They were due in Florida for a campaign stop, and as they hit Fort Lauderdale, Evelyn pondered the proximity to Daytona Beach, her thoughts gravitating to Gray.
Not that her thoughts didn’t center on him every single day anyway.
She’d assumed once the campaign started it would be easy to forget about him, that she’d be way too busy to think about him, and she’d get over the hurt.
That wasn’t happening.
She missed him. Her body craved his touch. She missed sleeping with him at night and sharing her thoughts and ideas with him. She missed the sound of his voice, missed arguing with him about every topic under the sun. She missed the way he laughed, the way his smile made her entire body tingle.
She missed racing and found herself scanning the sports outlets for news about how Preston Racing’s team was doing.
Alex Reed, who was currently driving the number fifty-three, had placed fifteenth in the last race. Pretty darn good considering he was new in the car. And Donny had placed fifth. Great for Gray’s team. She was happy for him and he must be frustrated as hell not to be there, not to be racing or even be at the track.
She missed seeing him in his fire suit. God, he looked good zipped up in that thing, and even better out of it.
Her body reacted instantly and she pushed the visuals aside.
It was time for her to get a grip. She and Gray were over. Some day she’d run for office herself and match up with some representative or senator or lawyer and they’d have similar careers in Washington and it would make so much more sense for her future.
How utterly . . . boring.
She shuddered out a sigh and buried herself in work at the local campaign stop.
When her phone rang, she smiled as Carolina’s name popped up.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Carolina said. “Fort Lauderdale, right?”
“Yup. Where are you?”
“In D.C., actually. You’re flying back in tonight?”
“Yes. This is the last of our Florida stops.”
“Can we have lunch when you get back?”
“Hang on. Let me check my schedule.” She did a quick check. If she adjusted a few things . . . “Yes, I can definitely do that.”
“Awesome. How about one o’clock?”
“Perfect.” They made plans to meet.
It would be nice to spend a lunch hour with Carolina. She needed some downtime, even if it was only an hour or two.
And maybe Carolina would fill her in on how Gray was doing. Evelyn and the senator were busy on the campaign, and she refused to constantly ask him about Gray.
They were over and done with, so it was best to cut those ties.
*
THE NEXT DAY HER MORNING WAS FULL GETTING caught up at the main office, so she had to hustle to the restaurant to meet Carolina, who as usual looked fresh and well put together in a bright sheath dress with a beautiful scarf.
“You look gorgeous,” Evelyn said, kissing Carolina’s cheek.
“You look like you could use a nap.”
They sat at the table at the outdoor café in Georgetown and sipped tea and had salads. Carolina filled her in on what was going on with her fashion line, but they mainly talked about the senator and the election.
“You’re busy,” Carolina said in between bites of chicken salad.
“Understatement. I haven’t slept.”
“But this is what you wanted.”
“It is. I have no complaints.”
“And have you seen Gray?”
She took a deep breath. “No. Unfortunately, that’s over.”
“Is it? Why?”
She shrugged. “We’re just worlds apart.”
Carolina laughed. “Oh, that excuse. Did you even try, or did you get cold feet?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that. And hey, why did you assume the breakup was my fault?”
“Because I know you. You’d look for any excuse to not make it work. ‘Oh, he’s a lawyer, it would never work between us.’ ‘Oh, he’s not a lawyer, it would never work between us.’ ‘Oh, we’re from two different worlds, it would never work between us.’” She laid the back of her hand against her forehead for dramatic emphasis.
“I am not like that at all.” She paused, then cocked her head to the side. “Am I?”
“I think you look for reasons not to be in love because you’re afraid it’ll threaten your lifelong career goals, and if you do fall in love, God forbid you might have to compromise.”
Evelyn set her fork down. “I do not do that. Do I?”
Carolina shrugged. “I’m biased in this regard because Gray is my brother and he’s a giant pain in the ass, but I love him. And I think you do, too. So what did he do that was so terrible?”
“You knew he was at the suite the week of the convention, didn’t you?”
“Yes. But he didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you worrying about him being hurt when that was your big week.” Carolina’s eyes widened. “That was it? That’s why you broke up with him?”
Hearing it from Carolina made her sound petty and selfish. “I could have handled it, you know.”
“You’d have been a basket case. Hell, you were a basket case even without dealing with Gray and his injuries. So he was being thoughtful and you kicked him to the curb.”
Evelyn twirled the glass of iced tea around with both hands. “You make me sound like such a heartless bitch.”
Carolina laughed. “Not at all. Honey, I’m sorry. It’s just that I think you’re so afraid of love and commitment and what it might mean for your future goals. Come on, take a chance. My brother’s not a bad guy, you know.”
Her head shot up. “Of course he isn’t, Carolina. God, do you have any idea how much I love him?”
“Well, no, I don’t. The question is, does he have any idea how much you love him?”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Oh, you bitch. Now look what you’re doing to me.” She fished in her purse for a tissue.
Carolina’s lips curved. “Oh, you’re melting, you’re melting. What a cruel, cruel world . . .”
“So not funny.”
“Give it up, Evelyn. You’re in love. Throw your lot in with my big bad brother and see how it goes.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I have to throw in the towel. In the midst of this utter chaos, where I’m surprised I can even remember to put my underwear on the right way every day, I still can’t get him out of my head. Or my heart.”