Chapter Five Jasmine
CHAPTER FIVE
Jasmine
I decided to spend an hour or two doing some research on Miller’s Cove, but when I heard the door click shut to the apartment, I realized that I’d spent the entire day hunched over my laptop and had barely touched the sad excuse for a salad sitting beside me.
I sighed, stretching out the knots that had formed in my shoulders from hours of poor posture.
Just as I shut my laptop, Derek walked into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry,” he called over his shoulder, his tone as smug as ever. “I have no interest in whatever you were doing on your laptop. I’m not a thief.”
“Neither am I,” I shot back, rubbing my temples. Turning in my chair, I added, “And you can never be too careful. So, you were gone for a while.”
“Yeah,” he replied casually. “The old boy and I did a little exploring.”
“Did you find anything interesting?” I hoped my voice conveyed the nonchalance I definitely didn’t feel.
“Not you slamming your laptop shut when I walked in the room and then grilling me for information.” He chuckled, a sly grin spreading across his face. I rolled my eyes, willing myself not to take the bait.
“I was attempting to make conversation,” I said coolly, pushing back from the table. “But keep your little funky secrets.” I stood and started toward the sink, but his voice stopped me.
“Actually, I did find something.”
Curiosity piqued, I turned back to see him sliding into the chair opposite mine, holding a small paper bag.
The logo on the front caught my eye immediately.
A jewelry store? My stomach flipped as a cascade of questions flooded my brain.
Why would Derek have gone to a jewelry store?
Was it a gift for someone? Another woman, maybe?
My mind immediately conjured the woman from the night of my drunken tirade.
Was she his girlfriend? Did Derek even have a girlfriend?
And why, for the love of all things holy, did I care?
“It’s for you.” Derek’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, dragging me back to the present. My heart skipped a beat, and I quirked an eyebrow as he slid the bag across the table.
“What is this?” I asked, trying to sound casual even as my fingers trembled slightly.
“Why are you looking at it like it might explode?” he teased, his grin widening. But there was an edge of something—anticipation, maybe—in his expression that made my pulse quicken.
“Because, knowing you, it might,” I quipped, half joking. I flipped open the box inside, and my jaw dropped. My eyes snapped up to his in disbelief.
“Seriously, Derek. What is this?”
“I think you’re mispronouncing the words ‘thank you,’” he replied, plucking the box from my hands and sliding the most stunning emerald ring I’d ever seen onto my finger. “Ah, perfect fit.” He leaned back, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
“Are you going to answer my question?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the ring even as my brain scrambled to make sense of what was happening. There was no way this was his way of apologizing for this morning. No way.
“We got a dinner invitation,” he said, as if that explained anything.
My head snapped up. “A dinner invitation?”
“Yeah.” He pulled another box out of the bag and opened it to reveal two matching gold wedding bands.
One was smaller and more delicate; the other was broader and more masculine.
“I met one of the town’s business owners, and we struck up a conversation.
” He slid the larger band onto his finger before taking my hand and nestling the smaller band against the emerald ring.
“One thing led to another, and he invited me to dinner with his family.” He grinned, clearly enjoying my confusion. “But I have to bring my wife.”
“So you bought these rings so we can go to dinner?” I stared at the emerald on my finger, its sparkle dimming slightly under the weight of his explanation.
“Yeah.” He shrugged, turned to Tora, who was lounging nearby, and began fastening a jeweled collar around his neck.
“We have to keep up appearances. Why else would I get them?” His expression was serious, but I searched his eyes for something—anything—that would betray a deeper motive. I found nothing.
“Yeah.” I pasted on a smile. “That makes sense.”
“Do you like it?” he asked, nodding toward the ring. “Because if you don’t, we can exchange it for something else.”
Did I like it? I didn’t like it. I loved it. It was the exact kind of ring I would’ve picked out for myself if I were the type of woman who fantasized about happily ever afters. But I wasn’t.
My parents’ marriage had been a storybook romance, and growing up under the shadow of their perfect love had made real-world dating seem…
bleak. Focusing on my career had always felt like the safer option.
