Free A Bid for Love by Rachel Ann Nunes Page B

I came in a taxi.”
    “I can give you a ride back to the hotel,” Jared said. “I’m going there anyway.”
    “Thanks. That would be great.” Cassi was irritated at herself for not remembering, and for suddenly finding herself dependent upon a person she had claimed to despise only a few hours earlier. “Except I promised them hamburgers and candy.”
    “There’s an In-N-Out Burger just down the street,” Larry said helpfully. “The food isn’t expensive and my kids love it. They’re too young for indigestion.”
    “So are we, right?” Jared asked the kids, winking at Cassi. Happiness seeped into her being, displacing her former irritation. Maybe she was just borrowing Renae’s life for an evening, but she would enjoy it while it lasted.
    They bid Larry goodbye at the hospital doors and piled into Jared’s four-door rental car. Sandy sat in her own car seat, retrieved from her father’s van, while two of the other children had to share a seat belt, but soon they were happily eating hamburgers at the fast-food restaurant Larry had recommended. Everyone also had a shake and a dessert. Cassi was surprised at how voracious the children were. By the time they left the restaurant, she was nearly fifty dollars poorer and the children so full they could barely walk.
    The next stop was the store, where Scotty insisted on pushing the grocery cart. Cassi carried Sandy in one arm and with the other filled the basket with chips and candy, muttering, “I hope Renae doesn’t kill me.”
    Jared laughed. “It isn’t every day that you have a new baby brother.”
    “Especially one named Jared, right?” Cassi mocked. Their eyes locked, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She looked away, burying her face in Sandy’s blond hair, fighting emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Why was she so attracted to this man? Given her lack of romantic success, it wasn’t likely he felt the same. “Let’s get some yogurt and fruit for breakfast,” she said to no one in particular, shifting the toddler in her arms. Sandy’s eyes drooped as she rested her head against Cassi’s shoulder.
    Cassi risked a glance at Jared and saw that he was still watching her, his expression veiled. What was he thinking?
    There was no time to dwell on the matter. A warm flood washed down her dress, soaking into the thin rayon material almost instantly.
    Sandy’s eyes jerked open. “Pee pee. Oh, noooo. Baby wet!”
    Sure enough, both Sandy and Cassi were soaked.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Cassi looked down at her dress, shaking her head in disbelief. Sandy looked up, waiting for her reaction. Apparently, her parents didn’t appreciate it when she had an accident. People in the supermarket paused momentarily as they passed, trying to hide their smiles. Only the mothers nodded sympathetically.
    Moments ticked by, and no one said a word. A small grin played around Jared’s mouth, but he didn’t know Cassi well enough to let it show completely. Like the others, he waited to see how she would react.
    “Ah-oh.” Sandy twisted and pointed down at Cassi’s dress.
    Cassi threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, Sandy. It’s okay. You were asleep. You could hardly stop yourself. But boy do we stink!”
    “Cassi stinky,” Sandy said, a smile creeping over her small face.
    “You should have taken her to the bathroom at the restaurant,” Scotty offered. “She drank a whole soda. Dad says it goes right through her like water.”
    “I have to go to the bathroom too,” Janet said.
    Cassi shoved her wallet into Jared’s hands and reached down to grab Janet’s hand. “I’ll meet you in the car.”
    After she left, Jared laughed, loud and long.
    “What’s so funny?” Scotty asked.
    “She took it pretty well. The first time one of my nephews did that to me, I blew my top. Of course, I was only about seventeen then. I soon got used to it. Let’s see,” He looked up in the air, pretending to count. “I think it’s