In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2)

by Brooks, Tori

  “Way to put Dev in a good mood. Be careful he doesn’t throw your ass overboard now. This will be the only one. It’s only half-full anyway. Thanks for that, asshole. Haul him off, Dev.”

  “Yes sir,” Dev saluted. He led Jess off toward the lounge where he could look forward to a completely boring evening listening to executives cry on Bryan’s shoulder.

  ○ ○ ○

  Kenny watched Dev lead Jess off with mixed emotions. He wanted the safety of going with them. Whatever Miss Great Lakes wanted, it couldn’t be good. While he was busy telling off Jess, she turned and focused her attention on him.

  He immediately stopped and estimated the distance between them, then tried to remember if he’d accidentally raised his voice enough to be heard. Kenny prayed she didn’t hear.

  Glancing quickly at the other guests, no one else seemed to be taking undo notice of them, except for the photographers of course. Damn them. Miss Great Lakes smiled and Kenny could almost see Jess’s point in offering up his infatuation with Cassie in trade. He wasn’t buying it for a second, but he could see what prompted the desperate offer.

  Jess started to look back her direction too, and that would be a problem. Kenny didn’t like to get physical, wrestling was Jess and Dev’s thing, but he could hold his own and people constantly underestimated him. Keeping Jess distracted was easier than he thought it would be. Just a little pressure ...

  Miss Great Lakes raised one perfect eyebrow in amusement and beckoned him to her with one finger. A clear ‘come here’ gesture.

  Kenny felt Dev shift uneasily beside him. Who was she beckoning to? Dev would almost certainly run scared. Kenny looked at the younger man to his right, he had a light sheen to his skin that promised worse if he didn’t do something. Kenny nudged him and Dev looked at him. Jess started to look up and he applied renewed pressure to his wrist to recapture his attention. Jess flinched.

  Returning his attention to Miss Great Lakes, Kenny subtly used his other hand to gesture to Dev, hoping she’d realize he was asking who exactly she was summoning. She shook her head. Kenny pointed to Jess. No, thank God. Kenny pointed to himself. She nodded and smiled brighter, he didn’t know that was possible.

  Kenny gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment and released Jess, then sent him off with Dev. Now he had to face the music. Taking a deep breath, he took a step toward where Miss Great Lakes was, to find that she’d come to meet him.

  “That was amusing,” she said.

  Kenny felt his insides turn to jelly. How much did she hear? “How so?” he asked carefully.

  She smiled, but it was an amused one, like he’d told her a joke. If she started laughing next no one around them would be surprised. “You’re fishing for how much I heard?”

  Kenny looked around. “In this, I’m surprised you heard anything. Was I that loud or obvious? No one else acted like it.”

  “The photographers were onto you.”

  “The photographers are always onto us. Are you going to make me beg?” Kenny asked.

  She smiled. “Would you? I can’t picture it.” Miss Great Lakes shook her head and Kenny caught a glimpse of the dark, lustrous waves of hair bouncing gently, behaving as she wanted them to. No doubt everyone and everything behaved just as she wanted them to.

  “You clearly have not met Jess and Dev. If begging would make them behave, I would be on my knees in an instant.”

  She frowned, it was an alluring sight. “You seemed to have the matter in hand. Jess didn’t sound like he was going to listen to Dev. Dev likes to bait him doesn’t he?”

  “It’s give and take, why?”

  “Just before you showed up, Jess asked who I was and Dev gave a very witty, and smart-ass, answer.”

  “Oh, the dig about reading.” Kenny nodded.

  “Mostly. Who’s Cassie?”

  Kenny hesitated. They didn’t discuss Jess’s obsession outside their inner circle. Actually, they rarely discussed within their inner circle. Discussing it with Miss Great Lakes was out of the question.

  “Ah.” She smiled knowingly. “One of those young women that fall in the ‘not to be discussed’ category. I imagine he has a few. I like that pace car at the Indy 500 analogy you likened his reputation to. You’re right, Jess is beyond off limits. I appreciate you stepping in. It didn’t look like your babysitter could handle him. I was worried I was going to have to play cat and mouse with him all night. Does he like the hunt?”

