Bachelor's Special (18 page)

Hell, Jill was a “for keeps” girl, he felt it in his gut. She wouldn’t have kissed him the way she had, made love to him like she had—if she didn’t feel something more.

“Damn idiot.” Chet thrust his fingers through his hair, digging into his scalp. He shouldn’t have waited. Fear of her rejection and his own insecurities wouldn’t let him voice his feelings earlier that morning when they’d retaken the pregnancy test.

“Idiot.” Regret filled him. If he’d told her, maybe things would be different. Maybe Jill would still be here.

Chapter Twenty

“Damn it, Mel. Tell me where she went. Tell me how I can contact her.” Chet stormed through Jared’s front door—now Jared and Mel’s front door.

Jill had left more than two weeks ago. He’d been unable to find any trace of her. He called her number and left numerous messages. To the point he came off like an obsessed stalker. His last attempt, less than an hour ago, failed, too. Jill’s number had been disconnected.

Mel. His last hope. She and Jill were best friends, and she knew where Jill had gone. He’d tried several times to get her to break her confidence, but a new determination filled him today. He wouldn’t leave until she gave him the answers he wanted.

Two weeks had turned him into a desperate man.

Mel glared at him as she stood beside his brother. Her shoulders snapped back and her eyes narrowed into that look he’d become so familiar with over the last fourteen days.

“No. It’s no wonder she didn’t return your calls if you barked at her like this. Jeez. Must be the Castle charm gene skipped you.”

“I’m not in the mood for your humor.” Though, now that he thought about it, he probably had barked when he’d left messages on Jill’s phone. But only out of desperation and frustration. He needed to speak to her. See her.

“And I’m not in the mood for your threats. My friend’s hurt. Because of you and—”

“Do you know where she is?” His heart dented his ribs.

Mel turned away, a cascade of red hair blocked most of her face, but not before Chet witnessed the look she gave Jared. A look that spoke of a secret.

“Damn it, bro. You know, too.” How had his own brother watched him fall apart without confessing he knew? Of course. He loved Mel and wouldn’t break their bond.

“Don’t get me involved in this. Not fair.” Jared crossed his arms over his chest.

Chet struggled for calm against his quickened pulse. “Mel. I’m begging you. Please tell me where she is.” Chet dug his fingers through his hair. With the amount of times he’d done that the last couple weeks, he should have a bald spot by now.

“I…I can’t, Chet.”

The waver in Mel’s voice gave him a pinch of hope. “Why won’t you help me?”

“I made a promise, and I’m not breaking it.”

“Bro, tell her why you want to know where Jill is. It might sway her.” Jared delivered an arrogant grin at Chet, but when Mel glared at him, his eyes went puppy dog. “Babe, give him a chance. You won’t believe it coming from me. But now that you can see his face, when
he
tells you, it might change your mind.”

Mel’s blue eyes penetrated through Chet with spear-like precision. She rested her weight on one foot, tapping the other in a heavy rhythm. “Go ahead, Chet. Sway me.”

He actually gulped. Mel Butler could be intimidating if she put her mind to it. No wonder Jared had fallen for her. Like Jill, Mel held several facets.

“I want to find her.”

“So you can torture her and make her miserable?”

“No, never. Mel, I love her. I was an idiot for not telling her as soon as I realized it, but I wanted it to be special. I didn’t want to reveal my feelings over an undetermined pregnancy test. She’d think I was saying it just because of the baby.” Chet laid it out in the open. He didn’t care if he came off looking like a love-starved teenager in the midst of his first crush.

Mel’s shoulders sagged and one slender arm shot out to grab Jared’s forearm. Her fingertips turned white. She must be giving his brother one hell of a squeeze.

“You love her?” Not only had her expression softened, but her voice turned to silk.

“Like no man has ever loved a woman.”

“Hey, don’t go starting trouble at my door, bro.” Jared chuckled, and Mel gave him a tender smile.

“You have no worries, babe. I’m confident in our love.” She looked back at Chet, the tenderness changing to sadness. Mel plopped her denim-clad bottom on the oak bench along the narrow foyer wall. “I knew it from the beginning. I knew you two were perfect for each other. Too bad you took such a bumpy road to realize it.”

Her throat bobbed several times and she looked at her shoes, apparently unable to meet the desperation etched in his face. Her tiny fingers slid a diamond pendant back and forth on the chain against her throat.

