Page 48 of Bargain with the Bachelor
I laughed, thinking of Patricia, whowasquite attractive… for a seventy-nine-year-old. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Patricia is taken. She and her husband just celebrated their fiftieth.”
The guy snapped his fingers and screwed up his face in mock disappointment. Then he gave me an appraising glance.
“Maybeyou’dbe free later then? After your shift. I mean, you’re no Patricia, but I’m in town for a couple of days, and I’d love to see the sights with a local.”
Instead of answering his question, I responded with one of my own. “You look very familiar. Has anyone ever told you that you look like someone famous?”
“I have one of those faces,” he said casually as if he heard it all the time. “So what do you say? If you’re worried about going off alone with a stranger, the manager of this place knows my parents. They own one of the houses along Oceanview Avenue. He can vouch for me.”
I narrowed my glance. “I thought you said you wanted to sightsee.”
“I do. My parents may own a house here, but that doesn’t mean they’re in town. It’s one of their properties, and I’m visiting it for them to make sure it’s being taken care of and run well. I’ll be happy to show it to you… but I’d prefer to seeyourfavorite Eastport Bay venues. Shall I come back and pick you up when you get off work?”
Iwouldcheck with my boss to verify the guy’s story, but I got a good feeling from him.
“Sure. I’d love to. It’s been a while since I played tour guide. And you won’t have to come back. I’m off in a half hour. We can just leave together.”
“Great.” He beamed at me. “I look forward to it.”
The guy had paid for breakfast in cash, but he gave me a credit card for lunch. When I took it to the register to ring it through and saw the name on the card, I realized why he looked familiar. I’d seen his face on the nightly news.
Before I could take his slip back out to him, Jana came charging into the back office.
“Did youseewho’s out there? Larson Overstreet from WNN. He’s so much taller than he looks on TV. And hotter.”
“Really?” I said blandly. “I hadn’t noticed.”
When my shift ended, Larson and I walked out of the inn together. A familiar black Bentley was parked in front. Hunter got out, wearing a determined look.
“You’re a little late for lunch,” I joked to cover the instant attack of nerves brought on by his unexpected appearance. “Robbie might get you a to-go box since you’re hisfavoritecustomer.”
Hunter came right to me, appearing not to even notice Larson’s presence or famous face.
“I’m not here for lunch. I came to give you a ride home. It’s too cold out today for your bike, and there’s ice on the roads. It’s not safe.”
“Which is why Tucker gave me a ride to work,” I said sensibly. “But I’m not going home now. I have plans.”
Turning to gesture toward Larson, I said, “Hunter Bestia, this is Larson Overstreet. His family has a house here in Eastport Bay. Have you two met?”
Hunter’s gaze strayed from my face to take in Larson’s svelte six-foot-something frame, well-tailored clothing, and perfectly in-place hair. He frowned but grasped Larson’s hand in a firm handshake.
“No. Good to meet you. Visiting your folks?”
Larson smiled. “Just their beach house. I’m in from New York for the weekend. I recognize you—congratulations on the success of Chipp. So you’re a friend of Kristal’s?”
The frown deepened as Hunter ascertained Larson and I were on a first name basis. He flicked his eyes to me before staring directly into Larson’s.
“We live together,” he said bluntly.
A yelp of a laugh escaped my throat. “Along with six other people,” I clarified quickly. “We’re housemates. We’re actually filming a reality show pilot—I’ll tell you all about it in the car.”
Larson arched a tawny brow. “Really? That should be an interesting story. I look forward to hearing it almost as much as I look forward to your tour of Eastport Bay’s finest highlights.”
Hunter’s frown morphed into a full-on scowl. “Could I speak to you for a moment, Kristal—privately?”
Touching Larson’s arm, I asked, “Would you mind? I’ll just be a minute.”
He smiled. “Sure. I’ll get the valet to pull the car around. Hunter—good to have met you.”
