The Girl of His Dreams (Bachelor #1)

by Janet Nissenson

  But knowing that fact and accepting it were two very different things, and Jordan had never been quite able to extinguish the faint flame of hope that he might one day have a chance with Tessa. Even the birth of her first child hadn’t been quite enough to shake him out of his fanciful daydreams, or put an end to the absurd crush he had on her.

  Now, though, having seen the whole family unit together - husband, wife, daughter, newborn son - seen how happy and devoted they were to each other, and how very much in love Tessa continued to be with her husband, Jordan was finally ready to accept that the situation for him was completely hopeless. It was finally time for him to get over this ridiculous infatuation with a woman who could never be his, and who was probably all wrong for him anyway. Problem was, he wasn’t exactly sure how or where to begin that process.

  Fortunately, he knew just who to ask for that sort of advice. Pulling out his phone, he sent a group text to his two closest friends - and fellow confirmed bachelors.

  “Can you meet for lunch today? Need to get away somewhere to lick my wounds for a week or two and I know both of you will have some ideas for me.”

  Within seconds his phone pinged with a reply from Finn.

  “One o’clock at The Barrel Room sound okay?”

  And before Jordan could tap out a reply, Max had texted back, “Count me in. See you then, mates.”

  Jordan replied with a thumbs up icon before pocketing his phone. And even though he knew his unrequited attraction to Tessa had to end, the somber realization was more than a little bittersweet.

  Chapter Two

  “So where are you thinking of going, Jordan? Someplace tropical like the Caribbean or Tahiti? Or a big city like New York or London? Or maybe the best of both worlds - say, Monte Carlo or Saint-Tropez?”

  Jordan shook his head at Finn’s suggestions. “Europe’s too far to travel right now. Same with Tahiti. I can only squeeze two weeks from my schedule so I don’t want to spend two whole days of that time traveling. I was thinking more along the lines of Mexico or Hawaii, or maybe Florida.”

  Max nodded, taking a carefully measured sip of the Pinot Grigio he’d ordered to accompany his grilled halibut. “That makes sense, especially since it sounds as though you’d prefer to get away sooner than later.”

  “If I can work it out, I’ll leave week after next. Just need to move a few appointments around. Fortunately, no little ones are due to make their arrivals for the next month so this is actually a perfect time to get away.”

  “Hmm.” Finn swallowed a bite of his Kobe beef burger, then shoved three French fries into his mouth at once. Of the three men gathered around the lunch table, he generally had the unhealthiest eating habits, a real irony considering that he was a retired professional athlete. But whenever someone pointed this out to him, Finn merely gave a wicked grin and said that his eating habits has actually improved since retiring from football.

  Finn washed his food down with a healthy swig of the whiskey sour he’d ordered - the second one so far today. But then he was the only one of the three who didn’t have an office to return to that afternoon, so he was free to imbibe to his heart’s content.

  “I’d probably stick with Hawaii if it was my choice,” drawled Finn. “Especially since you’ll be away during Spring Break. The high school and college crowd tends to flock to Mexico and Florida then. And while watching a bunch of co-eds cavorting around in bikinis isn’t exactly a hardship, we’re all getting a little too old to be fooling around with twenty-one year olds.”

  Max grimaced. “Twenty-one? Make that more like thirty-one for me, mate. Don’t forget I’m a year older than the pair of you, and my fortieth birthday will be here in a matter of months.”

  Jordan shuddered. “You just had to remind us all about that, didn’t you? But Finn is right. My days of dating college girls are unfortunately long over. In fact, dating in general is starting to become more of a chore than a pleasure nowadays.”

  Finn and Max both gaped at him in mingled dismay and disbelief, unable to comprehend how a serial dater like Jordan could have really uttered such a statement.

  “Dude, you seriously need some R and R if you’re starting to spout that sort of blasphemy,” scolded Finn. “But now that you mention it, you have been off your game these last few months. What’s the matter, Jordan? Got a bad case of ED?”

  Jordan scowled at his friend and former fraternity brother at Stanford. “Fuck off, manwhore. And to answer your idiotic question - no. I do not and have not had any trouble getting it up. Ever.”

