“Mind making yourself useful?” Hailey didn’t take her eyes off her subjects, but her voice was directed at Carter.
“Yeah. Sure.” He moved closer, and she pointed at Mia’s dress.
“Fluff it.”
“Fluff it?” What the hell?
“Pick up the edge and give it a gentle shake so it falls more naturally.”
Carter squatted next to Mia and shook her dress.
“You’re such an idiot. Don’t literally shake my dress. Lift it up so it gets some air.”
“You want me to lift up your dress?” It wouldn’t be the first time, but never to a married woman, and definitely never with her husband looming over him. A husband who may or may not be carrying a lethal weapon. Carter eyed Thorne who stared back with an unreadable glare. The man with the lack of readability on his face was known for cleaning house on poker night.
Thankfully his schedule prevented him from making too many games, or Carter would be in the poor house.
“Like this.” Hailey knelt next to him, and a wave of vanilla and brown sugar filled the air as she fluffed Mia’s gown.
“Ten-four.” Keeping his gaze fixed on the movements of her body as she became one with her camera, Carter fluffed and scooted out of the picture.
Sunsets didn’t last long in Maine, and before he had time to make idle conversation, the hot photographer was packing up.
“You two enjoy your honeymoon. I’ll have digital folders ready for you when you get back.”
Mia and Ryan thanked Hailey and held hands on their way back to the reception. Carter stuck around like a true gentleman. “Can I help you bring your equipment to your car?” Okay, so the gesture was part gentleman, part wanting to see more of Hailey.
And not just in the cleavage department. Tucked away in her buttoned-up black long-sleeve, she didn’t show much skin, but the material hugged her nicely up top, promising two fantastic gifts hidden underneath.
“I’m good, thanks.” She tossed the strap to her camera bag over her shoulder, picked up the aluminum foil looking thing she used for reflection, and sauntered down the slope to the parking lot.
It may not have been intentional, but he liked to think the sway in her curvaceous hips was meant for him. Like a puppy looking for someone to love him, he followed on her heels. She was quick, this sexy photographer.
She had her car unlocked, her camera bag and gear tucked away in the back seat, and driver side door open in two-point-two. Hailey was either on a mission to get home or a mission to evade him.
Carter cupped his hand in front of his mouth and huffed. Not exactly minty fresh, but not repulsive either. He wasn’t the humble type and knew he looked good in the suit. And the grin. The grin and his dimples always worked on the ladies. Maybe he was coming on too strong? It wasn’t like he’d even attempted to touch or kiss her. Other than a quick handshake at the bar, they’d hardly interacted.
“Hailey.” He held the door when she went to close it. “I, uh, I was wondering if you’d like to get together sometime.”
She tilted her head and laughed softly as if he’d told a joke. “You’re cute, Carter. Thanks for the offer, but I’m all set.” She tapped the top of his knuckles, and when he didn’t move, she pushed his hand off her door.
As quickly as she opened it, she had it closed, the car started, and drove off leaving him in the dust.
Literally. Sure, he’d been turned down a time or two by a woman. Jenna’s rejection still stung even though he was over it and happy for her and Tristan. At least their ending wasn’t because of anything he’d said or done wrong.
Hailey’s scoffing laugh and quick blow-off left him scowling. Hell, she hadn’t even given his offer half a second of thought. It was like she’d been anticipating him hitting on her all night and had her rejection waiting at the tip of her tongue to spew at him.
Either Carter was losing his touch, or Hailey didn’t swing his way. Whatever it was, he was bound to get to the bottom of it.
CHAPTER TWO
Hailey had the rejection waiting on the tip of her tongue for the past hour. Her lens may have been focused on the bride and groom for ninety-five percent of the night, but she spent some of her downtime checking out the cute blond in the tux.
