Falling for You (6 page)

Thanks, Evan. That’s just what America needs to see — my giant ass bending over on a fifty-inch plasma.

Cassidy stared at Evan, fuming while the corner of his mouth curled upward slightly. Her eyes narrowed in response. Sure, it was funny on his side of the camera, but this side was riddled with humiliation and diet motivation.

“Seriously?” she whisper yelled at him. “You don’t have to film every single second.”

He shook his head slightly as if to tell her not to speak to him. He was lucky. She could suggest a few places for him to point his camera rather than at her ass.

“That should be everything.” Rachel inadvertently broke Cassidy’s focused anger at the camera when she spoke.

Cassidy measured, mixed, and kneaded the dough, stretching it into a circle then used a container of fresh tomatoes and spices to make sauce from scratch. Finally topping it all with pepperoni, pineapple, and cheese. She carefully placed her creation into the wood-burning stove.

As expected, by the time she finished, she could have walked off the set of a horror movie. Her clean white apron was splattered with bright red sauce, but by some miracle, she’d managed to keep her dress clean.

Cassidy tried unsuccessfully to wipe her apron clean. Sighing, she tossed the red-stained towel back on the counter, admitting defeat against the mess she’d made. A snicker sounded from behind the camera. She forced herself to ignore it. Ignore him.

Cassidy scanned the room. The other girls were all very involved in their dishes. She spied Paige putting the finishing touches on what appeared to a massive cheeseburger.

Huh? She won’t even try a bite of my cake at dinner, but she’ll eat that massive thing?

Cassidy gaze moved away from Paige to Zoe who carefully constructed a dish of lasagna with tongs.
Ha
, she giggled.
Heaven forbid you should actually get your fingers dirty.

What was it about Zoe that bothered her so much? It wasn’t like she’d never been around bitchy girls before — hell, New York was full of them. Maybe it was that Zoe had been on a show before and therefore had an advantage over everyone else. Or maybe it was because no one but Cassidy seemed to care.

I’m going to get laughed at on TV with a lame pizza.

Evan stood silently filming her every move. Would she ever forget Evan and the camera were watching her?
Not likely.
She eyed his flexed biceps as he held the camera steady.
Nice.

Now why would a guy like Evan, someone who had the body to climb mountains, be hanging around filming a boring reality show? Why wasn’t he out filming something exciting?

Evan’s head peeked out from behind the camera. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently questioning her.

Don’t stare directly at his muscles, dummy!

“Um, do you think pizza is okay?” She hoped to distract him from the fact she was caught ogling his body. Again. “It doesn’t seem like much compared to everyone else’s.”

Evan grinned, giving her a slight nod.

Cassidy sighed as he tucked back behind the camera — almost invisible. If she could get her mind and body to forget he existed, she might actually be able to concentrate on her task instead of his bulging biceps.

Spencer strode into the kitchen. “Lauren, you’re the first to meet our bachelor.”

“Oh my gosh.” Lauren screeched and turned pale. “I’m so nervous.”

The room buzzed as Lauren left carrying a tray covered by a silver dome. Cassidy could feel the tension in the room increase as the girls whispered to each other. She wondered who would be called next, praying that it wouldn’t be her.

After ten minutes, Lauren strolled back into the kitchen with her tray of picked-over food. She seemed dazed as she flopped into a chair.

Spencer reappeared again. “Courtney, we’re ready for you now.” Courtney bounced out of her seat with a squeal of delight, grabbed her silver tray, and disappeared out the door. As it swished shut behind her, the girls turned on Lauren, swarming her like a pack of piranhas.

“What’s he like?”

“Was he nice?”

“Is he as cute as we imagined?”

“He’s … amazing,” Lauren started, sounding slightly bemused. “He’s gorgeous, and funny, and nice, and so hot.”

The girls continued to fire questions barely giving Lauren a chance to breathe. Before long, Courtney bounced back into the kitchen and another girl was called. The swarm of girls turned to question Courtney, leaving Lauren in peace.

Cassidy went to the stove. The cheese on the pizza melted and bubbled. She used the long wooden peel to slide the pizza out of the oven and placed it carefully on the tray Rachel had put on the counter.