  “Yes,” Kenny admitted, grateful that she’d let the subject of Cassie slide. He wondered now exactly why she called him over. Not that he wasn’t enjoying the company.

  She sighed and Kenny realized he didn’t even know her name. “That would have been tedious. I’m not allowed to hide.”

  Kenny smiled.

  “There you go. That wasn’t so hard was it?” Miss Great Lakes asked with an approving smile of her own.

  “You got him to smile? Good job,” Dev said. He handed Kenny a tumbler of Coke. “The bartender said you’re drinking ginger ale,” he said handing Miss Great Lakes a tumbler of amber liquid. “I’m Dev, by the way.”

  “Paige. Thank you.” She took the drink from him and Dev took her empty glass, handing it to a nearby caterer with a tray. Now with empty hands, Dev took Jess’s half-full champagne flute, but didn’t hand it off like Kenny expected. The caterer wandered off and Kenny stared at Dev.

  “What?”

  “You don’t drink,” Kenny said, indicating the drink in the twenty-year-old’s hand. He didn’t want to point out that Dev wasn’t technically old enough to drink either. No point going there.

  “You just sent me on babysitting duty with Jess, then made me escort him off to safer waters. Let me describe safer waters to you because clearly the occupants of the lounge have changed since you were last there,” Dev began.

  “You’re going to tell me it’s not full of old men in toupees anymore aren’t you?” Kenny reached for the champagne glass but Dev held it out of reach.

  “Well, you’re half right.”

  “And the other half?”

  “Their twenty-one-year-old daughters,” Dev said, taking a drink of the champagne. “How can you guys drink this stuff?”

  Kenny ignored him. “Why are you out here then?” he asked.

  “To bring you drinks, and because – and I know this will not come as a surprise – I was causing as much of a stir in there as Jess was. Bryan said we were disruptive. What with Jess trying to get away from him and me trying to stay behind them both, it’s no wonder Bryan finally sent me packing.” Dev shook his head. “If you try to send me back in there, I’m jumping overboard and swimming for shore.”

  Kenny nodded, realizing Dev approached Miss Great Lakes, Paige, rather than stayed in the lounge and that said something. Turning back to Paige, he saw she was watching Dev unhappily.

  “So,” Paige said brightly, “you all seem pretty close.”

  Dev finished the drink in his hand. “Too close.”

  “You live across the country, quit complaining,” Kenny told him.

  “Jess wouldn’t dare moon me in person. Distance isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

  “Wait,” Paige held up a hand. “Jess mooned you? Long distance? How?”

  Kenny sighed. “Video conferencing gone wrong. We could spend all night listing the pranks and scuffles between these two. Only a fraction of it makes it online. And in fairness, Dev mooned him first.”

  “I hope someone taped those video conferences.” Paige smiled wickedly. It was a gorgeous smile and Kenny was glad Jess wasn’t here to see it.

  “No,” he said firmly. Beside him, Dev shifted his weight and the hair on the back of Kenny’s neck stood on end. He turned to look at the younger man around whom so much trouble orbited. “Tell me ‘no,’ Dev.”

  “Kenny –”

  “All I want to hear is ‘of course I didn’t record the band’s video conferences’ or, if you did, try ‘nothing to worry about, I deleted them.’ Anything along those l
ines is fine.”

  “I’ll find a corner and get right on it,” Dev turned to leave.

  “Freeze,” Kenny ordered and Dev flinched.

  “Auto-back-up,” Dev said. “Forgot about it until now. I can access it remotely, I just have to make sure I find the right files. But you’re going to want me to do that somewhere no one can look over my shoulder. We don’t want to delete everything, just the bits that we don’t want saved for posteriors. Posterity.”

  “I would say wait until later, but you’ll forget. Go. Just be very careful. Very –”

  “Got it,” Dev said and left with a purpose in his step.

  Kenny turned back to Paige to find her smiling at him. The idea she was rewarding him crossed his mind, but he pushed it aside. He’d dealt with beautiful women before, he wouldn’t be trained that easily.

