Page 1 of Bargain with the Bachelor
Chapter One
Biologically Incapable of Cool
You can’t completely comprehend the term “shaken” until you find yourself playing an accidental game of Seven Minutes in Heaven with your unrequited lifelong crush at a swanky society fundraiser. – Hunter Bestia
She looked almost too good to be real, like a mirage—or one of those photoshopped magazine images of models you probably wouldn’t look twice at in real life.
I considered taking a sharp detour, cutting across Bellevue Manor’s oceanfront lawn and not stopping until I reached my own house several doors down.
But then she lifted one hand in a tentative wave, indicating she’d spotted me too.
My heart lurched forward and slammed against my sternum like the cold Atlantic waves crashing against the nearby cliffs.
Time to man up, Hunter. Talk to her. Show her how you’ve changed.
I crossed the marble terrace toward her, making my way through a sea of designer dresses and tuxedoes, my pulse thrumming harder than the savage war drums in one of my brother Jack’s best-selling fantasy novels.
Drawing closer, I confirmed it was no mirage. Kristal Bianco, the girl I’d longed for pretty much every day of my entire middle school and high school career, was indeed real and standing right in front of me, looking even more unattainable than ever.
Somehow my voice came out sounding normal, though my belly vibrated with nerves. “Hello Kristal.”
“Hunter!” She rose to her toes and gave me a brief hug, laughing brightly. “I thought that was you. How long has it been? Wow, you look incredible.”
It took me a few seconds to respond. The combination of her scent, her compliment, thehug, and her utter gorgeousness had fried half my brain circuits, leaving me fumbling for words.
“Oh, uh… since graduation. So what is that… eleven years?”
“Twelve. I thought you were a math genius,” she teased. “Wow,” she said again, shaking her head and looking shockingly delighted to see me. “What are you doing here?”
“My brother Jack and his wife were coming and told me I should make time for it. Support the cause and all that.”
She nodded, still smiling. “I know the Charity Relief Foundationandmy stepmother appreciate it. Still, these things can get kind of dull after a while, can’t they? Same old people, same old small talk.”
Dullwas the furthest word from my mind at the moment. Kristal was stunning, even more dazzling up close than she’d been from afar. Back in high school I’d thought she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.
Now… she was ethereal.
Her red cocktail dress hugged her curves and perfectly complemented her pale complexion and shoulder-length black hair. She wore matching red lipstick, which only made it more difficult to stop staring at her heart-shaped mouth.
Stop. Staring.Say something. Anything.
“Yeah,” I pretended to agree with her comment. “I can see that.” Then I confessed. “Truthfully, I don’t really come to many of these society parties.”
“Lucky you,” she quipped.
What Ididn’tsay was that I didn’t have much desire to socialize with the same people who’d looked down on me, treated me like I was some lesser form of human when I was growing up poor in Eastport Bay, Rhode Island, America’s first playground of the rich and famous.
I’d only recently begun to be invited to rub elbows with Eastport Bay’s elite. My wealth, while considerable, was a newfound thing, a result of the recent launch of Chipp, my tech startup. Most of the attendees at these soirees were old money.
Kristal’s people.
No doubt she’d learned ballroom dancing and formal dinner silverware placement at an early age, attending events with her family.
Her family. Finally regaining some sense of composure, I said, “I was sorry to hear about your dad’s stroke. How’s he doing?”
Her smile fell. “Not too good, actually. It was a major one, and I happened to be out that night. So was Margot—that’s my stepmother. He was alone and didn’t get to the hospital quickly enough for the TPA to take full effect. His mobility was severely impacted, and he’s basically lost his speech. I can tell he’s really down about it. He won’t even let me take him out in public.”
“Oh man. That is rough. I’m really sorry to hear that.”
