“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t feel too sorry for him. He’s doing just fine,” Gray said, taking an exit and heading toward a residential area.
“Obviously. This seems like a very nice neighborhood.”
“It is. Like me, Craig comes from old family money, so after he left baseball he had a fallback position in his father’s company.”
She looked at him. “I like that you don’t apologize for that.”
“For what?”
“For having family money.”
He shrugged. “Why should I? It’s no fault of mine. The trust my grandfather left me gave me the stake I needed to separate myself from my father and to help build Preston Racing. I’ve also worked my ass off to make more money. I’ve set up several charities, because my grandfather taught me it’s important to share the wealth when you have money. And it’s not like I spend my life sailing or traveling or pissing the money away sitting on my butt doing nothing, so I don’t see any reason to apologize for having money.”
“It’s a good outlook to have. As someone who doesn’t come from money, I don’t begrudge you. I imagine others do.”
“Frankly, I don’t give a shit what others think. I have a lot of close friends who haven’t grown up rich. None of them have ever judged me for it.”
“I imagine that’s why they’re your close friends.”
He smiled. “You’re right.”
“So tell me more about Craig.”
“His family is from around here, so he settled here and went to work for his father’s company after he left baseball. He married one hell of a stunning woman. But Miranda isn’t a gold digger. She, like a lot of my friends, didn’t grow up with money. He met her at one of the charity fund-raisers he was participating in. She was running it, along with about ten others she’s involved in. Philanthropy is what she does best. She believes in giving back, too, and she’s brought out the best in Craig. They’ve been married three years and have a baby on the way.”
“How nice for them.”
“Yeah, I think you’ll like them.”
“Maybe I’ll hit them up for a campaign contribution.”
Gray shot her a horrified look.
Evelyn laughed. “I’m joking.”
“You scare me, Evelyn.”
“And you need to get to know me.”
“Obviously, I do.”
Gray pulled up to the gate and gave his name to the guard there, who punched a button and let them through. Evelyn didn’t comment. He imagined since she dealt with some of the high rollers in D.C., Craig’s five-thousand-square-foot home wouldn’t impress her.
“Oh, would you look at the size of those trees in their front yard. Can you imagine a tire swing in one of those?”
That wasn’t at all what he expected her to say. “A tire swing?”
He pulled behind one of the cars and got out, then walked over to her side and let her out.
“Of course. You said they’re having a baby, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I can picture this huge yard, a bunch of kids, and a tire swing. I always wanted one of those.”
“You did, huh?”
She let out a soft laugh. “I did. My parents never owned property and we never had a big yard. We lived in apartments. Of course there were playgrounds, but I always coveted a yard that belonged to just me, with a lot of big trees and a tire swing. It’s something I vowed I’d give my own children someday.”
Now that was a revelation. He suddenly wanted to know more about Evelyn. A lot more. Unfortunately, they now stood at the threshold to Craig’s front door, and this wasn’t the time to ask probing questions, so he tabled that thought for later.
Craig opened the door and grinned. “Gray! I didn’t think you’d come. I know you’re busy with race stuff.”
Gray hugged him and they slapped each other on the back. “We never get to see each other. When I got your call saying you were having a birthday party, how could I not be here for it?”
“I’m glad.”
“Thirty, huh? Man, you’re old.”
Craig laughed. “And so are you. And where are my manners?” He turned to Evelyn and shook her hand. “Craig Reynolds. Welcome.”
“Evelyn Hill.”
Craig gave a look to Gray. “You’ve moved up in the world of women. Evelyn, you’re gorgeous. Come on inside and meet my wife.”
Used to large crowds of people she didn’t know, Evelyn wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated. Craig was tall and lean, with sandy brown hair cut short. He wore dark glasses that did nothing to mar his incredible good looks. Instead, they gave him a Clark Kent mystique that made him utterly good-looking.
There were quite a few people in attendance, and obviously some that Gray knew, because he stopped to shake hands or smile and wave as they walked by. When they made their way to a gorgeous woman with chin-length brown hair who looked to be about six months pregnant, she turned and presented them with a glowing smile.