He was so much more than cute. The dimples were cute, as was his perfectly styled blond hair. His body was tall and strong. Sexy. And those eyes, yeah, those baby blues lit up the frame. She couldn’t wait to download the pictures on her laptop. Photoshop and filters wouldn’t be necessary on Carter. Following her out to the vineyard was a nice touch as well. Most guys would move on to a new conquest after a woman walked away from him at a bar.
Carter had to know he was sexy. He had all the right moves—never too strong, never too passive. He knew when to make eye contact, when to touch her hand, and when to draw away. It was too bad he was like all the others.
Hailey turned down her road, her high-beams guiding the way. There weren’t many streetlights in the small town of Crystal Cove or the towns heading toward her apartment outside of Belfast.
She’d been lucky to find the one-bedroom rental at a decent rate. Of course, it helped having a dad and stepmom who were adored by the entire town and part of a big church community.
It was an oxymoron, really. Small-town living meant more people were in your business. While Hailey wasn’t the quiet or shy type, she hadn’t exactly lived a life she was proud of. In high school, she drank and partied a lot as an escape from her insecurities. She’d always been a big girl, and she’d found that humor, flirting, and alcohol kept the attention off her weight and on her personality instead.
The unhealthy lifestyle followed her through most of her twenties. Eating, drinking, and sleeping around were her pastimes. While she hated that it happened, her trip to the doctor two years ago and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was the wake-up call she needed. After several meetings with nutritionists and therapists, she learned effective tools to help with her unhealthy food and guy habits. Basically, she’d been a walking, talking model of self-destructive behavior since she’d hit puberty. She’d done her damnedest to change her life around and since then had kept her life more private and closed off.
Her photographs graced the covers of some top magazines, so she wasn’t exactly anonymous. Most people didn’t pay attention to the photographer, but when your subjects were some of Hollywood and social media’s finest, and you had overly proud parents, well, Roger and Rosie made it a habit of bragging her up.
Which also meant when things went sour, it was much harder to hide. The last few months had been pure hell on her. Moving back to Maine was only a temporary band-aid while she figured what she would do with the rest of her life.
She loved being a photographer, and her skills came naturally. But could she do it for the rest of her life? Maybe. Not if it meant living like she had. A new hotel every week; plastic, vain people surrounding her, with no real friends or stability.
She flipped her blinker—not that she needed to use it on her quiet road—and pulled into the driveway she shared with the Eggersons. It was only nine, and the downstairs windows were already dark. Leo and Bobby-Sue would be up with the sun, drinking their coffee and reading the paper before church.
Even if they didn’t have church in the morning, they’d still have their lights out and doors locked by eight.
Hailey parked and quietly made her way up the side entrance. The mudroom door was locked, as she expected. Letting herself in, she glanced to the left to confirm they were already down for the night.
The curtains hanging over their door were pulled shut, and no trace of light sneaked through. She slipped out of her shoes and put them in the coat closet they shared and unlocked the door that led to the stairs to her apartment.
She tiptoed up the stairs in her socks, stopping at the top to feel around for the light switch by the kitchen door. The light momentarily blinded her. Holding up her hand to shield her eyes, she headed to the kitchen table Rosie fo
und at a yard sale and set down her bag.
Once her eyes had adjusted, she tugged off her shirt and bra on the way to her bedroom. The stretchy black pants she could handle, but the underwire bra and button-down blouse were uncomfortable after a long day of taking pictures.
The years she had followed the fitness and weightlifting circuit were the best, outfit-wise. The typical photographer attire was jeans and a T-shirt. She’d kept her wardrobe simple, wearing a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and Vans or Converse almost every day.
Photographing weddings was a different story. She dressed business-casual; comfortable, yet professional. Dropping her blouse in the laundry basket, she picked up an extra-large navy blue long-sleeve shirt with I’ve been known to flash people written across the front.
Rosie got it for her thirtieth birthday last year. Her stepmom was always doing sweet and silly things like that for her. God bless the woman. Hailey had put her through hell and back when Rosie first married her dad.
