, the network’s real estate flip darling. When she received the invitation, she’d politely declined knowing that: A. It would be filmed for the show’s finale and B. Both Meeghan and Gannon would be there and C. That it was futile to say no. They’d find a way to coerce her.
The network had stood firm, insisting that her presence was required. After all, now that this season’s episodes ofKings Constructionwere running, she’d become quite popular, they reminded her. When she’d declined again, they’d called out the big guns, and Eddie had invited her to lunch to explain that if she didn’t show her pretty face at what was sure to be a staged humiliation, her services would no longer be required by any show.
With her yes confirmed, Gannon had texted her twice to make sure she was coming. His calls and texts had slowed down to a point where she assumed he’d moved on. But tonight was the first time they’d see each other since New Mexico. And she’d give her left kidney to not have to walk into that building.
Paige clenched her jaw so hard it had reminded her to schedule a long overdue dentist appointment.
