by Brooks, Tori
“We’re there to work, not play, you know.”
“We’re not going to be in the studio or doing interviews 24/7. It’s decided. There’s no point in arguing.”
Kenny sighed. “Then I won’t. I’ll tell Jess. Bryan’s bringing Brenda, so there’ll be someone for her to hang out with. I guess that’s good. The girls can go shopping or something while we’re in the studio.”
Dev considered that. Shopping. Perfect. “Then I won’t shop for my room online, I’ll have Lindsay do it. I’ll take measurements of everything, maybe some pictures of what’s here now for her to reference, and she can look around and see what she likes. She can get it all set up while I’m in Europe. That should keep her busy and make her feel helpful.”
“She wants to be helpful?” Kenny asked.
“You don’t get to give her assignments,” Dev said firmly. “She just gets a little down that I’m gone so much. Who knows? Maybe she won’t want to do it. Although I think she will.”
“Of course she will, that way your room reminds you of her. She’s got to get you used to just handing her the reins.”
“Out of line.”
“Not so much. Women are like that.”
Dev looked at Kenny thoughtfully. “Heard from Alicia lately?” he asked. He was sure Kenny wasn’t talking to his ex-girlfriend actually. Not that they officially broke up so much as Alicia left for college out of state and they didn’t bother to stay in touch. Kenny was so upset about her leaving at the time that he totaled his car.
“Low blow,” Kenny said.
“Back at you. Don’t worry about Lindsay, just be aware she’ll be there. Dinners, events, hotel –”
“Sharing a room?”
“Yes,” Dev answered through clenched teeth.
“Alec know?” Kenny asked. Dev nodded. He told the band’s manager before he told the band, and wondered if Kenny felt slighted by that.
“He asked a few weeks ago when he was making the schedule and reservations for things if I was bringing her along. He already had Brenda incorporated into the plans. Didn’t he ask you and Jess?”
Kenny shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t think much of it. I’m not seeing anyone and Jess is seeing everyone. It’s sort of par for the course with us.”
“And so will it be with me and Lindsay. Get used to it,” Dev answered.
Chapter Two
Paige Hart was royally screwed. She stared at her brother in disbelief. Her brother of all people. Family didn’t do this to each another.
Glancing around, she saw the fore deck of the yacht was relatively empty. It was still early and the party hadn’t really started yet. Paige hadn’t even had her first drink and already felt like she needed to be cut off.
“Jondelle and I have been trying for two years to get pregnant, Paige,” Preston said. Paige returned her gaze to her twin, still somehow unable to fully comprehend what he’d done. Ruin her? Really? Could family really do that to one another?
His velvet blue eyes seemed unnaturally cold and distant now, the high contours of his cheeks were sharp and cruel. All the beauty everyone credited him with seemed harsh now that Paige looked at him. She wondered, if she looked in a mirror now, if her own face would seem the same way. What an image for the new Miss Great Lakes.
“You spoiled, selfish, irresponsible, self-centered little brat,” Preston continued. “You think of no one but yourself. You go out and get knocked up, and without a second thought, go and snuff out that innocent life. Jondelle and I would have loved that child. We would have gladly taken that baby off your hands; raised our niece or nephew as our own, and let you go about your shallow life.”
“I’m Miss Great Lakes, Preston. I can’t be pregnant,” Paige whispered, finally finding the words to protest the attack, if not the energy.
“Yeah, well, not for much longer,” Preston smiled. “That was one of the event coordinators for the Miss North America Pageant I was talking to earlier. You recognized him, I know you did. That’s why you’re white as a sheet. You heard me tell him. I imagine Sean will mention it to someone from the Great Lakes Region board. If not, I can certainly drop them a line.”
“Don’t bother, he’ll tell them.” Paige turned to find a nearby bench and lowered herself down onto it as gracefully as she could. She felt like collapsing, but there were witnesses and everyone had a camera on their phone these days. She was still Miss Great Lakes, at least for now.
“So this is revenge?” Paige asked. “It seems petty.”
