In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2) (9 page)

BOOK: In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2)
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Several responses crossed Kenny’s mind, but he decided to keep it simple. “Flynn won’t be there,” he said.

“It’s an interesting proposal, Mr. Wright. You’re offering an appearance by a popular band in exchange for guaranteeing her a certain level of success,” Raquel smiled. “I assume that was the proposal anyway.”

“Paige’s very devoted. We haven’t known each other long, but the first time we met she already knew she’d be eliminated before the semi-finals now, where before she had a chance at the top ten or higher. Worse, she accepts it. I don’t.”

Eric appeared to take all this in, including, Kenny assumed, the fact that he didn’t deny the near-bribery allegations.

“What makes you think Ms. Hart won’t make it at least to the semi-finals on her own? Other than the impropriety of trying to bribe the system?”

“She was blackmailed and didn’t play,” Kenny answered. He assumed they knew, the details on why they knew were irrelevant.

Eric held his eyes for a moment then nodded. “Good for her. On that point at least.”

“So you already heard the consequences?” Kenny asked.

“Politics are distasteful sometimes. Having a boyfriend isn’t a stroke in her favor.”

“She’s a friend. I saved her from my lead singer. In her mind, his attention was a fate worse than death. In some cultures if you save someone’s life, it makes you responsible for them.”

Eric laughed. He thumbed through a folder Raquel handed him. Kenny saw various pictures of Paige, including one of her in a bikini. Very nice.

“I think Ms. Hart is a beautiful young woman with a great deal of potential. I think she can at least make the semi-finals. If you’re willing to donate your time as friends, it could only help her support network.”

Kenny didn’t like the vagueness of it, but it was a start. They might be in for more than a single number. At least the hosts were already announced. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Of course you can’t tell the other girls or sponsors you’re friends, you have to be impartial –” Raquel added.

“Naturally. Can I have our manager give you a call? Or would it look better if your office called us?”

“I think it would look better if we called you,” Eric said immediately.

Kenny nodded and pulled Alec’s card from his wallet, handing it to Eric. “I mentioned to him I wanted to do this, but he has no idea why. My number’s on the back if you have any trouble at all.”

Kenny stood and shook the Eric’s hand, then Raquel’s.

“Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. I just wanted to offer my help in overlooking an indiscretion that isn’t part of the judging anyway,” Kenny added. They smiled tolerantly. Kenny left wondering just what he’d gotten them all into.

 

○ ○ ○

 

Jess answered the door to the snug apartment over the garage he shared with Kenny. It was Bryan, and he left Brenda at home. Jess ushered him in with a mixture of relief and anxiety. The anxiety was for Kenny, the relief was that they’d finally get this Miss North America thing in the open. And that Bryan had left Brenda at home. Jess suspected she might have an opinion on this and the thought made him cringe.

“Guys, I’d like a word,” Kenny said as Bryan sat by Dev at the small round table in the corner of the room. Jess lounged on his bed and watched as Kenny walked over and closed Dev’s laptop to be sure he had his attention.

For a change, Dev didn’t protest. Everything seemed unreal now that they were back. Tiffany was gone. They missed her funeral, although Cassie forgave them. She bought the excuse that they couldn’t make it back in time, to their combined relief. She even accepted Kenny’s thin story that Jess’s voice was nearly gone from an oncoming bout of laryngitis and he was under doctor’s orders to shut up. He even said it like that.

Jess was horrified watching Cassie hobbling around on crutches, abrasions and greenish yellow bruises disfiguring her beautiful face. He and Tiffany fought more than anything, but it wasn’t malicious. She was Cassie’s best friend and didn’t think he was good enough for her. Jess would never admit it aloud, but he sometimes agreed she had a point. Not that it would ever stop him from wanting Cassie. It grieved him to see her in such pain. It was worse than when Teri had died, and he didn’t think that was possible. At least then she had Tiffany to lean on. Now she had no one. Dev, Flynn, Sophie – they tried. Brenda and Lindsay came over frequently to do what they could. Nothing seemed to help.

When they arrived home, everyone offered Cassie their condolences. Jess just gave her a hug after Kenny explained. Feeling her trembling slightly in his arms tore at his heart, but not as much as her easy acceptance of the lie.

