She stopped reading abruptly. Fortunately, at that moment someone called out, “Hey, what a hunk,” and others echoed the sentiment. Gina might have been able to work the comment into his bio in a clever way, except that she was reading with horror what was written on the paper that had been handed to her. And it definitely wasn’t the bio that Kasey had shared with the committee.
Gina felt her mouth drop open. She quickly clamped it shut as she skimmed the bio to the end. There was no way that she could say any of this, no way at all, because it read: “Josh Corbett is crazy about Gina Angelini, who has the most beautiful breasts that he’s ever had the pleasure to behold. When he kisses her, he wants nothing more than to get her in the sack, and once he does, it’s thrills and excitement like no one would believe. And when she reaches down and—”
Gina’s hand shook as she folded the paper. Out there beyond the runway, faces were tipped toward her, the people waiting expectantly as Josh continued to strut his stuff.
What on earth was she going to say? How in heaven’s name had this sheet of paper replaced the original bio?
Josh swiveled at the end of the runway and began walking back toward her, an expression of devilment on his face, which immediately clued her in to who was the author of this new and creative bio. At the moment, Josh’s prank was secondary to the dilemma of finding the right words.
She cleared her throat. From his vantage point squarely in front of her, Josh could undoubtedly see exactly how uncomfortable she was, and certainly some of the audience had already sensed her discomfort, as well. She had to get through this, had to will herself to stop blushing like an idiot!
She made up her spiel as she went along, and it came out as a bunch of nonsense. “Josh is…um…six feet tall, likes…um…bubble gum ice cream and…uh…the scent of lavender. On his date with you, he will cook you some of his wonderful Yankee pot roast, which he will more than likely wish to eat in the company of your cat. If you have one. And which will make him sneeze, because he’s allergic. But that’s okay, because everything—everything else about him is, um, almost, well, perfect.”
Josh had almost reached the place where she stood. How in the world was she supposed to interview him after the fiasco of his bio?
“You think I’m ‘almost perfect’?” he whispered while she was trying to collect herself.
She glared at him, recovered slightly and held the microphone up to his face. “It’s quite a pleasure for you to pay us a visit here in Rio Robles, Josh. Perhaps you could say a few words to the audience.”
“Only that I’m happy to be here, and that it’s good to renew my acquaintance with you. It’s wonderful to meet so many new people, and I’m looking forward to my date with whoever—” and he treated everyone to a roguish grin that made Gina feel slightly sick to her stomach “—whoever my dream date turns out to be.” After one last impudent waggle of his eyebrows at Gina, he fairly danced his way offstage.
By this time she’d figured out that he’d had an opportunity to insert a substitute biography in the folder where she filed all things pertinent to the bachelor auction. It would have been easy, because the files sat on the counter at Good Thymes where anyone could access them. Oh, she couldn’t wait to get her hands on Josh Corbett, she thought grimly. The only trouble was that if she did get her hands on him, she knew she’d probably want to caress that certain part of his anatomy he’d cited in the phony bio much more than she’d want to wring his fool neck.
THE BIDDING, WHEN IT WAS time, was fast and furious, with Josh Corbett far and away the leader. At first a few women from the audience were participants in the bidding for Josh as well as someone bidding by phone. Then everyone fell away except Claudia, whom Gina suspected of harboring a crush on Josh, and the telephone bidder.
At one point while the bidding was proceeding without a break, Gina stepped backstage to get a sip of water. Shelley handed her a full glass.
“Looks like Josh is going to go for a good amount of money,” Shelley observed with glee.
“It certainly does,” Gina replied tersely.
Shelley cocked her head and studied Gina’s expression. “Do you mind?” she asked. “I didn’t think you two were—well, you know. Serious or anything.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Gina replied. “It’s for the teen center, isn’t it?”
“The telephone bidder is someone named Roxie. I don’t know anyone named Roxie, do you?”
“No,” Gina said before hurrying back onstage.
