Waiting For Her, page 1
WAITING FOR HER
CAROL WYATT
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Copyright © 2022
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Thank You
Autumn Bliss
Also by Carol Wyatt
1
Eve Fosatti stepped into the empty elevator and pressed her fingers against the smooth button to bring her back to the hotel lobby. As much as she loved real estate, even she was exhausted after a long day of presentations on sales and marketing tactics.
Eve closed her eyes as she leaned back against the cool metal wall, the smell of cheap cologne invading her senses. If she had to guess, she’d say that the ratio of men to women at this conference was twenty to one.
She’d gone back to her room to freshen up after dinner, and if she didn’t think appearances were everything, she would have loved to trade this black pencil skirt for slacks or her heels for flats, but Eve cared too much about those things.
Even though her schedule was free now, the talks finished for the day, this was when interesting things could happen. Realtors from all over the country were here in Miami this weekend, and Eve liked to think that anything was possible, that she always had the potential to meet someone here that could change the trajectory of her career. The right investor. The right connection that could lead to future deals.
Eve entered the bustling hotel lobby, her eyes scanning the room for Drew. He wasn’t easy to spot amongst the sea of men who all seemed to look just like her business partner. Tall. Dark-haired. Dressed in a suit.
Eve made the short walk to the bar, weaving her way through small groups of people who had stopped to chat. She spotted Drew straight away, perched at the bar, no doubt flirting with the bartender.
She bit back a sigh as she went over to join him, her heels clicking against the tiled floor, the soft tones of jazz music playing in the background.
Eve had to believe that she’d come away from conferences like these with something that would move her career forward, because otherwise, it was just a boozy weekend away, filled with people having affairs, disguised as a business write-off.
“There you are,” Drew said with a grin when she slid onto the stool beside him. “I thought you went to bed.”
Eve narrowed her eyes. “At eight o’clock?” She hung her bag on a hook underneath the bar.
Drew shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Sometimes Eve felt like Drew met her last week and not twenty years ago. He couldn’t seem to grasp the difference between being at a bar like this and going to a gay club in the city. It was night and day.
This was draining for her. Fending off guys who thought they might get her into bed. Watching Drew pick up women with ease.
Not that Eve was even into that sort of thing. But sometimes, it would be nice to randomly catch a woman’s eye and think that she had a chance with her.
“What are you drinking?” Drew asked, taking her away from her thoughts.
“Uh, bourbon.” Judging by the way Drew’s perfectly gelled black hair was now slightly disheveled, with a lock falling across his forehead, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Eve was behind.
Drew raised his eyebrows but ordered without saying anything more. “Two bourbons,” he said to the cute bartender who wasn’t too far away.
“Am I in the way here?” Eve glanced in the direction of the bartender.
“No.” Drew downed whatever was in his tumbler. Probably whisky. “She’s hot, but I’ve kind of had my eye on this woman…” He leaned to the side to look past her. “I don’t know. I know she’s young, but when has that stopped me,” he said with a laugh. “The blond standing by the windows. Black dress.”
Eve swiveled on her stool to see who he was talking about and even though the woman was turned to the side, Eve knew it was her. Her long blond hair fell to the middle of her back, her simple black dress hugging her curves. This was the third year in a row that she was here, in Miami for this conference, and Eve still had no idea who she was.
“Hmm.” Eve tore her eyes away. “She can’t be more than twenty-five or twenty-six.” The bartender left their drinks down on two white napkins. Eve lifted her tumbler to Drew’s. “But like you said, that’s never stopped you.”
Eve gulped her drink. She was not going to mention that she was harboring some sort of a crush on this woman. An infatuation really, because they’d never actually spoken. But Eve thought their eyes had caught more than once each year. It could have all been in her imagination though.
She had felt that pang of disappointment several times yesterday when Eve thought for sure she would catch a glimpse of the blond at some point, but it hadn’t happened, so Eve had assumed that she wasn’t here this year.
And while for Drew, picking up women was a game, a way to further inflate his enormous ego, that had never been Eve’s style. She ended up on dates with women from similar social circles, women she had something in common with. Women her age. And when she did find herself in a gay bar, women generally came to her.
Maybe, that was why this woman intrigued her. Because she hadn’t. Because she wasn’t Eve’s usual type. And now she had Drew’s attention too.
“She’s not that young,” Drew said. “I’m going to go talk to her.”
Eve refrained from rolling her eyes, ignoring the burning sensation in her stomach that had nothing to do with the bourbon.