“You’re going to have to give me a few more details.” She smiled at him, her eyes bright. “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

Mel had a way with putting people at ease. Chet sat beside her, and as they talked Jared wandered from the room. When they finished sharing secrets, Chet’s tensions eased. Mel gave him hope.

“Will you give me her number? Tell me where she is?”

“I can’t tell you, Chet. Not without talking to Jill.”

“Then talk to her.”

“I will, but not when you’re breathing over my shoulder.”

…

“Mel, are you freaking crazy? I can’t fly back up there now. I start a new job in less than a week.” Jill hadn’t waited to look for work. A busy mind wouldn’t dwell on the ache in her heart. After two interviews, she’d found a job at a small Italian restaurant located on the beach.

“Please. Please, Jill. I need you,” Mel sobbed.

Jill slumped into the chair at the kitchen table in the sunny condo owned by her mother and Ed. Home alone, she’d been enjoying an afternoon on the patio until Mel rang.

“Just tell me now. We’ll work it out over the phone.”

“No, I need you here. This is big, Jill. I can’t…can’t…talk about this now. Not over the phone.” Her sobs grew and Jill’s stomach squeezed. “Have some compassion. Come home, Jill. He left me.”

“What happened? You said you set a date. Everything’s going great.”

“It is…was…is… Oh, I don’t know anymore. Pleeeease. I’ll cover the plane fare. I just need you here.”

Between sobs Jill swore she heard the faint scrapings of Mel’s signature nail file. No way. If she were as upset as she sounded…

“I need a Jill hug.”

Jill squirmed in her seat. Neither of them had used the Jill hug or Mel hug in well over a decade. Words spoken when one or the other had a horrible day and needed reinforcement from their friend.

“Mel, you’re killing me…”

The scraping sound stopped. Maybe it’d never been there to begin with.

“Does that mean you’ll come?”

Breath stalled, Jill pressed the phone closer to her ear to listen. Their connection wasn’t great, but Mel’s sorrowful voice and sobs dried up a bit too quick. Her friend’s flair for the dramatic caused Jill doubt that her situation was as serious as she made out.

“Are you still living at Jared’s?”

“Yes, he…that’s one of the things I need your help with.”

“With packing?”

“Yes. Yes, packing.”

“Have you seen Chet?”

“Why would you ask me that?” Mel squeaked.

“Because if I come, I don’t want to take the chance of running into him.”

“No worries there. Now that Jared and I…well, now that…just don’t worry about it.”

“You sound more annoyed than upset.”

“No. No, Jill. I’m more upset than ever.” Her voice shook and sobs resumed.

“I’m sorry, Mel. I shouldn’t doubt you.” Jill wanted to be there for her best friend, but any chance of seeing Chet, even if doubtful, unnerved her. She feared he’d be able to read her feelings all too easily.

“You’ll come?”

“Yes. Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Thanks. You won’t regret it.”

Jill ended the call, afraid she already did.

“You’re ditching me?” Jill couldn’t believe this. She’d arrived at the airport less than forty-five minutes ago with plans for dinner and girl chat with Mel. Now, Mel informed her with her flighty, singsong voice that Jared called and wanted to talk.

“I’ll drop you at the house, meet him to see what he wants, then I’ll be home.”

“I have a feeling it won’t play out that way.” Jill scooted sideways in her seat and stared out at the lights flickering past her window on the crowded city streets.

“I’ll be home.”

“You called me, crying and upset. I rushed to be with you, and now you’re leaving me high and dry to meet up with Jared?” She snapped her head in Mel’s direction. Not angry, more annoyed. “See. I told you to wait. If you’d just given him some time—you some time—both of you would’ve come to your senses and all would be right with the world. Again.”

And I wouldn’t be within a twenty-mile radius of Chet.

“Jeez, don’t be hating. I’d think you’d be happy we’re working things out.” Mel’s lower lip jutted forward, mimicking a child.

Tonight Mel’s antics wouldn’t work. Jill glared at her friend until Mel threw her a quick wink.

“Ugh, you drive me mad, Melody Ann Butler.”

“But you love me.”

“As unfortunate as it sometimes is, I do.” They shared a smile. No matter what, Jill couldn’t begrudge fun-loving Mel for long. Never could, never would.

“At least you’re home.”

“To visit.” Jill shot her a harsh look.

