Page 2 of Idle

“It sounds very exciting to me,” Madison chimes in. “I know you’ve been looking for a new place to flip for a while now, Paige. This opportunity is right up your alley.” Her blue eyes pierce my soul. For some reason, out of everyone, Xander’s fiancée has always unnerved me most. Maybe because she’s so skilled at reading people.

I lick my lips. “Well, I—” I reach for my water goblet.

Jesse dives in. “Of course, simply agreeing to apply with me doesn’t mean we’ll be selected for the show. They have an interview process outlined on the website, which includes a request for photos of your work.”

Is this a challenge? “I do have plenty of pictures of the house I flipped.” I rub my hands on my napkin.

“And I can help you put together a great package,” Madison oh-so helpfully adds. She started a PR firm about five years ago, at which Xander’s been named partner.

“They’d be crazy not to accept you. A banker,” Amelia points to Jesse.He’s a banker? What is he doing trying to get on a renovation show?Amelia’s finger moves to me. “And a Hansen. The other contestants don’t stand a chance.”

I better put an end to this farce. “I’m not sure I want to be on television. I mean, with everything going on with our fathers . . .”

“That’s the reason you have to apply,” Xander jumps into the pregnant pause. “We need to clean up our name, and this would be great press.” Madison turns her head, her scar catching my attention for a fleeting moment, and places her hand on Xander’s arm.

Xander’s comment stops me cold. Could I save the family? What a novel concept. The server enters with our drinks and the first course. I’m sure Theo placed our drink orders—the only variable the restaurant allows—when he made the reservation. It pays to be members here.

Jesse picks up his fork. “I didn’t order this, but it looks fantastic.” Theo fills him in about the benefits of membership.

As I nibble on my kale and pear salad, Madison asks Jesse, “How are things going at Handmade by JD?”

Next to me, Jesse’s Adam’s apple bobs with his swallow. Damn. Why does such a jerk have such a masculine movement? I sigh into my napkin. “Good. I love working with my hands—”

Although he keeps on talking, now I’m focused on his hands. Which seem to be larger than normal. His fingers are long and tapered to perfection. I’m awash in thinking about how they could strum my body, if only he were a gentleman and not such a caveman. Maybe he’d be the first . . .

Spearing a kale leaf, I tune back into the conversation. “So it’s time for me to make a decision.” Not interested in his life story, or even continuing with the farce of a TV show, I keep my head down and finish my plate. The guys talk sports while the women dive headfirst into wedding planning.

“And Halle said we need to choose a band once we get the location set,” Amelia says.

When the two seem stumped, I hop in. “Have you thought about reaching out to TLR? I met their drummer, Dwight, at a club a few months ago, and he was cool.”

“I don’t think I want a big name playing at our wedding,” Madison replies.

“Agreed,” Amelia replies.

Shrugging, I sip the remnants of my Mexican mule, the tequila giving me the strength to suffer through the rest of this meal. Halle, Xander’s sister, is only one year older than me, but you’d think she was closer to twenty years my senior. That girl’s had it going on ever since we were playing on the swings in Central Park. She’s always been “in charge.” If you needed someone to write your term paper, she could whip out a list of about ten people to choose from—and take her cut before turning over the name. No wonder she’s grown up to be a high-powered wedding planner who has celebrities and musicians on her roster.

The main entrées are served—pasta primavera with spicy rice balls. This place never disappoints. While the others talk amongst themselves, Jesse leans over and murmurs, “Tell me the truth. Does trying out for the show interest you at all?”

My eyebrow raises. Seems Cro Magnon Boy is more astute than I gave him credit for. I give Theo and Xander a quick glance, but they’re too involved with their meals, and their fiancées, to pay attention to us.

Still bristling over my brother and cousin’s interference plus Jesse’s lack of manners, I’m about to tell him to pound sand when what Xander said makes a forceful reappearance. I’ve always been the one the family saves—the reverse could be interesting. Although overwhelming. “I’m not sure.”

“What would change your mind?”

He stares at me, the amber ring encircling his khaki-colored eyes giving me pause. “I need to think about this. I mean, with Father’s notoriety, I’m not sure if I’d be a positive or a negative to your application. I certainly don’t want to be the person everyone loves to hate on the show.”

“I see your point. How about considering this as an opportunity to turn the tide for the Hansen and Turner names? You could show the world you’re not your fathers.”

How can such an unmannered man be so insightful? Last week when Chloe and I talked, she was in a tizzy over her lack of interviews. She’s the only student in her graduating class who hasn’t scored at least one interview, and we both believe it’s because of the status of VOW-cubed.

Might I be able to change this? Seems an uphill battle. “I’ll think about it. When do you need my decision?”

He twirls the pasta around his fork. “Can you let me know, either way, by the end of the week?”

Three days. Reasonable enough. “Yeah.”

“Good.” His hand lands on his tulip-shaped pint glass filled with Guinness. “And please consider saying yes. You’re my last hope, and I need this exposure.”

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