Handsome Hero

by Lori Wilde

  Paige laughed. “Thanks. I like to think I can be tough when the occasion calls for it.”

  “Too tough,” Hal complained, wandering off and telling the others that he hadn't been able to learn a thing.

  “Do you think I'm being too mean?” Paige asked Max.

  “No. Never. But you should consider giving the interview sooner.”

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Are you going to harp on that constantly between now and the festival on Saturday?”

  Max told her the truth. “Yes. I am.”

  For a second, they simply looked at each other. Max knew she thought he was overreacting, but he wasn't. The press descending on the town would be a disaster, especially for Paige. This had long since stopped being a normal job for him, and Paige wasn't a normal client. He cared about her. Cared a lot about her. And the thought of someone hurting her made him crazy.

  So, yeah. He was going to keep harping on this.

  With a sigh, she finally said, “If I swear on your brother's head to arrange for an interview after the festival on Saturday, will you drop the subject for the next couple of days?”

  Max knew that was the best offer he was going to get, so he reluctantly agreed.

  “Fine. Have you considered who you’ll have interview you?”

  “Not yet,” she said. “I’m focused on the festival.”

  Then she walked over to join Krystal and Annie. Max watched her go. He wanted to press her more, but he knew better. This was her choice, and he had to respect it.

  Paige woke up with a start and looked around. Good, Max was back in bed. In the little over a week since they'd become lovers, she'd gotten so she had trouble sleeping when he wasn't beside her. So much so that a couple of hours ago, she'd woken up when she'd rolled over and discovered he wasn't there. She went exploring and found him in the kitchen on the phone with his brother.

  He'd been so sweet about the whole thing. He'd immediately asked if she'd heard him talking. She liked that he thought about her comfort and obviously worried about waking her. But she'd assured him he hadn't, and they'd gone back to bed.

  For a split second, she considered waking him and showing him once again how much he meant to her. But as she watched him sleep, she decided to leave him be.

  The poor man seemed exhausted. He was sleeping so deeply she decided she wouldn't disturb him if she slipped out of bed. She wanted something to eat.

  Carefully she moved the arm he'd thrown over her and slipped to the side of the bed. Max sighed, and for a second she thought he would wake up, but then he settled down again.

  Most men looked soft and kind of like teddy bears when they were asleep, but not Max. He lost none of his sexiness, not one bit of that raw maleness that made her so attracted to him. Even now, sound asleep, he looked strong enough to tackle the world.

  And she was so glad he'd come into her life. He was unlike any other man she'd ever met, and even though the circumstances of her life right now made it complicated, she was glad they'd decided to be together. Even if it was only for a short time.

  As she headed to the kitchen, Paige couldn't help thinking maybe that short-term agreement they'd originally reached wasn't going to be necessary for much longer. Once she did the interview, there was no reason why she couldn’t resume a normal life.

  A normal life that could easily include Max. Couldn’t it?

  When she reached the kitchen, Sugar climbed out of her small bed and trotted over to Paige.

  “Are you hungry, too?” She glanced at the clock. “It's only five in the morning, and we're both starving.” She rooted around in the refrigerator. “Slim pickings, Sugar. I need to go to the grocery store.”

  Of course, that meant giving up some of her free time, and she'd much rather be with Max.

  She dug farther back in the fridge. “Ha, eggs. Success.”

  Sugar pranced, obviously sensing something good was going to happen.

  “Calm down, I haven't managed to cook them yet. I could still mess this up,” she teased the dog.

  But Sugar seemed to have the utmost faith in her because she continued to dance with great excitement.

  Paige pulled out a frying pan and was debating how to cook the eggs when she noticed her cell phone on the counter. It was a burner phone she’d bought when she’d first moved to Honey. Looking at it, she wanted to call someone close to her. She envied Max. It was sweet that he and his brother were close. It must be nice to have a sibling. Family was so important.

