Change of Heart (The Flanagan Sisters, #2) (14 page)

“It’s fine.” His tone was flat. “Throw out the food if you’ve already eaten. Listen, I’m busy. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up.

C
arly stared at the phone. She’d never heard that disinterested tone from him before. He was upset.

It was no wonder. She’d stood him up. How could she make it up to him? She should go downstairs and apologize in person. But if he was busy, would he be annoyed at the interruption?

Her mother buzzed her. “Your one o’clock is here.”

Damn it. Carly was sick and tired of back-to-back meetings and not having any time to herself. She debated for a second whether to postpone it for ten minutes while she went to talk with Evan. But she couldn’t, it wouldn’t be fair on the person she was meeting. Quickly she put the food Evan had left in her small refrigerator.

Then she went to the door to welcome her guest.

***

J
ust before three o’clock, Carly had a ten-minute break. “I’ll be back shortly,” she said to her mother as she walked out of her office and headed for the indie hub. As the elevator doors opened, she crossed her fingers, hoping Evan would still be there.

He was.

But now she was here, she didn’t know what to say to him, or how to get him alone. She greeted her regulars and walked over to Basil’s desk.

“Hi Carolina, how are you?” Basil asked.

“I’m well, thanks, Basil. Can I steal Evan for a minute?”

Evan had glanced up at Basil’s question and was watching her, no smile or greeting.

Nerves jiggled in her stomach.

“Sure. As long as you’re not trying to steal him for one of your projects.”

Carly laughed and shook her head. “Evan, can I speak with you?”

He got to his feet. “Lead the way.”

She moved over to a section of the floor where no one was working. “I’m so very sorry for missing lunch today. I’d blocked the time out as private, but hadn’t put your name down. I figured it was one of my attempts to have some space and I ignored it.”

“Forget about it.”

She couldn’t. “Can I make it up to you? Do you have plans for dinner?”

He sighed. “I’m not sure if I can. I’ve got some paintings I need to do for an exhibition.”

Disappointed, she asked, “What exhibition?”

“A gallery in New York wants to feature me.” He said it as if was no big deal.

“That’s fantastic!” She hugged him. “You must be so happy.” And then she remembered the champagne on the desk. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for missing lunch. You wanted to celebrate.”

“Yeah, well, it’s no big deal.”

Of course it was, but for some reason he was pretending it wasn’t. She’d never seen this fake indifference from him before, but she recognized it as his way of protecting himself.

She had a similar method herself.

She took hold of his hand and squeezed it. “It’s a
very
big deal. I get it, really I do.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I’m so happy for you. If I can do anything to help, let me know.”

He gave a half smile. “Thanks.”

“If you need to paint tomorrow night, I understand,” she said. If he had work to do, she didn’t want him to feel obligated to attend the gala ball.

He let out a breath. “No, I’ll be there.” He took hold of both of her hands. “Thanks for understanding.”

It was easy to. “Well, if you’re coming, you could stay at my place afterward. It’s going to be a late night.”

He raised an eyebrow and her skin heated.

Maybe he wasn’t interested anymore. Or maybe she was being too forward. She’d been thinking about their movie night all week, wondering what would have happened if McClane hadn’t interrupted. “You don’t have to.”

“I’d like to.”

She hesitated. She wanted to invite him to her mother’s party over the weekend as well, but he might be too busy. “On Sunday Mama’s having a party. It’s the Day of the Dead, which is always a huge celebration in our family. Would you like to come? You may get some ideas for your paintings.”

He hesitated, and then smiled for the first time. “Yeah, I would.” He brought his arms around her. “I’m sorry. I was disappointed you missed lunch.”

She brushed her lips against his. “So was I.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll take a raincheck tonight, but I’d love to stay Friday night and go to your Day of the Dead celebration.”

“Great.” She kissed him. “I’d better let you get back to work.”

He nodded.

She turned, and about twenty pairs of eyes suddenly shifted back to their computer screens. “You might get a few questions,” she murmured to Evan.