The teen years had been tough on her, and having a new mom in the picture treating her like a ... like a girl for the first time had really pissed her off. Hailey had gone fifteen years without a mother in her life and didn’t think she needed one then.
Those were years she wished she could relive. As well as her mid-twenties. Not wanting to go down that road again, she went into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets for a snack. She should have eaten more at the wedding, but there were too many awesome subjects to photograph.
Not finding anything interesting to snack on, she opened the fridge and found a container of key lime yogurt. Going back to the cabinet, she took down a bowl and box of Grape Nuts. The crunchy topping to her yogurt was something her stepmother had introduced to her one night after she’d been stood up.
Jared Fossie, the only boy she’d been friends with in high school, called her the afternoon of the Winter Ball to tell her he was going with another girl and wouldn’t be coming over to pick her up. Not that she cared much about those stupid dances; at least not until she’d been dumped for another girl.
Hailey always had self-esteem issues, and Jared had cemented them her sophomore year. Instead of letting her wallow in her room by herself, Rosie had brought up a tray of yogurt and the nasty cereal she used to eat warmed up with milk every morning.
Her stepmother had knocked politely on the door, but she didn’t wait for an invitation. She was like that. Not pushy but not passive either. Even though she never had any kids of her own, she’d picked up on the parenting thing right away.
Hailey peeled back the lid of her yogurt and topped it with some of the crunchy cereal. There was a lot she missed about home. A lot she’d like to forget as well. Her parents were the good part. Running into kids from her school who had bullied her was the not-so-good part.
She was over it. Mostly. Her college years at the Rhode Island School of Design were amazing. She’d found her people. People who were more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it. Devon and Rebecca got her.
The three of them didn’t quite fit in with the artsy group. They didn’t wear bright colors or eccentric outfits to make them stand out. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They preferred to blend in. To go unnoticed. While she and Rebecca wore jeans and sweatshirts nearly every day, Devon typically wore wind pants and his favorite Yankees baseball cap.
If Hailey was more into sports, she’d have given him a hard time of it since she grew up in hardcore Red Sox nation. Really, though, the three of them didn’t want or need any extra attention. Taking pictures of still life, animals, people, close-ups of insects—it didn’t matter what the subject was. Hailey loved playing with lighting and filters before they were an easy touch-of-the-button app on phones.
She dropped to the couch and propped her feet up on one end and rested her neck on the other. Perks of having a short couch. No need for a long one when her only guests were her parents. Savoring the crunchy lime yogurt, she glanced around her tiny apartment.
It was more space than a single girl needed. There wasn’t much room for entertaining, but she didn’t think the Eggersons would appreciate her throwing a rager above their living quarters anyway.
As if she’d throw a party. Hailey snorted. She could count her true friends on one hand, and Rebecca and Devon lived on the other side of the country. Well, Rebecca was a bit closer in Chicago compared to Devon out in LA.
And it wasn’t like she had a boyfriend to bring back to her apartment. Or even a candidate for a one-night stand.
She pictured a pair of crystal blue eyes and two adorable dimples that did cruel things to her body, like make her fantasize about a guy who was not only way out of her league but wrong for her in so many ways.
Last year, after she'd lost her first sixty pounds, the offers started pouring in. Because she was young, lonely, and vulnerable, she’d taken up on too many of them from guys looking for a one-night stand. She knew what she was doing. Still, it hurt when he zipped up and took off the second they were done.
In the back of her mind, there’d always been that glimmer that maybe this guy wanted her for more than a quick roll in the sack. Not when she was surrounded by beautiful, skinny, and fit women. Photographing fitness and body building tournaments had been fun and fast-paced, but terrible for her self-esteem.
Although it did motivate her to do some workout videos online and start toning some of the areas where she'd lost the weight, like her butt and thighs. Never did a body more resemble a pear than hers.
