Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
CAROLINE
H oly Santa Clause and all his reindeer, this was the most amazing bath she’d ever been in. It didn’t even come close.
Of all the places to get stranded in a snowstorm, Caroline had to admit that Jack’s house might just be right at the top of the list. Up to her neck in bubbles, there was a good chance she might have just died and gone to heaven.
Of course, it had taken her stupid pulse a while to calm down after Jack’s impromptu visit… mainly because she’d had a hard time stopping herself from “accidentally” opening the ensuite door… just to see what happened.
Grinning at the thought, Caroline wriggled her toes in the warm, scented water. This. Was. Bliss. She hadn’t realised just how much she’d missed having a bath - and that was just a normal bath. This tub was on a whole other level!
Right now, she was staring out of a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over a snow-covered beach. There wasn’t much to see right now as it was almost dark, but she could hear the white-tipped waves as they crashed onto the sand.
Caroline leaned her head back and let her eyes drift closed as she did her best to let it all sink in. She was in a real movie star’s house. Hell – not just his house, either – his private ensuite!
Jack was nothing like she’d dreaded him being. Far from an aloof, spoiled, entitled celeb, he was warm, funny… and seriously cute.
‘And look what you wrote about him,’ sighed Caroline, considering sinking under the bubbles with shame. She’d torn him apart. More than once. Despite the fact they’d already talked about it, and he’d joked and shrugged it off… Caroline couldn’t help but feel sorry for it now.
She’d been wrong… especially about him buying this house. He was clearly desperate to make a proper home for himself here. It was also pretty obvious that he was having a hard time figuring out how to bridge the gap between being the Hollywood star who was hounded wherever he went, and the charming, funny, dorky man who cared enough to let her use his ensuite and check what she wanted for tea.
He’d asked her to help him decorate his Christmas tree for heaven’s sake. Could he be any sweeter? This was all her Christmas fantasies rolled into one.
As for the Crumbleton Christmas lights… she hadn’t given them a second thought since she’d asked him if he’d be willing to help her out. She’d simply been having too much fun. It might have been a bit of an accident waiting to happen when she’d decided to drive to Crumbleton Sands with the snowstorm looming large, but it just went to show that not all accidents had to have sad endings.
‘Don’t think about endings!’ she whispered through the steam.
‘Caroline?’
Caroline yawned, her eyes fluttering open.
‘Helloo? You okay in there?’
A soft knock made Caroline sit bolt upright. Deep water swirled around her – and it was decidedly cooler than it had been a few seconds ago.
Or… maybe not just seconds?
‘Hi!’ she said quickly. ‘Hi… won’t be a sec!’
‘There’s no rush,’ came Jack’s amused voice from the other side of the door. ‘I just wanted to check you hadn’t managed to fall asleep and drowned yourself.’
‘Nope – not drowned!’ said Caroline. ‘Still wide awake!’
‘Well, that’s good,’ chuckled Jack. ‘Because there’s no way the press would believe you’d died in some tragic, fluke accident.’
‘Huh?!’ said Caroline, sloshing to her feet and praying that he didn’t burst in just to check she really was okay.
‘Come on – do you really think anyone would believe there hadn’t been some kind of foul play on my side of things after all those mean reviews you wrote about me?!’ said Jack.
Caroline paused mid-way through wrapping the voluminous bath towel around herself and cocked her head. ‘Okay… you might have a point there,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘Sorry to disappoint – but I’m alive and kicking. I’ll be out in just a sec.’
‘No worries,’ said Jack. ‘The food’s ready when you are.’
‘Okay – thanks!’ said Caroline, pulling a face as she spotted how pruned her fingers were.
How long had she been in there?!
‘Oh!’ said Jack. ‘What do you want to drink?’
‘Erm…’
As much as she’d love nothing more than to settle down with a fancy-pants G&T right now, Caroline didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. Besides, her stomach had started to growl with what could only be described as vigour. Maybe alcohol wasn’t the best choice.
‘Erm… what have you got?’ she hedged.
‘Wine… red, white. Beer, cider… whatever you fancy really!’ said Jack. ‘I can re-boil the kettle if you’d prefer something hot?’
Re-boil?! How long had she been asleep?
