Bidding on the Bachelor

by Kerri Carpenter

  And it would give her some semblance of control. The independence she craved. Jasper got it.

  “I understand that. Listen, why don’t we table all of this for now and talk about the café? The lawyer will be here soon for us to fill out the paperwork.”

  She nodded, but Jasper sensed something was still off. He didn’t understand what bothered her so much. He was only trying to take care of her.

  He put everything else out of his mind as they went over some legal documents. When the official business was over, he brought the conversation back around to the café.

  “I have some ideas for the logo,” Carissa said. “I was going to ask Elle to work up a couple options for me.”

  Jasper crossed to his desk and returned with a large poster board.

  “What’s that?” Carissa asked.

  “I had our art department come up with a couple of possibilities.” He showed her the board.

  She peered at them and then met his gaze. “These aren’t really what I was thinking.”

  “That’s okay. They can make more for you. Although I think this one really pops.” He pointed at his favorite logo. “It would look great up on a sign. Don’t you think?”

  “Well, I...”

  “Oh, before I forget. I found a great web designer. He can fix up what you have now.”

  She sat up straight. “I made that website myself. I’m proud of it.”

  Yikes. He needed to tread lightly. Jasper was aware that sometimes he got a little overzealous. “You did a really great job. But now that you’re expanding, you need to get something a little more professional.”

  “I don’t even know this guy.”

  “He’s a friend of a friend, but he’s worked on a ton of my clients’ websites. You’ll like him.”

  A red blush was working its way up her neck. “I’m sure I will but that’s not the point.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” Jasper continued. “I’ve been thinking about your menus.”

  She sat up straighter. “The menus for my catering business?”

  He nodded. “I have some small suggestions.”

  Carissa rose, paced to the window and returned to the table. “You have suggestions for the menus that I created? Me, the caterer? The area where I actually know exactly what I’m doing and that has nothing to do with your café?”

  He observed her for a few moments. He could see that she was agitated. But he didn’t understand why. He wanted this business to succeed for her.

  “Like I said, I have small, tiny, minuscule suggestions.” Another thought popped into his head. “Oh, and about the hours you set—”

  She slapped her hands on the table between them. “Jasper, stop it.”

  His attention flew to her. The blush now covered her face. Red cheeks, alert eyes that had turned a much darker shade of gray sat across the table from him. “Stop what?”

  “You’re trying to control me.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m trying to help you.” Wasn’t he?

  “Help me? By making every single decision for me? By completely ignoring all of the things I want to do?”

  “That’s not what I’m doing,” he said, defensiveness coating his words.

  “Yes, it is, and I don’t want to work this way. I don’t want to live this way.” Her lip trembled. “In fact, I already have lived this way. That’s how I wound up back in Bayside.”

  Anger smacked him right in the gut at that comment. “Are you comparing me to your ex-husband?” Now he rose and met her strong gaze.

  She looked away. “Yes, I am, because you’re acting just like him. ‘Do this, Carissa. Act this way, Carissa. Choose this logo, these hours, this menu, Carissa.’”

  Jasper felt like she’d slapped him. How could she compare him to her ex? He was nothing like...

  He couldn’t even finish the thought. Instead, he glanced down at his notes. All of the ideas he had for the café. Maybe, well, maybe there were some controlling elements at play. But he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted her to succeed.

  He took a step toward her but she retreated farther away. “Car, don’t you get why I’m doing all this?”

  She shook her head slowly, her eyes darkening. “No, I don’t think I do.”

  The intercom on his desk rang out and Sherry’s voice filled the room. “Mr. Dumont, your lawyer is here.”

  Carissa ran her hands over her face. Jasper pressed the button on the intercom. “One minute, Sherry.” He pinned her with a stare. “Why don’t we just sign the papers and discuss the rest of this later?”

  She stood in the middle of the room, frozen. Her beautiful face was set in a stoic expression. Jasper would give anything to read her thoughts at the moment.

  “Car?” he asked.

  “I can’t do this, Jasp. I’m sorry.”

  With that, she gathered up her belongings and quickly made her way to the door. She couldn’t do what? The café or their relationship? In either case, panic rose in his chest as he watched her walk away with his heart in her hand. For the second time in his life.

  Chapter Eleven

  Bayside Blogger @BSBlogger

  What recently reunited couple is ALREADY calling it quits? Check my blog for the full story.

  Carissa would have liked to spend the entire day in bed. Instead, she was surrounded by copious amounts of chocolate chips, bags of flour and sugar, and more butter wrappers than one person ever needed to see in their lifetime.

  Despite wanting to curl into a ball and mope for the next week—or year—she’d promised Riley she would bake cookies for the high school fund-raiser. She might have walked out on Jasper and the Save the Day Café, but she wouldn’t let the kids down.

  You’ll just let Jasper down.

  Every time she thought about Jasper, it felt like a very large, strong fist was gripping her heart and clenching it tightly. If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t even felt this way at the demise of her marriage.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” she said as she took a break from cookie-making and made a cup of tea.

