The Billionaire's Widow

67

Paige’s POV

"Miss Carson?" I stopped and turned toward the voice calling me. "The show’s producer is here to see you."

I glanced at my watch and sighed.

"She was supposed to arrive at 10 a.m., exactly," I said, annoyed. "Did she reschedule and no one told me?" I had almost given up expecting her at all.

"No, ma’am," the receptionist replied.

So a well-respected show chooses to keep me waiting over two hours? That’s unprofessional. I thought.

"Tell her to wait at one of the tables. I’ll be there after lunch," I said, then headed out.

I was having lunch with Jason, trying to lift his spirits after the breakup. He was holding it together, but I knew he needed a distraction. It had been a while since we spent time alone, just the two of us — no interruptions, no drama. I dialed his number as I got in the car, and he answered immediately.

"Hey, you ready?"

"Yeah. Are you on your way?"

"Just leaving the hotel now. Should be there in ten minutes."

"Okay." I hung up and drove quickly to his school. Like he promised, he was waiting outside when I arrived.

"Hey, sis," he said climbing in.

"Hey, Jase. You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I’m okay. Let’s go."

I nodded and drove off.

We arrived at the restaurant where I had reserved a table and sat down.

"God, I’m starving," Jason said, setting his phone aside. I chuckled.

"Good, because we’re finally here," I smiled. "Have you decided on the car yet?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I thought you were joking, honestly."

I rolled my eyes. "Jase, I’m serious. You need to pick one. Yeah, I said it to make Melody jealous, but really, you deserve it."

"Thanks, Paige. You’re the best," he teased.

"Don’t flatter me. Plenty of people would disagree," I laughed.

"Because they’re blind not to see how amazing you are," he said with a smile.

"Thanks, Jase."

A waitress came by to take our order, and we enjoyed lunch with easy conversation and laughter.

Moments like these with my brother are the best. No pretending, no masks. He knows me — the real me — and our talks are always filled with laughter.

After dropping him off, I returned to the hotel. Diana, one of the receptionists, was at the lobby.

"Diana."

She stood quickly. "Miss Carson."

"Send the producer to my office, please."

"Yes, ma’am."

I walked to my office and sat down, preparing myself. A few minutes later, a knock. I opened the door to a woman who looked about Hailey’s age or younger. Her brown hair was straight, parted neatly in the middle, falling just past her shoulders.

"Paige Carson. It’s a pleasure to meet you," she said with a polite smile.

"Thank you. Please sit," I replied as she took a seat.

"Thank you for eventually seeing me. I can tell you’re very busy," she said, her tone a little sharp, but I ignored it.

"If you hadn’t been so late, we wouldn’t be here now," I said coolly. "Now, I need to know how long the shoot will take. We have a wedding here tomorrow, and I can’t afford any conflicts."

"Probably two hours. The hotel’s big, and we want to cover everything."

The show’s director had asked Logan to feature the hotel on their ‘Top Ten Most Expensive Hotels in New York’ segment. Logan had agreed. Now I had to handle these people who expected me to rearrange my day for them.

"Fine."

She smiled again. "I was told I’d need to answer some questions during filming."

"Yes. Just common questions guests ask about the hotel."

"The only time we have is the morning before the wedding," I said.

"What time’s the wedding?"

"11 a.m."

"Okay. Setting up cameras and lighting usually takes 30 minutes, and the shoot will take about two hours. So, we’d need to start by 7 a.m. to finish by 10 a.m."

That gave me an hour to prepare the venue before guests arrived, which was workable.

"Alright. Thank you for coming, Miss Clemons."

She held up her hand, showing a ring. "It’s Mrs., actually."

"Oh, sorry. Mrs. Clemons," I said with a smile. We shook hands, and she left.

The rest of the day I focused on finishing office work. Tomorrow would be busy — I needed everything ready so I could focus on the shoot and wedding without distractions.

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