Paige felt like a princess.
From the moment she placed her arm through Paolo’s, her evening became magical.
It was like being in a fairy tale.
She assumed they would take a taxi to the Waldorf Astoria, but when they left the penthouse and arrived downstairs, there was a horse and carriage waiting for them.
“I thought this might be more fun,” Paolo said, helping her step into the carriage, where she found a bouquet of pink roses waiting.
“How did you arrange all of this on such short notice?” she asked in amazement, holding the flowers close to her nose as their carriage headed in the direction of Central Park.
“You’d be amazed at what you can get done when you call someone and tell them you’re Lorenzo and Francesca DeMarco’s son.”
“You’re saying I should be thanking your parents?”
“Hey!” Paolo laughed. “Give me a little credit. It was my idea.”
Paige was touched by his thoughtfulness. He must have called for the carriage and arranged for the flowers when he was in his bedroom.
The magic continued when they arrived at the Waldorf Astoria and walked down the red carpet. Paige, who wasn’t used to the spotlight, found it a bit intimidating as cameras were thrust in their faces and flashbulbs snapped madly. Microphones were held out and questions shouted:
“Who are you?”
“What are you wearing?”
“What soap are you on?”
“Who’s your date?”
Paige could hardly see, but Paolo kept a steady arm around her waist, leading her inside.
“They actually think I’m somebody,” she whispered into Paolo’s ear, “but I’m nobody.”
“Don’t say that.”
“But it’s true.”
“No, it’s not. To me and Anthony, you’re someone special.”
Paige was shocked. Could Paolo be any sweeter? Why was he doing this?
When they got into the hotel, they were whisked to the dining room and brought to their table, which was at the front of the room. As they sat down, Paige caught sight of the waiting awards and panicked.
“I haven’t even prepared a speech! What am I going to say?”
“Keep it short and sweet.”
“Short and sweet don’t apply to Camille. The last time she accepted one of these things, she went on for twenty minutes.”
“Ouch! What caused that punishment?”
Paige laughed and instantly felt better.
“You’re not your mother. You’re you. Say whatever pops into your head, accept the award and leave the stage. Simple enough?” Paolo handed Paige a fluted glass. “Since we’re not legal and can’t indulge in a glass of champagne, I got us the next best thing.”
Paige stared at the golden liquid. “Ginger ale?”
“How’d you guess?”
“It was a no-brainer.”
Paolo clinked his glass against Paige’s. “To the next diva of daytime.”
Paige laughed while taking a sip from her glass. “Yeah, right.”
“You’ve never thought of becoming an actress? You seem like a natural.”
“I hate looking at pictures of myself, so I can’t even imagine seeing myself on a TV screen.”
“How come?”
Paige shrugged. “I don’t know. I just do.”
“I’ve seen you in some of Anthony’s short films. You’re really good.”
“Those were just for fun. Acting silly and goofing around.”
“You’re underestimating your talent.”
Paige laughed. “Are you thinking of becoming a director? Is that what this is all about? I thought Anthony was the one in the family with the Hollywood ambition.”
“Me? A director? Nah. I haven’t even declared a major yet. Anthony’s lucky that he knows what he wants to do with his life. I’m still trying to figure it out.”
“You will. One day it’ll pop into your head and you’ll know.”
“We’ll see. In the meantime, you shouldn’t be so quick to say no to being an actress. Like I said, you have talent. And you’re certainly beautiful enough.”
Paige almost choked on the ginger ale she was sipping and started coughing.
“Are you okay?” Paolo asked, patting her on the back.
Paige nodded while trying to catch her breath.
He thought she was beautiful?
If Paige had to compare herself to the other girls in the room, she’d say they were prettier. Sexier. Bolder. They knew what they wanted and how to go after it. Case in point: Paolo. He had definitely caught their attention and a number of them were walking by the table, slowing down to get a closer look at him and trying to gain his attention.
But Paolo was unaware of them.
His eyes remained focused solely on her.
It was nice having one of the handsomest dates in the room. Paige turned around in her seat, pretending to look around at the room full of soap stars when what she was really doing was taking another peek at Paolo. When had he turned into such a hunk? For years, he’d been Anthony’s older brother, the jock, who was always dripping sweat and guzzling out of a bottle of Gatorade. But when you took him out of his sweats and popped him into a tuxedo, he cleaned up nicely. Very nicely.
His table manners were impeccable—he knew which fork and which spoon had to be used for each course, unlike some of the other guests at their table. And when one of the female guests left to the use the ladies’ room, he always rose from his seat and when she returned, he was always ready to pull out her chair.
Where had this Paolo been hiding himself? When she and Anthony hung out with him, he usually had manners like Homer Simpson!
And she had to admit, she did like arguing with him. She usually didn’t agree with what he had to say, but he made her think. There was never a dull moment when the two of them were together. If he was mad, he let her know it. He didn’t sulk like a spoiled brat the way Max did.
Now where had that thought come from?!
Paige watched Paolo check his watch. Was he trying to figure out how long they’d have to stay here? He was probably bored out of his mind.
“What time does this thing start?” he asked.
“Five.”
“And the bachelor auction started an hour ago. How long do you think this is going to go on for? Two hours? Three?
“At least three.”
“We should be able to get to Peppington Prep just as things are winding down. Sooner if we cut out after you accept Camille’s award.”
He wasn’t looking to leave! He just wanted her to make part of the auction!!
“How come you decided to ditch the auction?” he asked.
“My mother needed me. I couldn’t say no to her.”
“But what about Max?”
Paige shrugged. “What about him?”
“I thought tonight was the night.”
“It was. It is. But I had to make a choice and I chose my mother. She means a lot to me.”
“It’s nice that you could help her out. I’ve heard you complain to Anthony about her.”
“Do you actually watch TV when you’re on that couch or are you constantly eavesdropping on our lives?”
“I think that it’s cool that you made a sacrifice for your mom.”
“This dinner was only happening once. I’ve got the rest of the school year to make my move on Max.” Paige crossed her fingers. “I hope Anthony makes the winning bid for him.”
“If I know my baby brother, he will. You know, it’s going to be tough turning you over to Max.”
If she didn’t know any better, Paige would think Paolo was jealous. Could Anthony be right? Did Paolo have feelings for her? Nah, it couldn’t be. He’d been a perfect gentleman the entire evening. He hadn’t acted like most of her dates usually did, with grabby hands and suggestive comments.
“I’m all yours until then,” she teased.
“Good!” Paolo whispered in her ear. “That’s just how I want it.”
Before Paige could say anything, the lights in the room dimmed and the awards show began, which was a relief because she was definitely blushing.