Waiting for You (9 page)

There was also the consideration that she didn’t have any builder
contacts in the area. After running into several dead ends, she circled
back and decided to start with the builders she knew out east in hopes
that one of them could point her in the right direction.

Adding to the stress was the mountain of zoning laws and codes
she had to relearn since moving to a new area and field. Sometimes, at the end of the day, she’d collapse on the couch. Brain-fried, she’d stare
at the blank
television screen
and wonder what she’d gotten
hersel
f into.

Pablo worried about her because she didn’t call often enough. Devon
worried about her because she sounded frazzled whenever they did
manage to get her on the phone. Karise felt like the biggest jerk on the
planet for not making more time to talk to Jane, given that the latest
adoption update didn’t sound encouraging.

As days wore into weeks, Karise felt herself sinking into a depression.
She made herself a promise that if she could just make good on her
obligation to finish Kate’s house, she’d retreat to Ecuador to lick her
wounds and figure out next steps. Maybe heading up Devon’s expansion
department wasn’t the worst idea after all.

Just when she was certain her head would explode, the wheels of
the project began to turn – slowly, but they were turning nonetheless.
The final model was approved, the builder selected, and suppliers lined
up. When a groundbreaking date was set, Kate announced it was time
to celebrate. Karise happily agreed to dinner out. She didn’t care where
they were going as long as it was away from her cottage. She was in danger of becoming a total recluse otherwise.

When they didn’t head into town but instead found themselves
winding down a picturesque driveway lined with fields, Karise sighed
ruefully. She’d never been to a goat farm, but she began to wonder if
she was about to. Maybe she should have pinned Kate down on where
exactly they would be eating dinner. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Aidan’s truck sitting in front of the house. She wasn’t
sure if the other cars in the driveway provided relief or made her
more nervous.

Curiosity overrode irritation. She soaked in her surroundings, ever
amazed by each new layer of his personality as it was revealed. The
house was a simple white farmhouse with an oversized covered porch,
complete with a hanging swing. Beyond that, there was nothing about
the home that stood out particularly. If anything drew attention, it was
the big red barn sitting in the background. Two enormous dogs barked
from behind a wooden fence: one cream-colored with short hair, another
coal-black with enough fur for ten dogs. Neither looked like it was
playing, and Karise wondered if the fence was enough to hold them in.

At Aidan’s appearance, both dogs stopped barking. Their tails began
to wag and their tongues lolled, too large for their mouths. The speed
of their transformation was impressive. Karise couldn’t totally blame
them. Her own tongue was tempted to loll at his appearance, too. The
weeks apart hadn’t cooled the burning in her belly whenever he was near. If anything, it flared to life with new intensity now that he was
close enough to touch. Maybe it was time to consider a new approach.

She didn’t have time to fully explore that thought because he was
greeting her with a warm hug. She hoped he didn’t notice the deep
breath she took while briefly in his arms. He smelled as good as she’d
remembered.

“I’m glad you’re here, Karise.” He released her, stepping back to flash that engaging grin at her. “I’m curious, though—did you come of your own free will or did Kate trick you?”

Karise smiled at how well he knew his friend. “She only omitted a few things.”

“This is nothing. You should have seen the shenanigans my friends
pulled to get me in the same room with Gavin in the beginning.” Kate
had no sympathy for Karise.

“Some friends,” Karise retorted.

“I like to think it worked out for her.” Gavin was defensive.

“They’re here tonight, actually.” Kate’s grin was mischievous.

“Yay.” Karise’s voice was flat. The last thing she needed was more
women trying to set her up with Aidan. He was hard enough to resist
all on his lonesome.

“They were at Jonathan’s party,” Gavin said.

“So was half of Northern California,” Karise reminded him.

“Not half,” Kate pouted.

“Is Zoe here?”
Karise
asked – partly to change the
subject
but mostly
because she was looking forward to seeing the little pixie.

Aidan’s smile was instant and genuine. “She insisted on hanging around long enough to see you.”

“She’s not staying?” Karise was genuinely disappointed.

“She spends the night with our neighbors every so often.”

“Sounds like you have good neighbors.”

“Elsie and Mark are angels,” he agreed. Any further explanation was cut short by Zoe bursting out the front door.

“Karise!”

Karise knelt down and opened her arms for a hug. “Good to see you, kiddo.”

Gavin shook his head mournfully. “Four years spent spoiling the imp and she ditches us after meeting Karise once.”

“She’s prettier than you, Gavin,” Aidan explained, his eyes never
leaving the pair still wrapped in a hug. Zoe’s skinny little arms had a death lock on Karise’s neck.

“Where does that leave me?” Kate wondered aloud.

“Don’t answer that, man,” Gavin warned his friend.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Kate demanded.

“That someone besides me is in trouble? Immensely.”

“I hear you have other friends in there,” Karise told Zoe.

“Yep. And Miss Jessica has a baby in her tummy.”

“Good for her.” Karise wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Do you think you could go introduce me?”

Zoe nodded and let go of her grip on Karise’s neck in exchange
for one on her fingers. Determined to carry out her assigned task, Zoe
led Karise through the door. The rest of the adults followed along with
expressions of amusement on their faces.

The little girl bubbled with enthusiasm as she introduced Karise to the couples waiting inside. Jessica, in addition to having a baby in her tummy, had honey-colored hair cut in the latest style. Her smile was warm, and when it was bestowed on Karise, she felt like she’d been wrapped in a welcoming embrace. The young woman sparkled
with kindness in a way that assuredly drew people to her. Her husband
Ryan’s hand rested lightly on Jessica’s back as he reached his free hand
forward to shake Karise’s.