  “Unchaperoned again,” she said.

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re not allowed to disappear, you said so yourself,” Kenny pointed out.

  “True.”

  “So when’s the Miss North America playoffs?” Kenny asked, then wanted to kick himself when her smile faltered.

  “It used to be in January, but they moved it to Mid-September. Also to Toronto instead of Acapulco, not that it makes a difference.”

  “I’m sensing more to this.”

  Paige shrugged. To Kenny, it looked odd. She didn’t want to talk about it. If Paige didn’t call him over to talk about it, then why ...?

  She could be playing him. She’d make a lovely con artist. Why him though? She’d easily have Jess eating out of her hand. Kenny would be much harder to control. She already overheard enough to confirm that, yet she chose him anyway.

  “Spill,” Kenny ordered.

  Paige smiled again, a shadow of one of her former ones. “You forgot you’re not dealing with Jess or Dev.”

  He nodded, conceding the point. “Please.”

  “I have absolutely no chance of winning Miss North America, so it’s difficult to get excited about it.”

  Kenny took a step back and slowly sized her up. Frowning, he walked around her, taking his time. It had to be something political, of course. Some skeleton in her closet that came out. If she made Miss Great Lakes and suddenly had no chance to go further, it was something like that and she had to know he knew it. Still, his little inspection was bound to bring a smile to her face. Sure enough, by the time he made it back around to the front, she was quietly laughing.

  “You look great to me and I should be in a good position to judge. I mean, I’ve been around. Your talent must really bite.” Kenny shook his head sadly. “Of course I haven’t seen you in a swimsuit,” he added.

  “I rock a swimsuit.”

  Kenny grinned. “I’ll bet.” He took a drink while she laughed loud enough he could actually hear her.

  “So what’s your talent?” Kenny asked.

  “Would you believe singing? And, yes, I actually can. Lessons and everything.”

  “Good for you. Mind telling me what the problem is then? In general? You should be set.”

  “My brother. He didn’t mind his own business and leaked mine to one of the event coordinators. He’ll naturally tell the Board of Directors. It will probably get back to the Miss Great Lakes Board of Directors, but I can’t be sure. The sad part is, I didn’t do anything illegal, just controversial enough to make some people nervous.”

  Kenny was curious, but doubted she wanted to talk about specifics. He nodded. “They have to please the masses and cater to their demographics wherever they can. We do the same. Pity to see you caught in the crossfire.”

  “I’ll live with the Miss North America thing. I assume they’ll quietly eliminate me in the early rounds by scoring. No fuss. It’s how the Miss Great Lakes Board will deal with it that concerns me.”

  Kenny felt for her, which he assumed she wanted. Still, why tell him? He wasn’t in a position to do anything. There were a lot of people on this boat that might be able to help her.

  “Still on your side here, but why me?”

  “You’re not local.”

  “Exactly. There are a lot of people within yards of us with pull.”

  Paige smiled. “They may help me, in return for some favor from me or my family. Or they may flip on me in return for a favor from the runner-up or her family.”

  “A risk you’re unwilling to take.”

  “Not yet. My brother just dropped this bombshell on me, I’m still working it all out. I probably shouldn’t have confided in you.”

  Kenny smiled and shook his head.

  “What?”

  “It’s just funny. I read a lot of psychology books, I even took a few classes. It started for ideas for dealing with Jess and Dev. I was that desperate.”

  Paige laughed. “And now I’m the one on your couch.”

  Kenny took a drink while he sized her up again. “It’s a thought.”

  She laughed. “If I lose my crown, you’d provide therapy? One on one, I assume.”

  “Very private,” Kenny agreed, he’d be her consolation prize. “You could do worse.”

  Leaning forward conspiratorially, Paige lowered her voice. “Are you sure you wouldn’t be embarrassed to associate with someone who’ll be ... well, I’m not sure what they’ll do. They don’t have grounds to ask me to step down legally.” She straightened again as she considered the board’s options.

  “Just step carefully,” Kenny cautioned. “You’ll be okay.”

