Thwarting Cupid (3 page)

He chased after her. Carissa held tight to her phone and sprinted the best she could in the shifting sand. Despite his suit and dress shoes, he gained on her. She checked over her shoulder to see how close he was and ran dead smack into another man.

“Oof!” Air whooshed from his lungs.

Both Carissa and the man she’d barreled into sprawled to the ground in a tangle of limbs. She was so focused on keeping her phone safe, she just noticed in passing how solid the chest was that she used to leverage herself back to her feet. Before she knew it, Kelvin was upon them both. He grabbed her arm and yanked her up.

“Let go of me!” she demanded. Carissa struggled to keep her phone away from Kelvin.

“Carissa?” She froze when she heard a man say her name. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m–Hutch?” She finally took a good look at the man she’d crashed into. He was still in the process of picking himself up off the ground. He dusted the sand from his khakis and dress shirt. Kelvin was all but forgotten while she enjoyed the view. And he was still quite a view. Broad chest, lean hips, thick brown hair that always looked just a bit long, glorious green eyes and full lips that would be just right for kissing. Okay...she was getting a little beside herself. Move on, girl. Last time they'd talked, he'd been in a pretty serious relationship. That made him off-limits.

She needed to focus on the problem at hand. Feeling bold now that she had some backup, she leveled a haughty glare at Kelvin. “Take your hand off of me. Or would you like assault added to the growing list of charges against you?”

While Kelvin and Carissa regrouped, the martial arts class crept closer until they were hemmed in. Kelvin had no easy escape. The class formed a half circle around them while the lifeguard station completed the trap.

Robby stepped forward. “God, Kelvin. You’re such a loser. I can’t believe you totally just attacked this poor woman out of the blue. What is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t. You saw what she did, taking that photo.”

“She’s a fan. Of course she took a photo. I can’t go anywhere without someone taking a photo. No thanks to you.”

Carissa had no idea what was going on here, but she wasn’t about to question it. Nor was she able to explain it to Hutch, who was looking even more confused than she was.

“I can’t have a crazy person representing me. And just so we’re clear, you’re still fired. In fact, you’re more than fired. I’m moving to Endeavor.”

Just like that, Kelvin forgot all about Carissa. Robby pushed his way out of the crowd. The slimy weasel followed him. “Robby baby. You don’t mean it. We’ve come too far together.”

The people dispersed, leaving Carissa standing there next to a stunned Hutch. There was another man next to him wearing a bright red jacket with a white cross on the breast pocket. He was also wearing khakis and looked just as confused as Hutch.

Carissa smiled at them both.

“Hutch! What the heck are you doing over this way?” She gave him a friendly hug and tried not to dwell on his powerful arms that surrounded her for too brief a time before letting go. “Who’s your friend?” She reached out to shake his hand.

Hutch gestured toward the other man. “This is Stuart Spencer, Lifeguard Supervisor. I need him to send a couple guards to speak at one of our school assemblies. I run the Foundation for Educational Excellence, now.”

“Wow! Look at you, all grown up.”

Hutch smiled. “And you.” He gestured toward the receding class with its movie star pupil. “What was that all about?”

Carissa shrugged and tucked the phone safely in her pocket. “A misunderstanding. Sorry about interrupting your meeting.”

Stuart held up his hands, waving off her apologies. “We were finished anyway.” The men shook hands. “Email me the details. I’ll line up some folks for you.”

Hutch gave him a grateful smile. “That’s wonderful. The kids will appreciate it. I do, too.”

Stuart waved and headed up the ramp into the lifeguard station, leaving Hutch and Carissa alone on the sand. She gestured toward the ocean. “Pretty great venue for a meeting.”

He chuckled. Together, they headed back toward the street. “My office isn’t far from here. It was much easier to stalk Stuart in person than to keep calling him.”

She glanced back at the lifeguard station. “I’m glad things worked out. I’d feel horrible if I’d ruined things bowling you over like that.”

He rubbed his shoulder with an exaggerated grimace. “What’d you do, become a linebacker since the last time we saw each other?”