“I’d bet on it,” he agreed with a grin.

When they reached his desk, she said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Walking back to the elevator, she felt all eyes on her, but she ignored it. Inside, she smiled. Carly Flanagan had a boyfriend.

***

E
van stood at the easel, staring at the blank canvas in front of him. Nothing would come to him. Each time he decided what he wanted to paint, he’d second-guess himself. The painting had to be good – no, it had to be excellent, and he couldn’t choose which of his ideas to go forward with. Whatever he chose was going to be exhibited in New York, at the gallery he’d walked past every day when he went to draw in the square, the gallery whose windows he’d stood in front of longingly, dreaming that one day his work would hang there.

And now it was coming true.

If only he could figure out what the hell to paint.

Disgusted, he threw down his paintbrush and strode outside. Staring at the canvas was getting him nowhere. He stripped off his T-shirt and dived into the pool. The cold water sent a shock through him, but he pushed through it, swimming to one end and then turning and swimming back.

While he swam, he let his mind drift. He needed to come up with a theme to tie all the pieces together. That would help him figure out what he should paint next.

But what kind of theme? He’d always painted whatever he wanted before. For the exhibition Carly had sponsored, he’d been told to provide four of his best works and they’d all sold in the end. He had the painting he’d done of the view from Carly’s office, and he’d started several paintings of Carmen’s garden, but they didn’t really tie together. One was of a city, and one was of a garden. But Carmen’s garden was also part of the city, just a different part.

He pushed against the wall of the pool as he turned again. Maybe that was the key. Maybe he could show different aspects of the city, make the theme “urban landscapes”. He stopped swimming and examined the idea. Yes, it would work well. There were dozens of different angles he could take. He quickly got out of the pool, grabbing a towel and drying himself. He threw his shirt back on and went inside to paint.

***

A
t three o’clock, half a dozen alarms rang, shocking Evan out of his painting trance. He put a hand to his chest and chuckled, relieved they’d worked. He did not want to miss the ball. He surveyed his studio. He’d finished one painting today and worked on two others, which were coming together nicely. He cleaned his brushes and took one last look at the painting he was halfway through. He was happy with the mix of colors and the flow of movement. It was a scene of New York that took him back to his childhood.

His phone rang and he walked out of the studio as he answered it.

“Evan, how’s things?”

He smiled. He hadn’t heard from his younger brother Karl in a while. “Great. What about you?”

“I’m getting married.”

Evan sat down. “Congrats, man.” He searched his memory for the name of the girl Karl had been dating. “You finally popped the question to Sarah?”

“Yeah. I still can’t believe she said yes.” The love and amazement in Karl’s tone was clear.

Evan grinned. “So when’s the wedding?”

“We haven’t set a date yet, but we’re having an engagement party in a couple of weeks. It’d be great if you could come.”

Evan’s happiness for his brother faded. An engagement party would mean seeing his parents. He doubted that would end well.

“I’d love to, but it’s probably not a good idea.”

“Evan, you can’t keep avoiding them. It’s been ten years. Things have changed.”

Had they really? “I don’t want to risk ruining your day.”

“The only way you could upset the day is by not coming.”

Damn it. His little brother was usually a quiet, mild-mannered sort, but every now and then something would get him riled and he was persistent. The thing was, Evan did want to go to the engagement party to celebrate with them, but that would mean facing his parents. He’d made a success of himself, so there’d be no “I told you so” they could throw in his face, but there were still all the snide remarks he’d have to put up with.

“When is it?” he asked.

Karl told him the date. It was the weekend before his exhibition opening. He’d have to be in New York about then anyway.

Could he handle all of the remarks about how pointless his art was, right before the biggest exhibition of his life? He closed his eyes and Carly’s face appeared. If she could do all those public appearances when she clearly hated them, he could handle one engagement party.

“All right. I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, man. I’m so glad. I’ll see you then.”

Evan hung up and let out a deep breath. He’d be fine. But now was not the time to worry about it. He had a ball to get to.