And yet here I was, staring at the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen, placed on my finger by the only person I’d ever imagined being married to.
“Jasmine?” Derek’s voice broke through my thoughts. “The ring? Do you like it?”
“Yeah.” I held my hand out to admire it again. “It’ll do the job.” I smirked at him, earning a chuckle in return.
“What’s up with that collar?” I asked, gesturing to Tora, who was now proudly sporting his new accessory. “Does this mean I’m married to Tora, too?”
“Yup.” Derek grinned as he scratched behind Tora’s ears. “We’re a package deal. Right, boy?”
“Well, if that’s the case”—I grabbed Tora’s leash—“I’m going to take my husband for a walk before dinner. I need to make a few calls, and I’ve been sitting in this chair for, like, six hours.”
“Sounds like a plan, wife,” Derek said, his tone teasing. But the word “wife” sent an unwelcome flutter through my stomach. I shook my head, trying to banish the feeling as I headed for the door.
“Hey, you wanna put the rings away until dinner?” he called after me, gesturing to the still-open boxes.
“No,” I replied quickly—too quickly. “I’ll break them in for a bit. Get used to them.”
“Sure,” he said with a sly smile, and I noticed he was still wearing his ring, too.
“So I got the emails you sent, and this is good stuff, girl.” Cassie’s voice was filled with approval as I twirled Tora’s leash around my wrist. Tora, for his part, was enthusiastically investigating the leg of a nearby bench with the kind of dedication usually reserved for scientists on the verge of a breakthrough.
“I know, right?” I tried to match her energy. “There’s so much interesting stuff here, and we have to hit every angle. The first thing I want is to propose a collaboration with the top baking influencers, and then I want you to—”
“Jasmine, pump your brakes,” Cassie interrupted, her tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. “One, I’ve already started working on all this. Two, you haven’t even been there a whole day. And three, have you seen Derek naked yet?”
“Cassie, what the hell?” I screeched, glancing around as if the park might have eavesdroppers.
“Girl, I’m just trying to make you laugh,” she said with a wicked chuckle.
“But seriously, what is going on down there? You left for a business trip with a man who looks like Regé-Jean Page and Jesse Williams had a baby that somehow looks better in a suit than James Bond, and all I’m getting are emails about demographic reports and bakeries? I need details.”
“There are no details,” I insisted, my voice firm but unconvincing.
“Okay, well, tell me everything, and I’ll decide what’s important,” she replied, completely unfazed.
I let out a long-suffering sigh and began recounting the detailed play-by-play of my time in Miller’s Cove so far. Naturally, Cassie interjected at every opportunity with her signature brand of commentary.
“Married?! Ma’am,” she exclaimed when I got to the part about the rings.
“You know he didn’t lose that coin toss,” she added when I tried to explain how the whole “married” ruse had come about.
When I protested, she hit me with “Did you even see the coin?”
“You’re walking that man’s dog. Oh, y’all are married for real!”
“What does he sleep in? Was there a print?”
“Rings? Send me a picture,” she demanded. Then, without missing a beat, she followed up with “I’ve heard of standing on business, but a man doesn’t buy a ring like that for a woman he’s pretending to like.”
By the time I finished the story, I felt both exhausted and weirdly validated.
My intention when calling Cassie had been to discuss the materials I’d sent her, but honestly, I needed someone to talk to about Derek.
She was loudly declaring everything I’d been thinking since we’d arrived at Miller’s Cove but had been too scared to admit.
Derek had made it crystal clear that he intended to win this competition for the job. He didn’t trust me, and I didn’t trust him either. If he was flirting, it was purely strategic, a ploy to throw me off my game. I hated that I knew this. And I hated even more how much I liked it.
“Girl, are you even listening to me?” Cassie’s voice yanked me out of my spiraling thoughts.
“Yes,” I lied quickly, though I had no idea what she’d just said.
“Mm-hmm,” she replied, her tone dripping with skepticism. “Listen, all I’m saying is this: you need to figure out what’s going on with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy before he has you writing love sonnets in your demographic reports.”