Dev spent a lot of time with his sister for a couple of days. Kenny flew into Seattle, spent a day at home with Cassie, then back out east to do something about Paige’s problem. Jess hovered in the shadows watching Cassie and Dev while Kenny was gone.

He wanted to approach her, hold her while she cried. Take her face in his hands and kiss the bruises on her cheek and jaw better. Instead, Jess watched while Cassie leaned on Dev. He was consumed with jealousy that Dev got to wrap a blanket around her and hold her for hours, whispering little things to her to make her smile.

It was absurd to be jealous of Dev. He was her brother. Even if he wasn’t, he was inept when it came to women. Sure, Dev had a girlfriend, but he didn’t catch her so much as she caught him. It wasn’t the same thing.

Regardless, it was a relief to pick Kenny up at Sea-Tac and find the Miss North America Committee called Alec while Kenny was still in the air. When Kenny returned Alec’s call, walking through the airport and waving to fans, he got the official request, and the terms of the arrangement. Jess and Kenny discussed how to tell Dev and Bryan on the way home.

Thankfully Bryan and Kenny spent enough time with Dev between the time Tiffany died and now that he seemed mostly fine. The little guilt Dev still had about missing the funeral, Cassie and – heaven help them all – Lindsay were taking care of. A couple more days and the gangly emotional wreck should be back to normal. Jess wished he could say the same of himself.

“We just finished a small tour, but we have one more show to do,” Kenny said. Jess cringed, this wasn’t how they agreed it should be pitched. What was he thinking?

Kenny waved a hand at Jess as if to tell him to settle down, although he hadn’t done anything to warrant it. Yet.

“Why?” Bryan asked.

Kenny exhaled loudly. “Short story? Paige. Official story is we’ve been offered the opportunity to donate our talents to the Miss North America Pageant and we’ve accepted.”

“The opportunity to donate?” Bryan asked.

“We accepted without taking a vote on it?” Dev asked, sitting back in his chair as Bryan sat forward in his own.

Kenny nodded. “I’m dragging you into this, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d back me up.”

“I really would have appreciated being asked up front,” Dev said.

“You’re right. I didn’t know what exactly was going to happen until it did. It was a snap decision.”

“Not to sound greedy, but I’d like to get back to this ‘
opportunity
to donate to a beauty pageant that they probably already make a fortune on’ concept,” Bryan said.

“Let me back up even further and tell you a bit more about what Paige and I talked about when Jess first saw her.” Kenny pulled a chair out from the table, turned it around, and straddled it.

Jess could only see Kenny from profile, he was talking to Bryan and Dev, not that it really mattered. The announcement wasn’t news to Jess, nor was the motivation behind it. Kenny had his agreement already. It could have gone so much easier if Kenny would have just agreed to the original plan, even though it wasn’t quite as forthright. Now he was bogged down in details and truly screwed if Dev or Bryan didn’t agree.

Kenny could pay Bryan, if that was his only qualm. Dev might want to spend more time with Cassie. That was a problem. He also just might have a problem with precisely why Paige was in trouble to begin with. Jess wasn’t sure what Teri’s stance on abortion was, she never mentioned it. Dev was more stubborn and ...

Jess didn’t want to say Dev was more religious really. Teri never stressed organized religion. He couldn’t even say what denomination they were, now that he thought about it. Jess did remember Teri saying it was a personal thing. Private: between a person and God. And Jess could see that sort of thinking being where her big hang-up on abstinence came from that caused Dev to be such a headache to deal with for so long. Jess grudgingly gave Lindsay a small thanks for bringing him into this century on that issue.

Lindsay, that was the key. If Dev did have an issue with abortion on moral grounds, he’d talk to Lindsay. Well Kenny could talk to her too. And have Lindsay probably kick him in the nuts for trying to use her to sway Dev.

“Jess?” Kenny waved his hand in front of Jess’s face.

“What? Yeah? What’d I miss?”

Across the room, Dev let his head fall forward and banged his forehead on the table. Bryan shook his head sadly. Jess looked to Kenny for an explanation.