Speaking of... She squirmed on the couch and scraped the bottom of her yogurt container. It was hard to do some of the workouts in her upstairs apartment. She didn’t want to disturb the Eggersons. When she knew they’d be at church or the grocery store, she squeezed in her cardio and plyometric workouts that required a lot of jumping, and she saved her weights and yoga routines for when they were home.
Lifting weights was okay, but it wasn't something she wanted to do all the time. It reminded her of the jacked guys who were all muscle and no brain, and who were only into super-fit girls. Yeah, girls. Not women, and especially not a woman with curves.
Most cardio workouts bored her to death, but she’d found an online group that supported and motivated each other, and for the past six months she’d been keeping to her routine. A few days a week, and eating mostly healthy, she could maintain the weight she’d shed and drop a few more along the way. Since being in Maine for two months she’d lost another eight pounds.
While she may not be at the ideal weight for most women, it was her ideal. Her booty and hamstrings would never be lean, and she’d never have a thigh gap, but she’d learned to love her body and accept who she was. Leaving an environment that was toxic and abusive had been the hardest and best decision she’d ever made.
Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and ran through her list of things to do. At the top of the list was to download and edit the pictures from Ryan and Mia Thorne’s wedding.
That, she could handle. Not drooling over the hot groomsman with the adorable dimples and piercing blue eyes would be a bit more challenging.
Seven hours of hunching over her laptop wasn’t good for her eyes, back, or ass. Rolling her shoulders, Hailey finished her Diet Dr. Pepper—her second of the day—and stood. Diet soda wasn’t a healthy choice, but it satisfied her sugar craving and was better than running out for a pint of ice cream.
Her fitness app had vibrated constantly, reminding her to get up and move. For the most part, she obeyed, standing every hour and walking around the apartment. She shadow boxed for a few minutes, threw out a few kicks, then sat down again. It was a good thing she lived alone.
Three hours ago, she went downstairs and walked a few laps around the neighborhood. Partly to get the blood flowing, and partly to peel her eyes away from HG—hottie groomsman. Since they’d officially met, Hailey could refer to him by his name, but thinking about him as Carter made him too real. Too much like a possibility.
She tossed her
empty can in the recycling bin and stripped down on the way to the bathroom, which was only a few steps. The hot water did wonders to loosen up the knots in her shoulders. She stayed under the scalding spray for too long, her skin turning lobster red when she stepped out of the shower.
Another not-so-healthy habit, she knew, but long, hot showers were one of her favorite things. That and nachos. She was easy to please, if only the nachos didn’t stick to her lower-half. Hailey tucked herself into her thick purple robe and wrapped her wet hair in a towel.
The slow life in Maine was okay for now, but she needed to figure out her new big picture. Even with the upcoming weddings and anniversary photo shoots, she still had too much free time on her hands. Compared to her previous life of working seven days a week, she didn’t mind the rest, but she wasn’t used to being idle. She had job offers in LA that would bring her closer to Devon, but it wasn’t the lifestyle she craved anymore. Staying stationary in little town America wasn’t satisfying either.
Sitting in front of her laptop again, she opened her email. There were plenty of freelance opportunities that continued to fill up her inbox, if she wanted to travel again. In her twenties, it was the perfect lifestyle. She was never bored and traveled wherever the job took her.
Sometimes it was for a weekend, other times a few weeks, or even a month. As soon as she got bored, she moved on to the next gig. Her therapists had said her desire to move around was so she wouldn’t get close to anyone. It kept her from having to open up and risk getting hurt. Not that it mattered. Her heart had been hurt regardless.
She read and responded to the emails from her strongest connections, passing on all the offers except one.
July in the Finger Lakes district shooting a wine festival for one of the top wine magazines. That could be fun.
The next email was from Ben Martelli from Coastal Vines where the wedding was held last night. Opening it, she read through his message. Cool. He wanted to revamp the vineyard’s website and asked if she could shoot some pictures.
All of You (A Well Paired Novel Book 7) Page 2