Bidding On The Bachelor. Kerri Carpenter

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      “And yet you never said yes.”

      “He nagged me the same way you did, that’s for sure.” His smile came fast and brief. If Jasper had blinked, he’d have missed it. “But you went the extra mile.”

      “By plying you with the best seafood on the East Coast.”

      “By showing me the town. Really showing me. You love Bayside. That came across clear as day. I feel like I know the people who live here. They’re not just numbers and stats in a spreadsheet. That made my decision easy.”

      Now it was Jasper’s turn to smile. Only he held it in. He kept his usual calm business face.

      “I have to say, though, I used to hear stories about you. Heard you were quite the little party kid back in the day. Weren’t we all as teenagers? Happy to see you’ve grown out of it.” Then he shook Jasper’s hand, got in the car and drove away.

      Only when he knew he was completely alone did Jasper let the grin out. And a fist pump for good measure.

      Today is a good day. Jasper could feel the spring in his step as he made his way toward the center of the town and The Brewside Café, the addictive coffeehouse he frequented on a daily basis. While he walked, he took in the town he’d lived in for most of his life.

      He’d always loved Bayside. He’d only left for college, business school and a couple years of working for another company to gain credentials. All that time, he’d missed the large bay with boats of varying sizes going in and out, the picturesque town square with the identical white siding and inviting blue awnings and shutters.

      He reached for his phone and quickly scrolled through some text messages before seeing Simone’s name. He grinned. Simone Graves was a feisty little redhead he’d been noticing at the gym for the last couple of months. She liked to go to Zumba classes and Jasper enjoyed seeing her shimmy around the room in her tight-fitting clothing. He’d finally asked her out, but they hadn’t set a date and time yet.

      Up for a drink tonight? he wrote to her.

      It only took a minute for her to write back.

      Wish I could. Stuck at work. This was accompanied by multiple sad emoji. But she proposed a different night to meet and Jasper accepted.

      Whistling, he continued toward The Brewside. But before he entered the coffeehouse he decided to take a moment. So he changed course and headed toward the water, Mr. Morris’s parting words ringing through his head.

      I used to hear stories about you. Heard you were quite the little party kid back in the day. Happy to see you’ve grown out of it.

      Well, he had been a lover of parties and the original good-time boy. But he’d also been just that—a boy. A kid. A teenager who’d been told from birth that his older brother would take over the family business. Sure, he’d been expected to work for Dumont Incorporated but he’d never been groomed to be in charge.

      After all, he was the “second” son, after Cam. Overlooked and undervalued at every turn. His mother had always said he was the most good-natured child she’d ever seen. Jasper liked to think he’d held on to that his whole life. He enjoyed seeing the glass as half-full, excelled at finding the positive. He’d never harbored jealousy toward his big brother. In fact, he’d worshipped Cam. Still, being the younger child had hurt. So he’d lived it up in high school. Why wouldn’t he? He knew he’d get into a good college thanks to his parents’ connections. Likewise, he knew he’d be employed after college.

      But as Mr. Morris said, he’d grown out of it. He’d been forced out of it, really.

      Thanks to Carissa.

      At the mere thought of her name, Jasper halted. Standing on the dock, he looked out at the bay, gripping the railing hard.

      When was the last time he’d allowed himself to think about Carissa Blackwell? He shook his head.

      Oh please. You think about her all the damn time.

      Of course he did. She’d been the single most beautiful female he’d ever laid eyes on. She’d also been his first love. And with one cutting remark after graduation, she’d changed the course of his life.

      Like most of the kids from his graduating class, they’d all known one another since birth. Bayside was a small town. About 90 percent of the classmates he walked with to “Pomp and Circumstance” at eighteen had been in his nursery school class, too. Carissa was no exception.

      They’d continued to run in the same crowd throughout high school. They had both been popular. They were both involved in sports—he in baseball and she in cheerleading. Their parents had been friends and enjoyed the same kind of lavish lifestyles. They’d even lived on the same street.

      But they hadn’t crossed that line of romance until the summer before senior year.

      Jasper turned and gazed toward the beach. It had happened over there. Down on the sand after one of the town’s big festivals. A bunch of kids had built a bonfire. They’d both been hanging out, having some beers. Carissa used to drink wine coolers, he thought with a laugh.

      Jasper started walking toward that spot on the beach. He’d always thought she was gorgeous. Who hadn’t? She was like the quintessential California girl come to the East Coast with her long legs, golden skin, perfect pink lips and full blond hair that fell halfway down her back. Plus, she had those really intriguing gray eyes. To this day, he’d never seen eyes quite like hers.

      That night she’d been wearing sexy jean shorts and a little red tank top. They’d shared a glance, then a head nod. Next thing he knew he was sitting next to her on a log sharing her s’more. Didn’t take long for them to move their party of two farther down the beach where they’d shared one hell of a make-out session.

      Just like that, they’d become hot and heavy and completely inseparable during senior year. Until about a month after graduation. Carissa had been accepted to Northwestern and he was going to UPenn, just like his father. He could never think of Carissa without his mind going to that last fateful conversation.

      “Jasper, you aren’t serious about anything.”

      “What are you talking about? I’m serious about you.”

      She shook her head. “That’s not enough. You party all the time with your friends.”

      “So what? And anyway, they’re your friends, too.”

      “I know. But I’m just saying that there’s more to life than keg parties in the woods and making out in someone’s basement.”

      “I think we did a little more than make out.”

      She pointed at him. “See, you can’t even be serious now. Just like my dad,” she said under her breath.

      “I know you’re upset because your parents want to move away from Bayside...”

      “That doesn’t bother me. I want them to move away, actually.”

      “Why?”

      “Never mind, that’s not the point.” She flung her long СКАЧАТЬ