Page 17 of Mr. Fixer Upper
“More like my lifelong wish is to see her happy.”
“That’s very sweet,” Paige said, handing him his phone.
“But it still doesn’t make you trust me,” he guessed.
“Why do you want me to trust you?”
He gave her another one of those long smoldering looks, and she wondered if her toes were going to combust in her sneakers. “I don’t know yet. You interest me. I like to take things apart, figure out what makes them work.”
Paige nodded. She could see that about him. Gannon thrived on challenges wherever he found them.
“If I tell you something, I need to know that it won’t go anywhere beyond these seats. I don’t need this getting back to the network. I don’t even want Eddie in on it.”
“Okay.” Paige nodded.
“Just like that?”
“Gannon, I don’t know what it’s going to take to get you to understand that my loyalty is to this team and the people on our show. Not the network and not the goddamn ratings.” She heard the exasperation in her own voice and sighed.
He was smiling approvingly. “See? That’s the inner dialogue I’m interested in.”
The flight attendant appeared at his elbow with the beverage cart. Since she wasn’t getting any sleep anytime soon, Paige ordered water and accepted the bag of pretzels Gannon handed her. The flight attendant’s gaze never made it past Gannon. It could be that she recognized him from TV, but to be fair, he was attractive enough that he garnered plenty of attention based on looks alone.
Flustered, the woman nearly bobbled Paige’s water and profusely apologized to Gannon. He accepted his Pepsi, thanked her, and turned his attention back to Paige. The flight attendant reluctantly wheeled the cart backwards.
Gannon rubbed the bridge of his nose and settled in. “After we lost Pop, Nonni went through a rough time. His construction business was already struggling, but when we lost him, it almost went under.”
He reached over and took the pretzel bag she was struggling with. He opened it easily and handed it back to her.
“We were inches from bankruptcy, this close to laying everyone off. It was heartbreaking, the idea that we’d lost him and now we were losing the family business? That’s when Cat came up with the ‘brilliant’ plan to send a tape to a production company. And the rest is history.”
“And the rest is history?” Paige prodded. “You travel with part of your grandfather’s crew. What happened to the rest?”
“With salaries and endorsements, Cat and I were able to funnel most of it back into the business last year. We’re on more even ground now, and my nonni still goes to the office every day to answer the phones and help with the books.”
Paige dropped her head against the seat rest. “That explains so much. Why Cat is so much happier on camera than you—”
“You make me sound like a miserable bastard,” he complained.
“Gannon, I’m going to tell you this because we’re on the same team.” Paige leaned in, copying his posture. “Come Day Three of shooting when you’re running low on sleep and the project is behind schedule, you’re a miserable bastard.”
“Maybe I haven’t embraced the whole TV thing as well as Cat,” he admitted. “But I think I’m doing a damn good job.”
“America obviously agrees,” Paige teased. Ratings for the show skyrocketed during the first season, making the network scramble to lock down a second season.
“America agrees, but what do you think?”
Gannon King fishing for compliments. Interesting.
“I think it’s refreshing to work with someone who could give a damn about ratings and looking good on camera.”
“Now you’re tap-dancing,” he accused, stealing a pretzel from her.
“I think you’re good for the show,” she admitted. “And maybe not just because of your brutally sexy good looks.”
CHAPTER NINE
Gannon gave Paige a break. He considered her not ordering him out of the seat next to her a small victory and was even more pleased when she actually talked to him. He’d been wrong about his princess, and he was looking forward to finding out what made her tick.
