Samuel was pretty sure pacing didn’t make the best photos.
When he was in earshot, he stopped, and, stepping off the path, stood next to a tree, watching the interaction.
The male model paced back and faced Danielle. Samuel’s nerves went on alert. It had been awhile since he’d been in a physical scuffle. Not that he made a habit of fighting. Only twice, to be exact, and both in college, but he wasn’t opposed to tackling anyone who threatened someone he cared about.
Cared about. He’d have to think about that later. Danielle had her hair pulled back today and she wore a bright blue pea coat. Her skin glowed with the crisp fall air.
“I won’t do it,” Jacob said.
Danielle stood her ground, one hand on her hip and the other holding her camera. “Okay,” she said. “Just pretend.”
Jacob shook his head, turned away. Samuel relaxed a little.
Avery, who stood a few feet from Danielle, glared at Jacob. “He won’t do it,” she said.
“It’s just a job,” Danielle said. “It’s not like you have to like each other.”
Jacob turned back and glared at both women. “You know what,” he said. “I don’t even need this job. I don’t have to be here, and I don’t have to do this. I quit.” He turned on his heel and walked away.
The girls watched as he strode down the path that led to the park’s exit. Samuel got back on the path and approached them. “Hey,” he said. “What’s going on?”
Danielle turned, and he saw the frustration on her face. “Jacob just quit.”
“Why?” Why would he walk off a job where all he had to do was stand around and be photographed with one pretty girl by another gorgeous female?
“He didn’t want to kiss me.” Avery rolled her eyes.
“Right,” he said. Danielle had mentioned something about the author she was working with needing a kissing scene. He’d forgotten about that. Danielle’s doctor’s visit had distracted him from thinking about anything else. “Just find someone else, right?”
Both women stared at him.
“Surely it can’t be that hard to find someone who’ll kiss Avery.”
They looked at each other and after a beat, they both burst out laughing.
“It can’t be just anyone,” Avery pointed out.
“The author is going to flip,” Danielle said. “She loved the chemistry between Avery and Jacob.”
“If she only knew,” Avery muttered.
“Now we have to start over with a new model.”
Chapter 18
Danielle studied Samuel. He hadn’t shaved today. He had just enough shadow to give him that certain bad-boy look that she found irresistible. The same thought occurred to her that she’d had when she first saw him. He would look good on a book cover.
Women would definitely drool over him. Not that she was drooling. Well, maybe just a little.
Maybe she could talk him into posing – just for this author. Not that he would want to be a model. She knew enough about pilots to know that they were single-minded. In fact, she wondered why he was here and not off flying somewhere.
He caught her looking at him, and his eyes widened. He shook his head just enough for her to know that he knew what she was thinking.
“Samuel,” she smiled sweetly. “Let me take a few pictures of you and Avery and send them to the author.”
Now he was shaking his head in earnest. “I’m not a model.”
“You don’t have to be a model. You just have to let me photograph you.”
“To be on a book cover,” he glanced at Avery. “with her.”
“Seriously,” Avery crossed her arms. “Do I have a wart on my nose or something today?”
Danielle tore her gaze away from Samuel long enough to respond. “You’re beautiful Avery. He’s just being difficult. And Jacob… well… you would know better than I what’s going on with him.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Yeah. You don’t want to know.”
“It’s hard working with someone you have a history with.” Danielle shrugged.
Avery had a stunned look on her face. As if everyone couldn’t see it. Danielle turned back to Samuel. “Maybe I could take a couple and text them. If she says no, it’s a moot point.”
Samuel glanced at Avery and seemed to consider. Danielle swallowed a flash of regret. Samuel with Avery together in a photograph, much less on a book cover for all of eternity. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
She was about to open her mouth and say they would look for other options when Samuel said. “Okay.”
“Okay? You’ll do it?” Her emotions were all over the place. In that moment, she truly hoped she was pregnant, so she could blame it on that. She didn’t want to admit that although it would help her out professionally if he said yes, she had truly hoped he wouldn’t do it.
