Bidding on the Bachelor Page 8

  Carissa took a deep breath, presumably centering herself. “Ellie...Elle—oh,” she said, looking like she was putting something together. She shook her head. “Ellie, you look absolutely stunning. I’d heard that you’d moved to Italy.” She gestured between Elle and Cam. “But it looks like you may have found a reason to come back.”

  Elle blushed. “Well, this burly man was not the reason I got on that flight home. But I’m certainly glad that he turned out to be my welcoming committee.”

  Carissa smiled and turned to Riley. “Ri, it’s so good to see you.”

  Riley offered a hug. “You, too. Even though you never accepted my friend request on Facebook.” She waved an accusatory finger but was smiling as she did so. “What’s up with that?”

  “Sorry. I’m not really on Facebook much, to be honest. Or any social media really. I just started that Facebook page because my husband wanted me to.”

  At the word husband, everyone seemed to freeze.

  “Er, ex-husband, I mean.” Carissa cast her eyes down.

  Jasper wanted to jump in, save the day. But Elle and Riley exchanged a glance and quickly changed the subject. Before he realized what had happened the three of them were thick as thieves and had headed off to the dance floor. He wouldn’t have minded joining them, but his mother returned.

  “She is a beauty,” his mother commented as she settled next to him.

  He couldn’t agree more. He didn’t have to glance in her direction to feel that his mother was pinning him with a hard stare. “Watch yourself, Jasper,” she said in a serious tone.

  He let out a long exhale. First Cam and now his mom. His family was acting like he was some innocent little girl with a red cape and basket and Carissa was the big bad wolf waiting to pounce. “You have nothing to worry about, Mom.”

  “Don’t I? My youngest child is staring at someone like she’s the only woman on the planet.”

  “She’s gorgeous. You said so yourself.”

  “She’s also the only woman who’s ever broken your heart.” At the sharp edge in her voice, he finally met her stare. “Remember, I was the one who saw you after she hightailed it out of Bayside without stopping to look back.”

  “She just saved your party.”

  “And I’m grateful for that. I plan on recommending her to anyone who will listen.” She grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, took a delicate sip, then returned her attention to him. “Don’t think that I don’t like Carissa. That’s not what this is about.”

  “Then, what’s it about? That she broke up with me when she was eighteen years old?”

  Her lips quirked. “Well, no mother likes when someone dumps their child. But no, that’s not it. I like her. But I love you. You know what comes with loving a person?” He shrugged. “Worrying about them.”

  He draped his arm around her shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big boy.”

  She nodded in Carissa’s direction. “Not where she’s concerned. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  Neither did he.

  He’d always had an open, honest relationship with his mom, so Jasper didn’t have any trouble being truthful now. “I don’t know that I could ever forget the hurt she caused me. I don’t know that I want to.” He paused, collecting himself. “Doesn’t mean I can’t be friendly. Or admire that dress.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Lilah batted his arm. “Behave.”

  “Never.” He pointed out Simone Graves. “See that woman over there? We’re going out soon. In fact, I’m going to go check in with her now.” He started to walk away but turned back. “You really have nothing to worry about.” With that, he continued toward Simone.

  But if Jasper had turned back again, he would have seen his mother shaking her head, a knowing and doubtful expression on her face.

  Simone seemed ecstatic when Jasper made his way to her. He produced a champagne flute from behind his back.

  “Jasper Dumont, aren’t you sweet.” She stepped closer and whispered in his ear. “I’m excited for our date.”

  “Me, too,” he replied, but a movement to his right caught his eye. The dance floor was getting busy and Carissa had just thrown her head back and laughed, her husky voice floating over the other noises of the party and hitting him right in the gut.

  “Don’t you think?” Simone was asking.

  What? “Oh yeah, right.”

  Jasper and Simone made more small talk. Ordinarily, Jasper loved nothing more than enjoying champagne and flirting with a beautiful woman at one of these parties. And Simone was fun, sweet and bubbly. Some of his favorite qualities in a woman. But tonight, he couldn’t seem to keep his gaze from the dance floor.

  He noticed Robbie Hartwell, a guy he employed at Dumont Incorporated, move toward Carissa. He sucked in a breath. Robbie was a great addition to a poker game, but he was a player away from the card table, as well.

  “Why are you frowning?” Simone asked, oblivious to his inner thoughts.

  “Uh...because you’re already out of champagne,” he covered smoothly. “Would you like another?”

  “I think I’m okay. There’s an early-morning Zumba class I want to hit at the gym tomorrow.”

  “Uh-huh,” Jasper said absentmindedly as he continued to eye the dance floor. He let out a breath when he saw Carissa shake her head and Robbie walk away.

  He continued talking to Simone.

  “Right now, I teach dance to little kids part-time. But I’d love to open my own studio.”

  Jasper tried to concentrate on Simone’s words, but it was hard when Carissa was right across the patio shimmying around the dance floor with Elle and Riley. Her short sparkly dress hugged every curve and seemed to be getting even snugger in the late-summer humidity. His mouth went dry.

  “So what is it you do?” Jasper asked.

  “Um, I just told you.”