“I’ve missed you.” Mel pulled one hand from the steering wheel and squeezed Jill’s fingers.

“Well, don’t get too cozy because I’m flying out tomorrow. I’m in the middle of getting my own life back on line.” Jill’s life finally had a bit of direction, and each day she grew stronger. But knowing Chet was only miles away chinked the armor she’d built around her heart. The sooner she made her exit from this town, the better.

“Whatever.” Mel waved away her words. Her once ring-laden hand now only held one piece of jewelry. A diamond the size of a large metropolitan city—or at least a well-maintained suburb—adorned her hand. “I’ll just drop you off at the house, meet up with Jared, and be home by elevenish.”

“Or not at all. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I know you well.”

“Ditto.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Jill slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and gripped the key ring. “Yeah, good-bye. Thanks for nothing.”

Mel’s taillights dimmed, then disappeared from view. She’d barely waited for Jill to step from the passenger seat before she tore out of the driveway, then roared down the quiet street.

Jill glanced up at the neat two-story condo. Muted browns and creams blended in with all the other homes in the neighborhood, but she could’ve picked out Mel and Jared’s home without a second glance. Her friend’s love of color screamed out to her from the mind-numbing zing of the bright purple entry door.

With a shake of her head, Jill stepped on the front porch and inserted the key. She pushed the door open and breathed in the aroma of spiced peaches. Mel’s favorite candle scent. Toward the back of the house the lights glowed. More than likely her friend had left the kitchen light on. Must be nice not having to worry about paying your electric bill.

Her duffel bag thudded against the armrest of the wooden bench centered in the hall. Jill made her way toward the light. She’d fix a bite to eat and indulge in some reality television until Mel came home. If she came home.

“Welcome back, Jill.”

Oh my God!
Jill’s feet froze. Ice pellets shot through her veins and stalled her heart. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. Chet.

She turned on her heel, determined to keep cool. The one person she wanted to avoid, front and center.

She licked her lips, preparing to speak. In her dreams, when they’d met, she’d fallen to the floor in a heap of incoherent blubbering. Jill pinched the tender skin of her inner wrist.

“What…”
Yikes, did that croak belong to her?

She swallowed the pebbles filling her throat, determined to try again. “What are you doing here?”

“Since you wouldn’t return my phone calls I—”

“Damn it. I’m going to kill Mel.”

“Don’t be mad at Mel.”

“This isn’t fair. She’s
my
friend.” Hands locked over her hips, her fingers bit into soft skin above the waistline of her pants. They’d duped her, as sure as the plaid pattern plastered across her capris. “You’re both in on this.”

He stepped toward her, hand in the air in a reassuring motion. “Don’t…Jill. I talked Mel into this. Just hear me out.”

“Leave me alone, Chet. Not answering your calls should’ve been a big enough clue that I don’t want to talk to you.” Long waves of hair brushed her face as she turned on her heel.

She stopped. His breathing, mixed with her heartbeat, drowned out all noise. To run and hide would only prolong this. Eventually they’d meet up. Her best friend planned to marry his brother. Wedding, holidays, social parties, she couldn’t avoid the inevitable.

Quit running and own up to the fact. You love him
.
He doesn’t love you.
A broken heart didn’t make it okay to be a coward. So not her style. Never had been.

She’d only run once in her life. The day she’d realized she couldn’t enter into a marriage with Chet if he didn’t love her.

This could be her chance at closure. The thing that would allow her to move on. Her fingers jammed into her front pockets as she faced him. She’d stay strong.

His wide-eyed expression and the way a stray lock of hair laid across his forehead weakened her resolve. Strong, ha! Her ability to not let this man affect her was a joke. She’d missed him, more than should be humanly possible.

Damn it. Mel would pay. She’d pay big.

…

Chet forked stiff fingers through his hair. As of late, this nervous gesture controlled his life, and for the umpteenth time he considered shaving his head in lieu of creating bald patches.

Jill looked incredible. Better than the image blazed into his mind. Night after night he missed her, but to see her in person, right in front of him… Hell, he hadn’t realized the meaning of missing someone until this moment.

He held back the urge to rush toward her and pull her into his arms. They needed to talk. Come to an understanding. Or at least he did. He’d confess his feelings, and from there— It would all be left to Jill to decide where it’d go from there.

