Waiting for You

by Heather Huffman

  WAITING FOR YOU

  BY

  HEATHER HUFFMAN

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Text copyright © 2014 by Heather Huffman

  Originally published by Booktrope

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by AmazonEncore, Seattle

  www.apub.com

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and AmazonEncore are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  eISBN: 9781503909939

  Editor: Erica Fitzgerald

  Cover Designer: Loretta Matson

  This title was previously published by Booktrope; this version has been reproduced from Booktrope archive files.

  To the amazing and dedicated group of readers lovingly dubbed “Team Heather.” Over the years you’ve gone from being readers to friends.

  I thank God for each of you; you’ve brightened my life more than you know.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ALSO BY HEATHER HUFFMAN

  CHAPTER ONE

  IN 52 DAYS, Karise McAlister would be changing her name. In her mind, it couldn’t come quickly enough. She wasn’t a McAlister, not really. She had no claim to the name other than it happened to be the one her mother was sporting when Karise had been born. Her surname served as a perpetual reminder that she didn’t quite fit anywhere, so while most brides-to-be would be counting down to their day in white, Karise was eagerly anticipating being forever free from the McAlister chains. Karise Addison, on the other hand, had a nice ring to it. Better still, it carried with it an air of respectability.

  She turned from the CAD drawing on her computer screen to look out the floor-to-ceiling window she was lucky enough to have in her tiny office. Her eyes ached from staring at blueprints, so the Boston skyline was a welcome break. As she watched the Charles River wind its way westward, she listened to the message on her voicemail once more before deleting it.

  Her half-brother, Devon McAlister, was in town on business and wanted to meet her for lunch. Devon was a good man and if she were a better person, she’d give in to such a simple request without a second thought. Spending time with him didn’t do much to help her forget the whole McAlister bit, though. As tempting as it was to ignore the call, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Devon had been too good to her. She’d be a total and incomprehensible jerk if she blew him off – especially since he lived half a world away, too far to put her at risk of being smothered. Karise pursed her lips and scowled at her phone before relenting and sending a quick text to set up a lunch date with her big brother. At least her half-sister Alex lived on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. She was too busy to keep trying to reach out to Karise. After a couple failed attempts ages ago, she’d given up.

  You are such a hateful heifer, Karise admonished herself. No matter how much she loathed herself for it, though, she couldn’t look her siblings in the eye without feeling like her existence tore their world apart. How could they not resent her for that, even just a little deep down inside?

  Her fiancé, William, poked his head in her office. “Are you just about ready, love?”

  Karise shifted her attention from her phone. “Be right there.”

  “You do remember we have that art show tonight?” His stern expression left Karise with the feeling he already knew the answer. Even if he was right, it irritated her.

  “Of course I remember,” she lied. “Did you remember promising Dayton Corp I’d have the latest plans over to them by Monday?”

  “It’s an office building, Karise. Stop trying to create perfection and get it out the door.”

  “Are you seriously telling me to send the client something slapped together?”

  William looked torn between answering honestly and what he knew to be the right answer. “I respect your attention to detail. I do.”

  She let it drop, knowing she had a choice between making her point and getting ready for the charity event they were already late for. “Just give me a minute to wrap up. Promise. Do we have time to swing by the apartment or do I have to go out with your friends in my work clothes?”

  “You look lovely.”

  “Please?”

  William sighed. Karise knew by the tone of the sigh she’d won, but just barely, so she scrambled to get her desk in a state she could bear to leave it in. Within five minutes, she was scurrying to keep up with William’s long strides. It was the downside to marrying a man a full foot taller than oneself: She was forever struggling to keep up with him simply because his legs covered so much more distance than her own.

  As William maneuvered his Lexus ES down Cambridge Street, Karise caught her breath and debated what she would wear. She didn’t want it to look like she was trying too hard, even if that’s exactly what she was doing. She’d spent the past decade or so chasing success; that hadn’t left much time for friendship. If she became any more of a recluse, she’d have to leave her cheery apartment in search of a cave somewhere.

  By the time they’d reached the nondescript brown building across from Boston Common that housed said apartment, Karise had narrowed her dress selection to two.

  When it came down to it, though, she wound up picking her favorite pair of black slacks. The buttery soft material was ridiculously comfortable and the tuxedo cut made them dressy enough for her to get away with. Besides, she loved the wide black sash belt. It lent an indulgent flare to the ensemble. She opted for a tailored white shirt and her favorite strappy black heels – she was a sucker for strappy heels. Her hair clip had barely contained its charge all day; now she released her tresses from their bonds and shook them out, running her fingers through the loose curls in an attempt to create some semblance of order.

  “Almost ready?” William reached past her to snag the cuff links sitting in a bowl on the bathroom counter.

  “So ridiculously close. I promise.”

  “You’re breathtaking.” He stopped fiddling with his sleeves, leaning over to brush a kiss against her temple. “And I promise I’m not just saying that to get you out the door.”

  Karise closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, taking a deep breath and wrapping her arms around him. “We could just stay home. You look like a present waiting to be unwrapped, you know.”

  “That sounds delightful,” he murmured against her skin before straightening and holding her at arm’s length. “But our friends are expecting us and I paid an absurd amount of money to go look at this man’s pictures.”

  “It’s not an absurd amount of money considering the exhibition is for charity and Gavin Nichols is an excellent photographer.” Karise tucked away the sting of rejection, admitting to herself that William was right; they had obligations and it would be rude to blow them off.

  By the time they entered the trendy gallery on N
ewbury Street, they were the last of the group to arrive. Karise didn’t mind too terribly; William’s friends were nice people, but she always felt like the odd duck in their presence. Still, they were important to William and he was important to her, so she smiled and chatted and did her best to fit in with the little clique.

  Karise kind of wondered if they weren’t as uncomfortable around her as she them because nobody seemed to notice much when she dropped out of the conversation, wandering off to get a better look at the photographs lining the walls. Many of the prints were urban, fascinating studies in the paradox between manmade and the natural. Per usual, Karise was drawn to architecture. She could spend hours looking at the gracefully sweeping lines of the more ornate buildings. Something akin to longing stirred in her soul and she wondered what it would be like to create a building that beautiful.

  Some of the landmarks she recognized as places in San Francisco; others were notably set in London. Karise didn’t know much about Gavin Nichols, but she remembered reading he spent most of his time divided between the two cities.

  She came across a particular shot of a homeless man with so much depth in his eyes, Karise found herself completely captivated by them. She wondered how much convincing it would take for William to mar his meticulously decorated apartment with a photograph of such stark humanity. Maybe she’d buy one of the prints to hang in her office.

  “What do you think of it?” a stranger standing next to Karise asked, his voice giving away his British heritage.

  “Don’t answer that,” the redhead at his arm told her. “Gavin has a bad habit of asking people’s opinions of his work without divulging his identity.”

  “That’s one way to get an honest opinion.” Karise had to give him credit.

  “But it’s horrifying for the poor person who calls one of the pieces pretentious,” the redhead countered.

  A smile tugged at Karise’s mouth. “Which piece did you call pretentious?”

  “It’s no longer part of the collection.” Gavin chuckled softly. “She was right about it.”

  “Happily, my answer is the same now as it was before I learned your identity: These pictures are amazing. I’m envious of your talent.”

  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 t
he 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 newfound 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.

  CHAPTER TWO

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