  She’d only been in a relationship with Jasper for a short time, and that relationship was supposed to be light and fun and not serious. She’d been with Preston for almost ten years. But when she compared the hurt from being cheated on to how she’d felt learning that Jasper had interfered in her life, the adultery took a back seat.

  Because Jasper was so much more important to her than Preston had ever been. She guessed that the more you cared about someone, the harder it hurt. And it did hurt.

  She knew she’d panicked. Pure and simple anxiety as she watched Jasper taking the reins of the café. Not to mention, learning that he’d interfered at his mother’s party when she’d first arrived in town.

  The frustrating part was that she knew it came from a good place with Jasper. Yet she still felt terrified. Carissa wanted her independence. She didn’t want to rely on anyone. At some point yesterday, she’d been sitting in his office watching her life spin out of her control. Again.

  It hadn’t ended well the last time. As Jasper spit out names and possible vendors, she was transported back to her fancy Chicago condo with Preston.

  “Of course I love it. But I just can’t believe you bought an entire condo without consulting me.”

  “What are you talking about? I did this for you.”

  Hadn’t Jasper said something similar yesterday? The problem was, she didn’t want people to do things for her. She wanted—needed—to do them herself. Because if she didn’t, she was following in her father’s less-than-illustrious footsteps.

  Now she’d run out on their business deal and had no idea where she stood with Jasper. She wished she could reflect on it more only... Ding. The oven timer reminded her why she did
n’t have time to dwell on the situation.

  She took the sheet of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven and shoved the next sheet in. After setting the timer, she turned back to the disaster she was currently calling a kitchen. There was no way she could get all of these cookies done in this one small kitchen, with one equally small oven, all by herself. What had she been thinking trying to open a café? Really, she was doing Jasper a favor by walking out on the contract signing.

  “Stop thinking about Jasper. Focus.”

  Like that was going to happen. She so needed help. A knock sounded on the front door. As if on cue, Riley stood on the porch, wearing a darling outfit of skinny jeans, flats, a banana-yellow shirt, and a matching bright yellow scarf with lime-green polka dots around her neck.

  “You look like something out of an old Audrey Hepburn movie,” Carissa said by way of greeting.

  “Why thank you.” Riley beamed. “Not gonna lie. I’ve seen you look better.” She eyed Carissa’s outfit of pajama bottoms, ratty Northwestern T-shirt she’d had for a million years, and unbrushed hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. If she had to guess, there was more than likely flour on her face and raw dough behind her ear.

  Carissa let Riley inside. “Please tell me you’re here to help. Please, please, please.”

  Riley put her hands up in front of her. “Whoa, girl. I’ve never seen you like this. Cool-as-a-cucumber Carissa never freaks out.”

  “Well, I’ve turned a new leaf. I’m in way over my head with these cookies.”

  Riley stood back and gave her a long once-over. “Cookies, I can help with. But...is there something else going on? You seem upset, and not just because of the baking.”

  Carissa was running her hands over her face, rubbing her tired eyes. In answer to Riley’s question, she blurted, “I think Jasper and I broke up.” She hiccuped to hold in the tears that threatened.

  Riley’s face morphed from question to sympathy. She led Carissa to the couch and forced her to sit down. “I’m sorry. What happened? No, wait, we need Elle for both this conversation and the cookies. Give me a second.” Riley whipped her phone out, then had a quick conversation with Elle. After, she brought Carissa’s tea to her and made a cup for herself while they waited for Elle, who showed up fifteen minutes later.

  “Good thing I just hired someone to help out at the gallery. Now, what’s going on?” Elle said as she breezed in and sat on the other side of Carissa.

  Flanked by her friends, Carissa sighed and then told them the entire story. She started all the way back in high school with her dad’s antics and finished with her fight with Jasper in his office yesterday.

  “It’s like he didn’t even see how controlling he was being. I know he was trying to help, but there was a point when I was sitting there that I thought about my future. And it resembled my dad’s life,” she finished in a quiet voice.

  Riley raised a hand. “And there is the real issue.”

  “It really is, isn’t it?” Carissa agreed. “It’s not exactly the same scenario as my dad but there’s this way in which I would be relying on someone else. It’s Jasper’s investment and it was all of his suggestions and ideas and none of mine. Plus, we’re in a relationship. I would be dependent on him for everything.”

  Elle was tapping a finger to her lips as she considered. “On the one hand, it’s kind of sweet. On the other, it’s controlling and I get why you freaked.”

  Riley sat forward on the couch. “Where do you and Jasper stand now?”

  The question set off a flurry of nerves in her stomach. She shook her head. “I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to him.” She clasped her hands together. “And I haven’t heard from him, either. I think I really messed this up.”

  “You reacted honestly,” Elle said. Her loyalty touched Carissa. “I’m surprised Jasper hasn’t called or come over here.”

