[Bachelors of Buttermilk Falls 01.0] Batter Up

by Robyn Neeley

  Emma sulked. It stunk that Michael was back in town and hanging out with Caitlin.

  However, what was bothering her more was Jason’s reaction. Her fling was apparently stewing over Caitlin. Maybe it was the wine—it was probably the wine—but she had this overwhelming need to show Jason that Caitlin Reynolds wasn’t the only woman in Buttermilk Falls worth paying attention to.

  Two hours later, the credits rolled and Caitlin stood and turned. Emma’s head was spinning. She had an idea and leaned over. It’s now or never. “Jason,” she whispered, tapping his shoulder. Before he could answer she reached over and turned his head, bringing her lips within inches of his.

  Jason eyed her. “What are you doing?”

  “Just giving my fling some attention.” She nodded in the direction of Caitlin and Michael. “And maybe putting on a little show of our own.”

  Jason sat up and crossed his legs. “Look, Emma. I’m not interested in you using me to make your ex-boyfriend jealous.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing.” She turned away. Her stomach churning. “Forget it.”

  He grabbed her hand. “Seeing them together can’t be easy for you. I’m sorry that I’ve been preoccupied. I didn’t even stop to think . . .”

  She tore her hand away. “I get it. You’re into Caitlin.” She tossed her hands up in the air. “Apparently, every man is.” Reaching for the picnic basket, she began to pick up around her.

  “Emma, you’re wrong.”

  “Is that so? Don’t deny that seeing them together doesn’t upset you. You’ve been watching them all night.”

  “I am angry . . . but it’s not what you think. Far from it.”

  She stood, ready to get as far away from here as she could. “Clearly, you can’t stand that Caitlin’s with another man.”

  “No, I can’t.” He raked his hair. “Please sit down, and I’ll tell you why. I think you’ll understand where I’m coming from.”

  Sit down. That wasn’t happening. She had no interest in hearing Jason declare his interest in her rival. “This was a big mistake. I’m leaving.” She bent down and grabbed her purse.

  “Sure. We can go right now. I’ll go get the car.”

  “I said, ‘I’m leaving.’ Not ‘we’re leaving.’ Have a good night.” She turned and rushed out of the park, fighting off humiliating tears.

  Jason swung back and forth on the wooden swing, his gaze resting on the dark cottage. He had followed Emma out of the park but stopped short of the entrance when he saw Abby and Carter pull up in a blue Honda. His date had jumped in the backseat and they sped away. It was probably for the best. He returned home, hoping Emma would be here and willing to talk, but there was no sign of her. Maybe she decided to stay the night with Abby or at her mother’s. He’d try first thing in the morning. He needed to explain that his rejecting her advances wasn’t because he didn’t want to kiss her. Far from it.

  He pushed off the swing and faced the water, taking in the beauty of the moonlight’s reflection on the lake. If only Emma was here to enjoy this with him. Their date had started out well—at least, he thought it did, but then everything seemed to go to crap. First, Brandon called to say he’d be back in town on Sunday afternoon and asked if Jason could pick him up at the airport.

  Then his best friend had dropped a verbal bomb. He was headed back with an engagement ring and one question for Caitlin.

  Had Brandon completely lost his freakin’ mind? Sure, Caitlin had a smoking hot body and seemed to be really into his buddy, but when you really boil it down, wasn’t it just sex? Why was Brandon so convinced that after one weekend together this woman was the one?

  As soon as he saw Brandon, he planned on sitting his old friend down and talking some sense into his thick noggin. Getting into a serious relationship so shortly after his divorce—let alone engaged—was a huge mistake.

  As if his best friend’s ludicrous announcement wasn’t enough to put a damper on his evening, seeing Caitlin cozying up to another man didn’t help matters. She knew Jason was sitting behind them, yet she seemed to be perfectly fine flirting with the guy.

  He blew out a breath. Maybe Caitlin had done him a favor. He’d tell Brandon what he saw and suggest that his buddy take some time to get to know her. Go have as much sex as he wanted, just don’t propose marriage for Christ’s sake.