“Petty?” her brother spat back her. “Jondelle nearly had a breakdown when she found out what you did. After all the false sympathy you gave her after the failed attempts, the miscarriages. We’ve spent a fortune trying to get what you casually threw away!
“She couldn’t even face you. I would have Mom disown you, but first I’d have to tell her and I don’t think she could take it. She’s fragile. And she’s so proud of you. Her little girl – Miss Great Lakes. It’d destroy her to know the truth.”
Paige knew their mom was made of much stronger stuff than Preston gave her credit for and seriously doubted she’d be disowned, or even reprimanded, for the abortion. But she looked away and nodded, not wanting to continue the argument. He did what he did, it was too late. Now she had to deal with it.
“Go away, Preston,” Paige said.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry I upset you and Jondelle. And I’m sorry you’re having trouble having a baby. I really do wish you the best and I was sincere in my empathy for Jondelle.
“Just to be clear: what you are proposing is that I should have given up my life, my dream, so I could have this baby. Then give her to you, and be left with nothing but the embarrassment of a renounced title. If I gave up my crown to have this baby, I wouldn’t have given her to you. I would have kept her, you asshole. Why should I give up everything and be left with nothing?
“Of course now, thanks to you – you selfish, self-centered, egotistical prick – I will lose my shot at Miss North America, possibly lose my Miss Great Lakes title, embarrass the family, and still destroy Mom. And not even get a baby to cuddle at the end of it all. Thanks.
“Now go away. Let me figure out what I might be able to salvage from this,” Paige said evenly, never letting her eyes waver from her brother’s.
Preston stared at her silently for a moment. “I’m not letting you turn this around on me. For Mom’s sake, I’ll let you do what you need to.”
Preston turned to go but another unpleasant though crossed Paige’s mind.
“Wait!”
Preston stopped, but didn’t face her.
“Who else knows?” Paige asked.
“What?” Her brother looked back over his shoulder.
“Who else did you rant to?” Paige asked softly, looking around. There were people milling with drinks in their hands, but none close enough to hear yet.
Preston shook his head and shrugged.
“Does Alastair know?” she asked, holding her breath. Her ex was Preston’s best friend and the son of the man who, in theory, might buy out their mother’s company.
“Oh,” Preston looked away and Paige closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to spring free. “That explains his interest,” Preston said.
“I should probably avoid him for a while,” Paige agreed. “Take it into account if the merger comes up.”
“Yeah. Thanks for that, sis.”
“Learn to keep your mouth shut,” Paige shot back.
She ignored Preston as he walked away and focused instead on her dilemma. She could count Miss North America out. She had a better than even chance before, but not now. Paige assumed they would simply eliminate her in the early rounds. No explanation, no statement, nothing political or topical was desirable in a Miss North America candidate. Abortion was legal, it was just very, very controversial. It could be a hot topic later that the powers that be would naturally want to avoid. Paige understood it, she just didn’t like it.
Now, where did that leave her? Would she keep Miss Great Lakes? Paige had no way of knowing and she’d spend the rest of her time in the role waiting for the other shoe to drop. Fantastic. She needed a backup plan.
A commotion on the dock drew her attention. It couldn’t be Preston again, could it? He wouldn’t.
Paige rose unsteadily to her feet and kept one hand on the wall beside her as she made her way toward the midsection of the yacht. A few people passed her and by the time the gangplank came into view, or would have had it not been blocked by photographers and looky-loos, Paige was walking with confidence again. She straightened her clingy blue dress and held back. She was Miss Great Lakes, and even before the title, people came to her.
A tall blond man followed closely by an equally tall dark-haired one caught Paige’s eye through a gap in the group crowding the passage. She recognized Jess Baxter and Dev Giles of A Thousand Words instantly by the small glimpses she got of them. Two more brunettes followed, who could only be Kenny Wright and Bryan Trino, although she couldn’t see their faces in the crowd.
