Bidding on the Bachelor Read online

  She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t care if you were. I have bigger things to worry about than you and your libido.”

  “Let’s leave my libido out of it. What’s going on here?”

  She deflated. “My car... I can’t believe... I so don’t need this right now.”

  She was flustered, an emotion he didn’t often see her exhibit. Carissa was one of the most levelheaded women he knew. At least, she used to be. Her frustration got to him.

  “Don’t worry. I can help you change a tire.”

  “I know how to change a tire.” He would have been impressed but he noticed she was nailing him with a furious stare. “What I don’t know is what to do when your engine overheats.” She pointed at the open hood.

  “Ah. Well, that’s different, then.” He hadn’t even noticed her hood or the smoke billowing from it.

  She raised an eyebrow and tapped her foot.

  He relented. “Okay, I don’t know what to do, either. But I have a really great mechanic.”

  She laughed. “Well, that’s something. Can we give him a call?”

  “It’s Saturday night. His shop closed at five.”

  She shook her head. “Of course. I didn’t even think about that. I guess I’ll call him first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Jasper’s turn to shake his head. “Nope. Tomorrow’s Sunday. They’re not open. Most things aren’t.”

  “Seriously? Where am I? Back in 1955?”

  “You’re back in Bayside.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Goody. The joys of small town living.”

  “There are advantages to small towns, too. I can call my mechanic at home and let him know what’s going on. He’s a good guy. He’ll probably come tow your car to his shop tomorrow and it will be there first thing Monday morning. I can give you a ride home now.”

  She emitted a half cough, half laugh.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You want to drive me home? I thought our truce was over.”

  This time he let his eyes roll dramatically. “Are you seriously bringing that up at this moment? You’re stranded and your aunt’s cottage is only a couple minutes’ drive from here. What’s the big deal? I’m not going to let you stand here by yourself, especially at night. I mean, do you want to walk home by yourself in the dark?”

  She looked around at the woods lining the road. The crickets were doing their best nighttime chirping. Other than that, there wasn’t a sound. It was creepy. As if reading his thoughts, Carissa shivered.

  “Fine,” she relented.

  While she grabbed her purse from the front seat and locked her doors, Jasper called his buddy from the garage and made arrangements for him to pick up Carissa’s car. Then they walked back to his car.

  “Nice car,” she said, pointing at the red Porsche.

  “Thanks. I always wanted one.”

  She joined him in the front seat. “It’s certainly cozy in here.”

  What the heck? Did she not want to sit close to him? “Like I said, it’s only a couple minutes’ drive.”

  Who knew how long a couple minutes could feel? Sitting so near to her had his pulse skyrocketing. Between her heavenly scent and the sight of those long, shapely legs, he was finding it difficult to concentrate on the road.

  “I probably should have just called Elle or Riley to come get me,” she said under her breath, but loud enough for Jasper to hear.

  “Honestly, Car, I was already right there. Good to see you’re still stubborn.”

  She snorted. “Oh please. You are in no position to say I’m stubborn. You don’t know what I’m like. You haven’t seen me in ten years.”

  “Exactly.” He banged his hand off the steering wheel. “Ten years with no contact.”

  Silence fell over the car. Jasper’s words hung in the air.

  “See,” Carissa said quietly. “I told you. Dumb idea.”

  He hated to admit she was probably right. Luckily, they’d reached her house and he threw the Porsche in Park. Carissa practically bounded from the car.

  “Thanks for the ride and for calling your mechanic,” she said quickly and slammed the door.

  Was she kidding him? Jasper yanked the keys from the ignition and bounded across the driveway that led to the front porch steps. “Car,” he called. The air smelled of hamburgers and charcoal. Probably a Labor Day weekend barbecue.

  She spun around, confusion on her face. “What?”

  “You’re going to just leave like that?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said adamantly. “We’re not on a date. In fact, you were on a date with someone else tonight. Where is she?”

  He cocked his head and studied her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. Realization dawned. “Are you...jealous?”

  If her face was flushed before his question, it was on fire now. “Jealous? Excuse me?”

  “Help me out, Car. Because I’ve never seen you like this before.”

  “You haven’t seen me at all in ten years.”

  “Yeah, we’ve established that. Whose fault is that? Not mine.”

  She threw her arms in the air. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Go home, Jasper.”

  “You know, Car, a little gratitude would be nice.”

  She ground her teeth together. “Thank you so much, savior Jasper. I so appreciate it.” Sarcasm coated each word.

  “You are such a spoiled brat.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “You’re a snobby playboy.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, really,” she said.

  He groaned and ran a hand over his face. “What are we doing?”

  “I think we’re arguing.”

  He didn’t want to ask, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop the words from leaving his mouth. “What is your issue with me?”

  She walked down one step. “My issue is that you kissed me only a matter of days ago. Tonight, you went on a date with another woman. And I know that I told you to keep dating and forget about our kiss,” she continued in one breath. “And I also know that you have every reason to hate the fact that I’m back in town. But...but I can’t help how I feel knowing you were on a date tonight.”