If luck were on his side, she’d have some sort of feelings for him. Their attraction still held strong, it filled the air between them, but he wanted more. He sensed she felt more, but doubt settled over him now that she stood before him. Maybe he’d misread her.

No.

They shared something special. He knew it. Even if she didn’t love him yet, with time her feelings would grow. His gut clenched with doubt. Maybe he’d already trampled any bit of caring she did have.

“Will you please hear me out? If you listen to what I have to say, then decide you don’t want to see me or talk to me again, fine. I’ll accept it.”

Her stony face softened. Her bottom lip trembled, and his blood pulsed with a tremor of hope.

“Make it quick.” Her voice shook, but when their gazes locked she answered her half of their special smile, the one that shook him to the core as it brightened her eyes.

His body melted. For a fact, he knew she cared. Now to unlock his heart and tell her how much he loved her. Without bumbling his words like a tongue-tied geek.

“Jill. I don’t…know where to start.” He sucked in a breath of air. That first-crush feeling swept through him. Inadequacy, lockjaw, no confidence. Damn, he remembered how much it sucked to be a teenager.

“You once told me to start at the beginning.” She folded her arms across her chest, mimicking the Sister Catherine stance.

She wouldn’t make this easy. Not that he deserved easy.

“Then let’s start there.” He swallowed heavily, but took comfort in the fact she did, too.

“That first night we met in the kitchen, our attraction overwhelmed me and then when you got teary-eyed, I-I lost it. I just had to kiss you. For the next year I couldn’t get you out of my mind, though I tried. Then, on our first date, when I realized you were the chef from Creations, I couldn’t believe my luck.”

“Your luck?”

“Exactly. Only I didn’t realize it was luck until I explored my feelings.”

“What are you talking about?” One of Jill’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’m getting to that, but let me finish. On our first date, when we made our deal, well, I had an ulterior motive.”

“Such as?”

“As soon as I realized who you were, I was more interested in resuming where we left off in the restaurant’s kitchen than letting you into my heart…” His fingers brushed dampness clinging at the nape of his neck. “You were beautiful. Took my breath away.”

“Oh.” Her eyes flickered from twin flames to soft silk, but only for an instant. She stared him down again until a new line of sweat dotted his brow. A tough woman; he hadn’t realized how much so.

“The more we talked, the more my attraction grew. Then, without warning, you turned and ran from the restaurant. I didn’t want you to walk out of my life.”

“And?”

“And I used the first thing that came to my mind so I could see you again. I wanted you close, and the deal I offered purposely included you living with me.”

“Did you think about asking me out on a real date?” Her hand trembled when she brushed back a lock of hair from her cheek, but her eyes burned fire.

“Come on, would you have accepted?”

She lowered her head to follow one sandal-clad foot tracing the grout pattern of the tiled floor. “No.”

“Why?”

“Now you come on.” Her head snapped up. “You aren’t in my league.”

“You’ve got that right. Your league is well above mine.”

Her eyes widened and her foot stilled. “What are you talking about?”

“I was a complete ass, Jill. I admit it. I came up with that scheme of having you work for me with one thought in mind.”

“To sleep with me.”

Chet fisted his hands deep inside his pocket. Sister Catherine should’ve taken lessons from Jill. Her narrowed gaze and compressed lips could make a hardened criminal confess his secrets.

“I wanted to see you again, but not for anything more than…than…”

“Forget it. I can’t believe you wanted to talk to me so bad to confess this. You don’t need to go on. I’ll fill in the blanks.”

“Wait. I’m not done.”

“I am.” She dragged her gaze over him from head to toe, as if he were filth on a dog coated in mud. She shook her head, then turned, about to leave. He better speak now, or he’d never get a second chance.

“No. You let me finish. After the way you walked out, leaving only a note, I deserve a chance to have my say.” He wouldn’t let her walk away until she knew the whole story. No matter what she thought of him afterward.

“You have sixty seconds.” She held out her wrist and tapped an imaginary watch. “Go.”

The woman had a way of driving him crazy. But in a good way. Her challenging tone and spitfire attitude thrilled him. Had from the first.

“You’re not the type of woman to fall into bed with me just because of a few well-chosen words. I knew I’d have to woo you. And I planned on doing it.”

“Are you seriously telling me this, what are—”

“Before you haul off and give me the well-deserved black eye curled in your fist, hear me out.” Her clenched fingers shook at her side.