“Funny.” She indicated a nearby bench. “Maybe you better take a load off to recover. Or do you not have the time?”

“I'm the boss. I'll make time.” The two of them sat down. Carissa hoped he couldn't tell how eagerly she was devouring him with her eyes. Boy, she'd had such a crush on him back in the day. They'd both been volunteers for a local charity to combat homelessness. There for a moment, she had thought he might feel the same way. Then she'd gotten busy with her day job and he'd started dating some other girl. Before long, their communication had been relegated to updates on Facebook.

“I’d love to hear all about this Foundation of yours.”

* * * *

Hutch had planned to pick up lunch for his staff after meeting with Stuart. The whole office and several volunteers were busy stuffing envelopes in their most ambitious donor mailing to date. If this went well like the numbers projected, they could expect a cash influx of a couple million dollars. Even though the thought of that excited him, it didn't begin to compare to running into Carissa like this. He rubbed at his sore sternum. Literally.

She didn't know it, but the reason he'd stuck it out with Hands Helping the Homeless was because she'd been there. It had been one of the poorest run charities he'd ever seen. The leadership didn't like to be questioned, nor did they ever take suggestions. He'd been more than happy to wash his hands of them when the time came.

Still, the time there had ended up being a wonderful learning experience on what not to do. That knowledge had come in handy when he'd started his educational foundation a mere three years ago. Already, they were on the brink of their fourth expansion. He'd hired a full time ten-member staff and had a core of wonderful volunteers who all had the same passion for education he did. More than once he'd considered asking Carissa to join them, but somehow he'd always gotten cold feet because he knew it wasn't for the right reasons. Hutch wanted her there for himself. Not for the cause. He'd worked hard to keep anything not for the cause outside the door. Things were more efficient that way.

“So, yeah, it's been quite a ride,” he said, having told her all about the foundation. She was still listening with rapt attention which was an excellent sign that he hadn't bored her to death in the process of catching her up on his life. He knew he'd scared off many women with his ramblings over the past few years which meant he remained single after his last girlfriend decided to pack her bags and go backpacking around Europe indefinitely. She'd sent him a nice postcard telling him of her travels and impending wedding date to some Scottish fellow she'd met in Berlin. Funny thing was, he hadn't even been upset. Just wished the woman well.

“It sounds like it. Who'da thunk it? Little Hutch, rising from the volunteer pool of the HHtH and growing into such a big shot.” She playfully jabbed at his shoulder while treating him to one of those Carissa grins he'd missed so much over the years. She was still one of those rare folks who, when they smiled, really smiled. It was never a front. He loved how it seemed to light her eyes from the inside out. It always made him want to smile back no matter how bad of a day he was having.

So, he smiled. “Big shot, huh? I don't know about all that. It's more of a team effort. But we do put on a lot of programs which, if I do say so myself, end up being pretty amazing.”

Carissa laughed. “Of course they are. And how's Tabitha? Is she dealing well with your over-inflated ego?”

Hutch came down off his high. Carissa never failed to ask him about his girlfriends. It had always annoyed him. Not because she'd asked, but because it had always been a reminder that he wasn't single and free to pursue her. That was no longer the case.

“Tabitha is great. Far as I know, anyway. Last I heard from her, she was living in Poland with her husband, who's from Scotland.” Hutch shrugged and something dawned on him. He was single now. Should he go for it?

“With her husband? Wait a minute. How long has it been since we've talked?” She tucked an errant curl behind her ear.

“Far too long Cara, far too long.” The pet name just slipped out. He didn't think she'd remember, but she raised her eyebrows telling him she did. During an event they'd worked for HHtH, stress levels had gotten far too high. They had combated it by being super silly, and had been so in tune to one another that by the end of the evening their silliness had turned into some serious sexual tension. Even the bartender at the event had remarked that they should just “get a room.” They hadn't, but Hutch had started calling her Cara.