  Max chuckled, something he didn’t do very often these days. “Could that be because you’re writing yourself prescriptions for those little blue pills men of a certain age need to take?”

  Jordan none too discreetly flipped Max off. “And here I thought Finn was the comedian of our little trio.”

  Finn shrugged, finishing off his drink and motioning to the waitress for a refill. “Well, you gotta admit that this certainly isn’t normal behavior for you, Doctor Dreamy. Max and I have known you for - what - twenty years now, something like that - and I can’t honestly remember a time when you weren’t ready, willing, and eager for a piece of ass.”

  “First of all,” retorted Jordan arrogantly, “the correct nickname is Doctor Dreamboat. Though with the nurses on the maternity ward getting younger every year, hardly any of them call me that anymore. As for the other - it’s not that I’m not ready or eager, but there are times when I want more than a piece of ass. I want - ah, hell, I don’t know what I want, if I’m being honest.”

  Max, with his composed - though some called it cold - nature, regarded Jordan thoughtfully. “If I’m hearing you correctly - and I believe I am - what you’re saying is that you’ve grown tired of the game. And that instead of a different woman every week, you might actually be considering settling down.”

  “Whoa!” Jordan held up a hand in protest. “Let’s not go that far, shall we? I was thinking of maybe seeing a woman for more than a week or two at a time, not shopping for engagement rings.”

  Finn snorted in derision. “What’s happened to the old footloose and fancy free Jordan Reeves we’ve known since college? And how can you forget our famous pinky swear to remain bachelors until our dying day? I swear I think you’ve been body snatched or something, dude. Replaced with a pod person like in that movie. Quick - tell me something only the real Jordan Reeves would know about me.”

  Jordan smirked. “Your dick is only four inches long. And you have nasty looking warts on your ass. That real enough for you, manwhore?”

  Max grinned, something else he rarely did nowadays. “Well, one thing’s for sure. Being with you two is always good entertainment, especially when you start trading insults. Seriously, though, I do understand where you’re coming from, Jordan. And while I have no intention of ever giving up my bachelor ways, I’m finding more and more that I just don’t have the - the motivation for lack of a better word – to troll singles bars or clubs every night looking for a new conquest.”

  “But then, you never really did, old chum,” pointed out Finn. “Of the three of us, you’ve always been the reserved one, the one content to sit back and let the women come to you. And you’ve always been too goddamned picky, Max. This one’s too young. Or she’s too pushy. You don’t like women who wear too much makeup. Her laugh annoys you. Christ, you’re going to wind up a cranky old man before much longer.”

  Max raised his wine glass in a mock toast. “Already there, mate. But this conversation is about Jordan, not me. And I think I know why he’s in a mood. Didn’t you deliver a baby last night, Doctor Reeves?”

  Jordan’s spine stiffened at the silent implication behind his friend’s words. “News flash, Maxwell. I deliver babies several times a week and have for the last fifteen years. What does last night have to do with the mood I’m in?”

  Max replaced his glass after taking a sip. “Wasn’t it the very charming Mrs. Gregson’s baby you delivered? Y
ou know, the same Mrs. Gregson you’ve had something of a crush on for the last few years?”

  “I do not have a crush on her, for God’s sake,” muttered Jordan sullenly. “Thinking a woman is hot, and cursing the fates that I didn’t meet her first do not necessarily equal a crush. And how the hell did you know it was the Gregson baby I delivered last night?”

  Max shrugged. “I saw Ian at the gym a few days ago. He was cutting his workout short so he could rush home to tend to the missus. He might have mentioned that she was due within a week, so I just put two and two together. You do realize those two are mad about each other, don’t you? And that even a ladies man like yourself has no chance in wooing the beautiful Mrs. Gregson away from her very possessive husband?”

  Jordan heaved a tired sigh. “Of course I do,” he admitted somberly. “I always have, from the very first time I saw the two of them together. That doesn’t mean a man can’t daydream, does it? Or compare every woman he’s met since to Tessa and found her lacking? She isn’t even my type, you know?”