Their romantic interests never seemed to overlap, thankfully, but tonight, she’d have to leave, because she didn’t think she could handle seeing Drew charming this woman.
Because he would. He liked to think he was one of the best closers in the city, always able to seal the deal and get the highest bid, but it was the way he made people feel in his presence that made the difference.
And maybe that was selling. Maybe, that was what made a great salesperson.
Eve didn’t know. Her strong suit was the design, the creativity behind a project. She could see the potential an old, abandoned building had, and turn it into luxurious apartments.
Drew was all about the deal. And tonight, he would, unfortunately, be using those persuasion skills on Eve’s mystery woman.
Eve ordered another round as Drew unrolled his sleeves and put on his suit jacket again, running a hand through his hair.
“Aren’t you going to wish me luck?” Drew asked.
“You don’t need it.” Eve forced herself to smile. It was an old joke, and until tonight, Eve had always said it with ease. Now, she felt a little sick.
“Oh, come on.” Drew stood beside her, towering over her, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his tumbler. “That face reminds me of when I tried and failed miserably to get you to come back to my place.”
“How do you even remember that night? That was almost twenty years ago.” Eve sipped her drink. How had it been that long?
Drew smiled. “How could I forget? You were the most beautiful woman in the bar.”
Eve hit his arm. “I was the only woman in the bar.”
Drew pointed his finger at her. “And you recognized me. I was so down in the dumps that night. Everyone was glued to the TVs. The finals. Game seven. Their three-point shooting percentage was awful. And I should’ve been playing. I would have hit those shots.” He shook his head. “But you recognized me, and I mistook your kindness for interest.”
Eve pursed her lips. “I was just as miserable that night. All the time, really, back then. My parents had both died within a month of each other, and I was lost. I went to the nearest sports bar, right around the corner from my apartment, just wanting to be around people. Even if I didn’t know any of them. And I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to talk to the great Drew Ford.”
He smiled, a glint in his eyes now. “We never would have met if we hadn’t that night. Do you ever think about that? Do you ever wonder what we’d be doing now if we hadn’t?”
Eve took a drink. “Not as much as I should. But I have no idea what I’d be doing. You would have landed on your feet, that much I know. You could have gone into broadcasting. You could have run for office. You were always a local hero.”
“If only my knees could have held up. But you know what? Just in the last, maybe five or six years, I’ve finally stopped thinking about what might have been. We have a great thing going,” Drew said with a smile. “We’re transforming the city, one building at a time, one apartment at a time, and making a shit ton of money in the process.” He clinked his glass off Eve’s. “And I get to do it with the most amazing woman. What more could a guy want?”
And with that he was off, that smile still on his lips as he introduced himself to the woman on the other side of the bar. Eve only took one glance over at them, knowing how it would go. Very few women turned him down.
Eve finished her drink. She was too restless to go up to her room. The few people she had recognized were seated at full booths or tables dotted around the bar, already in conversations, and she didn’t feel like intruding on any of them. She did remember from last year that there was a bar upstairs that had a balcony overlooking the ocean.
Eve got her bag and made the short walk to the winding stairs that led to the upstairs bar, her hand sliding along the cool metal rail as she made her way up, glad to see that it was quiet and that she had her pick of seats.
She sat down on a white two-seater sofa, leaving the comfortable air-conditioning for the muggy night air. It was too dark to see the ocean, but she could hear the waves rolling in, gently hitting the shoreline.
Eve didn’t want to think about the woman downstairs, and the way she made a simple black dress seem elegant. Sexy. But she did have amazing legs. Eve had noticed that the very first time she saw her, three years ago.
She took a drink, the sweet flavors of vanilla and caramel hitting her tongue, and a thought popped into her head.
If she thought that woman was too young for Drew, then why was she looking at her? Drew was forty-six, only a year older than her, probably twenty years older than the blond.
That was it. That was enough of a reason to forget about her.
Let Drew do the stereotypical ‘sleep with a woman half your age’ thing. Eve didn’t need that kind of drama. She’d never even dated anyone that was more than a few years younger than her.
So why was she so drawn to this woman? A woman she knew absolutely nothing about.
Presumably, she was in real estate. But who knew where she was from or what sort of a person she was. She was probably straight too.
“Just forget it,” Eve mumbled to herself as she brought her tumbler to her lips, more than ready to get back to New York tomorrow.
2
Casey shouldn’t have been looking over at that stunning woman sitting at the bar with gorgeous black hair that fell across her shoulders. She would have recognized her straight away but seeing that same man with her again this year just confirmed it, and then she couldn’t look away.