  She'd never been close to her father, and the last few months would do nothing to improve that relationship.

  Of course, she was close to her grandmother. DeeDee Harris was eighty going on eighteen. She still traveled a lot with her friends, still enjoyed seeing the world.

  Her grandmother had been the only one to believe her when she'd explained about her father and Adam. At first, DeeDee had tried to convince Paige to stay with her while they sorted this out. But Paige had only stayed at her grandmother's house for a couple of days when the whole mess had first started. A destructive group of photographers and journalists had gathered on the front lawn, upsetting her grandmother, so Paige had quickly packed and left.

  Paige still felt that had been the right thing to do, but after all these weeks, she really missed the older woman. She glanced at the clock. Her grandmother would be getting up about now. She always awoke with the dawn and practiced her yoga in what she called the day's first smile.

  Paige picked up her cell phone. She should be fine calling, and she really did want to talk to her grandmother, wanted to hear her familiar voice. Being with Max had reminded her how much of her life she'd let her father and Adam take away from her. They'd stolen her family, her friends, and her security. Calling Nana would help her get another small bit of her life back.

  Luck was with her. Her grandmother was home and answered on the first ring.

  “Kenneth, I'm getting lonely,” her grandmother said. “Hurry over here now.”

  Paige laughed at her grandmother's combination plea and order. Kenneth was Nana's best friend, and over the years, Paige had suspected the elderly gentleman was a lot more than just a friend.

  “Hey, I'm not Kenneth!”

  “Paige,” DeeDee practically screamed. “Honey, I'm so glad to hear from you. Are you okay? Did you handle that boyfriend of yours? What about your father? What about the press? If things are still a mess, come on back here. Kenneth and I will protect you.”

  Paige smiled at the ferocious tone in her grandmother's voice. She really loved and admired the older woman, and for that reason, wouldn't drag her into this mess again.

  “Nana, I can't talk long, but I wanted you to know how much I love you and that I've been thinking about you.”

  Her grandmother made a tsking noise. “You're still running because of those hooligans.” She lowered her voice, although Paige had no idea why. “Listen to me, Kenneth and I can handle the press. You need to move on with your life. Come stay with me again.”

  Her offer was very sweet and well intentioned, but Paige loved her grandmother too much to risk her life.

  “Thanks, but I'm fine.''

  “Where? Where are you, sweetie?”

  Paige wanted to tell her, but she realized she shouldn't, so all she said, “It's one of your favorite places.”

  Her grandmother made a snorting noise. “That's no help. There are many places I love. I love Paris. Are you there?”

  “No, definitely not Paris, but Nana, I should be going. I'm—”

  “Um, I guess London is out of the question, too.” There was a long pause, and then she said, “I just hope it's someplace with a lot of sun. You need sun in your life during these dark days.”

  Her grandmother was a great believer in using the world around you to help cure your problems. Truthfully, that's why Paige had chosen Honey. Her grandmother always raved about the small town, so when things had seemed bleakest to Paige, she'd taken her grandmother's advice and headed toward the Te
xas hill country.

  “There's lots of sun,” Paige assured her. “You loved this place when you were young.”

  With a soft laugh, DeeDee said, “I think I know where you are, and I'm happy you're there. I still love that place, and I know the sun will help you see clearer.”

  Paige wasn't quite sure what her grandmother meant by that, but she would agree that Honey had been good to her. She'd met Max here, and despite everything, she'd never regret that.

  “Don't worry,” Paige said, knowing she'd already talked too long. “I’m hoping all this will be over soon, and then I’ll come visit. I'll be fine. “

  “Of course, you will. You're my granddaughter. You'll find a way. I know you will. I love you.”

  Paige felt her throat tighten at her grandmother's concern. She missed the older woman and couldn't wait until she could go see her again, until this whole miserable mess was over and she could reclaim her life.

  “I love you, too,” she said. She heard the faint sound of a doorbell ringing at her grandmother's house. “I think Kenneth is finally there.”

