Читать книгу Thwarting Cupid - Lori Crawford - Страница 5

Chapter 2

Carissa stared at the clock on the bookshelf in her living room. A little after two in the afternoon and she felt like she'd aged ten years. While waiting for the tow truck to arrive, she'd called her boss to let him know what had happened and that she wouldn't be in that day. She had AAA so she was able to have the car towed to her preferred mechanic with less hassle than expected. Now she was just waiting on the verdict.

She wanted the shop to get back to her before involving her insurance carrier. Given the damage, she knew that to be a whole lot of wishful thinking on her part. Still, if she could get the car fixed herself, she wouldn't have to worry about her rates going up. That was the suckiest part about this whole thing. The accident hadn't even been her fault. Yet she was the one being punished because the other driver was a jackass.

The more she thought about the man, the angrier she became. She was thrilled she'd gotten a picture of his license plate. With any luck, he could be tracked through that. The officer had told her that leaving the scene the way he had was a crime. Maybe they'd toss him in a cell and throw away the key once they had him in custody. Still, that didn't help her if she was without a vehicle.

Uncomfortable with her vindictive thoughts, Carissa decided that she had to do something. Anything. She shoved her feet into her tennis shoes and headed out the door. The day had been pretty sucky up to this point, but it didn't need to remain sucky.

She was fortunate enough to live in an area of the city that had a distinctly small-town feel to it. She felt safe walking almost anywhere at any time of day or night. She just never had the opportunity because she was always on the way to work, at work, or on the way home from work.

Then again, it hadn't been all bad. That Officer Garcia who'd responded to her call had been quite a cutie. She hoped he had forgotten to ask her something in his rush to leave so he'd have to call.

Then she shook her head. Who was she kidding? The man had to be happily married with a passel of adorable little kids. The thought made her more sad than jealous. She wished she had her own family. At least then she wouldn't feel quite so alone and, well....expendable all the time. She'd have a place to belong.

Her legs pumped faster along the sidewalk while the thoughts kept assaulting her from every angle. She'd expected to at least be married before losing one of her parents. She'd never imagined going through such heartache without somebody to lean on. And yet here she was. She'd not only weathered her mother's death, but her father's too without any kind of support system.

Losing her mom had been easier because she'd had to be strong for her father. She'd never forget the way he'd almost collapsed in her arms when they'd gotten the phone call in the middle of the night that her mom had passed. And that was after they'd known the day was coming since her mom had battled ovarian cancer for the previous three years. Her mom had been the love of her dad's life for over forty years. It had been a devastating blow for them both, but him in particular.

Watching her parents together those last few years had solidified what she wanted in a relationship if she should ever be lucky enough to date. Somehow, no one ever seemed to be interested in her. Or if they were, something would happen that would send them skipping merrily off in a whole new direction and forgetting all about her. It was really very strange. If she believed in such things she'd think she were cursed or something.

She shook off the melancholy thoughts and sat down on a bench overlooking the ocean. If her love life weren't going well, or at all, at least things were comfortable on the home front. She'd moved from her first apartment so she no longer had to put up with a crazy landlord. Her new apartment was much bigger and in a much nicer area of the city. And to top everything off, she lived within walking distance of the ocean. That was the biggest plus of all. Of course, this move cost her more in rent every month, but she couldn't be happier with her place.

The only thing that made her sad was that both her parents had passed before having the opportunity to visit her new digs. The thought made her sad all over again so she tried to shake it off. There was nothing she could do to change any of that. She needed to let it go.

Instead, she focused up the beach a ways on a small group of people in what appeared to be some kind of martial arts class. She watched, fascinated, while they kicked and punched and grunted in unison. They were all dressed in comfortable workout clothes except for one guy, who wore a dark suit. Carissa couldn’t stop looking at him. He looked familiar. She just couldn’t quite place him.

Deciding to get a better look, she strolled toward the class. She tried not to be too conspicuous, but it was hard to get a clear view of the guy because he kept buzzing around another man in the class. He nodded often and looked like he was encouraging the class member, telling him how good he was when his skills clearly sucked compared to his classmates’.

More than once, the man got out of sync with the class and would then glare at the suit guy.

“It’s okay, man. Shake it off. You can do this. Just hang in.”