  “I just might.” Paige looked hopeful and gave her drink to passing waiter. “You know, Miss North America, Miss Great Lakes, all the regional contestants are considered quite the prize usually. When you can catch one.”

  She was flirting. Kenny smiled. Jess was going to kill him for this, but she dangled the bait and he’d bite. “You don’t say.”

  “Most men looking for trophies want models, but there are fewer of us. We all come with a background of service, it looks good; multilingual, and at least some college, usually a degree. Of course we had coaches, but after a while at least a little bit of poise and diplomacy sinks in. Even into those who struggled with it. We’re all competitive though.”

  “So not a good match for men who are idiots.”

  “No.”

  Kenny took a drink again. “Assuming everything goes as planned, when are you off work?”

  “Next July.”

  Chapter Three

  Paige drove home thinking about her conversation with Kenny. He was going to be her backup if things went south with the Miss Great Lakes Board, but her talk with him made her feel better. There was a good chance she was going to keep her crown. She wouldn’t get Miss North America, that dream was over, but she wouldn’t lose Miss Great Lakes.

  She didn’t need Kenny Wright.

  He was interested, it would be easy to string him along.

  Pulling her Lexus into the garage beside her mother’s classic BMW, Paige sat in the car for minute to think. Part of how Paige achieved all she did was that she insisted on being honest with herself. It was time to be honest. She was interested in Kenny.

  Initially she only considered Kenny because, of the four members of A Thousand Words who conveniently stepped onto the yacht tonight, Kenny was the least undesirable option – not a recommendation in itself. But after meeting him, Paige decided Kenny was overshadowed by his more photogenic band-mates and wrongly cast aside. If Paige wasn’t going to be the one to benefit from the injustice, she would have been outraged on his behalf. As it was, she’d happily take advantage of the rain shadow of popularity Kenny was standing in before someone else figured it out. But how? She couldn’t date him for almost a year.

  Having a goal gave Paige a purpose. She exited her car and headed to her bedroom, determined to figure out how to find a means to her end.

  Waking the next morning, Paige got ready for her appearance at the children’s ward for the second part of the fundraiser. She took extra care with her appearance once she realized her schedule just migh
t allow her to drop by the studio where Kenny was recording.

  She wondered how he’d take that. Most men were flattered when Paige dropped in on them, but Kenny wasn’t most men. Of course she wasn’t most women. He wouldn’t appreciate games women played, Paige decided, so she wouldn’t play them. She was interested, but she wasn’t available. There was no harm in at least telling him that much.

  Paige put on her lipstick, then smiled. But she’d tell him over lunch. Not out, she couldn’t afford to be seen going to lunch with him. Her Sundays were hers so she’d invite him here for lunch tomorrow. Paige still lived with her mother, who could be counted on to be absent when asked to be. Plus they had the servants. Everything was above board, and yet private.

  Paige grabbed her purse, and the click of her heels echoed in the open expanse of the entry as she walked slowly down the stairs. As she went, she examined the high ceilings, curved staircase with its polished banister, cold marble floors, and the flower arrangements her mother carefully placed on the antique sideboard tables with a new eye. She considered what impression the old manor might make on Kenny. Her family came from old money and old tradition. His money was new, as were likely his ideas and politics.

  For the first time, Paige was briefly grateful her father lay upstairs in a coma. He wouldn’t like Kenny. In fact, her father would have agreed with Preston, and probably would have gone even further to teach her a lesson.

  Pulling her shoulders back and holding her head high in defiance, Paige descended the remaining stairs and found her way to the garage with barely a thought. Her father wasn’t available to back up Preston and in all likelihood never would be. She’d never be daddy’s little girl again, either because he was gone or because if he ever did wake up after sixteen months in a coma – well she’d burned that bridge.

  ○ ○ ○

  The photo-op at the hospital and visiting with the children went well, but Paige was relieved to finally get away. She was eager to go to the studio Kenny casually mentioned the night before. When she finally found it, she couldn’t believe the security, and how difficult it was to just get into the lobby. Now she faced a man who ate antacids like breath mints and repeatedly snapped at a young brunette to take a pretty blond girl shopping.