Bidding on the Bachelor Page 9

  Jasper reminded her of her father. They were both so handsome and the life of every party. All charm and no ambition. At least, that’s how he’d been in high school. Spent his parents’ money and partied with his friends. Not a care in the world. Not a mention of a future. He slept until noon on weekends and never really cared about college or anything beyond that.

  She remembered walking to meet Jasper the day she’d broken it off with him. All she could think about was if Jasper was so content to breeze through life at that point, what would he be like when they became adults? Would he repeat her father’s behavior? Would she then go through another period of embarrassment? Of anger? Of fear?

  Carissa shook her head and continued. “Although what I said to Jasper back then doesn’t seem to have stopped him. He’s doing amazingly well now. Even with everything I said to him that day.”

  “Maybe he’s doing so well because of everything you said to him,” Elle said.

  She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

  Elle and Riley exchanged a look.

  “Come on, spill,” Carissa said.

  “Cam told me that after you left Bayside and after Jasper got over his initial shock at the breakup, he turned his life around.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “It is, in the end.”

  Carissa couldn’t miss another look between Elle and Riley. “There’s more.”

  Elle nodded. “He threw himself into studying. He took job after job to learn as much as possible about business from the ground up.”

  Riley sat forward. “He became...obsessed.”

  In Carissa’s experience, the word obsessed was generally not a good thing. It was usually a drastic reaction to something.

  To hear that her words caused Jasper to alter his life—even if his life ended up better because of it—made a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. Maybe she was more of a mean girl than she realized.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it.” Riley shook her arm. “Jasper’s right where he was meant to be. And so are you.”

  Carissa let out a tiny laugh. “Where’s that exactly? Living in my eccentric aunt’s cottage because I got a divorce?”

  “Basically.” Riley toasted her with her coffee. “You’re with us and I think the three of us are going to be really good friends.”

  She hoped so because Carissa could certainly use friends. Not to mention, she could use money if she ever wanted to get out of her aunt’s place.

  “So now that we’re all friends and sharing secrets,” Elle began. “I have to ask. You’re completely over Jasper?”

  “Of course,” Carissa said quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly. “I just got divorced like five minutes ago.”

  “That’s not really an answer,” Elle said.

  “Besides,” Carissa continued, “I saw Jasper with that redhead last night.” And that had stung a little. She hated to admit it. Jasper was at liberty to date whoever he wanted. But at the same time, they had kissed the other night. When she saw him pull that pretty woman into his arms, she’d almost tripped on the dance floor. Wasn’t that just silly?

  “That’s not an answer, either,” Riley countered.

  Carissa sighed. “Okay, then let me be clear. I do not have any romantic feelings for Jasper Dumont. Or anyone else, for that matter. I am here to start my catering company. I just need some business.”

  Just like that, the front door of The Brewside opened and in waltzed Jasper’s mother. Once again, she didn’t have to give her order. Tony had it ready for her in a minute. She scanned the room, saying hello and accepting compliments on last night’s party. Finally, her gaze fell on Carissa, who had to wonder if she shared Cam’s judgment of her. But her lips quirked, turning into a beautiful smile. A smile that definitely reached her eyes. Carissa’s stomach settled.

  “Carissa, I’m so glad to run into you here. Hello, Riley, Elle—darling.” She gave a quick hug to Elle, who would more than likely be calling Lilah Dumont mother-in-law soon. “I was going to stop by your aunt’s cottage.”

  “You were?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

  “I wanted to thank you again for saving the party last night.”

  Carissa smiled. “I don’t know if I saved anything, but I’m glad I could help out.”

  “So am I.” Relief washed over her face. “I also wanted to give you this.” She handed over an envelope.

  Curious, Carissa opened the flap and took a peek. It was a check made out to her, and the amount almost had her falling off her chair.

  “I didn’t know your catering company’s name so I just made it out to you. I hope that’s okay.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t actually have a name yet. But I wasn’t expecting any payment.”

  Lilah waved a hand. “Nonsense. You did a job, completed a service. Of course you should be paid. You saved the day.”

  Carissa was about to protest again, even as she tightly clutched the check in her hand. But Riley piped up. “That’s it. Why don’t you call your company Save the Day Catering?”

  Elle’s eyes lit up at the name. “Great idea.”

  Carissa mulled it over. Save the day. And she really would love to save someone’s day with her cooking. No one needed to know that starting this business would also be saving her. “You know, that’s not bad. Save the Day. I like it.”

  “It’s settled. A very productive morning,” Mrs. Dumont said. “And I think I can add to it. Carissa, I’m hosting a ladies’ tea and I would like you to cater it. It’s on Wednesday, so short notice.”

  “Not as short as the five minutes she had last night,” Elle said kindly.

  “I think it was more like two minutes, actually,” Mrs. Dumont said. “If you are willing, I’d like basic tea party food. Sandwiches, scones, tea cakes, that sort of thing. What do you say?”