“When you told me about how our kiss lost you your job, then about all the egotistical creeps you’d worked for, I knew I couldn’t go through with it. Hell, if I did, I’d have been worse than all of them combined. I decided then and there to go with my word and my instincts. I would help you succeed.”

“Getting my business up and running?” Her face paled, and he felt like an even bigger heel when she blinked back tears.

“Yes.”

Jill’s chest rose and fell in a heavy rhythm as she fought down her sobs. She hiccupped, and all he wanted to do was hold her, comfort her, but he couldn’t. Not yet. At this point she wouldn’t allow him within arm’s reach.

“I admired you, but after you shared what you’d been through, I respected you.”

“And then the day in the pool, I threw myself at you and…” Jill dragged her fingers over her brow, squeezing her eyes closed as if fighting a headache. She slumped against the counter. Her face and eyes flecked with so many contrasting emotions: anger, sadness, confusion, and…humor? “Chet, if this wasn’t so crazy, it’d almost be…well…it would—”

“—be comical.”

“I hate when you do that. Give it to me straight, are you seriously a mind reader?”

Chet relaxed for the first time in weeks. He didn’t try to cover his emotions. If he actually possessed psychic abilities, now was the time for them to kick in. He wanted her to see what he felt, and he tunneled all his energy into sending her the message. He loved her. When their eyes locked, he felt the shift of power in the room as she realized his feelings.

…

Jill’s body turned into a boneless mass. Chet looked at her with no barriers, the way a man looked at a woman he loved. She recognized it. She’d seen it between her mom and Ed, Mel and Jared, and Chet’s parents. Chet Castle loved Jill Adgate.

Her heart thudded in a crazy tempo, lights flashed behind her eyelids when she blinked. She pinched her wrist again. Yes, she was awake and alive.

“Chet?”

“Now who’s the mind reader?” He moved toward her, stopping inches away. His sun-kissed skin smelled of earthy pine, and she filled her lungs with it. His power invaded her senses, and wordlessly she palmed his cheek. “I have another confession.”

“Let me catch my breath. My head’s still soaring from the last one.” Jill grinned.

“I felt like we were a couple long before we were one. Long before I truly opened myself up to—”

“—admit it. Oh, Chet. This is crazy. I felt the same way.”

He closed his eyes and pressed into her hand. The feelings inside her couldn’t be contained, sending a warm caress through her. He was raw, baring himself to her. No restraints. Her love for him grew and swelled. The risk he’d taken at his big reveal earned her respect as well as her love. She’d been brave in walking away, but he proved just as brave by his actions now.

Could her chest make any more room for the love expanding her heart?

“Chet Castle, when did you know you loved me?”

“You burrowed into my heart bit by bit. But the night we took the pregnancy test, the first one. I couldn’t sleep. I lay in my room and replayed our conversation in the car. When you told me love was out there, for everyone…”

“If you want it.”

“I want it. I’d always wanted it, but Gina killed my trust.”

“You loved her.” Her heart shattered at the words, but she couldn’t deny the truth. Not likely at his age he’d never been in love. Of course, to be the first would be something incomparable.

He shook his head, and her heart thrummed, anticipation crawled along her skin. “I was an idiot.”

“Never.”

“I was young, and I thought what I felt for Gina was love. But I saw her from the outside only. What I felt for Gina wouldn’t have lasted. Her looks faded the more I grew to know her on the inside.”

“Oh, Chet. I’m sorry she hurt you.”

“I don’t care about Gina. I care about you.” He ran his fingers down the side of her jaw, then wrapped her in his arms. She tilted her chin until their eyes met and held.

“I won’t hurt you. Ever. I love you, Chet.”

“I know that.”

Chet tugged her against his warm, hard body. She closed her eyes as he lowered his face toward her. She breathed in a long drag of air, letting him invade her senses. Completely. When his mouth met hers, she melted into him.

His lips softened and he groaned from deep within his throat, then filled her mouth with the thrust of his tongue. Swirls of fire burned through her body, sending whips of aching heat through her blood, filling her core.

“I love you, Jill.” His breath flavored her skin as he trailed soft kisses along her forehead.

She let the fire between them settle. This felt like a dream, but his skin beneath her fingertips as she moved her hands underneath the soft cotton of his shirt confirmed they stood in a shared embrace. She inhaled his scent and rested her head against his chest, tracing heart patterns across his lower back.