“And our telephone bidder is raising her bid to $10,000,” the auctioneer announced with a puzzled frown.
“That can’t be right! The previous bid was only one thousand,” Gina hissed at him from behind her program, bewildered. She saw Claudia, grumpy and disgruntled in her firstrow seat, and several of the audience members were whispering to one another in obvious surprise at this unusual development.
The auctioneer, a fellow brought in from Santa Rosa for the occasion, shrugged. “Ten thousand for the teen center. Do I hear another bid?” He eyed Claudia, who lifted her hands as if to say she was out of it. “Ten thousand for a date with Josh Corbett. Going once, going twice, going to Roxie on the phone for ten thousand dollars.” A bang of the gavel and it was done.
Gina felt numb. Someone—someone rich—wanted a date with Josh, perhaps even desperately. The auction had been well publicized all over the Napa Valley. Gina was aware that there were plenty of wealthy women in the area whose idea of a good way to spend their money was on a date with a celebrity.
No matter how hard she tried, Gina couldn’t focus on the rest of the auction. After all the bachelors had been auctioned, as she wound up the proceedings and thanked everyone for attending, she tried to maintain her bright line of patter, determined to hide the distress she felt about Josh’s having a date with someone else. But when she left the stage, all she wanted was to get out of the ballroom and go home.
“Great job, Gina,” someone called as she left the hotel. She waved at whoever it was and kept walking. That was when she spotted Josh standing beside Rocco’s car, talking to Rocco and Shelley, who were sitting inside.
“Hey, Gina,” Shelley called. “Come on over.”
Josh pivoted and smiled at her, but she was still upset over the fake bio that he’d written to embarrass her.
“If I do, I’ll say something I’ll be sorry about,” she said.
Josh hurried toward her, holding out his hand. “Gina, I thought you’d be happy about all the money you’ve raised tonight.”
She stopped in her tracks, taking a great deal of satisfaction at his perturbed expression. “Josh,” she said, “after you somehow managed to insert that fake bio into my notes, I’m not feeling too positive toward you.”
“It was a joke. I thought you’d think it was funny.”
“You’ve been hanging out with Rocco too much.”
Rocco leaned his head out of the car window. “Hey, what do you mean by that? I didn’t have anything to do with any fake bio. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Gina ignored him. “What I think, Josh Corbett, is that you could have embarrassed me in front of everyone tonight. What if I’d read that out loud?”
“But I knew you wouldn’t, and I had faith that you’d recover and think of something appropriate to say. It’s not as if you aren’t familiar with my character,” he said smoothly. His eyes were entirely too blue, his expression entirely too charming.
Rocco switched on his car’s engine. “I’m out of here. I don’t know where this conversation is going, but I’m sure I don’t want to be along for the ride.” He backed out of the parking space and drove slowly toward them, braking when the car drew even with them. “You gonna tell her, Josh?”
“Tell me what?” Gina asked quickly, her gaze darting from Josh to Rocco and back again.
Rocco waited, and Josh frowned. “I don’t know, considering her present annoyance. Maybe I should wait for a better opportunity.”
What opportunity? He thought he deserved an opportunity? After he’d embarrassed her in front of everyone tonight? As far as she was concerned, he didn’t deserve any breaks. She wheeled and started toward her car.
“Okay, okay, I’ll tell,” Josh said, taking off after her.
“Why don’t you tell Roxie,” Gina said in a flash of anger. “Why don’t you wait for your big date and tell her?” She forged ahead, drawing stares from other people heading for their cars.
Rocco idled along beside her. “Yup, Josh, you’d better spill the beans. Let the cat out of the bag.” Rocco winked. Shelley, sitting beside him, was grinning, which Gina couldn’t figure out. Nor did she want to, come to think of it.
Josh caught up with her when she was fumbling in her purse for her car keys.
He grabbed her arm.
“Gina, there isn’t any bidder named Roxie. I bid for myself. I’m the one who is paying $10,000 for a date with me.”