  “How do you feel?”

  She blew out a loud breath. “Well, not good.”

  He leveled her with a stare. “That’s not fair, Carissa.”

  She threw her hands in the air. “You think I don’t know that? Of course it’s not fair. It’s completely irrational.”

  “I date a lot.”

  “Of course you do.”

  He took a step toward her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re the golden boy, the life of the party.”

  He had no idea where that comment came from but he could see the strain in her eyes. “Are those bad things?”

  “You have no idea.”

  “I think you’re the one who has no idea. What did you think, Carissa? I wouldn’t have a life? You broke up with me and disappeared. Did you think I would sit around pining for you for the rest of my days?”

  The tides changed. A surprised expression crossed her face. “No, of course not,” she said quietly.

  “You got married. Really young, too. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t be with other women?”

  “I didn’t really think...”

  “No, you didn’t. You just dumped me and ran away.”

  “Jasper, wait.”

  “No.” He started walking away with long, determined strides. Then he realized he needed to stop and face her. He’d waited too long, held the words back for too many years. So he turned back.

  “You know, it wasn’t bad enough that you broke up with me. But it came out of nowher
e. We’d been to the movies the night before. Remember?” He didn’t wait for her to comment. “The next day, it was over. And that wasn’t the worst part. Do you know what was?”

  Her eyes had widened and her arms had woven around her stomach protectively as she bit her lip. She shook her head.

  “You were my friend. We’d known each other our entire lives. We’d been in the same circle since before we could even remember. And you just left. Without warning. Do you know how hard that was on me? It felt like you had died.”

  “Oh, Jasper.”

  He clenched his fingers into a tight fist as the years of pent up anger and hurt washed over him. “You told me that I wasn’t good enough.”

  She sucked in a harsh breath and walked to him. “I never said that.”

  “Might as well have said it. All I did know was that I was this eighteen-year-old kid who had been overlooked by his parents time after time. I was never good enough for them. Cam was the heir. I was just extra. But with you, I was someone. Until you took that away. Because I wasn’t good enough for you, either.”

  She closed her eyes and a pained expression shadowed her face and those gorgeous features. He watched her take a deep breath. “You reminded me of my father and that scared the hell out of me,” she said so softly he almost didn’t hear.

  His anger deflated. Carissa had never had a great relationship with her dad. He’d never understood all the particulars but he’d witnessed more than a fair share of fighting between the two of them. It hadn’t been the usual teen versus parent butting of heads, either. There was something deeper there. Even as a kid, he’d realized that.

  She closed the distance between them and took his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Listen to me, Jasper Dumont. I was a selfish, scared eighteen-year-old girl. And my life hasn’t turned out so great. But you,” she lightly shook his head. “Look at everything you’ve accomplished. You were always good enough. I was the one who made a mistake.”

  “You still left.”

  Sadness filled her eyes as she nodded. “It didn’t have anything to do with you, Jasp. It was me. All me.”

  It seemed like she wanted to tell him more, say something else. While Jasper wanted to know, wanted to know everything, he also feared hearing it. Afraid that she could say something that would seep in and hurt him again. So he did the only thing he could think to do. He retreated into himself.

  “Jasper, look at me.” She shook him. “Dammit, don’t do that. I broke up with you because of my issues, not yours.”

  She had no idea about his issues. About how he never allowed people to get close enough to hurt him. He was still the life of the party but from a very safe, very self-imposed distance. His manner of thinking was that you could have fun with people, but as soon as you truly let them in, you gave them the power. Once someone had power over you, they could squash you.

  Just like she’d done.

  Suddenly, he felt tired. The exhaustion allowed his guard to slip. Just a bit.

  Carissa must have sensed this. “Jasp,” she whispered. As if she desperately wanted to show him his importance, she pressed her lips to his. As soon as her lips touched his, he was helpless to do anything but kiss her back. Slowly, he felt himself coming back from the dark place he’d just been. The dark place he rarely allowed himself to go.

  She nipped at his lower lip and he sucked in a breath. He pulled her closer to him, reaching for the back of her head so he could angle her better. His tongue dived into her mouth as she clutched at his shirt.

  They were so in sync. Every nip, bite, kiss, tease, moan, was shared until they were both left breathing heavily, staring into each other’s eyes, wondering what had just transpired between them.

  Pressing his forehead to hers, he took a moment. Needed a moment. But clarity didn’t come.

  He didn’t know how long they stood like that, heads pressed together, breath mingling, arms wound around each other. But he did know that he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Carissa had admitted her fault in their breakup.

  She sighed.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “We really should stop doing this.”

  Jasper agreed. Wholeheartedly. Because if he kept kissing her, he didn’t know if he’d ever be the same again. “You’re right,” he whispered.

  She turned and retreated to the front door. When she reached it, she looked back, biting her lip, as she waved good-night.