“Everything. It’s a go. What were you daydreaming about? Or do I want to know?”

“Nothing important, as it turns out. Yay. It’s a go. When is it a go?”

“Dev goes back to school, has a week to arrange things with his professors, then he’ll meet us in Toronto,” Kenny said. “He’s going to email them tonight and set up what he can in advance.”

“So ... almost two more weeks of pretending I don’t live here,” Jess said with a nod. “By then I probably won’t.”

“It was time you moved out anyway,” Kenny said.

“How long until Paige gives up her crown?”

“Screw you.”

 

Chapter Five

 

 

Dev sat off stage at the rehearsal for the Miss North America pageant and watched the girls practice their talents. Bryan stood close on his right side, almost leaning against him. It should be an invasion of his personal space, but oddly, Bryan’s proximity made him feel better. Slightly. Despite his best friend’s presence, he couldn’t think of anywhere in the world he wanted to be less than here.

When Kenny explained about Paige and her own brother screwing her over, he had a little trouble wrapping his head around it. Cassie drove him nuts sometimes, but he couldn’t imagine her ever doing anything that would make him willingly do something at the cost of her happiness. He even read the rough draft for her doctoral thesis, a boring piece of literature in excess of two hundred pages. And she wasn’t even done with it! She wasn’t in the doctoral program yet either, so the whole thing was a huge waste of his time. But he did it because she asked him to, she was his sister, and it made her happy to make him miserable.

So as Dev listened to Kenny explain his plan to give Paige not so much a chance at the title she might have deserved but at least recognition, Dev’s irritation with him fell away. Besides, it was obvious Kenny had a crush on Paige. She was beautiful, so that part was understandable. He’d spent a little time with her, so maybe it was something more. Dev wasn’t the best judge.

Dev agreed to Kenny’s rash plan to rescue the damsel in distress before he even finished his sales pitch. Beside him, Bryan agreed out of sheer surprise, Dev suspected.

And now here they were. Standing like consolation prizes at the county fair for two dozen young women. Dev didn’t think even one of them failed to size them up as they either walked on or off stage, or both.

“So Kenny,” Dev said as he leaned against the piano and watched Miss Great Lakes walk happily off stage. Kenny gave her some suggestions after hearing her earlier and it sounded like she listened. “If we’re all from Seattle, why are we giving tips to Miss Great Lakes instead of Miss Northwest? Officially, I mean.”

Off to his left, Jess snorted a laugh. Dev ignored him but Kenny shot him a warning look.

“Dev, do you know who Miss Northwest is?” Kenny asked.

“No. Should I?”

“You didn’t recognize her?”

Dev sighed and turned to face Kenny. A few of the girls were edging closer to listen, but he was irritated and ignored them.

“Can we just count it as a given that I’m clueless about girls, which is the main topic here? You just spell it all out in that patronizing voice you reserve just for me, while Jess sits over there and fails to suppress derisive laughter, okay? It’d save us all a lot of time.”

A rainbow of giggles broke out around them and Kenny tried to wave off the girls as he leaned closer to Dev.

“You’re not supposed to admit you’re clueless about girls,” Kenny said, maintaining eye contact.

Dev looked around pointedly at their female audience. He couldn’t escape them no matter how hard he tried. There was no use in pretending. It was enough to drive a guy to drink.

“Kenny, we have a permanent audience not just sporadic girls passing through that I can briefly put on an act for. Any who haven’t figured it out by now will shortly and I can’t be on guard all the time. So what’s the history with what’s-her-name?”

“Rene Golden. She graduated with Bryan, you idiot, and tried to hit on you. Of course you were doing your damnedest to pretend any girl not in the chess club didn’t exist back then. It shouldn’t surprise me you don’t remember her.”

“Computers, Kenny. I didn’t play chess anymore by the time I met you guys.”

“Don’t worry about it, Dev,” Jess called over. “I explained your indifference and consoled her.”

“I bet you did.”

“Problem is,” Kenny continued, “it didn’t end well.”

“So Rene’s mad at Jess.”

“Actually, no. Jess is mad at Rene,” Kenny said.