  He snapped to attention and took in Simone’s confused face. “Uh, sorry. It’s been a long week.” He couldn’t stop himself from glancing toward the dance floor one last time.

  “Hey, are you looking at...” Simone trailed off as she also took in the dance floor. “Is that Carissa Blackwell?” She peered closer.

  “Do you know her?”

  “Not really. I was a freshman when you guys were seniors. Every girl in my class wanted to be her. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad, she lived in that amazing house by the water and she was so, so beautiful.”

  Still is. Jasper shook his head and tried to focus.

  “There was this rumor that an agent had spotted her at the mall and wanted to take her back to Hollywood to be in movies. And that’s why she and her parents disappeared from Bayside.”

  Jasper chuckled. He wondered what Carissa would think about that. “Never happened to my knowledge, and I knew her pretty well.”

  Simone turned back to him. “Of course. I’m an idiot. You guys dated. Hey, didn’t she, like, break up with you after graduation? There was another rumor that she was into a college guy.”

  “Not to my knowledge,” he repeated. “I mean, we did break up. It’s great to see her again,” he added as flippantly as he could manage.

  Simone ran a hand over his chest and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “And it will be more than great to see you without all these people around.”

  He couldn’t help it. He slid one last glance in Carissa’s direction. Be careful. Both his mother and his brother had uttered those ominous words. But there was nothing to be careful over. Carissa was back in town. That didn’t mean anything. He’d helped her the other night when she’d been drunk. He would have done that for anyone.

  And the kiss they’d shared? Ordinarily, Jasper wasn’t one for kissing more than one woman at a time. He liked to date. Some even called him a perpetual
dater. He didn’t mind that, because whoever had his attention at the time was the only one who had it. He had a firm rule of one woman at a time. Even if he only dated a woman for two weeks, he was completely monogamous for those two weeks.

  True, he hadn’t gone out with Simone yet, so kissing Carissa the other night didn’t break his rule. Still, he’d prefer to keep things as uncomplicated as possible. That’s why he’d have to rule their kiss the other night as nothing more than a little slip into the past.

  Besides, Carissa had been adamant about the kiss meaning nothing. What had she said before she made her quick escape that morning? Something about how he should continue with his life. Couldn’t get clearer than that in Jasper’s opinion.

  He took in Simone’s big chocolate eyes, waiting for his answer. He would go out with Simone and that would show everyone that he was no longer stuck on Carissa Blackwell.

  “Sounds perfect,” he said, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

  As he pulled Simone into his arms for a dance, though, he couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t alone in staring. Across the dance floor, Carissa was watching him, as well.

  Chapter Six

  What a night! Who else was impressed by a stunning Carissa Blackwell saving the party by filling in for the runaway caterer? Not everyone, apparently. My sources tell me that Jasper’s big brother is anything but happy to see Carissa back in Bayside. Will Cam’s long memory ruin any chances for a Jasper-Carissa reunion? We’ll have to wait and see...

  Carissa made her way to The Brewside the morning after the party. She’d walked over from her aunt’s cottage, excited to continue her high from the night before. But as she neared the coffeehouse, her anxiety level started rising. Now she stood right outside the door, taking a moment before she entered.

  While they’d been dancing together the night before, Elle and Riley had invited her to meet up in the morning to dissect the night’s events. Well, Riley had invited her anyway. Carissa hadn’t missed the look Elle had slid in Riley’s direction when she’d extended the offer.

  Not that Carissa could blame her. Carissa had never been a mean girl. But with some age and perspective, she had to admit that she’d hung out with a couple of mean girls. And those mean girls had given their best to Elle back in high school. Just because Carissa hadn’t been the one doling out the insults and snickering behind Elle’s back, she’d known it was going on. And then, of course, there was that video they’d made of her that had completely humiliated the poor girl and maybe even driven her from town altogether.

  Carissa stepped back from the door. What was she thinking? She couldn’t go in there and pretend that video had never been made. She needed to hightail it back to the cottage. Mind made up, she took another step backward and ran directly into someone.

  “Hey, girl, great timing.” Despite how late the party went last night and how early it was now, Riley looked fresh and comfortable in linen pants and a flowy tank top. “Elle just texted me. She’ll be here in five minutes.”

  “Listen, Ri, I really don’t think I should...” But she couldn’t finish her thought because Riley had linked arms with her and was pulling her inside the coffeehouse. Her unease abated slightly when the enticing aroma of ground coffee beans and freshly baked goodies made its way to her nose.

  “I’m dying for coffee. What can I get you?” Riley asked.

  “What? Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

  “No problem. Think of it as your welcome-home coffee.”

  Carissa ran a hand through her hair. “Um, thanks, but I’m not sure everyone is as excited I’m back as you.”

  Riley simply waved a hand through the air as if Carissa was speaking nonsense. “Go grab us a table.”

  Resigned, Carissa did as instructed, and soon she was joined by Riley, two lattes and a bundle of nerves in her stomach. The best thing to do was to lay it out on the table and apologize for the past. But when Elle walked through the door, her confidence faltered.

  Elle waved at them and then headed for the counter, placing her order.

  “Are you okay?” Riley asked. “You seem tense.”