Paige paused to consider the unexpected change of events. She was engaged for the charity cruise at the last minute and thought she knew the celebrities enlisted to draw the locals with deep pockets, but she didn’t remember seeing a rock band on the list. Paige would have remembered seeing Jess’s name. Unfortunately, she would have to stay as far away from Jess Baxter as she could. Even association with him and his philandering reputation would put her title in danger.
With regrets, Paige turned and walked back toward the fore deck of the ship. She began mingling with the older guests, the ones less interested in the goings-on of rock stars no matter how desirable.
The smile on Paige’s face remained securely pleasant while her mind drifted. Mr. Davis Chamberlain III continued to detail the recent remodel of his summer home, but Paige’s mind was elsewhere. Let them force her to resign her position as Miss Great Lakes, she was going to have a rich fiancé waiting. She was going to be …
Paige considered her options and regretfully eliminated Jess. He was so handsome! But he knew it, and he wouldn’t be faithful judging by his reputation. She didn’t buy that idiot act for a moment. Dev and Kenny were smart, they wouldn’t stand for their lead singer being a moron.
Dev was too smart. Paige wasn’t confident she could handle him. Plus there was something about him. He was shy – sure, everyone knew that – but it was something more. Secrets. Maybe it was that Erika Atlas thing. Paige wasn’t buying that Dev was actually dating the pop star. The pictures were good, but something wasn’t right. To her it looked like a PR cover. Why did Dev need a cover? Was he gay? It was stupid to cover it up, maybe he wasn’t as smart as she thought.
Kenny was smart. He obviously ran things, not that any interview she read said it outright. Bryan Trino was married and she didn’t need to be a home wrecker so that was off the table. Besides, he seemed too bland for her taste.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Paige had to answer Mr. Chamberlain. Paige feigned interest a little too well. Flattered, Mr. Chamberlain started boasting about the customized boathouse and lakeside improvements he’d made. Paige was mildly interested in this and half-listened so she could tell her mother; but half her mind considered what she knew about Kenny Wright. The answer was far too little.
○ ○ ○
Jess knew they were there for a good cause, in theory. A fund raiser for rebuilding the psychiatric ward in some local children’s hospital. At fifteen hundred dollars a ticket, he was of the opinion these people should be paying to rub elbows with him not the other way around. But Dev was a soft touch for the cause for some reason. Probably something to do with that insane-o girlfriend of his. Jess vowed to look into that and see if he could quietly get Lindsay committed.
As soon as Dev brought it up, Kenny jumped on board as a PR thing. As soon as it became work, Lindsay and Brenda weren’t allowed to come and Jess knew he was in for a night of fun. Or not. He looked around at the assembly of old people, journalists, photographers, local celebrities with sticks up their – wait a minute.
His eye fell on a tall, slender brunette with her back to him. She could be homely, but things were shaping up pretty good so far. Jess sipped his champagne as he let his eyes travel from her spiked heels up her athletic calves and thighs to a firm, tight ass. There he met slight resistance in the form of thick waves of dark hair. Few women wore their hair that long and lush anymore, it was heavy and too much work. Only the beauty queens went through the trouble, and he liked that idea.
“What are you ... oh, I might have known it’d be a who, not a what.” Dev shook his head in disgust beside him as he looked to see what had Jess’s attention.
“Why are you still here? Go find a corner to hide in.” Jess tried to shrug him off. Dev was the worst wing-man ever.
“Kenny has me on babysitting duty.”
Jess glared at him.
“Take it up with him.”
“I’m a big boy now.”
“Yeah, I hear you use the potty and everything. Take it up with him.” Dev smiled.
Jess glared harder. Kenny would kill him if he made a scene with Dev. “Fine. Where is he?” Jess asked, looking around and not spotting Kenny anywhere.
A horn sounded to indicate the luxury yacht would soon be starting a tour of the lake. Jess didn’t see the point. A sunset cruise was supposed to be romantic, but what was so romantic about raising money for a bunch of mental kids on boat with a ton of other people? Could he fork over twenty grand and drag the brunette into a stateroom?