  He glanced back at Emma’s cottage, and his heart sank. Then there was the aborted kiss. Her leaning in and attempting to kiss him threw him completely off guard. Sure, he’d love to lock his lips with hers; he’d even fantasized about kissing her good-night earlier in the day. However, her awkward attempt had come out of nowhere.

  What was she trying to prove? That she was over her ex? He suspected the wine had something to do with her actions. He meant what he said. He wasn’t about to be used to make another man jealous. The question on his mind: why did he care?

  He knew why. He could no longer deny how attracted he was to his pretty blonde neighbor, and he was fairly certain what he was feeling was more than physical. It had been a while since he had felt this way, but suddenly he wanted to know everything about Emma Stevens—and not for his story—and that realization scared the hell out of him.

  He sat back down on the swing and leaned back, glancing up at the beautiful stars that twinkled in the dark sky. Could he give another woman his heart when he wasn’t sure if he’d gotten it back?

  10

  “Emma, you’ve got to do it.” Bridget grabbed Emma by the wrist, leading her through the crowded area of carnival games. “It will be so much fun!”

  Emma could think of other ways she’d rather spend this gorgeous Saturday afternoon than working the kissing booth at the Buttermilk Falls annual fair.

  “I don’t know, Bridget,” Emma protested. “The idea of swapping spit with several guys for an hour sounds—”

  “Amazing!” Abby interrupted. She shoved a large stick of cotton candy at Emma. “Coat your lips with some fairy floss. The men will come running.”

  Emma snatched a handful. Not that she was doing what her cousin suggested; she just loved cotton candy. The sugar instantly melted in her mouth, giving her a little nostalgic rush. She glanced around at all the fairgoers dashing in every direction to play carnival games, ride rides, and eat all the tasty treats. She’d definitely let herself indulge and enjoy some sausage, pretzels, and anything fried. Then, she’d spend the next seven days after the fair walking the lake path to take off what she’d gained. It was well worth it.

  Held each August, the Buttermilk Falls Fair brought thousands of visitors to the area over the course of a week. It was good for the town and excellent for her business. Abby and she would take turns manning a makeshift Sugar Spoon booth, selling outrageous cupcakes with beloved fair flavors. She’d perfected cotton candy, fried funnel, and deep-fried butter cupcakes. She’d been attempting a BBB Burger-inspired cupcake but wasn’t quite ready to sell it just yet. Maybe next year.

  Bridget led them to a grassy open area that held one of the most popular fundraising events, besides the Summer Fling auction: the Summer Fling kissing booth.

  Each year, bachelorettes and their summer flings would take turns in the booth raising additional money for the charity that had benefited from the earlier auction. Money raised this year would also go to the animal shelter.

  Emma stalled in her tracks.

  Abby gave her a push. “Get over there, you sexy vixen. Do it for Magic.”

  Her cousin would play the “do it for your cute cat” card. There really wasn’t anything Emma wouldn’t do for her fur ball, but kissing random men for an hour . . . even the thought of helping out kitties like Magic couldn’t persuade her that this was a good idea.

  Bridget took her hand. “Come on. It’s time to relieve the couple already in there.”

  Emma backed away. “I don’t know. Aren’t flings supposed to do this together? Jason’s not even here.” Thank God! She had an out.

  “I’ll take care of that.” Abby whip
ped out her phone and began texting.

  Emma raised her eyebrow. “And why do you have Jason Levine’s phone number?”

  “Calm down.” She waved her hand, dismissing Emma’s question. “I don’t. He hung out with Carter last night at the Buttermilk Tavern and watched the game. I’m sure Carter has it.”

  Emma looked away. Great. He’s now hanging out at local spots to watch a game. She’d bet anything that he dropped her name at some point. She hoped her bachelors kept their mouths shut.

  “He’s here!” Abby squealed, waving her phone. “Carter just texted me that Jason’s in the beer tent.”

  “Good. Leave him there.” Emma eyed the kissing booth. “Abby, why don’t you and Carter do it?”

  “We can’t. He has to go back to work.” Abby gave Emma’s arm a squeeze. “But Jason’s on his way. Get ready to pucker up.”