  Carissa didn’t have time to answer.

  “I need caffeine and carbs,” Elle announced as she slunk down in her chair with her coffee and a large bag. She pulled half a dozen bagels out of the bag. “I bought a variety. I knew you would go for the blueberry bagel. You are so predictable, Riley Hudson.”

  Riley smiled as she immediately started applying strawberry cream cheese. “Sorry if you wanted the blueberry, Carissa, but it’s mine. All mine!”

  Carissa ignored the amazing-smelling bagels and took a deep breath. “Elle, I’m really, really sorry if I was a bitch to you.” Both Elle and Riley froze. “In high school, I mean.”

  Riley still had half a bagel in one hand and a knife loaded with cream cheese in the other. Elle was holding two sugar packets over her coffee. Neither of them had blinked since she started rambling.

  “Er,” Elle finally mumbled in confusion.

  “I know, this is completely random. But I sort of sensed last night... I was grateful for the two of you dancing with me and inviting me to breakfast this morning. I suspect you didn’t really want me to be here, though. I mean, it makes perfect sense for you to give me the cold shoulder.”

  “Huh?” Riley asked.

  Carissa couldn’t stop herself. She wasn’t the best apologizer. “To be honest, I knew you had a crush on Jasper back in high school, Elle. I think everyone did. I wasn’t threatened by it. And I don’t really get jealous. Not over stuff like that. I mean, I just felt really secure in my relationship with him. You know? Oh God, does that make me snotty?”

  “You need to breathe, girl,” Riley said.

  “I want you to know that I had nothing to do with that video my friends made of you.”

  Something passed over Elle’s face. She lowered her eyes and pursed her lips. Then she finished fixing her coffee, took a sip and locked eyes with Carissa.

  “I know you didn’t have anything to do with that video.”

  Back in high school, Elle had been as shy as she was smart. She’d worked hard to become the valedictorian. And, yes, she’d also had a hopeless and passionate crush on Jasper. Toward the end of senior year, Carissa’s friends had invited Elle to a sleepover. They’d spiked her drink and taped her professing her love for Jasper. They didn’t leave it there, though. They played it during senior prom in front of everyone. Elle was humiliated and had her valedictorian status stripped from her after she’d been shown drinking.

  Carissa heard that Elle went to college and then off to Florence, Italy. Gone from Bayside for a decade because she felt she’d embarrassed her father, who had lost his election to become county sheriff due to the scandal. Carissa knew all about leaving Bayside and embarrassments behind. But while she’d left willingly, Elle had not.

  Elle took a deep breath. “Your friends were mean, Carissa. But you never were. At least, not to me. I mean, we didn’t speak all that much. If I was weird or cold or distant last night it’s because I was the one who professed my love for your boyfriend. I should be apologizing to you. Not the other way around.”

  Carissa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “No, no, no, I really am sorry.”

  “So am I,” Elle countered.

  Riley snickered. “How about we call it a truce and say you’re both sorry? We’re all adults now. Can we eat these bagels and gossip yet or what?”

  All three of them laughed. With the past settled, they enjoyed their breakfast and chatted about the party the night before. Riley and Elle filled Carissa in on the new faces in town and refreshed her memory on some of the people from high school.

  When their bagels were consumed, Riley leaned forward. “Well, I’m glad the past is in the past and we can all move forward as friends.�
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  “I do have to ask, though. Is that the reason why Cam was giving me the cold shoulder and a bunch of not-so-friendly stares last night?”

  Elle bit her lip. “I’m sorry he was being that way. Unfortunately, I think it’s only part of the reason.”

  Carissa waited for a moment before she realized. Idiot. “And the other part would be that I dumped Jasper after graduation.”

  Elle nodded but Riley snorted. “Yeah, the dumping sucked. But I think it’s also the fact that you never contacted him again. Like, not ever. In fact, you never contacted anyone from Bayside after you left,” Riley finished. “What was up with that?”

  Carissa could feel her cheeks heating up. “I wanted a clean break.” She sat back in her chair and took a long, deep breath. Then she met her friends’ eyes again. “The day that Jasper and I broke up, well, I said some things to him that I’m not proud of. I told him he had no ambition, no drive. I didn’t want to be with someone without any goals.”

  Little did Jasper, or anyone else for that matter, know that she’d found out that very morning that her parents had run out of money. Her father had blown through her mother’s very large trust fund. Since he was always in and out of jobs, he had no real experience to fall back on. Parties and socializing had been more important to him than ensuring that his wife and daughter were taken care of.

  She’d been eighteen years old and the proverbial rug had been yanked out from under her. The fact that her relationship with her father had always been on the rocky side didn’t help matters. She might react differently today, but back then she’d been embarrassed. And angry. And scared.

  Carissa had to spend the summer figuring out how to pay for college, which she had done with the help of her aunt Val. But those four years at Northwestern had been tough. She’d studied her butt off while holding down three different jobs.

  Fearing that all their important friends in Bayside would find out that they were now poor as church mice, her parents had moved to New England where her mother had taken job after job to make ends meet. When Carissa found out that her dad still wasn’t pulling his weight, she’d been furious.