“Whatever.” Dev threw his hands in the air and turned away. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“You’re right. Go call Lindsay, take a swim or something, and settle down. I would say pick someone who was cut and have a good time, but it’s beyond you,” Kenny called.

Dev shook his head and walked off to find a quiet corner to call Lindsay while he waited for their turn to rehearse.

 

○ ○ ○

 

Kenny watched as Jess edged over toward Dev again. The show director, John Brusky, kept making changes in their routine and he really wished the man would just let them do their job. They were intermission: a pause while the contestants changed clothes, a bit of a draw for viewership. All they had to do was two songs, and they could play them both in their sleep. The constant changes to their entrance or their positions, and insistence on practicing was overkill. Dev was getting twitchy being around the girls so now Jess wasn’t playing nice anymore. He was clearly heading over to bug Dev.

Kenny didn’t blame him. Playing the Miss North America Pageant was a big deal, but in retrospect it wasn’t his best idea. He wanted to help Paige, thought it up, and sold it without considering Dev was going to be in his own personal hell. He
knew
better.

“Jess, stay center,” John spoke into his microphone.

Jess ignored him and wrapped an arm over Dev’s shoulders. Dev turned out of the embrace and meandered back toward the center. Jess backed up carefully to follow, testing for trip lines as he went. Kenny nodded in approval, they knew this routine by now. If Dev did try to trip Jess, he’d wait until the guitar solo coming up when the focus would be on Kenny and Jess wouldn’t miss a note.

“Jess!” John snapped louder.

Jess waved to him but continued his pursuit of Dev. John motioned him back toward center but it wasn’t necessary, Jess was slowly getting there on his own. Of course Dev was almost behind Kenny now. Kenny didn’t hesitate to cut across the front of the stage to get out of the line of fire. He heard Bryan’s laughter behind him and worried what Bryan might be seeing that he wasn’t.

Kenny turned as he started his guitar solo. He wouldn’t really be watching, he was concentrating on the riff, but he wanted to give the two pranksters the impression he was keeping an eye on them. For all the good it did.

As soon as Kenny started his riff, Dev was free to release the hold his guitar. He ducked behind Jess and quickly gave him a wedgie that made Kenny wince in time with Jess’s pained expression.

“Devin!” John yelled into his mic, drowning out Jess’s response and the wail of Kenny’s guitar.

“No worries.” Jess held up a hand to stay John’s wrath and Dev started playing again on his cue, although now he was center stage.

Kenny nodded for Dev to return to his own place, but Dev shook his head. Crossing step over step in time with the music, Dev edged carefully to Kenny’s original position. Of course Jess was there at the moment.

“Psst!” Kenny caught Jess’s attention and motioned with his head toward Dev. Jess didn’t look, he just quickly made his way back to center. He was walking a little funny, but otherwise the song finished with no musical interruptions.

“Kenny!” John came their direction as Jess threatened to strangle Dev and Dev stood there laughing. “If you can’t keep them under control –”

“They’re fine, John, chill.” Kenny lifted his strap over his head and leaned his guitar in its stand by the drums.

“This is not fine. This is unacceptable. We will have –”

“X million viewers across the country, yeah, yeah. They know this routine inside out. Stop making them rehearse it. The more you drag them out here with the lovely young ladies watching or running around scantily clad and exuding pheromones, the more you can expect this behavior.” He didn’t want to point fingers and single out Dev. Jess started it from John’s point of view and he was fine with being labeled the trouble maker. They all knew the truth, like an inside joke. It wasn’t bad for their image either. Although Kenny understood the antics their fans loved on tour weren’t welcome on camera in this particular instance.

“But we have to get this down.”

“Yeah. We’re off until the dress rehearsal.” Kenny motioned to Dev and Jess. Dev shed his guitar and took off, Jess on his heels to distract any female obstacles.

“But –”

“John, listen: I know this is a big deal. I know you have a bunch of girls backstage who are novices and nervous as hell. We’re not novices, we’re not nervous, and this isn’t a big deal to us. Sorry, it’s two songs in front of a calm audience. Jess can do this in his sleep, all of us can. They’ll be perfect at the dress, I promise. Leave them alone. Focus on your other problems. I’ve got this one covered.”

