“Your smoldering crush being Drew.”
She nodded. “Yes. And he, having a penis, didn’t turn me down. We had one blistering-hot night of no-holds-barred sex. I thought I had seduced him and he would fall head over heels in love with me, now that he’d seen the transformed Carolina.”
Evelyn could sense where this was going. “But that didn’t happen.”
Carolina let out a short laugh. “No. He left me in bed the next morning, packed up, left school, and I never heard from him again.”
“Ouch. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “It’s ancient history. I was heartbroken at the time, of course, all those youthful dreams being shattered.”
“I’m sure you were. Young men can be so insensitive.”
“Well, in retrospect I realize now it wasn’t entirely his fault. He’d made no promises to me of forever or love. But at the time I had stars in my eyes because I was convinced I was in love with him. And he used my feelings for him to get me in the sack. At the time I was crushed. And he could have handled letting me down a little better.”
“Yes, he could have. But men can be such ass**les.”
“Yes, they can. The problem is, because he’s stayed friends with Gray, I’ve run into him over the years here and there. So I can’t forget that hideously bad decision I made.”
“So you still have feelings for him.”
Carolina frowned. “No. Not at all. I’d just like Drew Hogan to go away and not come back so I never have to think about that stupid mistake I made.”
It was obvious Carolina still had feelings for Drew. Denial was a powerful protector. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Carolina said with a slight laugh. “It’s in the past. Too bad Drew can’t stay there.”
EIGHTEEN
GRAY FIGURED IF HE MANEUVERED HIS WAY THROUGH the crowd often enough, he could avoid his father the entire day.
Having Trevor and Drew here had helped. He’d spent most of the day hanging out with them. It was always great to see his friends from college. With all their busy schedules and their respective sports keeping them occupied, it was hard to find time to get together, so he was grateful they’d made the trip out here today.
Plus, it helped him steer clear of his father. If he could, he’d avoid him the entire trip. It was doable, except for one major obstacle—make that two—Evelyn and his mother. He could avoid one person just fine, even two people. But three? Impossible.
Evelyn approached from one direction, his mother from the other, and it would look obvious if he turned tail and ran.
“I’ve been looking for you,” his mother said as she grasped his hand. “Did you eat?”
His fill of barbecued ribs, and then some. “Yes, Mom. I ate. Did you?”
She laughed. “I nibble.”
“And that’s why you and Carolina stay so thin.”
“Carolina does look fantastic, doesn’t she? She’s talked me into taking yoga classes.
She claims the flexibility will be good for me. I’m going to sign up next week.”
“Good for you.” He kissed the top of her head and watched Evelyn approach.
“It’s nearing time for Mitchell’s speech,” Evelyn said. “Gray, would you like to talk to your father before?”
Not particularly. He’d like to get through the day not having spent any time with his father at all. But his mother was right here and she’d tan his hide if he avoided his dad. “Uh, sure.”
“Great. If you’ll excuse us, Loretta, we’ll get that started.”
“Of course.”
He moved in beside Evelyn as they made their way through the crowd.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said.
“No, I haven’t. I was just catching up with my friends.”
“I think you’ve been doing your best to avoid your father.”
“That, too. You know I don’t want to be here.” He stopped, turned to face her.
“Check that. I love being home again. I just don’t want to talk to him.”
She brushed fingers with him, and the contact was electric. “I know you don’t, but it’s a part of what you agreed to.”
He gave a short nod. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Gray had seen his father on television. He’d even texted him and talked to him on occasion over the past few years. He’d used the lodge last year for the get-together with the guys from school, so he’d had to talk to his dad about that. His dad had been generous and hadn’t put up a fuss about wanting to see him or asking for anything in return—surprisingly.
But he hadn’t seen him in person in years. Now, they approached where his father was sitting with some of his—what? Friends? Political associates? Hell, he had no idea who these people were.
His stomach tightened. He raised his chin and prepared himself for anything.
Mitchell Preston had lost a considerable amount of weight. He had always been on the hefty side. A lot of liquor and extravagant living would do that to a person. Now, he looked fit and healthier than Gray could ever remember seeing him. He still had a full head of thick hair, though it was mostly silver now, with a few strands of black threaded through it.
He stood, turned to his table of friends. “Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to my son, Grayson. Gray is one of the finest auto racers on the circuit these days.”
As he made the introductions, Gray was shocked. That was the first time Gray could ever remember his father even acknowledging what he did for a living.
“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to talk to my son.”
Evelyn gave his dad a smile. “Senator, I hope things have gone well for you today.”
He shook Evelyn’s hand. Didn’t hug her or tug her close or even leer at her. “They did, Evelyn. Thank you for all you’re doing to help out.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’ll get an email out to you at the end of the week to update you.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“How does it look for the nomination?”
He smiled, a genuine smile filled with hope. “It looks promising. The Cameron campaign has been in touch. It looks like the vetting process is in full swing.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “I couldn’t be more thrilled for you, Senator. I think they’re choosing the right man.”