Well pizza, let’s hope the bachelor likes the simple things in life.

“Cassidy, it’s your turn,” Spencer called from the door.

Cassidy slipped out of the dirty apron and grabbed her pizza. She walked carefully to the door, paying close attention to putting one foot in front of the other.

Evan followed a few feet behind her. She seemed to have developed an unnatural ability to sense his presence, but she didn’t have time to think about that now. She had to concentrate on walking without falling. This was not the moment for her clumsiness to strike again.

She followed Spencer into the next room. It was a large dining room adorned with red linen table clothes, gleaming silver utensils, and sparkling crystal wine glasses. In the center of the room sat a small, intimate table bathed in candlelight and surrounded by cameras.

Oh no, no, no. No way.

Behind the table sat a very tanned, bleach-blond man who could have washed up on the beaches of Hawaii. Make that the beaches of California.
Brad?

Her ex? No way. This couldn’t be happening.

Cassidy stumbled to a stop, unable to make her brain believe what she saw. There was no way the world was cruel enough to make her ex-boyfriend Brad become the mystery bachelor she had unknowingly agreed to date. This had to be a joke.

Oh, Universe, you have a vicious sense of humor.

“Cassidy?” Brad laughed, shaking his head as she walked across the room and placed the tray on the table.

At least I made it without falling on my face.

“This is an interesting twist.” He smiled, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. His voice dripped with self-confidence as though he wasn’t flustered in the least at seeing her here so unexpectedly. He’d always been cool, even under pressure. “It’s been a long time. Sit, join me for dinner.”

Cassidy pulled out a chair and sat perched on the front edge of the seat. She closed her eyes and forced a deep breath into her lungs.
He’s not here. He’s a figment of my evil imagination. Why is my head spinning?
She opened her eyes again. Brad sat there, still smiling at her, waiting for her to say something.
Damn it.

“How are you, Brad?” she asked, keeping her tone even. The last thing she wanted was to let him know how uncomfortable she was seeing him here.

She’d forgotten how cute Brad was — the perfect image of every girl’s surfer fantasy come to life. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to get excited. Sure, he had a hot body, but she also knew he cared more about himself and surfing than he ever would about anyone else. Memories of Brad telling her she wasn’t enough for him and that he was moving back to California infiltrated her mind.

A familiar ache blossomed in her chest as the pain she’d worked so hard to push aside threatened to surface again. She clenched her hands together in her lap under the table, willing the sting of his rejection to dissipate. Brad wouldn’t hurt her again.

“I’m fine,” he said. “How’s everything with you?”

“Fine. Great. Awesome.” She didn’t want to talk about her life … the life he left for California.

Just behind Brad, Cassidy spotted Evan. She was surprised to see him there. She assumed he would always be following her. It made sense for him to be there to capture her reactions, but she hadn’t expected it.

Cassidy wondered if Evan had placed himself in that exact spot with more than good filming angles in mind. It seemed too convenient. Every time she looked at Brad, she was also inadvertently looking at him. Or maybe she was reading into things too much — wishful thinking.

Now Evan I could stare at all night. He’s completely drool-worthy.

“So,” Brad said, getting her attention again. “What did you make today?”

Cassidy removed the silver dome. “Pepperoni and pineapple pizza.”

“Oh, Cassidy. I can’t believe you still eat that crap. Pepperoni and pineapple should never go together, especially on a pizza.” His eyes crinkled slightly in the corners, giving the distinct impression of distaste.

“Maybe if you actually tried it for once, you’d see it isn’t crap.” She tried to tease instead of get annoyed at his all too familiar stubbornness. “It’s sort of amusing that after months of refusing to try it with me, now you’re being forced to.” Cassidy slid a slice onto a plate and placed it in front of Brad with smile.

He carefully used a knife and fork to cut off a piece, hesitating briefly before taking a bite. “Not as bad as I feared. I’m not sure I’d wish for it if I was on a deserted island, but to each their own.”

“Well, you’re eating it wrong. You have to pick it up and fold it.” Cassidy took a slice, folding it so the two sides of the crust squished together and held it like a paper airplane. Taking a bite, she closed her eyes, savoring the taste as the sweet and spicy mixed in her mouth. “Tastes great to me.”