  DeeDee made a kissing noise. “Here's luck coming your way, sweetie. Lots of luck. And remember, always face toward the sun. It will help you find peace.” Then she said, “Kenneth, I'm coming, hold on.”

  Smiling, Paige said goodbye and hung up. She was glad her grandmother had someone special in her life, someone she cared about.

  Paige set her phone back on the counter and then started breakfast. In addition to the eggs, she sliced a couple of oranges she found, and headed back to the bedroom carrying a tray.

  She wanted to be with Max.

  Max finished putting the table together and placed it in the tent in the corner of the parking lot like Paige's diagram depicted. There. That was the last of them. He'd put together all the tables, unloaded all the chairs, and gotten the twinkle lights ready to hang in the morning.

  “Good job, Walker,” he told himself.

  “Have I reduced you to talking to yourself?” Paige asked with a laugh as she crossed the parking lot.

  Max smiled as he watched her approach. Seeing Paige always made him smile.

  “Yeah, I think it's gotten that bad,” he told her.

  When she was even with him, she leaned up and gave him a long, lingering kiss.

  “Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?” he asked when she finally broke the contact.

  “A reward for my macho man who had to assemble all these folding tables all by himself with his two bare hands.”

  Max chuckled. “Okay, I guess I deserve that.”

  “Actually, you deserve a round of applause for how hard you've worked to make this festival come about,” she told him. “I couldn't have done it without you.”

  “Not true. This is your baby, Paige. You put it together. All I did was—” He waved at the tables and chairs. “Assemble a few pieces of furniture.”

  Paige started to disagree, but this time, he was the one to end the conversation with a kiss. Unlike her kiss, he took his time.

  He was still kissing her when the hollering from the door to the Honey Café finally caught his attention. Reluctantly, he lifted his head and looked at Hal.

  “What?” Max yelled. “I'm busy.”

  “I told you before, grope each other on your own time. Right now, you're supposed to be putting together the festival so the rest of us can have some fun, too,” Hal yelled back.

  “Ogre,” Max shouted back.

  “Cad,” Hal returned.

  Max looked down at Paige, who was grinning. “Hal sure knows how to spoil a good time.”

  “At least now you're a cad. That's better than a Neanderthal.”

  Max turned the words over in his mind and then shook his head. “Nah, that's a lateral move. A cad's just a Neanderthal wearing better clothes.”

  She laughed. “You may have a point there.” Then with a sexy, little smile, she promised, “We'll pick up that kiss later.”

  Oh, yeah. Definitely later.

  They were halfway across the parking lot when Max's cell phone rang. A quick glance told him it was Travis.

  “It's my brother,” he told Paige.

  She nodded, and then said, “Tell him I said hi.”

  He hesitated, and she laughed. “Okay, don't tell him I said hi. I take it he doesn't know who I am.”

  “Yes, he does.” The phone kept ringing, so he pushed the talk button and said, “Hold on a sec.”

  “He knows who I am?” She seemed really pleased to hear that. “You've talked to Travis about me?”

  “He's the one who’s keeping track of the press,” Max explained, hoping he didn't have to go into more detail than that. Sure, Trav knew who she was, but he didn’t know about them.

  Paige had taken a few steps toward the Honey Café, but now she spun and walked back to him. “Mind if I say hi?”

  Max wasn't sure what to say. He knew Travis would be smart enough not to say something he shouldn’t, but it had never occurred to him that Paige would want to talk to his brother.

  “Uh, well—” he said.

  She held out one hand. “Let me say hi. I promise I won't embarrass you. I just want to talk to the man on whose head I've been making all sorts of promises.”

  With his gaze still on Paige, Max said into the phone, “Paige wants to say hi.”

  He could hear Travis talking, but he couldn't make out what his brother was saying as he placed the cell phone into Paige's hand.