Avery was gorgeous, and Samuel was handsome. They were going to make a great couple. How could the author not want them on her book cover? Together.
She nodded and let professionalism win. “Go stand next to each other on the porch.”
Lifting her camera, she watched them through the lens. Avery was looking at Samuel, but Samuel was watching her, not Avery.
“You have to look at Avery,” she said.
Samuel turned his gaze toward Avery. Good. She took several pictures. Zoomed in. They did look good together. Avery reached out and put an arm on Samuel’s.
Danielle was going to be sick. Right now. She lowered the camera and turned around.
By the time she was hurling the contents of her breakfast, Samuel was there, holding her hair. “Thank you,” she murmured.
Danielle sat on the porch steps. If I’m not pregnant, I have something terribly wrong with me.
“Are you okay?” Avery asked. This was the first time Danielle had been sick around her.
“I think I must have a virus,” Danielle took a tissue from her handbag and wiped her mouth.
“I’ll get you some water,” Samuel darted away.
“I hope I don’t catch it,” Avery said.
Danielle didn’t answer. She didn’t tell Avery that she wasn’t contagious.
Within minutes, Samuel was back with water… and crackers.
“Let’s take a break, Avery. Come back at one o’clock. By then I should have an answer from the author.” Danielle pulled up the pictures, picked out three, and sent them to the author.
“No problem,” Avery said, gathering up her backpack and heading down the path to her car.
Danielle nibbled a cracker and sipped from the bottle of water.
“Better?” Samuel brought over her tripod.
She nodded. “Thank you.”
He sat down beside her. He rubbed her back, right between her shoulder blades. No. I will not be attracted to Samuel. I can like him, but I’m not attracted to anyone right now.
A dating moratorium. She might even be pregnant. Not a good time to be crushing on her father’s new employee. A pilot at that. A pilot that was helping her out by posing as a model with her best girl model.
The nausea had passed, but she was still feeling unsettled. Seeing them gazing at each other had been too much. Had it been the possible pregnancy or just seeing them together? She really needed to get that question answered. Maybe she would get an over-the-counter pregnancy test on the way home and take that. She needed to know what was going on with her. Just so she knew how to interpret all these emotions going on with her.
When she was around Samuel.
Suddenly, a little golden retriever puppy was racing toward her. The puppy jumped into her lap and began licking her face. Danielle laughed.
A little girl, about five, was running toward her with her mother right behind her.
“Rex!” The little girl ran up to Danielle.
The puppy jumped out of Danielle’s arms to nip around the little girl’s heels. She squealed in delight.
The woman, winded, caught up with them. She smiled at Danielle. “Thank yo
u so much.”
“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do anything.”
“My daughter loves this puppy.” She held up the harness. “I don’t know how he managed to get loose.”
“He’s adorable.”
The woman knelt and wrangled the dog back into his harness. “Do you two have children?” Her daughter danced around them.
Danielle glanced at Samuel and shook her head.
“Well, don’t wait too long. The older you get, the harder it is to keep up with them.”
“I would imagine It’s hard at any age.”
The woman held her daughter’s hand with one hand and the puppy’s leash with the other. “Again, thank you for helping.”
“Bye!” The little girl grinned and waved as she walked away.
“Cute.” Danielle said. “Do you have any pets?”
“My mom has a couple of cats, but no, I don’t. Do you?
“I have a cat at my mom’s. His name is Charlie. I miss him terribly.”
“Maybe your mom can bring him for a visit.”
“Maybe.” Danielle stared after the girl with the dog.
Samuel glanced at his watch. “Want to get some lunch?”
“Sounds good.” Anything to distract her from the direction of her thoughts.
They walked together down the path to his truck. “Do you mind stopping by the drug store when you take me home?”
“Of course not.”
Her phone beeped. “She’s already responded.”
“That was fast.”
“Yeah, unusual.” Danielle slid open her messages. Looked up at Samuel. “She loves it.”
“You don’t seem happy about it.”
