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Jasper had gym business to attend to, so I went back to my cottage alone. This was almost a date. It was worthy of a full-on grooming session. I shaved my legs and under my arms, and trimmed my bush with a pair of nail scissors.
After a long shower, I slathered myself in moisturizer and stared at the woeful selection of underwear I’d packed. There was nothing remotely pretty and no time to go shopping for more. The plain black bra and black panties were the best of a bad bunch. If the lighting was dim, they might appear to match.
My wardrobe was limited. I settled for clean jeans, and a tight-fitting black camisole underneath my floaty shirt. I’d packed the bare minimum of make-up too. The last thing I expected was to meet someone, let alone sleep with them.
Gods. Tonight wasn’t a random doped-up shag. Jasper wanted to spend the night with me. Glorious anticipation made me shiver. I should buy condoms, in case he didn’t have any. I had enough time to drive to the nearest shop and be back by seven.
I drove past Jasper’s house on the way out, as a pretty blonde girl knocked on their front door. She looked familiar. Where did I see her before? The shop was only a few minutes away, and I was soon heading back with my purchase tucked into my shoulder bag, the only petite-sized thing I owned.
No. I wasn’t going to think about the size of my arse tonight. Not when Jasper had made it abundantly clear that he liked me as I was. I can’t stop thinking about you. I wanted to hug myself. Even better, I wanted to hug him. Naked.
In all probability, I’d be spending the night at his place, so I grabbed my toothbrush and a clean pair of panties before I set out to walk the short distance. I remembered to bring a tub of cupcakes, and since there’d been no time to decorate them, I also took a bag of icing sugar and a miniature bottle of tequila. I could whip up a simple frosting when I got there.
To say I was excited would be the understatement of the decade. I trotted up to their house and took a moment to calm myself, so I didn’t appear out of breath. A series of deep woofs sounded when I rang the bell, and I hoped Holly or Jasper remembered to hold the hellhounds back.
Holly opened the door, and to my relief, there was no sign of the dogs. “Caitlin. Come in. Should I take these?”
I handed over the cakes. “I need to ice them. It’ll only take me ten minutes.”
“Mmm... I can’t wait. I’ll put them in the kitchen. You go in the lounge.” She gave my arm a quick squeeze. “The dogs are in one of the spare bedrooms, so you’re safe.”
Did she know Jasper invited me to stay tonight? Should I mention it? “Thank you.” Before I could say anything else, she disappeared into the house.
I walked into the lounge and there was Jasper leaning against the windowsill, talking to the blonde I saw earlier. She spun around and I remembered where I’d seen her. In the bar up the road, when we went out for pizza.
Like Cindy, she was stunning, but in a hippy fashion. A long skirt hung from her narrow waist, and a multitude of colored metal bangles decorated each wrist. Dangly earrings sparkled in the light, and she wore more mascara than I’d use in a year. She smiled at me and tugged down her lacy sleeves, the trailing ends of which covered her hands. Her bracelets made a pretty chinking noise when they moved. “Hi,” she said, her voice low. “I’m Steph. You must be Caitlin. Jasper was just talking about you.”
Steph. Holly mentioned her. While my brain tried to recall the conversation, Jasper walked up to me, slid one arm around my shoulders, and kissed me.
“Hey,” he said. “You look great.”
Standing next to Steph, I felt like a lumbering elephant, but I pushed the thought away. “Hey,” I echoed. Was Steph another ex-girlfriend? And why did I care? He invited me here tonight, and that was all that mattered.
I looked at her and held out a hand. “Yes, I’m Caitlin. Nice to meet you.”
Panic flitted across her eyes and she shrank back, wrapping her arms around herself. Christ. I was chubby, not toxic. I was tempted to tell her she couldn’t catch fat, but managed to rein back the snark. I was leaving the inner bitch at home tonight.
“I was hoping to talk to Holly,” she said to Jasper.
He shrugged but kept his arm around me. “Hol’s busy. Why don’t I ask her to call you?”
Steph hunched her shoulders. “Do you know when Zack is coming home?”
Jasper hesitated. “Yeah... no. Not really.”
What had I walked into? Last time I came here, it was to find Cindy. Was there a succession of gorgeous blondes who took turns to lurk in Jasper’s house?
Moisture gleamed in her eyes, and she swiped at them with her fingertips. “Do you want me to leave?”
“I think it’s for the best.” Jasper spoke gently. “Zack’s still in Germany, but I’ll let you know when he’s back. Okay?”
“Thank you.” Her lower lip trembled, but she gave me a tight smile. “Goodbye, Caitlin. It was nice to meet you. I’ll let myself out.”
She left the room, and Jasper pulled me into a tighter embrace. “I thought she’d never go.”
I was about to ask what he meant, when the doorbell rang. The dogs barked, and Jasper looked puzzled. “It’s like Wellington Station during rush hour. We’re not expecting anyone else.”
Steph opened the front door, as we reached the hallway. A tall guy wearing fatigues stood on the doorstep, and Steph squealed, before hurling herself into his arms.
“Fuck,” said Jasper, as Holly emerged from the kitchen.
That had to be Zack, but what was the deal with Steph?