Liz’s smile contained the same warmth, but there was a shyness
to it that Karise could relate to. There was also a hint of sass sparkling
in the dark-haired beauty’s eyes that made Karise suspect Liz was the
one behind Kate’s aforementioned shenanigans. The woman had an
effortless beauty that made Karise want to double-check her own
reflection. Her husband Derrick greeted Karise before returning his gaze
back to Liz. His bemused expression made Karise wonder what the
conversation had been before her arrival.

Zoe was thrilled to be the center of the group’s attention. She didn’t
bother hiding her dismay when Aidan declared it time for her to go next door.

“I’ll take her,” Kate offered when Aidan went to grab his keys from
where they hung by the door.

“Are you sure?” He hesitated.

“Absolutely. I want to ask Elsie if she got my new brochures out anyway.”

Karise’s confusion must have been evident because Gavin leaned over to explain, “Elsie is head of the visitor’s bureau.”

“It’s a perfect job for her, too,” Kate added. “The woman can’t check
out at the grocery store without making friends with the cashier.”

Karise nodded. She couldn’t imagine making friends that effortlessly. During her entire tenure in Boston, she hadn’t made one friend. She’d had acquaintances, but no one she thought to follow up with now that she was gone. Certainly, no one had followed up with her since leaving, either.

It occurred to her that if she tucked tail and ran after finishing
Kate’s house, she’d want to follow up with these people. She’d still want
to hear their stories.

Maybe Karise was imagining it, but she had the distinct impression
these women were curious about her. Heaven only knew what Kate
had told them about her, though. She answered their questions as they
came, returning a litany of her own inquiries. She loved hearing about
the magazine they worked for and found particular amusement in the
tales that centered on Kate and Gavin’s days at the magazine. It was refreshing to hear about someone giving Kate the same kind of grief she’d been giving Karise.

After all of her protests that she didn’t want to jump from one
man’s arms into another’s, Karise tried really hard not to spend the entire evening staring at Aidan. Still, after the frustration of the past
several weeks, being in the same room with him brought inexplicable
joy and she couldn’t quite help staring just a little.

He’d shaved that day and traded in his T-shirt for a deep blue
button-down that made the color of his eyes even more startling. The
top button was undone. His exposed throat drew Karise’s eyes to it more
than once. She licked her lips subconsciously. Despite his cleaned-up appearance, he still wore jeans like they were invented for him.

Every so often, the looks they exchanged would time just so, and
she’d find herself trapped by his gaze. Whenever she did, heat would
radiate out from her core. If looks could caress, his did. Hers, admittedly
,
was more of a grope. She mentally grimaced at her lack of self control.
She placed a hand flat on her belly, willing herself to get a grip before
straightening out the folds on her cerulean wrap dress. His eyes followed
the movement of her hands, making her wish he were unwrapping her.

Karise was glad her dark complexion hid the flush she could feel
creeping into her cheeks. She renewed her efforts to focus on the
conversation flittering all around her. Like William and his friends,
these people were young and beautiful. They dressed for dinner, went
to interesting places, and seemed to thrive on intelligent conversation.
Unlike William’s friends, they weren’t above a good fit of giggles,
even if it was directed at their own folly.

Soaking in the goings-on around her, sipping on a good pinot and
nibbling on the assortment of cheese and other goodies laid out in front
of her, Karise was happier than she’d been in a long time.

“What’s this one?” she asked Aidan, holding up her new favorite treat.

“It’s my Asiago-style creation. It’s so new I haven’t even figured out what to name it.”

“Heaven on a cracker,” Karise suggested.

“Try it with fruit.”

“Don’t make it more appealing,” she protested. “I’ve already made
a glutton of myself.”

“Then I probably shouldn’t ask if you’ve tried this one.” Liz pushed
a platter toward her.

“Don’t put it in front of me.”

Liz placed a hand on her stomach. “But I’ve already made myself
ill, I’ve eaten so much.”

“Next time I think we should go dancing.” Kate eyed the plate that
was now on her end of the table.

“No fair dancing while I still feel like a whale.” Jessica shook her head.

“Then find us something else to do so we can burn calories instead
of consuming them.”

“Do you want me to put the food away?” Aidan offered.

“Touch the plate at your own peril.” Karise placed a possessive
hand around her favorite cheese and pulled it closer to her.

Aidan’s
lip
twitched
, but his response was cut short by Kate’s phone.

“Uh-oh. It’s Aunt Joan.” Kate answered the phone as she stepped
away from the table. She was back a moment later to break the news
that Jonathan had an earache, so they needed to leave if they were going
to get him to urgent care before it closed.

“I’ll give Karise a ride home later,” Aidan offered before Karise could even rise from her spot.

“I don’t want you to go to any trouble.” Even as she said the words,
Karise admitted to herself that she wanted to stay.

“It’s no trouble,” he promised before leaning in to whisper in her
ear, “I’ve waited weeks to see you. There’s no way I’m letting you leave
this quickly.”

Not trusting her voice, she nodded.

“Good.” Kate nodded her approval in response.

“Text me when you know
something
.” Worry creased Jessica’s brow.
“Earaches are the worst. Poor baby.”

Kate promised she’d keep them all updated, and the pair left amid
well wishes for Jonathan’s speedy recovery. It wasn’t long before the
other two couples excused themselves and Karise found herself alone
with Aidan.

“Do you think that was planned?” she wondered aloud.

“I
think
the
earache
was
real
and the other two
seized
the opportunity.”
Aidan’s smile was rueful as he began to gather glasses from the table.
Karise figured that sounded about right. She busied herself helping
clean the table rather than stand around awkwardly.