  Emma turned around, not wanting her cousin to see that she was seconds away from ringing her neck. There had to be a way to get out of this. Think, Emma. Think.

  A few minutes later, Jason emerged from the crowd. Her heart began to pound on cue. Shushing it, she crossed her arms.

  “Hi, ladies.” He smiled down at Emma. “I hear we’re kissing today.”

  “Not each other,” she retorted and headed to the booth to relieve the current kissers. How could he even joke about their kissing? After three days, she still couldn’t shake off the humiliation.

  Since that night, she’d spent all of her time in the bakeshop. In the evenings, she rushed from her car into her house to avoid him. Not that she really needed to. He hadn’t made any attempt to talk to her. No stops into her bakery and no knocks on her door. Perhaps Caitlin and he were taking their relationship to the next level.

  Oddly, she had noticed that Caitlin’s car hadn’t been parked in the driveway for well over a week. Maybe Jason was hanging out at her house instead of the cottage.

  Emma got behind the booth and took her place. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Abby jumped up and down. “Bridget, I’m going to go see if they’ll make an announcement on the grand stage. There’s going to be a line outside the grounds to kiss Jason.”

  Emma huffed. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

  Abby grinned, blowing a kiss to Emma. “Sorry, cousin. You know what I mean. There’ll be plenty of guys lined up to kiss you, too, so pucker up those pretty lips.”

  Emma looked around the booth. To the right was a metal box to collect the money. Next to it, breath mint spray and a small bowl of mints.

  Jason unwrapped a mint and popped it into his mouth. “So, how does this work exactly?”

  Bridget piped in, instructing them both. “It’s a dollar a kiss. No long kisses and no tongue.” She winked, adding, “That is. Unless you want to. You also have the right to deny anyone a kiss.” She lowered her voice, “But don’t hurt their feelings. There are a lot of seniors who like to participate.”

  “Old or high school?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

  “Both.” she giggled. “Don’t break their hearts, Jason.”

  “No guarantees.” He chuckled while Emma rolled her eyes. “How long will we be doing this?” Jason asked.

  “One hour. Then, we’ll have another couple take your place.”

  Emma groaned. Did she really have to do this for a full hour? She wasn’t sure if A. she could kiss random strangers straight for sixty minutes and B. if she liked the idea of doing it with Jason next to her.

  Bridget reached up and gave Emma’s ponytail a reassuring tug. “It’ll be fun. Raise a lot of money, you two.” She turned and announced that the kissing booth was back in business.

  Emma watched as fairgoers approached the booth. Betty from the Star Lite slapped down a five dollar bill in front of Jason. Closing her eyes, she puckered her red stained lips and tilted her head up.

  Emma stifled a laugh as she watched her fling awkwardly place his lips on the old woman’s. Betty grabbed onto his head and held the kiss for a few extra seconds, evidently getting her five dollars worth.

  When the waitress finally let go, she sauntered off with a big ole smile. Jason pumped the breath mint spray into his mouth. “That was easy.”

  Emma couldn’t hold her laughter in any longer as more silver-haired women began to form a line. “Looks like Betty told her friends.”

  “You’re not off the hook.” Jason snickered and nodded to her first customer. “Don’t break his heart.”

  Emma glanced over. It was Robby Fox, the senior quarterback of the Buttermilk Falls high school football team. She babysat him when he was eight. “Can I go to jail for this?” she muttered.

  “I’ll bail you out.” Jason’s lips turned up in a wicked grin. “Pucker up, buttercup.”

  Emma gulped. This wasn’t happening. “Hi, Robby.”

  “Hi, ma’am.”

  Jason cracked up, no doubt at the ma’am reference. “Shut it, Casanova.” Trying her best to imagine an invisible wall between Jason and her, she took Robby’s dollar and kissed him quickly, their lips barely touching. The smile on Robby’s face indicated he was satisfied.

  “Easy peasy.” She flaunted the dollar bill in front of Jason.

  “Did he ask you to prom?”

  “You’re just jealous.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He unmistakably accented “ma’am” just to get a rise out of her. Well, it wasn’t going to work. He could just go take his lips and kiss every old lady in Buttermilk Falls for all she cared.

