The Gideon Affair by Suzanne Halliday Read Free Book Online Page A

yogurt, she folded the brown paper bag—an odd habit learned in childhood—and shoved it into another bag. Sometimes she wondered about her quirks because, after all, who the hell else had she ever known to alphabetize their spice cabinet?
    Paige shrugged the thought away. She’d rather be an organization freak than a messy slob.
    Groceries handled, she still had a stack of mail that demanded attention, but she was one huge ball of stress. The best thing she could do right then was to relax. That was what a day off was supposed to be about. Right? But she had a tough time putting her needs first. Figuring she needed a backbone, she headed into the living room and toward the large sectional sofa. Grabbing a soft throw off the arm, she kicked off her shoes, pulled the band out of her ponytail, and flopped onto the couch.
    There. Time to relax.
    A couple of minutes ticked by in silence.
    Dammit. Why couldn’t she get comfortable?
    Shoving the throw blanket aside, she uncurled, sat straighter, and repositioned, settling into the plush cushioning with her legs crossed as she attempted a casual lean against the overstuffed arm.
    That was good for about a minute. And then her foot started to waggle. Soon the movement became a full-on nervous shake.
    I wonder what Edward’s doing …
    Paige’s head fell onto the back of the sofa as she released a weary groan. Why the hell couldn’t she keep him out of her thoughts?
    Her inner voice wasn’t a goddess doing acrobatic moves or a fallen angel with questionable tastes. Nope—she had a rather stern librarian type in her head that tsked at bullshit and pushed back when Paige got wishy-washy. About anything.
    The truth was, despite the über-efficient and terribly, terribly straightforward way she conducted herself, Paige was a dreamer. Always searching for deeper meaning in just about everything, she yearned for the extraordinary. Her mom said she was like that expression still waters run deep … calm and controlled on the outside but possessing a passionate nature that surprised those lucky enough to access her inner world. That was why she couldn’t keep him from her thoughts.

“S o, Mr. Shaw … this has been quite the year for you.”
    Edward was in yawn mode as he faced off with the nonstop parade of the press. The studio had asked the cast to sit down and make nice with some questionable interviewers. Probably because the producers had realized the movie was going to be a shit show, so they orchestrated a little damage control well in advance of the release.
    Plus, he hated press sit-downs in general. Especially when Paige didn’t have complete control.
    “Well, Dave, it’s certainly been busy … I’ll give you that.”
    The look his response garnered suggested that the pale, stick-thin reporter who showed up wearing a t-shirt with a rudely offensive message and jeans that looked like they’d been plucked out of the laundry pile didn’t like him very much. Or at all. Take your pick.
    “Must be nice. All the attention and awards.”
    Oh, fuck. Another spank monkey with a shit attitude who wanted to prove his manhood by acting all kinds of snarky.
    Fabulous.
    Figuring it was best to head this bullshit off and push the interview into safer territory, he gave a perfunctory non-response response and waited to see where the fucker went next.
    “I’m just grateful for the work and the opportunity to give the fans something worth the money they shell out. Awards are nice, but I’ve always focused on the bigger picture.”
    These interviews had a certain rhythm. Knowing they filmed his every expression made him ever alert to subtext and nuance because the person asking the questions was who edited the final piece. During the filming, it was unnecessary to focus on the interviewer since they would add his reaction shots later.
    When the asswipe studied his page of notes and didn’t so much as acknowledge Edward’s answer, the skin on the back of his neck prickled.