  The expression on Finn’s handsome face was about as close to a leer as Jordan could imagine. “A babe like that is everyone’s type, my friend,” he corrected. “And just because she’s married doesn’t mean you can’t admire the goods, or envy that bastard she’s married to for seeing her first. But you do need to give up any and all hope that you’ll ever have a chance with her, Jordan. You’ve said over and over again that you don’t mess with married woman. And Tessa Gregson is more married than most.”

  “Yeah, don’t I know it,” replied Jordan wearily. “I had to stop by her room during morning rounds, and happened upon the whole big happy family all cuddled up - Mom, Dad, and now two kids. It wasn’t the ideal way to start my day, believe me.”

  Max frowned. “Why in hell do you keep putting yourself through those sorts of ordeals anyway?” he demanded. “Maybe if you’d referred your patient to another doctor from the very beginning you would have gotten over this ridiculous obsession with her a long time ago.”

  “It’s not that easy, Max. First of all, Ian asked me to be her OB/GYN even before I’d met her for the first time. And you know him well enough to realize he’s not someone you say no to very often. Once I took her on as a patient it just became increasingly awkward to pass her along to someone else, especially since I see her and Ian so often at social events.”

  Finn rolled his eyes. “Oh, right. The ballet and opera and symphony. I still don’t get why you like all that cultural stuff. Even as uptight as Max is he isn’t much of a fan.”

  Jordan gave a careless shrug. “My parents were into all that stuff, Dad always insisted it was good for business, and they sort of forced it on me while I was growing up. I don’t mind it all that much. Plus, I have made a lot of business contacts attending those sort of events. Not to mention making a good impression on my dates by bringing them someplace classy. Unlike you, manwhore, whose idea of showing a lady a good time involves taking her to a whiskey bar and then directly to bed.”

  Finn grinned. “Sometimes I buy her dinner first. Especially if I can tell she’s gonna be a wild one and I’ll need the calories to keep my energy up. And speaking of keeping things up. If you’re admitting that you have a problem so far as the hot mama is concerned, then the one surefire way of getting her out of your system is to fuck it out. Hell, take a different woman to bed every night of the week for a solid month if that’s what it takes. I’m happy to share my virtual little black book with you, dude.”

  “I’ve got my own version of that book, you know,” retorted Jordan scathingly. “I don’t need your sloppy seconds. Or a pimp. And I already told you that I’m getting tired of being a serial dater. Maybe Max is right and we’re just getting too damned old for this.”

  Max nodded. “I’ve been too old for “this” for the last five years. And have basically resigned myself to remaining married to my job. Though if I ever start talking about getting a cat, that means I’ve officially gone over the edge and the two of you have my permission to commit me to the nearest loony bin.”

  “I think you’re both loony,” commented Finn as he shoved the last bite of burger into his mouth. “Not to mention depressing as hell. Max becoming a semi-eunuch doesn’t surprise me all that much, but Jordan - nah, I’m not buying it. You’re just going through a bad patch right now, dude. Nothing a little R and R won’t cure. Maybe you should go to Mexico or Florida after all. You’ve kept yourself in shape, so you probably have a shot at making it with a twenty-two year old. Especially if she knows you have money.”

  “Hah, hah. You know, if your broadcasting career ever goes to shit you could always try your hand at stand-up comedy,” Jordan replied sarcastically. “But I’m going to go with your first idea, actually, and head to Hawaii for a couple of weeks. You’re right that I need to get my head - and my dick - back in the game.”

  Finn thumped him on the back enthusiastically. “Now that’s the Jordan Reeves I know! Head over to the islands for some fun in the sun, screw a different babe every night of your stay, and come back with a new attitude. Hell, if I didn’t have to start prepping for the NFL draft next month I’d come with you to Hawaii. Just like old times, you know? You and me picking up hot babes right and left while old Max sits back and analyzes the situation. I wonder sometimes if he keeps a list in his pocket of interview questions to ask his potential dates.”