She might have thought this was another practical joke except for the sincere light in Josh’s eyes. She stared at him, faltered, decided not to believe him.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said faintly. Her gaze darted from Josh to Rocco and back again. A faint suspicion burgeoned into an idea that took hold. “Unless—unless Rocco was really Roxie.”
“I was,” Rocco said smugly. His voice became a falsetto. “I can talk like this, and your phone volunteer never questioned that I was a—” and here he came up with a realistic giggle “—a woman.”
Josh’s grin was expansive. “I had Rocco—Roxie—bid for me. And now that I own this date with me, I’m giving it to you as a present.”
“What?” This was all Gina could manage to say.
“I’m giving the date to you as a present,” Josh repeated with extreme patience. “I thought you’d be happy about it.”
No one else had bought the date with Josh? He’d bought a date with himself and was giving it to her? As relief washed over her, she started to laugh. It started out a mere chuckle, then became a full-bodied belly laugh. It struck her as really funny that she had been so worried, and really extravagant that Josh had spent so much money to put this one over on her.
Josh was laughing, too. “Tell me you’re happy, Gina,” he said. “That’s what I want to hear.”
“I’m happy,” Gina said weakly, wiping the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief that Josh thoughtfully provided.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Rocco said. “Josh, I’ll run along and leave you to explain.” He reached through the open car window and aimed a fist at Josh’s arm. “See you tomorrow, man.”
“‘Bye, Gina,” Shelley called as Rocco drove away.
“So are you still angry?” Josh drew her arm through his and began to walk with her toward his car.
“I can’t stay mad when you did something so wonderful. That’s a lot of money for the teen center.”
“It’s a good cause. You convinced me of that. I never intended to go out with anyone else, Gina. You couldn’t bid for me, so I had to figure out another way.”
“You could have clued me in.”
“Perhaps I could have, but I wasn’t sure that was kosher. I thought it would be better if you, as the head of the committee and emcee, knew nothing about my and Rocco’s little scheme. By the way, when do you want to have our date? We can go any time this week, but I’d like to know when. My friend Brian in San Francisco has invited me to spend several days with him.”
“I can’t tomorrow night. We’re going to have our last committee meeting. Maybe Saturday? And what should I wear?”
“Saturday is good, and wear something frilly. After our gondola ride and dinner I thought we might check into a nice bed-and-breakfast—”
“Hold it,” Gina said. “If you and I check into a place like that, it’s most likely going to be owned by a relative of mine. Two of the bed-and-breakfasts in St. Helena are owned by aunts.”
“Okay, scratch the bed-and-breakfast part of the plan. How about if, instead, we take off our clothes and dance naked in the moonlight? Or get tattoos on parts of our body that aren’t usually visible?”
“I don’t recall those activities being in either of your bios,” she said, smiling.
They reached his car. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her.
“Wait a minute—you’re not taking me home. My car’s over there.”
“Oh, but I am. We’ll come back and get your car in the morning.” He came around and slid behind the steering wheel. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine. I’m not ready to face Judy Rae after a night of—well, you know.”
He reached over and grazed her cheek with his thumb. “I do know. Can’t you say it? What’s so awful about saying ‘making love’?”
“Nothing, except that I’m superstitious. What if speaking the words makes it all go away?” She was only half serious.
Josh studied her face for a long time, so long that she almost asked him what was wrong.
“I don’t expect it ever to go away, Gina,” he said. Then he turned the key in the ignition and started the car.
Gina rocked back in the seat, awed by the emotion she’d seen in his expression. As if he would do anything within his power to keep things right with her, as if nothing would deter him from this relationship. As if he’d pay $10,000 to win a date with her even when she wasn’t in the running.
For the first time she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, this would work out.
“O SOLE MIO,” SANG THE gondolier in an unbelievably good baritone as he propelled them on the calm Napa River. Josh spread a toast round with more of the delectable artichoke-parmesan spread, made fresh that day from locally grown artichokes. He fed it to Gina, who was reclining on a bank of cushions with a wineglass in her hand.