  “I’m not,” Carissa admitted. She took a moment as her friends patiently waited for her explanation. “Jasper has always had an issue with being good enough. It started with his family and was exacerbated by our breakup after graduation. I basically rejected both the business deal he was so proud of and our relationship yesterday.”

  “That’s not exactly what happened,” Riley said.

  “That’s how he’ll see it, though.” Carissa knew him. He hadn’t called because she’d hurt him.

  Riley patted Carissa’s hand. “I think you guys can work through this.”

  Could they? Carissa wasn’t so sure. There was ten years of hurt and sadness and confusion between them. How could she be with someone who had the ability to get inside her so easily? Who could hurt her more than anyone else? Why would she allow that person in her life? Give them control over her emotions?

  She was aware that both of her friends were eyeing her with concern. But she needed some time and space to work this out on her own. A master at changing the subject, she did just that.

  “We have another problem,” Carissa said. “A problem that might have a simpler solution.” Elle narrowed her eyes and Riley leaned forward. “The cookies. One oven and mounds and mounds of raw dough. I need some help.” She checked the clock on the TV. “With less than twenty-four hours to go.”

  “Oh, that,” Riley said, swishing her hand through the air as if this problem was nothing. “You got us. We can help bake.”

  Elle agreed. “I’ll have to check in on the gallery throughout the day and go back to close up, but other than that, I’m here at your command. Put me to work.”

  Carissa let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I’m sorry if I ruined whatever plans you had today.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Riley said. “What do you say we put your independence issues and all things related to Jasper Dumont aside, and bake some damn cookies.”

  She couldn’t help herself, Carissa grinned. “Now, that sounds like a plan.”

  * * *

  “We are done,” Riley said triumphantly.

  Elle stretched her arms high over her head. “I can’t believe we did it. I’ll be seeing flour and sugar and sprinkles in my dreams for weeks, but we did it. How many did we make total?”

  “One million,” Riley answered around the peanut butter cookie she had just shoved into her mouth.

  “Not quite that many, but close,” Carissa put in.

  She looked at each of her friends. Two women who hadn’t been in her life a couple months ago. Now she couldn’t imagine what she’d do without them. They’d stayed up the entire night mixing recipes, laying out cookies on trays, baking, and repeating the whole process over and over again. They’d consumed a whole extra-large pizza, countless cups of coffee and more cookie dough than was probably wise.

  “Thank you both so much. Literally, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now we have two hours to spare before the fund-raiser begins. I’m going to go home, make out with Cam for a little bit, and then take a shower.”

  “Same,” Riley said as she crossed to the door. “You know, except for the making out with Cam part. And I think I’m going to plan another outfit around this scarf. It’s fabulous and totally got wasted being here with you two all night.”

  Carissa laughed as she fingered the bright yellow material. “This scarf is fabulous and so are you.”

  Riley beamed. “See you guys at the high school.”

  Carissa waved goodbye from the door. Exhausted, she stood there a moment, taking in the fresh air. The weather had finally cooled off and she could smell the beginnings of fall. Leaves were just beginning to turn their autumnal colors. She might even need a jacket today.

  Carissa didn’t know how long she stood like that, one foot on the porch. But luckily the sound of her phone pulled her back in. Then she saw the name of the caller. Mom. Carissa sigh
ed. She was way too tired for this. But manners had her saying hello anyway.

  “Carissa, sweetheart, it’s so good to hear your voice.” Her mother’s bright, cheery voice was so familiar and comforting that it had her heart longing for a hug.

  How long had it been since she’d seen her parents? Too long. But it was so hard to be around her father. Every time she was, he’d go on and on about trips he’d taken and new things he’d bought.

  “It’s good to hear your voice, too, Mom. What’s up?” She poured herself a glass of orange juice as she listened to her mother.

  There was silence on the line. Never a good thing when dealing with her mother. Finally, her mom offered that mother of a mother line that had kids shaking everywhere. “Anything you want to tell me?”

  Where to start, Carissa thought.

  Instead, she decided to play it cool. “What do you want to know?”

  “I’d like to know why my only child moved back to Bayside and didn’t so much as mention it to her loving mother?”

  Carissa bit her lip. It did sound bad when it was put like that. “Who spilled the beans?”

  “Aunt Val mentioned it in passing. The question is, why didn’t you?”

  She shrugged but then remembered her mother couldn’t see her. “I don’t know, Mom. I made the decision pretty fast. I had to get out of Chicago.”

  “Because of the divorce?”

  “Because of the divorce and the fact that I didn’t have anywhere to live or any money or any friends or a job.”

  “Oh, baby. Why didn’t you come here? We would have taken care of you.”

  Just like you took care of me when Dad spent all your money? Like how you left me to figure out higher education on my own? Like when you ripped everything away that I’d known my entire life at a very scary time?

  She didn’t say any of that, though. Sometimes old wounds were better left alone. “I wanted to figure it out for myself.”

  She could practically hear her mother’s smile. Even through the technology of cell phones, she sensed her mother relax. “You always were independent.”