  This time Max was the one to extend his middle finger, though he was far more discreet about the gesture than Jordan had been earlier. He had always been a rather odd addition to their trio, given his quiet, reserved manner, and the fact that he was far more fastidious in his choice of women than either Finn or Jordan. More often than not Max had been the designated driver, or the one to keep his two hell-raising friends from raising too much hell. And there had even been one time when he’d had to bail Finn out of jail - something he took far too much pleasure in reminding Finn about on a regular basis.

  “Jordan doesn’t need you along on this trip,” remarked Max drily. “He can get into plenty of trouble all by himself.”

  “Why don’t you go along with him, Max?” Finn taunted. “God knows you could use a vacation. I’d say something along the lines of “all work and no play makes Maxie a dull assed bore” but I think we all know that already.”

  “That’s not a bad idea actually,” admitted Jordan. “You should totally come along for the trip, Max. Finn’s not often right about things, but in this case he is. I can’t remember the last time you took a real vacation. And, hey, there’s bound to be plenty of women on Maui for both of us, especially since you’d be likely to stick with the same one for the entire two weeks. Boring.”

  Max shook his dark head. “Thank you for your not so charming invitation, Jordan, but I’m flying out myself on Monday for a job. I’ll be gone for two or three weeks.”

  Max was a self-employed consultant, whose primary function was to help out struggling corporations by assessing and analyzing their operations, and then presenting recommendations on how to fix their problems. He had a well earned reputation for having the Midas touch, and for helping to turn companies around in a startlingly short amount of time, and as such was in great demand.

  “Just don’t go to Seattle again, okay?” chimed in Finn. “Last time you went there - what was it, four or five years ago - you came back in the worst mood I’ve ever seen you in. You were a total bastard for almost a year after that. Still are to some degree, come to think of it.”

  Max’s already somber expression had darkened considerably at the mention of Seattle. But all he said in response was a curt, “No, not there. I’m headed to Boston this time.”

  “Well, sounds like I’ll be the only bachelor in paradise then,” declared Jordan. “Fortunately for all the beautiful, single women who’ll be looking for some action I’ll be ready for them. Thanks, guys, for helping me get my head on straight. Getting away for a couple of weeks is exactly what I need to forget about this
stupid obsession of mine once and for all. By the time I return, Tessa Gregson will be just another patient, and nothing more.”

  He picked up his glass of Pellegrino water - since he had to see patients this afternoon he was abstaining from any alcohol - and clinked it against the other two men’s glasses in a silent toast, wishing that he actually believed what he’d just said with such confidence.

  Chapter Three

  Maui

  As the smiling waiter, who was clad in a uniform of pristine white Bermuda shorts and a perfectly pressed light blue polo shirt bearing the Gregson company logo, placed a Mai Tai on the small wooden table next to his chaise lounge, Jordan thought that this was definitely the definition of VIP treatment. The young waiter, who appeared to be of Polynesian or perhaps Filipino heritage, smiled his thanks as Jordan placed a folded ten dollar bill in his palm. The fact that it amounted to more than a fifty percent tip didn’t bother Jordan in the slightest. He’d always prided himself on being a good tipper, and treating those in the service industry graciously. Unlike Finn, he thought wryly, who could be something of a cheapskate at times, or snooty Max, who usually treated the hired help like - well, the hired help.

  Besides, thought Jordan with a grin, what wasn’t there to be happy about at this very moment? He’d taken the early flight from San Francisco to Maui, arriving on the island around eleven a.m. local time. A limo from the hotel had been waiting for him at the airport, and whisked him directly to the Gregson Resort where he’d be staying for the next two weeks.

  Once he’d decided for sure on his destination, Jordan had placed a call to Ian, and taken him up on his long-standing offer to make arrangements for him at one of the company’s hotels. Ian, of course, was a member of the UK based family who owned the worldwide chain of luxury hotels and resorts, and he currently held the very powerful position of Managing Director of all the company’s hotels in North and South America. With one phone call Ian had arranged for Jordan to stay in one of the largest and most luxurious suites at the hotel, one that included a private butler/concierge service, as well as a number of other VIP perks, such as the limo ride from the airport and this ideally located chaise lounge complete with beach umbrella.