“Doesn’t he know any other songs?” Gina asked. “He’s been singing that one for about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll ask,” Josh said. When he’d arranged for the gondola ride he’d chosen the gondolier who could sing in the most languages, but the reservations clerk had neglected to inform him that Luca didn’t speak English. Sing in English, yes. Understand even one word, no.
Josh stuck his head outside the curtain that provided privacy for the interior of the small cabin. “Luca,” he said. “Sing another song?” He pantomimed singing, but not very well.
Luca stopped singing and smiled from ear to ear. “Sì, sì, signor.” He resumed singing “O Sole Mio.”
“Let me try,” Gina said, scrambling toward the opening. Josh didn’t think this would do much good, since she had already told him the extent of her knowledge of Italian, learned from Rocco when they were both children: Italian curses.
“Scusi,” Gina said. Luca stopped singing and smiled again. “Um…per favore…could you sing some other melodias? Songs? Different?”
Luca appeared puzzled as he poled the gondola along. Suddenly, a lightbulb seemed to go on in his head, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Ah, sì, sì, melodias.” He winked, and Gina settled back against the cushions. Luca immediately launched into a lusty rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” rife with mispronunciations but sung with gusto.
Gina and Josh looked at each other and burst out laughing. Josh passed the bruschetta. “Try some of this,” he said. “It’s good.”
“I still can’t get over the trick you and Rocco—I mean Roxie—played,” Gina said. “I didn’t have a clue what was going on until you told me.”
“I have to admit that bidding for myself was my idea. When I found out you couldn’t bid, I had to figure out some way for us to get together. I definitely wanted to participate in the auction because I knew you were working hard to make it a success. Plus I’d already signed up.”
“I’m sure you made at least a couple of women’s hearts go pitter-patter when they saw your name and picture in Kasey’s brochure.”
“Only a couple? I must be slipping. Anyway,
I had the idea of bidding for myself, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. That’s where Rocco stepped in.”
“I was blindsided.”
“Hey, it was fun. And so is this.” He pulled the curtains around the cabin of the gondola, enclosing them in their own private world. “How about another appetizer? One that wasn’t on the menu?”
“Show me what you have in mind,” she whispered, raising her lips to his.
Luca, having done the worst he could to “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” burst into another verse of “O Sole Mio,” and Gina, giggling, broke away from their kiss.
“Stop it,” growled Josh. “Kissing isn’t supposed to be a laughing matter.”
“Neither is ‘O Sole Mio.’ And if this is the appetizer, what’s the main course?”
“Never mind that, but I’m eager for you to try dessert,” Josh said.
“I can’t wait,” Gina murmured close to his ear.
LATER, AFTER DINNER IN St. Helena, Gina lay in Josh’s arms on his bed at his apartment. She had agreed to go there only after he assured her that Judy Rae had gone back to her daughter’s house in San Diego that morning.
“I’m so sleepy,” Gina said, yawning.
“You mean I can’t convince you to—”
“No. Not again. Maybe tomorrow.”
“We’ll go out for brunch after church. Someplace fancy. How about it?”
“Sounds good. By the way, do you want to come to Mother’s birthday dinner on Wednesday night? We’re having it at Barb and Nick’s.”
“I’d love to, but I’ll have to let you know later. I want to see Brian this week because he’ll be leaving on another business trip soon. I’d like to come to Maren’s party, though.”
“It’s not exactly a party, only a family gathering. We’ll end it early because it’s a school night. Don’t worry, Nick’s birthday is coming up soon. You’re invited to that, too.”
“It seems as if someone in this family is always having a birthday,” Josh mused.
“With so many people, that’s what happens.” Her eyelids were growing heavier and heavier, and she adjusted her head more comfortably on Josh’s shoulder.
Heard It Through the Grapevine Page 19