Back to Square One (Brandon Bay Babes) (33 page)

“I knew J.J. was the one from the very beginning.
 
I could tell by the way you looked when you talked about him” Jasmine grinned, then asked the question foremost in her mind. “What I don’t understand is how you could possibly have had
sparks
with Barnaby Calder.
 
The man is a Neanderthal”

“My sparks with Barnaby were nothing compared to the fourth of July with J.J.” Kit uttered sweetly.

“Oh, mush” she retorted sarcastically.
 
“When do I get to meet this dreamboat?”

“Come for breakfast with us tomorrow and you can meet him”

“Okay, just tell me when and where” Jasmine replied.

As Kit filled her in on the breakfast details, Jasmine couldn’t help thinking; Barnaby Calder didn’t stand a chance again Jeffrey Jones.
 
Kit was head over heels for him.
 
Must be nice to feel that way, Jasmine thought sadly.
 
She
had
once; but that felt like a lifetime ago.
 
Maybe it was time to let the past go and try again.
 
Of course, she’d need a man for that; and the good ones certainly didn’t grow on trees.
 

Could her heart take another beating?
 
Was Mr. Right out there or was the world filled with Mr. Wrongs?
 
Only time would tell; maybe tomorrow Mr. Right would walk through her shop door?
 
It was a thought worth wishing for.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” Kit continued.

“Um, yeah” Jasmine replied catching the last of the conversation.
 
“Tomorrow”

*****

Jasmine walked down the street swinging her arms as she went.
 
That went extremely well.
 
Not only was Jeffrey Jones gorgeous and charming, he was most definitely returning Kit’s feelings two-fold.
 
She had a good feeling about those two; no, not just good, a
great
feeling.
 
Wearing a fit and flared sundress with little pink hearts on it, she smiled at no-one in particular and almost skipped as she made her way to her shop.

Patting a stray dog on the head as she passed Fred’s diner, she took a quick peep inside.
 
Towards the back of the diner, she saw a man engulfed in a newspaper.
 
When he lowered it, a scowl crossed her face in an instant;
Slick
Calder had clearly found a place to have coffee.
 
Damn the man, just seeing him again got her knickers in a knot; he was insufferable!

She quickly crossed the road to her shop, opened up and raced inside.
 
Whew!
Here’s hoping he wasn’t the sort to browse the shops in town; although she hardly thought that her shop,
Jewellery by Jasmine
would hold much interest for him. Knowing he was just in town for the weekend to visit his parents gave her some relief.
 
According to Kit, he now lived and worked in Silicon Valley; so with any luck, he’d be leaving town soon and she wouldn’t have to see him again.

Unlocking the display cases in the front of the store, she heard the bell on the door chime.
 
“Be with you in a second” she called out from her bent position.
 
When no-one responded, she stood up and her face drained of colour.
 

Barnaby stood in the entrance with her blonde wig swinging around on the tip of his finger.
 
Wearing a white t-shirt, low slung jeans and sneakers, Jasmine’s heart skipped a beat as his laughing blue eyes penetrated her from the doorway.

“Lose something?” he said with a smirk, tossing it across the room.
 
Jasmine caught it easily.
 
“Thanks” she said snappily, quickly regaining her composure under his snarky stare.
 
“This thing cost me a fortune, it would have been a shame to have never seen
her
again”

She continued unlocking the cases without looking at him.
 
Feeling his eyes on her every move, she confronted him with a glare.
 
“Anything else?”

“No” he said walking deeper into her domain.
  
“I must say though, I did think of keeping
her
as a remembrance of our time together or possibly holding
her
for ransom”.

She looked at the blonde pageboy wig in her hands for a moment, then put it down on the counter.
 
Jasmine quickly ran her fingers through her short brown hair; wondering what he thought of her elfin Audrey look.
 
She was certainly no
Marilyn
this morning!
 

“Is that right?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
 
“So what stopped you from entering a life of crime as a kidnapper?”

“I discovered that it was the girl wearing the wig and not the wig itself that was of more interest and of infinitely more value” he grinned.
 
“Also, I much prefer talking to someone who can talk back”

She looked at him dubiously, “Pretty words
Slick;
what happened to preferring me with my mouth shut?”

He walked towards her and the display case stopped him coming too close; Jasmine was undeniably glad for the separation. It was amazing how much smaller her shop felt with his presence in it.
 