“I think Kenny’s in the lounge,” Dev answered, pointing in the opposite direction from the brunette. Jess was torn. He needed to ditch his chaperone, but he knew he could lose his quarry even though there wasn’t, theoretically, anywhere for her to go. He knew from experience there were places to hide on a crowded yacht and the memory made him smile.
“What are you smiling about?” Dev asked.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.” Jess hurried to wipe the smile from his face, then froze when the brunette turned around. She focused on him immediately, clearly recognizing him, and smiled. A beautiful smile: perfect, brilliant white teeth framed by lush lips he bet were petal-soft. He wondered what it would take to make her scream his name.
The old man she was with said something and she turned away again, giving Jess her shapely backside. Another horn jolted Jess, and he blinked to clear his vision.
“Dev? Who’s that?”
“Miss Great Lakes,” Dev answered instantly.
Jess was aware of the faint sensation of movement as he turned to look at the know-it-all beside him. “How the hell did you know that?”
“First, if you didn’t think I’d know, why did you ask? Second, I expected her to be here and it’s pretty obvious. Third, I can read,” Dev answered with a smirk.
“What are you two up to?” Kenny asked walking up between them. He glanced at both of them, then took the champagne flute from Jess. “How many of these have you had?”
“I haven’t even finished that one,” Jess answered him, not letting his gaze wander from Dev’s smug face. “What do you mean you can read? I can read. And why is it obvious?”
“Wait. What’s going on?” Kenny asked, putting a hand on Dev’s shoulder and moving him back a step.
“Brunette – eleven o’clock. Hair only slightly shorter than her dress,” Dev answered Kenny first, then Jess. “I know you can read, Jess, it’s the big words that you stumble over. Words like ‘Miss,’ ‘Great,’ and ‘Lakes’ that are written on her sash. She’s not wearing the little crown thing tonight. No idea why sometimes they wear that stuff and sometimes they don’t. Give it up, Jess. You’re not going to score with her,” Dev told him.
Jess didn’t want to hear that and used the one bargaining chip he had that would bring Dev around to his side. “Want to get me off Cassie’s back?”
“Scheiße,” Dev swore under his breath and started to turn, in th
eory to consider the offer. Jess smiled when Kenny smacked the back of Dev’s head. He stopped smiling when Kenny turned on him.
“Have you even talked to her?” Kenny asked.
“No. Have you seen her?” Jess responded.
“That answers my next question. It’s a crush, get over it. Dev’s right, you don’t get her. Miss Great Lakes, or Miss Anywhere-Else for that matter, you don’t get. Those young ladies worked to get those titles and they cannot afford to even be seen with you. Your reputation precedes you like a pace car at the Indy 500. Don’t touch her, don’t talk to her, don’t approach her. You know what? Don’t even look at her.” Kenny paused and watched Miss Great Lakes.
Jess started to turn back to the object of their debate, but Kenny caught his wrist in a vice-like grip that made Jess momentarily forget the beauty standing only yards away. He looked down at where Kenny held his wrist in one hand, he swore threatening to break it. Every time Jess started to look away, Kenny twisted, bringing pain to hold Jess’s attention. Jess was stunned by the assault, it was more like something Dev would do than Kenny.
Finally his best friend released him and Jess rubbed his wrist.
“What the hell was that about?” Jess demanded.
“Don’t look at her. Now, you’re going into the lounge to find Bryan. He’s talking to some local TV executive. Stay there with him,” Kenny ordered.
Jess wasn’t fond of this business-like tone Kenny adopted. It wasn’t that he was used to being on equal footing with the lead guitarist, he knew that was never going to happen, but it wasn’t usually this bad.
“Dev, take him for a walk, keep him there. Apparently, I get to have a chat with Miss Great Lakes,” Kenny finished. “Jess, I’m keeping your drink.”
“How come the rules don’t apply to you?” Jess demanded.
“I’m smarter.”
“You’re not supposed to drink. I’ll tell Flynn.”