Fed up, the class guy stopped and planted his fists on his lean hips. “Look, Kelvin. You were fired yesterday, you’re fired today, and you’ll still be fired tomorrow.” Carissa edged closer. She tried to pretend she wasn’t eavesdropping, but being on an open beach with not much else around to distract made it difficult.

“Robby, baby. You don’t mean that. We’ve been together for how long? Six years? You can’t just throw away your career like this…”

‘Robby baby’ got in Kelvin’s face. “You and my career have been mutually exclusive for a very long time now. I booked my last three pictures without you. That Hummer you’re so proud of? You didn’t do a darn thing to earn it.”

Kelvin touched the Bluetooth on his ear. “What are you talking about? I’ve been on the phone all morning. Lining up auditions and callbacks for you. I’ve earned every scrap you ever tossed my way.”

And just that like that, Carissa knew why she recognized him. This was the jackass who’d rear ended her that morning. Her focus zeroed in on the guy almost to the exclusion of everything else. Before rational thought returned, she stomped over to the two men.

“You!”

They both looked at her surprised. Kelvin held up his hands. He stepped between her and Robby. She had no doubt that the obtuse man had no idea who she was.

“My client is very busy. No autographs.”

His response served to make her that much more angry.

“This is what you were doing when you slammed into the back of my car this morning? Making phone calls for a client who’d fired you?” Carissa glared at him. It took a moment, but recognition dawned on his face at last. Coward that he was, he backed up a bit. Just enough so that Robby now stood between the two of them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He cast a look around the martial arts students. None of them were even pretending to continue with their training. “This woman is crazy.”

Carissa cocked a hip and planted a hand on it. “I’m crazy? I’m not the one mowing down other drivers and then leaving the scene. Hit and run. Does that mean anything to you?”

Fear flashed over the man’s face. Robby frowned and looked at the guy.

“Loser. You wonder why I want nothing to do with you.”

“No, no. She’s making it all up. Robby, you have to believe me.”

The man was an inch from begging. Part of Carissa wanted to feel sorry for him. The other ninety-nine percent of her being wanted to make him suffer. She pulled out her cellphone and snapped his picture. She gave him a humorless smile.

“Perfect. I’ll see that Officer Garcia adds this to the case file. So he’s sure he’s tossing the right man in jail to rot.”

Panic settled on the man’s face. “Give me that!” He lunged at her. Carissa dodged away.

“What? It wasn’t enough for you to total my car? Now you want to steal my cellphone? Dream on.”

“Give me that phone!” he demanded. He looked as serious as a heart attack when he advanced on her again. Carissa decided to cut her losses. She turned and walked away. Kelvin followed.

“I am not playing with you.”

Carissa picked up the pace. So did he. She broke into a run.

“Get back here!”

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.

A door closed somewhere beyond the tree, shaking her out of her thoughts. The building across the way was pretty much hidden by the leaves, but she could still just make out an outline of a porch. She had no idea who lived there. Maybe she should make more of an effort to meet her neighbors. If she had done that before, she would've known long ago that Hutch lived right across the street from her. It was mind boggling.

Carissa shut off the water and grabbed her towel from the rack to dry off. She paused when she noticed the bruise forming on her arm. She rolled her eyes. It was a byproduct of her little run-in with Kelvin, no doubt. She’d contacted Officer Garcia the moment she’d gotten home. She hadn’t been able to reach him, but his partner had given her an email address to which she could mail the photo. She’d taken care of that before they’d hung up. It was almost too bad. Garcia had been a hottie, too. Carissa frowned. Was it wrong of her to be thinking of one hottie while getting dressed for a date with another?

Before she could work that thought through, a new problem struck her. Carissa hadn't the faintest idea what she should wear. Her hands froze while her mind made a desperate mental search through her closet. Hutch hadn't told her the name of the restaurant so that was no help. He had said they could walk down to Main Street, which meant she'd need to wear comfortable shoes. Knowing the types of restaurants lining the street was no help either. They ranged from totally upscale to beyond beach casual.

She hung up the towel and headed to her bedroom naked. She stood in front of her closet, hoping the visual would help her decide. She didn't want to appear to have made too much effort in case she had read him wrong and this was just two friends having dinner and getting caught up on each other's lives. But if he was thinking ‘date,’ she'd need to go in a different direction with her selection.