John stared up at him in indecision.

“Not a request,” Kenny added. He motioned for the stage hands to wheel back the platform the drums and guitars stood on. Bryan hopped off, and waved goodbye to John as a gesture of support for Kenny.

“Right. I’m holding you personally responsible if they’re not absolutely perfect.”

“Fine.” Kenny turned and walked out, reaching for the slim phone in his pocket before he was off the stage. The problem was, Dev was going to hide in his room until the dress rehearsal, and Kenny needed him to help Paige with her number. Dev played the piano better than Kenny, and Paige needed practice.

Not that she really needed to practice. They’d been there long enough now that Kenny had ample opportunity to scope out the competition. The other contestants were better than Kenny expected, but then again, so was Paige. On the other hand, Paige wasn’t going to win. They were going to eliminate her anyway so all the extra practice was a wasted effort.

For Kenny, it was a matter of pride. If her name was going to be associated with his, she was going to put on a good show. Her voice was good, excellent really, and her song was fine. Fine wasn’t nearly good enough and he subtly tweaked it to play on her vocal strengths. But he needed Dev now to help Paige relearn the song.

Turning on his phone, Kenny nodded to Bryan standing by the elevator signing autographs. He pushed the button and broke away as Kenny arrived and stepped in. Two contestants from Mexico and one from Canada were in the elevator. Kenny kept his phone in his hand but didn’t dial. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted witnesses for.

“You calling who I think you’re calling?” Bryan asked.

“Most likely.”

“Expecting genius from on high?”

“Never let me down before,” Kenny answered, knowing Bryan was referring to Flynn. At least Bryan let his dislike of Flynn mostly go after Teri died. Now if they could just get Dev to do the same.

“Think John will back off?” Bryan asked.

“I don’t plan on giving him a choice.”

“Yeah. With you on that. You’d think he’d be more concerned a quarter of his contestants can’t sing or play their instruments and leave us alone.”

“I didn’t want to say that. Besides, not all of them have to.”

“Right.”

The elevator opened and the girls got out. Unfortunately four more got in, including Paige followed by Jess dragging Dev along behind him. Almost literally, Kenny noted with apprehension. They only went a floor, but how did Jess and Dev beat them there? Kenny once again briefly envied their longer legs before pushing the thought aside and turning to Paige.

“Good afternoon, Miss Great Lakes.” Kenny smiled.

“Hi. How did practice go?” Paige asked.

“John’s driving us crazy.” Kenny shrugged.

“Jess and Dev started their routine, it was funny.” Bryan smiled. “You would have loved it.”

“I’m sure.” She smiled at Kenny.

The elevators in this hotel were unforgivably slow, in Kenny’s opinion. He wouldn’t mind if it were just him and Paige. Dev trapped in a small space with a handful of beauty queens was a recipe for disaster. Even wedged in the corner with the rest of them trying to shield him, the girls noticed he was there. In fact, a couple craned their necks to try to get a better look.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding!”

Kenny jumped as Paige stamped her foot and turned on her counterparts. She pointed a finger at Dev huddling in the corner. “He’s got a serious girlfriend. I’ve met her. She’s possessive and more than slightly bitchy. Sorry, Dev,” Paige said, looking over her shoulder. Turning back to the girls in front of her, she pointed to Bryan next. “He’s married; he’s got an almost permanent headache and knows better than to touch any of us; and he’s not going to be worth the trouble he’ll cost you,” she finished pointing to Kenny then Jess in turn.

“Hey!” Jess protested.

“She’s right on all accounts,” Kenny said, nudging Jess to shut up.

The girls sighed. One protested that they could look. But that stopped all conversation and looks their direction. Paige rejoined the contestants on their side of the elevator, almost as if there battle lines drawn down the middle.

When the elevator stopped, the girls got off, but Paige stayed. Kenny gave her a questioning look.

“One more thing,” she said, then waited for the doors to close.

“What?” he asked.

She pulled him to her side of the elevator. “Hopefully that will help. It shouldn’t be happening at all. I mean they all know better.”

BOOK: In Her Sights (The Thousand Words Series Book 2)
10.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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