“Goodbye, Cassie.” I couldn’t help but laugh. She always knew how to get under my skin in the best way.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Carter,” she teased before hanging up.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and glanced down at Tora, who had finally finished his investigation of the bench leg and was now staring up at me with his big, soulful eyes.
“Come on, boy.” I gave his leash a gentle tug. “Let’s head back. I think I’ve had enough unsolicited advice for one day.”
DVF wrap dress or Catherine Malandrino skirt?
Sleeves or no sleeves?
No makeup makeup or a full beat?
I sat on my bed wrapped in a towel, agonizing over what to wear to this dinner—a dinner I knew absolutely nothing about, with people I’d never met.
Usually, this kind of thing didn’t faze me.
It was practically my job to walk into unfamiliar situations and navigate them with ease.
I could enter a crowded room, charm the pants off strangers, and leave with enough business cards to wallpaper a small bathroom. But tonight was different.
Tonight, one particular person was the source of my stress.
Derek.
If I was being honest, I’d been avoiding him since my conversation with Cassie.
If his plan was to throw me off my game by giving me this ring, then it was working.
I’d spent the last twenty-four hours replaying every interaction, every word, every glance, searching for clues to Derek’s true feelings. Spoiler alert: I found nothing.
I needed to get a grip. I was here to do a job. My career depended on me doing that job better than the man I was sharing a tiny apartment with. Letting myself get distracted was not an option.
I finally settled on a short-sleeve, tea-length dress in a shade that just so happened to make my emerald ring glow.
Coincidence? Sure. I slicked my hair back into a sleek ponytail and opted for a minimal makeup look.
After sliding into my most comfortable heels, I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and stepped into the living room.
“Well, it’s about time.” Derek was in the middle of a tug-of-war with Tora over what might have once been a stuffed rabbit. The poor thing looked like it had been through several wars. “I was about to send in a search…” His words trailed off as he turned to look at me. “… party.”
His pale brown eyes traveled from the top of my head to the tips of my heels, slow and deliberate.
The way he looked at me made my belly tighten in a way I was not prepared to deal with.
I raised an eyebrow at him, and he cleared his throat, quickly standing and brushing imaginary lint off his pants.
“Let me put some food out for Tora, and we can go.” He headed toward the kitchen.
“Won’t he need to go for a W-A-L-K after he eats?” I spelled out the word to avoid getting Tora’s hopes up. He had a Pavlovian reaction to the mere mention of it.
“Nah,” Derek replied, shaking his head. “I’ll just leave enough for a late-night snack, and he’s got some pads in case we’re out too late.”
“Do you anticipate a late night?” I asked, trying to mask my curiosity. I still had no idea who we were meeting or what this dinner would entail.
“I honestly don’t know what to expect, but I like to be prepared for anything.” The way he said “anything” sent a flutter through my belly. I took a deep breath to steady myself.
“The rings look good,” he said casually, his eyes flicking to my hand. “They really complement that dress.”
“Why, thank you,” I replied, lifting my hand to admire the rings under the light. “They’re a perfect fit and seem to match everything I packed.”
“Funny how that works out.”
“You look good, too.” I feigned nonchalance.
My heart fluttered despite my best efforts.
Derek’s outfit could only be described as effortlessly chic.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d thrown it together in five minutes, but I knew every piece had been meticulously chosen.
His dressy-casual look—tailored slacks and a polo that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe—exuded understated luxury.
“Yeah, I just threw this on.” He shrugged, but the slight tilt of his lips told me he appreciated the compliment.
“So, you ready, wife?” He extended a hand.
“I am, husband,” I replied sarcastically, slipping past him toward the door. “Let’s do the damn thing.”
“Hey, can you do me a favor tonight?” he asked as he placed a large, warm hand on the small of my back to guide me through the front door. The touch was casual, but it sent a ripple of awareness through me.
“That depends on the favor.” I tried to sound unaffected.
“While we’re at dinner, please don’t tell anyone about me shitting my pants on the Scream Machine.”
I burst out laughing, the tension in my chest releasing all at once. “I can’t make any promises,” I teased, shooting him a grin as we stepped into the evening air.