Page 77 of Mr. Fixer Upper
“Why not?” Becca pulled her feet up on the cushion looking comfortable and relaxed.
“Paige and I were trying to hide our…”
“Go ahead and say it. Relationship,” Becca said with a royal flourish of her hand.
“Relationship. She didn’t want anyone to think she was sleeping with the talent for… perks.”
“Sounds like Paige.”
“I had no idea what was happening. One second I’m working with power tools, and the next someone’s kissing me. When I pulled back, I saw Paige’s face…” he shook his head. “And then Meeghan’s strutting over to her, throwing her purse in her face, and giving her a coffee order.”
“Bitch,” Becca said with enthusiasm.
“This is after the network mic-ed Paige and made her start doing onscreen interviews to feed the interest in a potential relationship between us. I couldn’t say anything. Or if I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop, and everyone would know.”
“Well, clearly you’re screwed,” Becca announced, taking a swig from her beer.
“I love her.”
“Which you shouldnothave told her in the middle of a fight when it looked like you had cheated on her.”
“Shit.”
He took a long pull from his beer and looked around. “She wasn’t kidding. You guys really don’t even have a coffee table,” Gannon said, eyeing the apartment. His childhood bedroom had been bigger than this living space.
“Want to make us one?”
“Will that get her back?”
Becca grimaced. “Look, man. I hate to be blunt like this, but Paige is a ‘fool me twice’ kind of girl. In her book, you’re a mistake, and she won’t be inclined to repeat you.”
“That can’t be the end of it,” Gannon argued. He wanted to get up and pace, but there was nowhere to go.
“It doesn’t have to be, but it’s not like sending some other girl flowers and she instantly forgives all your transgressions. Totally works on me,” she said jerking a thumb at her chest, “but not so much on Paige. If you’re serious about getting her back, and you’re not going to give up after a quick fix attempt, there’s hope.”
“What do I have to do?”
Becca leaned forward, looked him dead in the eye. “Whatever it takes. Go big or go homealone.”
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Gannon left Becca feeling marginally more hopeful. She’d made him promise that if the topic ever came up, Becca had slammed the door in his face, not fed him beer, and definitely did not conspire with him against Paige.
She’d given him a few guidelines:
1.Stop blowing up Paige’s phone.
2.But don’t go cold turkey on the contact either. Stay in her head.
3.Identify Paige’s life priorities and find a way to become part of them.
4.Be patient.
5.Build them a damn coffee table.
He hated the fourth and was pretty sure the fifth was just Becca’s fee for her “free advice.”
Paige’s priorities were easy. She had one: work. Unfortunately for him, their season had just wrapped, and if he’d been picking up on Becca’s hints correctly, Paige was looking for a way out of working with him again.
