Waiting for You (2 page)

Gavin nodded in acknowledgement. There was something almost
bashful about his mannerisms; Karise found it endearing.

“Thank you for coming out tonight.” The redhead extended a hand
to her in greeting. “I’m Kate Nichols.”

She accepted the hand and smiled warmly at the woman. “I’m
Karise McAlister. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
The exhibit is wonderful
.”

“We’re pleased with the turnout. You never know what you’re
walking into when you venture into a new market.” Kate surveyed the
crowd then looked back at her husband affectionately.

Karise gave a wry laugh. “I guess that’s the perk of my boring job.
I know what I’m walking into on any given day.”

“What do you do?” Kate asked.

“I’m an architect.”

“I think that sounds fun.”

“Potentially, yes. But my job is mostly cranking out cubicles for
big corporations. Not exactly a thrill-a-minute.” Karise mentally berated
herself for being the world’s worst conversationalist. Certainly this
charming couple didn’t want to hear about her mind-numbing career
choice. She wracked her brain for something else to talk about, her
eyes landing on a black and white portrait of Kate with an infant.
Mother and child were curled up together. Her hair spilled down; the
baby had grabbed a strand, looking up at his mother with a look of complete and total adoration. “Oh wow. That’s fantastic.”

Kate blushed, Gavin beamed with pride, and the conversation was
officially changed. If she’d been so inclined, Karise might have analyzed
why she had an easier time talking to these strangers than she did with
William’s friends. But
Karise
didn’t want to think too hard about it; she
was content to enjoy the evening. Every so often, she would glance
over guiltily at William, but he hadn’t noticed her absence yet.

They ambled down the hallway, discussing various pieces as they
went. The common thread throughout the conversation was the art, but
bits and pieces of their lives were woven throughout. By the time they
reached the main gallery, Karise knew the couple had been married five
years. They had one son who was about to celebrate his first birthday.
They were part owners in a winery, one of Karise’s favorite labels, and
they kindly offered her a tour of their cellars should she ever make it
out to California’s wine country. She also knew it was a family winery
and they were looking to build their own house on the property. Kate
gladly
soaked
up any advice
Karise
could offer when it came to
choosing
an architect to design their new abode.

Karise couldn’t begin to say why, but the time fell away the instant
she saw the man with black hair and a touch of a dangerous air to him.
Her first thought was that his comfortably worn jeans stood in stark contrast to the sea of expensive suits. As she drew nearer, she began
to wonder if it wasn’t the jeans so much as the fact that he was so
obviously unconcerned with whether or not he blended in. His bright
blue eyes locked with hers; a smile played upon his lips. Karise could
feel her face heating at being caught openly staring at him, but she
couldn’t seem to drag her gaze away.

Gavin eyed her speculatively then glanced at the man, and she
knew she’d been busted twice. Karise wished the earth would swallow
her whole right then and there. Kate’s attention was drawn by her
husband’s knowing grin, and suddenly a third person was aware she’d
been ogling a cute stranger. Karise wondered if the moment could get
any worse.

Kate linked her arm through Karise’s and tugged her toward the man. “You should come meet Aidan. He’s a friend of the family.”

Of course he is
. She mentally bemoaned the smallness of the world.
Kate left Karise’s side to hug the man warmly, leading him the rest of
the way toward their little party. “Aidan, this is our new friend, Karise.”

Aidan extended his hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The hint of an accent was woven through his words. It wasn’t quite the same as Gavin’s; Karise was placing her money on Irish origins. The smile that had been previously hinted at appeared, and Karise had the feeling she’d just been given a present.

“You, too.” She stared at her hand in his. Heat radiated from the
point of contact, shooting straight through her. When she realized the
touch lasted longer than decorum called for, she reluctantly reclaimed
her hand, though it still tingled after the contact was broken.

“Do you go to many art shows?”

Karise’s mental
filter
needed honing under the
best
of
circumstances
.
On this night, it failed her completely. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Not if I can help it.”

“Do you mind if I ask why?”

“Too many artists,” Karise quipped before her brain could catch her tongue.

“I think I’m insulted.” Gavin raised his eyebrows and took a long drink.

“I’m an idiot.” She closed her eyes and wondered what was wrong
with her.

Kate threw her arm around Karise and squeezed her shoulders.
“I couldn’t agree more – about the art shows, I mean. I tend to get a
little claustrophobic at these things myself.”

There was a moment of silence. Karise suspected they were all four
searching for a safer topic. She finally landed on the safest she could think of. “Aidan, what do you do for a living?”

There was delight dancing in his eyes as he answered, “I’m an
artist
.”

“Of course you are.” Despite her mortification, Karise could feel
a grin tugging at her mouth. A giggle escaped. The whole thing was too
absurd to not laugh.

“
Karise
, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” William
interrupted
by placing a possessive hand on the small of her back.

Resisting the urge to argue that he hadn’t even noticed her missing
until just then, Karise muttered an apology and struggled not to flush
too deeply as she fumbled her way through introducing William to
the little party. She couldn’t look Aidan in the eye, though he seemed
to be trying to catch hers.

The small talk floated around her, but all Karise could think about
was extracting herself from the situation. She didn’t want William
talking
to her n
ewfound
friends
. She couldn’t explain why, but knowing
she felt that way unsettled her.