It wasn’t that uncommon for couples to go into business together or for two people to have met at a conference like this one, and that should have been a good enough reason to forget about that woman. She was with him. Every year.
Drew. That was his name. Although Casey didn’t think she’d need to remember it. She’d find a way to excuse herself eventually.
“So, you’re an architect and a developer?” Drew asked. Again. Was he that drunk, or did he just not understand the concept?
“Yes.” Casey took a sip of wine, wishing she had something stronger. “I went to college to become an architect, but once I got out into the real world, I kept running into walls.”
Drew smiled.
“That pun was unintentional.” Casey could admit that this guy was easy to talk to, but she didn’t want to lead him on. She was far more interested in his wife. “But it didn’t take me long to figure out that there was an easier way. Just do it all myself.”
“That is very ambitious,” Drew said, slightly slurring the end of ambitious. “For someone so young too.”
“Well, I’m not that young anymore. I’m nearly thirty. But I don’t get that look anymore. It was a little unusual for some people to get their heads around, and maybe my age didn’t help back then, but I’ve established my reputation now, so it’s not a big deal.”
“I would love to find out more, about your business, your ideas. Maybe we should chat upstairs.” He was leaning in now. Even though he was a few inches taller than her, his breath was warm against her cheek, and she took a reflexive step backward.
“And what would your wife say about that?” Casey asked, eyeing him.
“My what? My wife? I’m not married.” That seemed to sober him up for a second. “See?” He showed her his left hand. “No ring.”
Casey could care less about that. She wanted to know more about the gorgeous woman who was sitting at the bar with him a few minutes ago. Who wasn’t his wife. For the last three years, she’d assumed they were together, always coming and going together, eating together.
Casey did her best to keep her face neutral, hiding the excitement that this new development brought. “That woman you were sitting with wasn’t your wife?”
“Eve? No. She’s my business partner. And definitely not my wife.”
Casey smiled. “What’s that look about? You’d hardly kick her out of bed,” she said with a laugh.
“Oh, no.” Drew almost looked sheepish now. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean because she’s gay. Believe me, I did try. A long time ago. But anyway, enough about Eve. Why don’t we have another drink upstairs? I have a suite.”
“I’m afraid I have plans to meet someone.” She finished her wine and patted his arm as she brushed past him, going straight for the stairs that she’d watched Eve climb earlier, unable to take her eyes off the older woman.
Upstairs, Casey ordered another glass of wine, and while she was waiting for her drink, she turned to survey the bar area. It took her all of two seconds to find Eve. She was sitting outside, on the balcony, on a sofa. Alone.
Casey swallowed. She could still remember the first time she saw her.
Three years ago, Eve had locked eyes with her when she’d entered the hotel restaurant. It had only lasted for a second, before Eve’s attention shifted to the people she’d come in with, following them to a table, but Casey could still see it in her mind, still feel the warm, tingling sensation that had swept over her skin when their eyes had met.
And then it kept happening. Across the conference room the next day. In the hotel lobby the following year. Then the elevator, but there were other people around them, crowded in, although Casey could have sworn that the woman’s gaze had been on her, in the reflection of the elevator mirror.
Now, that woman had a name. Eve. It suited her.
Casey paid for her drink and stayed standing beside the bar for a few seconds, gazing through the large glass windows that looked out onto the balcony.
Was she really going to do this?
She wouldn’t have. Not an hour ago.
First, because she thought Eve was married to Drew. And second? Well, Casey had never thought beyond that, but she might have assumed she was straight if she had.
But none of that mattered now, because Casey knew that Eve wasn’t.
Tomorrow, Casey would be flying back to Los Angeles, so was there even a point in approaching her?
She bit back a smile as she slid onto a bar stool while she decided what she was going to do.
That was not everyone else’s philosophy at this conference. Everyone else was here to enjoy themselves. That almost felt like the priority.
Business seemed to be an afterthought, even though that was what brought Casey here every year. She needed to learn from the best in the business, to make that transition from architect to developer, to juggle both responsibilities, to understand both roles.
And she had learned a lot, particularly this year, now that she’d been in business for herself these last two years and started taking on bigger projects. Now that she was in a position to really apply what she was learning.
“Hi.”
Casey blinked as she turned to see if that voice to her left was directed at her, and her breath caught in her throat. Eve was standing beside her, her heavenly perfume drifting towards Casey as she took a seat on the stool beside her.
Casey swallowed. “Hi.” Women did not make Casey nervous as a general rule, but there had always been something about this woman that had Casey’s heart racing, her thoughts jumbled.