  Really, the more she thought about it, wanting to kiss him the other night had to have been merely the wine’s influence. Those heart palpitations she experienced every time he was near her could go to hell.

  Halfway into their shift, Emma noticed a change in Jason’s clientele. The women were getting younger and much more attractive. Emma watched as apparently every single woman at the fair stopped by to rent Jason’s lips.

  Jason grabbed the breath spray in between kisses. “How you doing over there?”

  “Just fine.” She pecked Hank, their postman on the lips. All the men over seventy had found their way to Emma. One had even tried to grope her.

  Just then, a young woman, who Emma recognized as the local high school’s guidance counselor, came up to Jason, throwing him a flirtatious smile that Emma had no time to intercept. The woman latched her arms around Jason’s neck and drew him in for a soap opera kiss.

  Emma stood, mouth agape. Really? Shouldn’t high school guidance counselors show a little more couth? Apparently not. Worse, Jason didn’t appear to be stopping her. So much for the rules.

  Emma searched the crowd. “Lance, get over here.” She waved to one of Buttermilk’s firefighters. “Give me a twenty, and I’ll give you the best three minutes of your life.”

  The firefighter eagerly fished out the money. Emma latched onto his shirt and pulled him close. She kissed his lips gently and then went for it, pushing her tongue into his mouth. It really wasn’t much of a push. Lance kissed her back without hesitation.

  She suddenly felt a pull on her shorts, and her lips were pried off Lance’s. Jason stood behind her, his hands wrapped around her waist.

  “Let go of me.” She freed herself from his grasp. Composing herself, she thanked Lance for his donation and turned to Jason. “What the hell was that all about?”

  “You were breaking the rules,” Jason said, his tone flat.

  “Oh, please. Like you weren’t.” Two could play this game. “Her name’s Cindy, by the way?”

  “Who?”

  She rolled her eyes. “The guidance counselor you were engaged in foreplay with.”

  “I didn’t instigate it.” He stepped in, inches from her face, his warm breath tickled her cheek. “And that was not foreplay.”

  Her breath hitched as she concentrated on his full lips. “So, what is?” She gazed up into his beautiful blue eyes. She did not just ask that. She tried to recover. “I mean . . . so, what is the big deal? Why do you care who I kiss, anyway?”

  �
��I don’t.” His eyes still penetrating hers. If this was even the slightest beginning of foreplay with Jason Levine, she was in big trouble.

  “Because you’re just here for a story,” she whispered.

  “That’s right.” He reached over and grabbed a mint. His body brushed up against hers. “Just the story. Nothing more.”

  “Hey, is the booth still open?” A young man asked.

  “She’s taking a break,” Jason said, not taking his gaze off of Emma. He lowered his face until his lips were inches from hers. “So, what was up with that firefighter?”

  “Just trying to raise money.” She bit her lip. “You know, for the animals.”

  He smirked. “You’re really in to this.”

  “Yep.” She nodded. “It’s all about the kitties. For a dollar, I’d kiss you.”

  He stepped closer, bringing his mouth to her ear. Was Jason going to kiss her? It sure seemed like it. Emma couldn’t deny anymore that she wanted him, too. Her lips parted, anticipating the trajectory of his mouth.

  “I don’t have any cash on me,” he whispered into her ear before leaving the booth and disappearing into the crowded fairgrounds.

  Jason paid for the cheeseburger and greasy fries and headed in the direction of Emma’s cupcake stand. The afternoon in the kissing booth still on his mind.

  He shouldn’t have gotten so mad and stormed off like he did. It was just that seeing her kiss another man so passionately stirred up more jealousy than he knew what to do with.

  After brooding at home for a couple of hours, he decided to come back to the fair and apologize for his rude behavior. He hoped his summer fling would forgive him. Spotting her stand, he walked up. “Evening.”

  “Jason!” Abby smiled. “You’re still here.”

  “I left for a while, but I’ve been told that the real action starts once the sun goes down,” he joked, looking at Emma. She still had on the white shorts he’d tugged to end her kissing Lance earlier, but she had replaced her earlier tank top with a pretty pink sweater.

  Emma nodded to his food. “There’s no room here for you to eat.”