“It’s been delightful meeting you all, truly, but our party is waiting for us. Wonderful work here, Gavin.” William’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

A hint of a scowl flashed across Karise’s face before she reined it
in. She knew him well enough to know he’d just dismissed them. Still,
she allowed herself to be extracted from the situation. In the short time
she’d known these people, she hadn’t exactly put her best foot forward.
It was probably best for all involved if she slunk away while there was
still a sliver of hope they’d forget her after a giggle or two about their odd encounter.

“It was so nice to meet you,” Karise took Kate’s hand in her own before turning her attention to Gavin. “And words can’t express my appreciation for your talent. I meant what I said - I’m envious.”

Kate produced a card from her wallet and handed it to Karise. “If you’re ever in San Francisco.”

“Yes, absolutely.” Karise accepted the card with a measure of
surprise, sliding it into her purse and snagging one of her own. “And if you ever make it back East…”

William took Karise’s hand and gave it a tug, silently telling her it was past time to take their leave.

“Goodbye, Karise.” Aidan’s words hung in the air.

She faltered at the look in his eyes. Was that smolder? She certainly
felt seared by it. “Goodbye, Aidan.”

She largely ignored William’s hushed lecture on the walk back to their friends. Another day, she would have fought back. Today, her
mind was busily trying to make sense of what had just happened. She
couldn’t say why or how, but something had just changed.

EVERYTHING IN KARISE RAILED
against the words her father had spoken. “You’re sending me away?” She hoped she’d misunderstood.

“No, mi hija.” Her father pulled her into a fierce hug. “It’s not like that.”

“But you told him I’d go. You promised that man I’d go to college in America. It sounds an awful lot like sending me away.”

“That man is your brother, and he’s offering you the chance at a better life than I could ever give.”

“He’s not my brother. I don’t know him.”Karise nestled closer to her
father,
taking in the fragrance that was distinctly him. “You give me a good life, Papá.”

“Saying he’s not your brother won’t make it true. And he’s tried to get to know you. He loves you.”

“How can he love me? The only thing we have in common is
her
.” Karise
spit the word out; even the pronoun alluding to her mother was distasteful.

“Don’t say no just yet. Think about it. And remember, college is only four
years. You can come home when you’re finished, but you might just find that
living in America isn’t so bad. Maybe you’ll want to stay.”

Karise awoke from the dream with a start. It took a moment for
reality to settle over her, though. She wasn’t a heartbroken 17-year-old
girl begging her father not to send her away. She was a grown woman
who’d worked hard to carve out a good life away from the reach of the McAlister name, or at least as far as possible.

At the time, Karise hadn’t been able to fathom wanting to stay so
far away from the only home she’d ever known. Their little village
wasn’t much, but it was home and Karise loved it deeply. All of that changed when Devon moved to Ecuador to build a rose plantation.
Her father and stepmother went to work for him, so even if Karise had
chosen not to go to college in America, her childhood home would be
no more.

She hadn’t been able to bear the thought of living in Devon’s home,
no matter how many times he told her she was welcome. She didn’t
want to feel like the poor, beholden relative whose only bond with
Devon was their crazy biological mother.

She’d left her father that day with the promise she would think
about Devon’s offer. As she’d wandered down her favorite path, Karise
turned the options over in her mind. The rational part of her had known
her choices were limited if she stayed in Ecuador. Her father’s family
had no money. The best she could hope for would be to get a job
working on Devon’s plantation.

On the other hand, if she took him up on his offer, she could use
the education to find a job, a good job. Then she could pay Devon back
and maybe even have money to send her father. Even then, despite her lack of knowledge when it came to the ways of the world, Karise had known enough to understand not many men would have lived up to the responsibility the way Pablo had when Victoria McAlister dropped a young Karise off on his doorstep with a note saying the child was his. Never once had he treated her like a burden. Instead, he and his new wife treated her life a gift from heaven.

It was out of gratitude for that love, that life, that Karise finally
accepted Devon’s offer. There was a time in her life when Karise would
sit and doodle in her sketchpad, drawing up houses that were more art than building. At the time, she envisioned being the Frank Lloyd
Wright of her day. She wanted to make homes that meant something,
that combined form and function while existing seamlessly with their
surrounding environment.

But once she graduated, she realized she could chase down a
fanciful dream or she could accept the very real job offer cranking out
office buildings. Her mother had been the kind of woman to chase
down a dream no matter the cost. Determined not to follow in those particular footsteps, Karise had taken the job and set about making
the kind of life for herself that made her father happy and proud. She
still doodled, just not often and only to clear her mind.

When she’d tried to pay Devon back, he’d refused. They finally
compromised by putting the money into an education fund for the workers on his plantation.

Karise rubbed her face. It was obvious she wasn’t going back to
sleep anytime soon, even though the clock told her it was just after
midnight. Her unexpected walk down memory lane left her homesick,
but whenever she tried to shift her thoughts in a new direction, they stubbornly landed on a man who’d apparently mastered the lost art of smoldering.

Wanting to avoid yet another tedious conversation about the state
of their relationship, she was careful not to wake William as she slid out
of their king-sized bed. Karise tried watching TV, but it just irritated
her. She tried answering emails, but they irritated her, too. Everything irritated her. Even the air in the apartment felt oppressive. On a whim,
she pulled her sketchpad out of her bedside table drawer before quietly
dressing in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, pulling on her jacket as she
slid out the door. Cold air washed over her the instant she stepped out
of their building, reminding her winter had yet to completely relinquish
its grip to spring. She turned to head back in for a more substantial coat, only to realize she’d left her keys sitting on the kitchen island.