  Yes, they definitely had to stop kissing. And yet... Jasper wasn’t sure if he could.

  Chapter Seven

  Quite a few people saw Jasper Dumont on a date at the Boat House with Simone Graves last Saturday night. But he somehow ended the evening in the driveway of Carissa Blackwell’s cottage. My spies heard them arguing, until they didn’t hear anything at all. Hmm, wonder what those two old lovebirds were doing? Leave a comment if you think “Casper” (which won by a landslide over on Twitter) is happening!

  In related news, you’re never going to guess what I found out about Carissa Blackwell’s ex-husband...

  In theory, catering Mrs. Dumont’s tea party seemed like a great idea. But as Carissa glanced around her aunt’s kitchen, she wasn’t feeling 100 percent confident.

  “You can do this,” she said aloud.

  And she knew she could do it. At least, she hoped so. She’d thrown dozens of parties for her husband’s colleagues and friends, but nothing of this caliber. Mrs. Dumont was holding a ladies’ tea for one of her charities that provided scholarships for local high school students. There was also a silent auction to raise even more money.

  In Chicago, Preston had wanted her as involved with the local charities as possible. It was the perfect combination. She provided the food and he wrote a big, fat check. She’d catered teas, luncheons, brunches, costume parties, swanky dinners and more.

  Then, why was she feeling so nervous? Perhaps because she’d gotten up at four in the morning to bake scones. Or maybe it was the three cups of coffee she’d consumed while the scones were in the oven and she began assembling the tea sandwiches, icing the mini cupcakes, putting the finishing touches on the fruit platters, and fixing the large containers of lemonade and iced tea.

  The kitchen smelled of baking, that wonderful aroma of sugars and spices merging together. She’d put orange zest into one batch of scones, and that fresh citrus scent set her mouth to watering.

  She just wanted everything to be perfect. She let out an exhausted chuckle. If someone walked into the house at this moment, perfect would probably not be the word that came to mind. Ingredients were spread throughout the room. Pots and pans and other kitchen utensils littered the counters. Of course, her aunt’s kitchen wasn’t the largest room she’d ever cooked in. But hey, it had gotten the job done. Now she just needed to load her newly fixed car and make herself a little more presentable.

  Spotting her car sitting out in the driveway, she didn’t even want to think about the bill she’d just received on that. But at least she wouldn’t break down again on the side of the road only to be rescued by Jasper.

  Jasper.

  She stopped in her packing and leaned back against the counter. Absentmindedly, she tapped a finger against her lips as she remembered how it had felt to kiss him the other night.

  She’d meant what she’d told him. She had been selfish when she’d broken up with him. She’d never really thought about how he took her words that day. Maybe because she didn’t want to let herself think about it. Maybe now she needed to tell him the full story. Why she’d really dumped him that day.

  She began stacking cupcakes in her special travel container. Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jasper. She’d been back for a week and kissed him twice. There hadn’t been any real closure the other night in her driveway and maybe that was a good thing.
She needed time to think and decide what she wanted to do. Because on the one hand, she desperately craved her independence. But on the other, the feel of Jasper’s mouth against hers sent waves of pleasure through her days later.

  An hour later Carissa was parking in the back of the Dumont estate, near the kitchen. Some of the staff appeared to help her carry everything inside. Mrs. Dumont told her they would hold the event in the atrium, a part of the house she’d always adored back in high school. It seemed so fancy and sophisticated with its glass walls, pretty decor and dainty furniture. Who else had an atrium in their home?

  The next two hours were a total blur. Between setting up the food and the arrival of Bayside’s most charitable women, Carissa was too busy to be nervous.

  Of course, her mother used to run with this crowd, so there were quite a few reunions and hugs. There were even more questions about her parents. She’d expected that though and did a fairly good job of evading the queries and seamlessly switching topics.

  As her part of the job wound down, she did a quiet lap of the perimeter of the atrium. The women seemed to be enjoying the event. She’d displayed the food on tiered trays provided by Mrs. Dumont. One layer held the sandwiches, the next had the scones, and chocolate-covered strawberries and shortbread cookies sat on the top. Waiters served the cold beverages plus Mrs. Dumont’s prized tea collection.

  As Carissa reached the back of the room, she noticed that the silent auction was doing quite well. Having had to provide her own college tuition, she appreciated that the ladies of Bayside were raising money for such a worthy cause.

  “Ohmigod, your scones are to die for.” Carissa smiled as Riley rushed over to her. “Where did you learn to make these?”

  “My aunt Val taught me when I was thirteen. The shortbread cookies are her recipe, as well.”

  Riley’s face grew serious. “Listen, we are having a fund-raiser for the high school next month. It’s to raise money for the different sports teams. Cheerleading is one of them.”

  Carissa had been a cheerleader back in high school. She liked the idea of raising money for any sports programs.

  “It’s going to be a huge event,” Riley continued. “There’s going to be a raffle, a huge bake sale, and—wait for it,” she said dramatically. “We’re holding a date auction.”