In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2) by Tori Brooks Page A

and the Indian Ocean. Besides, who bought physical magazines anymore?
    What her family did made little difference to him. They didn’t seem to be a particularly loyal bunch either, but Kenny didn’t have to deal with them tonight. It was Paige he was interested in. He rang the doorbell, patting the plastic box in his front slacks pocket with a single rose bud in it. She said no flowers, it wasn’t technically a date after all, but he cheated.
    Paige answered the door herself, something Kenny wouldn’t have counted on. She gave him a smile that lit up her face. At that moment, with the sun casting a warm glow on her combined with her natural radiance, Kenny felt he would have given anything to have her. That it’d be a year before he could even think of it was depressing almost beyond measure.
    “Come in,” Paige said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. “I’m really glad you came.”
    Kenny laughed at her excitement as he followed her. She led him through the entry, the living room, and out into the conservatory where a romantic candlelit table was set by an old brass and marble fountain. The drops of water hitting the pieces of brass on the fountain got Kenny’s attention: the fountain was out of tune.
    He shrugged off his annoyance with the fountain as he found Paige unexpectedly in his arms.
    The sensation of someone behind him made the hair on Kenny’s neck tingle, souring the moment. He reluctantly pulled away from Paige to look. An elderly man in a suit ignored them as he transferred covered platters from a cart to the table.
    “Don’t worry about Jeeves,” Paige said, putting a hand on Kenny’s cheek and gently forcing him to face her again.
    “His name is Jeeves? You’re kidding.” Kenny turned to look again.
    “Yes. Well, no. I don’t remember what his name really is. Preston and I started calling him Jeeves ages ago, when we were little. Uncle Albert started it, actually, and it just stuck.”
    Kenny wondered what Jeeves thought about that.
    “Come eat. Roberta is a wonderful cook.” Paige took Kenny’s hand and led him over to the table. He started to sit, then stood again when the plastic box in his front box made it difficult.
    “What is it?” Paige asked. Alarm in her voice made Kenny stop in his effort to dig the small box out of his pants and look at her. She would probably be embarrassed to know her anxiety was so plain on her face, but it amused him. For all her family history, money, and title, underneath it Paige was behaving more and more like a fan. He wouldn’t have guessed she’d be affected by his fame.
    He freed the small plastic box from his pocket and handed it to her. “I know you said not to bring flowers, this isn’t really a date. But I smuggled in a little one anyway,” Kenny said.
    Paige took the box, and looked at the tiny pink rose bud through the clear plastic with a smile. “It’s adorable. I sort of feel like it’s prom now.”
    Kenny laughed. Technically the rose would count as a boutonnière, not a corsage, and a small one even for that, but he could see her point.
    Dinner was delicious, conversation was casual. Paige seemed upset to learn Kenny was only in town a couple more days before leaving on their European tour. They finished recording already, she was lucky to catch them at the studio at all on Saturday. They were just touching up some things. Jess and Bryan were gone as of tonight. Kenny and Dev stayed behind to mix the songs.
    He didn’t know what to think that Paige listened to all this with a medley of interest, acceptance, and something Kenny couldn’t yet identify. Jess once said if a woman was listening but you couldn’t figure out what else she was doing, she was planning. He said on the whole it wasn’t usually a good thing. Taking the source of that advice into account, Kenny considered Paige’s behavior so far.
    “Penny for your thoughts,” Paige said looking at him through long eyelashes. Kenny knew that trick, but