***

E
van was ridiculously nervous as he rode the elevator to Carly’s apartment. He’d never been to a gala ball before, and had no idea what to expect. He just hoped the tuxedo he’d bought was good enough. He hadn’t been able to afford the top of the range, but he’d spent a little more than he’d wanted to, knowing he’d be expected to wear one to the New York exhibition opening as well.

He knocked on the door. This was his first time to Carly’s apartment and he was curious to see where she lived.

The door opened and Carly stood framed in the space. His whole body jolted to alert as his eyes roved over her. She was wearing a mid-length black dress that hugged her curves and strappy heels that accentuated her legs. “You look stunning.”

“So do you.” She gestured him in. “Leave your overnight bag by the sofa for now. We should be going.”

He did as she asked, taking in the floor-to-ceiling windows, the antique coffee table and day bed, and the huge tropical fish tank on one wall. It was all class.

Carly walked toward the door.

“Wait a second,” he said, turning her toward him. He had to greet her properly and some things couldn’t be rushed. He lowered his head and kissed her. She had the most luscious lips, so incredibly kissable, and he wanted to keep going. Instead, he pulled back. “How important is this event tonight?”

Her laugh was a little shaky. “I’m starting to think not very important.”

He grinned at her and moved closer, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. “I
do
need to go.”

“All right,” he agreed, pleased he’d even made her consider staying.

Carly grabbed her handbag and keys and he followed her out.

They took her silver BMW to the hotel where the ball was being held. It was a damn sight cleaner and newer than his car. What had she thought when she’d seen his station wagon? Was she enjoying slumming it with him?

Evan shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Lack of money had never been an issue for him before.

There was already a crowd of people mingling when they arrived. The ballroom had tall marble columns with arching ceilings and had been decorated for Halloween, with fake cobwebs draped artistically across the walls and jack-o’-lanterns adding extra lighting.

As Carly handed over her tickets, Evan gazed into the throng. The women all wore stylish dresses and sparkling jewels, while the men wore tuxedos. He was reminded of a documentary about Birds of Paradise that did extraordinary dances to attract a mate. There wasn’t any dancing yet, but there was definitely a lot of preening and fluffed-up plumage. If he painted it, he would have to call it The Dance.

As they walked down the steps into the ballroom, Carly was greeted by an older gentleman with graying hair and a stiff posture.

“Carolina, it’s lovely to see you.”

“Hello, Bernard. Let me introduce you to Evan Hayes.”

The man’s shook Evan’s hand.

“Bernard is the organizer of this event,” Carly explained.

“You’ve got a great turnout,” Evan said.

“Naturally.” He turned away to focus on Carly.

Evan swallowed a grin. Obviously he wasn’t worth the man’s time. Too amused to be offended, he stood next to Carly and listened to the conversation.

“We have some fabulous items for auction tonight,” he said. “But we need to raise so much in order to make this a reality. Can I count on you for an additional donation?”

Evan couldn’t believe it. Carly had literally just walked into the ballroom and he was hitting her up for more money. Evan wasn’t sure how much tickets were for the event, but he’d guess they weren’t cheap. He wanted to say something, but it wasn’t his place.

Carly smiled politely. “Let’s see how the evening goes first. You may be surprised.”

Bernard opened his mouth to say something else, but Carly was quicker. “Excuse us, Bernard, I need to introduce Evan to a few people.” She took Evan’s hand and walked away.

Evan grinned. “Nicely handled.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” She glanced around. “Now I need to find someone to introduce you to, so it’s not obvious I was lying.”

Before she could, they were approached by a woman wearing a peacock-blue dress and the most ostentatious diamond earrings Evan had ever seen.

“Carolina!” the woman cried, kissing both of her cheeks. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you, Margarite. How are the fun run plans going?”

“Marvelous,” she said, spying Evan. “And who is this?”

“Evan Hayes, Margarite Smith. Margarite is organizing a fun run to raise money for breast cancer awareness.”

Was she the one who’d requested extra funds for shirts?

“What is it you do, Evan?” Margarite asked.