‘What are you going to have?’ said Caroline, eyeballing her clothes. She could really do with getting dressed… but she didn’t dare unwrap herself from the safety of the towel until he’d cleared off.
‘Red wine I think,’ said Jack.
‘Count me in!’ said Caroline. There. That was nice and easy. ‘I’ll be down in two secs.’
‘Cool.’
Caroline strained her ears and listened as Jack’s padding footsteps disappeared across the plush bedroom carpet on the other side of the door. Two seconds later, she caught the unmistakable clatter as he trotted back down the stairs.
‘Seriously?’ she muttered, yanking on her jeans while her hair dripped where the ends had rested in the bubbles. ‘You fell asleep in his bathtub?! Smooth!’
As much as her growling stomach was urging her to hurry, Caroline took a few moments to make sure that the bath was clean and then took a peep in the mirror to check that her mascara hadn’t slid halfway down her face. After swiping beneath her eyes for several seconds, she decided she’d have to do – after all, it wasn’t as though she’d brought her makeup bag with her… more’s the pity.
It didn’t matter, anyway. She didn’t need to worry about what Jack thought, did she?
Nope. Definitely not.
She didn’t care what the cute, lovely film star thought of her one little bit.
‘Liar,’ she muttered, unlocking the door and padding across his bedroom. As she made her way past the bed, she spotted a script she must have missed earlier poking out from beneath the edge of the blankets.
Grabbing it and tucking it under her arm, Caroline hurried back downstairs, her stomach grumbling in anticipation as she went. It was only just dawning on her that she hadn’t actually eaten anything since breakfast.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, Caroline ground to a halt. The sight that greeted her made her hungry in a whole other way.
Jack was sitting at the kitchen island, perched on a stool, engrossed in a script he had open in front of him. It was chunky and closely typed, and he was wearing a pair of dark-framed reading glasses.
Holy moly!
How was it possible for the man to look even cuter with the glasses on?! They made him look… well… like her type of bloke. Whatever that was. He was completely adorable, and hot!
Caroline’s knees promptly turned into jelly.
No way! Get a grip woman!
She wasn’t about to fall for a film star who was only ever in the country for a few days a year. There was no way that’d work out – even if she wanted it to.
Which… she kind of did.
Caroline could feel a blush sneaking across her cheeks again. Suddenly, she wished she was back up in the ensuite so that she could hop into the shower and get a blast of cold water.
Who was she kidding, anyway? Jack Jones could have anyone he wanted. Why would he want to be with a small-town reporter with boundary issues, whose main source of intimate conversation was an ailing spider plant?
He wouldn’t.
There wasn’t any point thinking that way… even if it was a rather delicious fantasy! She’d just have to blame it on the Christmas lights and the fact that Jack had some old crooner on the record player making everything feel even more cosy and twinkly than it had before her bath!
‘Oh hey!’ said Jack, turning to find her staring at him. ‘I didn’t hear you come down… nice bath?’
‘Maybe a bit too nice.’ Caroline smiled at him, feeling suddenly shy. ‘Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long.’
‘Not at all,’ said Jack. ‘Anyway, I have to admit to snaffling a few bits of cheese and a couple of olives while you were up there!’
‘I don’t blame you!’ said Caroline, her eyes roving over the vast spread he’d prepared for the first time.
‘I know it’s probably overkill for just the two of us,’ said Jack, ‘but I didn’t know what you’d like, so I put out a bit of everything.’
‘It looks amazing!’ said Caroline, heading for one of the high stools. She avoided the one right next to him – there was far too much danger of “accidentally” brushing up against him if she sat there. Instead, she opted for the one around the corner. It afforded her a wonderful view of his face… and easy access to the cheese board too – bonus!
‘Well… happy Christmas,’ said Jack, passing her a plate.
‘Thanks!’ said Caroline. ‘Though you’re a bit early.’
‘Only by a week, said Jack with a shrug. ‘Plus, I’ve got crackers, so that makes it official!’
Caroline wriggled with excitement as he passed one over.
‘Are these fancy-pants ones with Fabergé eggs inside them?’ she said.
‘Erm… only if that’s what they sell in Bendall’s?’ said Jack.
‘Then probably not!’ laughed Caroline. ‘Here – pull!’