  Carissa was floored by the generous check first and now by the opportunity for more business. Mrs. Dumont’s offer was more than she could have expected. What a great way to start her business.

  “That would be amazing. Thank you so much. Why don’t we set up a call for later this afternoon to go over the logistics?”

  “Perfect,” Lilah said.

  Carissa was so busy reveling in her thoughts and good fortune that she’d tuned out of Elle and Mrs. Dumont’s chitchat. Tuned out, that is, until she heard Elle ask what Jasper was up to today.

  “He has a date with some new girl.” She waved her hand in a flippant manner.

  Riley rolled her eyes. “There’s always some new girl. Good luck to this one, too.” Mrs. Dumont laughed with Riley. But Elle reached over and patted Carissa’s hand.

  “It’s fine,” Carissa whispered so only Elle could hear. “I told you I’m not interested in him like that.”

  “I know.” Elle squeezed her fingers. “But just in case you needed it.”

  What was that supposed to mean? Jasper was free to do whatever, or whomever, he wanted. She wished him well. If he wanted to spend an evening with that perky little redhead, then more power to him. Maybe they would really hit it off and get married. But she’d been down that road before. So good luck to them both.

  In the meantime, she had a new purpose. She was starting a company and thanks to Mrs. Dumont, she already had her first assignment.

  See, much more important things to think about than Jasper’s love life. Not that she cared anyway. Not one little bit...

  * * *

  Jasper was at an amazing restaurant, enjoying a particularly good sauvignon blanc with a stunning woman. The food was great and the ambience was romantic. The perfect date.

  Only, it wasn’t, and not only because Jasper’s mind was a million miles away from Simone and the Boat House.

  Jasper sipped his wine and stifled a lau
gh as Simone regaled him with a story of her Zumba class as she simultaneously finished a third glass of wine. Deep down, he tried to figure out why he wasn’t enjoying this night more. He’d been out with plenty of flirtatious women. Usually he loved hearing about their lives. But tonight, he just wasn’t feeling this.

  He’d had a nice Saturday. Spent some time with his brother, did a little bit of work, went to the gym. Plus, the party had been fun last night, he thought as Simone switched topics and started filling him in on the recent episode of her favorite reality show.

  Carissa had seemed to enjoy herself last night. He wondered if she’d made any business contacts. Of course, she’d been in the kitchen for the first half of the night and then shimmying around the dance floor for the rest. She’d looked good out there. Reminded him of watching her cheer at football games in high school.

  “Do you agree?” Simone asked, ripping him out of his thoughts.

  “Uh, totally.”

  Simone scrunched up her nose. “You do?”

  “Of course not,” he said, completely confused. “I was messing with you.”

  Simone relaxed back against her chair. Jasper tried to clear his mind of Carissa and her dancing. Instead, he focused on the dessert menu. There was a seasonal favorite on the list, peach pie. His mouth watered at the thought.

  The waiter came by and asked if they wanted dessert. Jasper opened his mouth but Simone beat him to it. “No, we’re fine. Just the check please.”

  “Really?” he asked. “No dessert?”

  Simone shook her head. “One night of dessert equals a month of gym time.”

  He couldn’t help but think of Carissa and how she’d devoured her bagel and cream cheese the other morning. No way would she pass up dessert. But in the end, Jasper pushed his disappointment aside, especially since his mind had been wandering all night. All he could concentrate on was the image of the dress Carissa had been wearing at the party. How every time she moved on the dance floor it would inch just a tiny bit higher, revealing her long, toned legs.

  The check came and Jasper reached for his wallet. After leaving the restaurant, he and Simone walked around the water hand in hand. Jasper realized he had been on this date many times over the years. Nice restaurant, pretty evening walk, and, if it was a good night, a return to his condo. But he was sure taking Simone home would not be a good idea this evening.

  “And, of course, I don’t see why people are down on reality shows. I’d love to be on one. Don’t you think I’d be great on a reality show?” Simone didn’t wait for an answer. “I mean, to be like the Kardashians. They’re so amazing. And smart. People don’t think they’re smart, but come on. I mean, hello! What about their clothing lines?”

  “I guess,” Jasper added. He had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Not to mention, they marry well. People can say whatever they want but I don’t see a problem with a woman wanting to marry a rich man. Do I want to be poor?” She let out a little chuckle. “Um, of course not.”

  Red flag, red flag. If Jasper had been wearing a tie, this would have been the point when he loosened it.

  “Not that I wanted to go out with you because you’re rich. Obviously, everyone knows you have money. You’re a Dumont.”

  This conversation had gone south quickly. “Yes, I am.”

  “So,” Simone said, turning to him and puckering her red lips.

  “So,” he countered lamely. Jasper repressed the urge to roll his neck. “It’s getting late. We should probably get home.”

  She stepped closer. “What a great idea. I’ve been dying to see your place,” she said boldly.

  Ordinarily, a statement like this would have left him grinning and taking off for his condo at record speed. After all, the last woman he’d brought home had been...Carissa, he realized with a jolt.