She laid a blouse on her bed and pulled out the slacks she always wore with it. Was this too business-like? Carissa held up a skirt and thin sweater that had sparkly thread knitted in. Was this too fancy? She groaned. Why was this so hard? She never fussed this much over her appearance. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't already seen her at her fanciest best or her grungiest worst, given the tasks they'd undertaken as volunteers.

Carissa fingered the blouse and mused how much easier it would be if she could just see what he was wearing first. She cocked her head at the thought. He was walking over to her place, right? She had a pretty long driveway, which would be plenty of time to spy what he had on and then slip into something comparable before he got to the door. Perfect!

While she laid out one more choice, Carissa got that not-so-alone feeling she would get every now and again. Even though she knew it was ridiculous, Carissa still looked around her bedroom as if she could see who was spying on her. She hastily pulled out a matched set of bra and panties in an effort to feel less vulnerable. When she bent over to slide the panties on she felt a twinge in her low back, which made her frown in confusion. She stood up and waited to see if she felt it again. She hadn't ever experienced anything quite like that before. She forgot all about the feeling of being watched to focus on what she'd just felt.

When nothing else happened, she shrugged and picked up the bra. Now that she'd solved the wardrobe thing and decided that her being watched was impossible through her window’s closed blinds, she wondered how much make up should she wear. It was unseasonably warm out and humid near the ocean. The last thing Carissa wanted was for her face to go sliding off while she and Hutch walked. That would not be a good thing, she thought, bending over to adjust her bosom inside the bra. And that was when all hell broke loose.

The twinge of pain she'd felt before magnified into flaming daggers that seemed to radiate from her low back, down her legs and up to her shoulders. Tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks and she collapsed on the bed in utter agony. What the heck was happening?

When the shooting pains eased, Carissa could feel her back muscles clench and spasm even though she was doing everything she could to remain still, hoping the pain would subside. She let her legs dangle off the side of the bed which seemed to help a bit, but she was still in agony. Even though the pain in her back was bad, the pain in her heart was worse. She knew she'd never be able to go out with Hutch tonight. With the pain as bad as it was, she could barely complete a thought. She'd never be able to hold up her end of a conversation. And that was assuming she could manage to walk down to the restaurant with him.

Carissa looked at the clock. She had thirty-eight minutes before he arrived. Maybe, just maybe, she could get herself together before then. The pain had come on pretty fast. Perhaps it would leave the same way. Holding tight to that thought, Carissa squeezed her eyes closed and prayed for relief in time for her big date. Her fist clenched the bedspread and tears continued to fall, but she was going to find a way to go out with Hutch that evening.

* * * *

Quincy groaned in frustration. His luck was getting beyond bad as of late. First, he'd been called off to help a couple patch things up in Colombia. Next, he'd had to make a pit stop in Beijing where a western bride was getting cold feet moments before marrying her eastern fiance. Talk about one heck of a busy day. So busy, in fact, that he was just now getting back to Carissa.

He'd hoped to have a nice quiet evening relaxing with her while she watched television or read a book. He'd thought he'd hit the jackpot when he'd arrived to find her in the shower. He'd arrived just in time to catch sight of her perky nipples and slick wet body before she'd shut off the water and toweled off. Though to be honest, Carissa dry was just as good as Carissa wet. Especially since she had the wonderful habit of walking around naked for a few minutes afterward.

He'd been simply standing there, admiring the view of her luscious curves, minding his own business and plotting how he was going to keep whatever men she ran into tonight away, when the waterworks started all over again. Man. Hadn't she had enough of the crying for one day? He knew he had. Quincy grimaced when he saw how she'd grabbed at her back. That car accident must be catching up with her.

He hated to leave, but the agonized crying was always too much for him. It was for most cupids. They dealt in love and joy and happiness. He wasn't built for tears and he was glad. Even the happy ones had a way of grating on his nerves. But the other kind, well, they were just something else altogether.

He contemplated her clenched muscles. Whatever plans she had for the night were definitely off. He wouldn't have to stick around and screen possible suitors while she was in such a sorry state. And it just might give him a stay of execution with the higher ups. They couldn't expect him to find her match while she was in such a pathetic state. If he were right about her back, it would be weeks before she'd feel up to doing much more moving around than she had to. It was perfect.

She sucked in a harsh breath and gave a pitiful moan. That was his cue. Quincy unfurled his wings and disappeared from the bedroom.