“I’m not sure if I like the pizza, but I certainly like watching you eat it.” He raised an eyebrow at her, a crooked grin on his face. “I used to love watching you eat pizza like that. Why do you think I always suggested stopping to pick up a slice when I don’t even like pizza?”

Cassidy glared at him. She finished chewing, and barely managed to swallow. She tossed the remainder of her pizza back onto the plate. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Evan’s jaw tighten as though he was gritting he teeth together.

“Silly me. I assumed you knew it was my favorite. Sorry to make you suffer through the pizza.”

“It was worth it to see you eat it like that again.” Brad winked at Cassidy, flashing her a smile that could make a heart skip a beat — any heart but hers.

“Aren’t you going to finish?”

Not with your pizza-fetish eyes watching me.

“I’m full.”

“Pizza was an interesting food to pick. It wasn’t like the rest of the girls — not your typical girl food.”

“What exactly is a typical
girl
food?”

“Like the stuff the other girls made — vegetarian lasagna, veggie burgers, big salads. You know, healthy stuff. Rabbit food. I’m all for eating vegetables, but can I get them alongside a nice juicy steak and a loaded baked potato?”

Cassidy wasn’t sure if she should feel flattered that her food wasn’t “rabbit food” or annoyed that her food wasn’t “typical girl food.”

Brad sat forward, reaching for Cassidy’s hand. She moved it into her lap and leaned back, putting as much distance between herself and Brad as she could.

The last thing she wanted to do was get all warm and cozy with her ex-boyfriend. That achy feeling in her chest she’d had earlier was gone and replaced by annoyance. She’d hoped to forget about her real life problems while on the show. Instead, she was having dinner with one of them.

Not cool, Universe. Not cool.

Brad leaned back to mirror Cassidy. “Not in the mood to talk?”

“I’m not in the mood for anything if you’re involved.”

“That’s my girl. Feisty as I remember.”

“I’m not your girl. I stopped being
your girl
when you dumped me and decided to move across the country.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but your time is up, Cassidy,” Spencer said, reappearing beside the table as if a magician had abracadabrahed him there.

“Great.” She sprang up from the table. “Lead the way.”

Brad came around the side of the table, pulling her into a tight hug. Cassidy stiffened. She wasn’t ready to share a meal with him, let alone share her personal space, regardless of the past.

Cassidy peeked over Brad’s shoulder to Evan, his camera focused on her in Brad’s embrace. She shifted uncomfortably in Brad’s arms as Evan watched her in the arms of another man. She didn’t enjoy the embrace with Brad, but Evan didn’t know that, and she didn’t want him to think she had.

Cassidy watched as Evan’s jaw tightened for the second time. He seemed a little flushed, too, but she couldn’t be sure if that was an effect of the weird lighting and all the red linens in the room.

“It was good seeing you again.”

Was that regret in his eyes?

Couldn’t be. In all the time she’d known Brad, she’d never known him to regret a decision. Not even when they’d gone to Mexico for a long weekend and he’d insisted they could drink the water in town while they were away from the resort. Not even when she’d been confined to the bathroom for the rest of their trip. Nope. He stood by his decisions.

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed you.”

“Mmm,” was all she could muster. Any form of agreement would have been a lie. She remembered all too clearly the pain he’d branded on her heart when he’d left and how hard she’d worked to get over him. Those feelings were in the past and she wasn’t prepared to revisit them. Her love for Brad was gone and one meal together wasn’t going to bring them back together.

And if that ache in her chest decided to return, she’d chew a few antacids and be done with it.

Cassidy walked back into the kitchen and was attacked by the waiting girls. While she answered questions, the last two girls presented their food to Brad.

“Isn’t he everything you hoped for and more?” Julia had a dreamy quality in her eyes.

“Um, yeah, he’s great.” Cassidy hoped it sounded convincing since she wasn’t fooling herself. Actually she hoped he would suddenly come down with a contagious disease and have to leave the show immediately. Then they could get a new bachelor —
that
would be awesome. It also wasn’t likely.