“You do have a mouth on you
Blon
…” he shrugged, “guess I’ll have to come up with a new nickname for you”

“How about
Not Interested?
” she said with an innocent blink.

“Like I said, a mouth” he commented, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. “For someone so little you do make a whole lot of noise”

“If you must know, I’m not usually so vocal.
 
In fact, I’m usually the calmest, nicest and happiest person you could meet” She wagged a finger at him, “
You
, Barnaby Calder, bring out the worst in me”

“Likewise I’m sure, Jasmine” he said, holding back a laugh.
 

“Who told you my name was Jasmine?” she asked curiously.
 
The sound of her name on his lips was oddly arousing.
 
But no, this guy had Mr. Wrong written all over him; and in permanent ink.

“Well, it makes sense.
 
This
is
Jewellery by Jasmine,
and here you are”

“I could just work for Jasmine, ever think of that?” she protested.

He narrowed his gaze at her, “So you’re
not
Jasmine?”

“No, I’m Jasmine” she admitted reluctantly with a roll of her eyes.
 
“I just hate you making assumptions about me.
 
Like I said, you bring out the worst”

He put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward at her, “If only we’d use our powers for good instead of evil, think of how great we could be together”

“Just what are suggesting?” she asked with a good dose of scepticism.

“A truce” he said holding out his hand to shake hers, “I like you Jasmine; you don’t play games and say what’s on your mind.
 
It’s unusual and might I add, very refreshing.
 
I’m thinking we could be friends”

“
Friends?
” she said looking at the offered hand as if she’d be shaking hands with the devil.
 
He quickly lowered it upon seeing the horror on her face.
 
“You
baffle
me, Barnaby Calder.
 
That’s the last thing I expected you to say”

“Good.
 
I’m usually considered an open book to everyone I know.
 
I kind of like being a man of mystery to someone”

“Well, I don’t like mysteries; I’m more of science fiction kinda girl”

“Why not take a chance” he smiled, “I make a great friend; I’m loyal, trustworthy and can keep any deep, dark secret you may have hidden”

Jasmine snorted at his description; one thing she wouldn’t be doing was emptying her closets of skeletons in front of
him
!

“Come on Jasmine; what have you got to lose.
 
Let’s be friends” he stuck his hand out again, this time closer to hers.

She looked at his hand again with suspicion.
 
“How do I know you don’t have one of those buzzers on your hand, and I’m going get the shock of my life?”

He turned his palm face up, “No buzzer Jasmine, no tricks; nothing up my sleeve.
 
I just figure it would be better to have someone like you on my side, rather than against me”

Jasmine looked at him intently.
 
The penny suddenly dropped.
 
“You
know
, don’t you?” she asked seriously, her eyes boring into him.

“Know what?” he replied in bemusement, but she noticed the flicker of panic in his eyes.

“You know that I’m Kit’s best friend”

He took a step back and looked away from her.
 

“Don’t deny it
Slick
.
 
It’s written all over your face” So that’s why he had the sudden urge to get all buddy-buddy!

“All right, I won’t deny it.
 
Yeah, I know” Turning back to face her, he continued coolly, “You could have let me in on that little tidbit of information when I was spilling my guts to you last night about her.
 
You and Kit must have had a great laugh at my expense”

“To tell the truth, I haven’t said a word to her about you; except for the fact we met at the party” she frowned back at him.
 

“You haven’t?”

Shaking her head at him, she noticed he was visibly relieved, but still on edge.
 
“So this “friends” business was just a ruse to do
what
exactly?
 
Get close to Kit, or make sure the best friend didn’t tell her about what happened in the car last night?”

His face filled with colour.
 
“A little of both, I guess”

Jasmine glared at him.
 
She’d discovered his ulterior motive, but the guy actually seemed to be ashamed; could it be the arrogant jerk had a conscience?
 
“So what now
?”

He shrugged in defeat.
 
“I guess the ball’s in your court”

“Oh yeah.
 
I got your balls right where I want them” she wickedly grinned.

He cringed at her remark.
 

Jasmine laughed loudly.
 
“Oh you should see your face” Swallowing her giggles, she cleared her throat.
 
“Don’t sweat it
Slick
.
 
Your secret’s safe with me.
 
I suppose I can’t blame a guy for trying to get lucky; you just tried it on the wrong girl”

His demeanour loosened up a little.
 
“Thanks Jasmine.
 
I appreciate it” he said nervously.