  “Be gentle,” Max warned her. “He frightens easily.”

  Paige laughed and said into the phone, “Hello, Travis. It's nice to finally sort of meet you.”

  Max would give anything to know what his brother was saying to Paige. Whatever it was, it kept making her laugh. No doubt he'd never hear the end of this from Travis.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Paige said, “I'm really glad we had this chance to talk. I enjoyed it.”

  Then, with a teasing smile, Paige handed the phone back to Max. “See you inside.”

  As soon as Paige was out of hearing range, Max lifted the phone. “Okay, what did you say to her?”

  “My, my. She must be a really special client if you let her talk to your brother on the phone,” Travis said, sounding way too smug for Max's peace of mind.

  “Very funny. What did you say to her?”

  Travis laughed. “Calm down. Nothing bad. I told her as brothers went, you weren't the worst one in the world.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Max said dryly.

  “She seemed to like it,” Travis countered.

  “Why did you call?”

  “Oh, right.” The humor faded from Travis' voice. “I've spent the morning with the police. They found the stuff stolen from our office. It was tossed in the trash a few miles from here. Guess what was the only thing missing.”

  Max didn't need to guess; he knew. “Paige's file.''

  “You got it. Even the computer they took was tossed. The police were baffled by that since they were convinced the burglars had taken the computer to sell it for drug money. But they tossed it. Just like they tossed everything else.”

  This confirmed his fears. They'd gotten what they wanted—information about Paige. “What was in the file again? Are we sure nothing was documented?”

  “Relax. It contained nothing that would lead them to her,” Travis said, but he didn't sound any surer than Max felt. “But just in case, you'd better move her. I have a feeling they are getting close, and if she wants to control this scenario, she should move.”

  “Tomorrow. The festival is tomorrow. After that, she plans to give an interview, which should deflate the value out of the story.” That was what they hoped anyway.

  Travis sighed. “Fine. But let's hope for both your sakes that tomorrow is soon enough.”

  “Yeah, let's hope,” Max said, knowing what could happen if they were wrong. But it wasn't like he had a choice. Paige wasn't about to do the interview before the festival tomorrow. The best he co
uld do between now and then was keep an eye out for the press.

  Almost as if he'd read his mind, Travis said, “Good luck.”

  Max had the feeling he might need it.

  8

  “Okay, I’ll admit it—this is the last thing I expected,” Hal said, his hands on his hips, his mouth hanging open. “We've had some raunchy extravaganzas before.”

  “Yeah, we've had lots of them,” Alma added, her expression equally stunned.

  “And we've had a few fairly average extravaganzas, too,” Hal went on. “Heck, we even had a couple that were almost tame.”

  Paige bit back a smile. She knew Hal and Alma were near speechless, which in itself was almost worth all the time, work, and effort Max and she had spent on this night. They’d enlisted a few high school students to help, but most of the work they’d done themselves.

  “You once held a tame extravaganza? Hard to believe,” Paige said.

  Max had wandered over to join them. He laughed when he heard her comment. “Yeah, I for one don't believe it.”

  “It's true,” Hal said, still surveying the crowd. “But we've never had anything like this. Not in all those years.”

  This was “A Night of Honey Magic.” They’d made Hal and Alma stay home until it was time to start. Then last night and this morning, they’d decorated the trees with tiny white lights, put up tents, hung lanterns all over the parking lot, and then invited all the local charities to set up game booths where guests could try magic tricks and win prizes.

  The whole place had a fun, upscale carnival atmosphere and was pulling in people right and left. Even though it had just started, the parking lot was jammed with adults and children.

  Paige was thrilled. Not only had they fulfilled their promise to Hal and Alma, but the local charities were going to make some serious cash off tonight.

  It really was a win-win situation.

  “You two did good,” Hal finally pronounced. “Very good.”

  “I've got food to cook,” Alma said. Then she hugged Paige. “But I agree with Hal. This is great.”