She'd dominated his thoughts for days afterward. He’d been unable to wait for the next time he'd see her at the foundation's office and that scared him. To try to get her off his mind, he'd gone out one night with some guy friends. He'd met Tabitha. After that, he'd gone back to calling her Carissa. She'd never mentioned the event ever again. Instead, she always just asked about Tabitha.

Sometimes, he felt like he'd taken the easy way out. Others, he thought that maybe his imagination had just run away with him for a day. It was silly of him to be scared of Carissa. She was his friend. Or maybe that was the problem. He wanted more, but wasn't sure if she did. Just the thought of her rejecting him hurt more than it should. If she had the chance to spurn him for real, he wasn't sure he'd recover. Maybe it was best that they just be friends. Or maybe...

His watch beeped. He was surprised to see how late it had gotten. The staff must be starving. “I should run.” For the first time, her smile didn't quite reach her eyes when she nodded. Just maybe... “But what are you doing for dinner? We can sit back and get all caught up.”

She wasn't expecting that one. He could tell because she'd never be a good poker player. Not with the way she wore that heart of hers on her sleeve. Every emotion she had played itself out in those big brown eyes of hers for all the world to see.

“Oh, um...dinner sounds good. But I don't know that I'm interesting enough to fill all that time.”

He stood and pulled her to her feet, too. “Then we'll talk about the weather.”

“That's gotta be more interesting than I am.”

“Whatever. Do you live over this way? I'll swing by to pick you up. There's this lovely little restaurant on Main Street I think you'll love.”

“That's perfect. I walk down there all the time.”

Hutch's jaw dropped open when she told him her address. “You've got to be kidding me.”

Carissa frowned. “What?”

“You live across the street from me. What are the chances? And how have we managed not to run into each other until now?”

“I haven't the slightest idea. That's pretty wild. I've been there for almost three years now.”

“I moved in two years ago.”

Carissa laughed. “The neighborhood went to seed and I didn't even notice.”

He made a face at her. “Seems to me it was already there.” His phone buzzed in his pocket. The staff must be ready to send out a search party by now. Not necessarily for him, but for their food. He silenced the phone, and gave Carissa another hug. On a whim, he planted a kiss on her cheek.

“I'll come over at seven. We'll walk to the restaurant together. Sound like a plan?”

“It's perfect. See you tonight.”

* * * *

Carissa turned on the shower and stepped beneath the spray. She still couldn't believe how giddy she felt right this moment. It was silly, really. It was just dinner with a friend. Granted, the friend was a hottie whom she'd wished was more on multiple occasions, but that didn't change the facts. Hutch was just a friend. When he'd called her Cara, though, she’d thought she'd heard a ‘more than a friend’ note in his voice. It wasn't surprising, considering the circumstances surrounding his giving her the nickname.

It had been a long time since she'd thought about that day. They'd bantered and flirted their way through a pretty unorganized fundraising dinner. It had been meaningless. She’d thought she'd been the only one affected by the constant looks and brushes and smiles. When the bartender suggested they get a room, she’d started to think maybe they could take it to another level. She'd gone home that night and wondered if they would still be in the same place the next time they saw each other. She had been disappointed when he introduced her to Tabitha instead. Deciding that she'd misread the signals–after all, she didn't have that much experience–Carissa had simply put everything behind her.

But now, Tabitha was out of the picture and Hutch had asked her out! Carissa tried to curb her enthusiasm at the thought. He hadn't said it was a date or anything of that nature. Sure, he'd kissed her cheek, which he'd never done before, but that was more of a friendly gesture, right? Her body didn't want to agree, since her nipples insisted on tightening at the memory.

Carissa took a breath and forced herself to think of anything else. She adjusted the frosted glass slat on the bathroom window to stare into the tree where she'd watched squirrels or an occasional hummingbird chowing down on the thick vegetation. There. That was better. Concentrating on the little bulbs that all appeared to be half eaten at this time of year meant that her hands didn’t have much chance to wander off course while she bathed. Instead, she mused about how neat it was that such different animals could feed from the same place.