  “Actually, I was thinking I should drive you home. I’m sorry,” he quickly added at her frown. “I have a really early morning tomorrow.”

  Simone crossed her arms over her chest. “Tomorrow is Sunday.”

  “Right, well, I have some work I need to catch up on and you said you have that exercise class.”

  She nodded slowly but didn’t look at all convinced. Jasper couldn’t blame her. “You know, Jasper, this has been a really great night. But I have to admit that I’ve had the feeling you’d rather be somewhere else. I mean, you didn’t even think my story about the youngest Kardashian liking my tweet about lip gloss was interesting.”

  “I’m sorry, Carissa.”

  She let out a laugh, but the sound was harsh. “I suppose that’s my answer.”

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “Jasper, you just called me Carissa.”

  He wanted to cover his face with his hands. He might not have enjoyed his date with Simone, but he was never, ever disrespectful when it came to women. Calling her by the wrong name was unacceptable. He pulled her into a hug. “I’m really sorry about that, Simone.”

  “You know, the Bayside Blogger has been speculating about you two since Carissa got back to town last week. Even though I was younger, everyone in school knew how intense you guys were when you dated.”

  Intense? That was one way of looking at it.

  “I’d wondered if you were interested in getting back together with her, but since you still wanted to go out...”

  “Oh no. I don’t want to get back together with Carissa and I’m sure she feels the same way about me.”

  Simone tilted her head. “Really? Because she kept staring at you last night at the party.”

  “Really?” Jasper asked quickly. Too quickly, if Simone’s huff was any indication. He shrugged and tried to play off his comment. “Trust me, nothing’s happening with us and nothing is going to happen. I guess I just called you by her name because this is where I saw her when she first returned to town. I hadn’t seen her in over a decade.” He squeezed her hand. “And I did want to go out with you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Her gaze drifted to the side as she considered. “Then, how about this. You take me home tonight. And maybe we can try another date next week?” She smiled, showing her dimple. One of the things that he’d been drawn to when he’d first talked to her. “I’d love to introduce you to my mom and sisters.”

  The red flag turned even redder. Meeting the family after one date? He didn’t think so.

  “I think we may want different things, Simone,” he said honestly. “You’re wonderful, but right now, I need to concentrate on my career. You should be with someone who can devote every waking hour to you.”

  This seemed to appease her, and they walked back to his car and Jasper held the door while she got in. Then they began driving away from the town toward Simone’s place. She was renting an apartment not far from Carissa’s aunt’s cottage.

  There he went, thinking about Carissa again. He tightened his hands around the steering wheel. Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? Wasn’t it bad enough that she’d already ruined a perfectly good date?

  Okay, maybe the date with Simone hadn’t been the best of his life. If only he’d been more into reality television and the E! network. But she was still an attractive, fun, energetic, talkative female. Moreover, she was a female who had never ripped his heart out and fed it to him before disappearing from his life.

  Jasper cursed under his breath. The first thing he was going to do after dropping Simone off was get a drink and put a concerted effort into not thinking about Carissa Blackwell.

  When he reached Simone’s place, he walked her to the door and gave her a quick hug. Before she inserted her key into the lock, she paused.

  “If you change your mind about going out again, you know how to reach me.”

  “Absolutely.”

  At least
she was being a good sport about the evening. From his obvious lack of attention to calling her the wrong name, a lot of women would have written him off immediately. In the end, he knew the two of them weren’t a fit. And despite her offer, he knew she did, too.

  Jasper hustled back to his car and began driving home...and continued to try and shake thoughts of Carissa from his head. Obviously, it wasn’t her fault she was stuck in his head. Still, he was supposed to be over her. Isn’t that what he kept telling everyone else?

  He took a right, and as he went around a curve, he saw a black car on the side of the road. He slowed, and as he did, he watched a tall woman wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt yell something and kick one of the tires hard.

  Carissa.

  Jasper sighed. The universe was clearly enjoying messing with him tonight.

  He brought the car to a stop behind her black sedan and let out a long, frustrated exhale. Then he exited the car and walked to Carissa, who was covering her face with her hands.

  “Everything okay?” he called out. Clearly, she hadn’t heard him pull up, because she jumped a mile.

  “Jasper,” she said, placing a hand over her heart. “You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?”

  Despite their surroundings, he couldn’t help but inhale her perfume, a clean scent with just a hint of flowers. “I was just driving home and saw you on the side of the road.”

  Carissa’s eyes flickered to his car and then back to him. “Out by yourself on a Saturday night?”

  There was something about the way she asked the question that had his ire rising. “What if I am?”

  “None of my business.” Again, she glanced over at his car as if she was searching for something. Or someone. “I just heard you had a date tonight.”

  “You heard... From who?”

  “Your mother.”

  He clamped down on the urge to roll his eyes. “Well, since you’re so interested in my social life, yes, I was on a date.”