Page 31 of Mr. Fixer Upper
“She looks familiar.” Marcus’s thought trailed off, and Paige could see him trying to tease out where he knew Cat from.
“Do you watch the Reno and Realty network?”
He frowned, still looking at Cat. “Occasionally.” And then the dawning realization crept over his face.
“She’s one of the twins, right?”
“Catalina King,” Paige sighed. This is usually where the guy tried to casually ask for an introduction as if anyone needed a formal invitation to go meet Cat.
“Huh,” Marcus said, turning his attention back to her. “I’d heard the show was coming to town. So do you work on the show? What’s it called?”
Paige found herself pleasantly surprised when the drunken, beautiful blonde blur of Cat King did nothing to sway Marcus’s focus. “Kings of Construction. I’m a field producer for the show.”
“And what does a field producer do?”
“Well, tonight, the field producer is babysitting Cat on her birthday.”
“Ah, one of those never-off-the-clock positions?” Marcus said with wry amusement.
“You sound familiar with the concept,” Paige laughed. She had the cutest guy in all of Portland, Maine, flirting with her, and all she could focus on was the weight of Gannon’s gaze on her.
“I work for an IT company that serves small businesses, so everything is always an emergency.”
“You have a lot of people depending on you,” Paige guessed, toying with the straw in her drink.
Marcus leaned in a little closer. She could smell a hint of his cologne, something subtle and spicy.
“It sounds like you do, too.” The band shifted gears into a slow number. “Do you want to talk about work, or would you like to dance?”
Paige bit her lip. He was so cute. What the hell? “Let’s dance. Just watch out for TV stars falling out of the sky.”
He laughed and took her hand, leading her toward the dance floor. Her eyes met Gannon’s as she skirted a table of middle-aged ladies drinking a pitcher of margaritas. There was heat in those hazel eyes, and she could feel it as he looked her up and down. On the dance floor, other couples parted and closed ranks around them, and Paige felt a sense of relief as if the human barrier could protect her from those steamy glances.
Whatever her relationship had been with Gannon, something had shifted for them both, and she only hoped it wasn’t too late to go back to the way it was. It was safer that way. Easier.
Marcus pulled her gently into his arms, still respectful of her space, and she forced herself to give him her full attention. He made her laugh and asked her about her life. He was smart and sweet and confident. And Paige couldn’t figure for the life of her how he was single. When she voiced just that—damn Gannon and his encouragement to say what was on her mind—Marcus gave heavy sigh.
“Just got out of a long-term relationship.”
“How long?” Paige asked in sympathy.
“We started dating when we were seventeen.”
“Ouch.”
“It’s for the best,” he told her. “You know, you’re the first girl I’ve hit on since the breakup.”
“Really?” Paige was unreasonably delighted.
Marcus nodded. “You should feel very flattered,” he teased.
“Oh, I do,” she promised.
“In fact, if I weren’t heading out of here to catch up with some family that’s only in town tonight, I’d ask if you wanted to go someplace quieter. Maybe have a piece of pie?”
He brushed a curl back from her face, and Paige felt a sweet warmth at his touch.Finally,her body was reacting appropriately. Sure, it wasn’t the internal inferno she felt when Gannon had dug under her t-shirt to find her mic pack, but, still, it was something.
“A girl would have a hard time saying no to pie.”