Danielle shrugged. “I’ve put a lot of work into the images with Avery and Jacob. I even had a mock up done. I didn’t know she was gonna want them kissing.”
“Why wouldn’t Jacob kiss Avery?”
“I don’t know details, but they have a history.”
“Still… if he’s kissed her before...”
“I guess kissing is intimate for some people.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “I thought kissing was intimate for everyone.”
Her face flushed. “Maybe he didn’t want to risk opening up old feelings. Or maybe he just really doesn’t like her.”
“Guess we’ll never know.”
She took a deep breath. “So now you get to kiss Avery.”
He stopped walking. She took two steps and turned back. He looked a little stunned. “What? You didn’t put this together?”
“I guess I hadn’t thought it through. It was kind of sudden.”
Danielle took it as a good sign that he hadn’t been looking forward to kissing Avery. In fact, she liked it that he didn’t look any too happy about the whole situation.
By the time they reached his truck, she had a little bounce back in her step.
Chapter 19
Samuel did not want to kiss Avery. First of all, she was too young. Second, she was blonde. And third, he didn’t know her.
And fourth, she wasn’t Danielle.
He surely didn’t want to kiss her in front of Danielle. Something about that felt distinctly off.
He hadn’t kissed anyone since Jessica. So that meant it had been years since he’d kissed anyone.
The whole train of thought just about sent him into a tailspin.
Since they were on the other side of town, and neither of them were familiar with the area, they found a little Mexican restaurant. Being the first ones there, they picked a booth in the back.
Danielle leaned back and put her feet on his bench. Who was going to rub her feet? From being around his sisters, he knew that pregnant women needed their feet rubbed. Often.
Danielle was going to be a single mom. And she was an only child. He didn’t know a lot about the rest of her social life.
“When you moved from L.A., did you leave behind any friends?”
She shook her head. “Between work and my family and boyfriend, I didn’t have any time left over. Besides,” she shrugged. “I’ve never really been the type to go out with girlfriends.”
She was similar to Jessica in that way. Jessica hadn’t had girlfriends either. With her being in the military especially, all her friends were male, but she didn’t go out either. Unless she was with him.
So far, that was the only similarity he’d discovered between the two girls. Danielle wore makeup and painted her nails. Her hair was highlighted in a trendy fashion. Jessica never wore makeup and never even went to a nail salon that he knew of. She kept her short hair pulled back most of the time.
“What about you?” She asked. “You have a guy friend that you hang out with?”
“Nah. My family keeps me occupied when I’m not flying.”
“Speaking of. Aren’t you supposed to be packing and getting ready to move to Dallas?”
“I’m packed,” he said, “but don’t tell your dad. He gave me two weeks, and I’m going to stay here as long as I possibly can.”
“There really weren’t any jobs in Houston?”
“There was a teaching job open, but I can’t see myself teaching others to fly. I’d miss being in the air by myself.”
“You sound a lot like my dad. He’s only happy when he’s flying. Or with his new wife Savannah.” She wrinkled her nose.
“You don’t like her?”
“Oh yeah. She’s great, and my dad has been in love with her since the day they met at college. But it’s just weird thinking about him being with someone.”
“I’m lucky, I guess. My parents have stayed together. As far as I know, they’re happy together.”
“You are lucky. My parents didn’t like each other very much. Their marriage was a business arrangement.” He made a face. “I didn’t know this until after they got divorced. I just knew that my father was rarely home, and when he was home, I did things with him. We rarely did things as a family. It was almost like they were divorced, but living in the same house.”
“Yuck.”
“It was life as I knew it. I didn’t know it was supposed to be any different.”
“Your ex, what’s his name?”
“Joey.” She scowled. “But ex is a good name for him.”
“Are you going to tell him about the baby?”
“If there’s a baby,” she corrected. “No. Absolutely not.”
“I’d want to know,” he whispered.
“But you’re different. You’re more settled.”
“Are you saying I’m boring?” He scooped a chip into the salsa and tasted it.
“Of course not.”
“It’s okay. I know I am.”
“It’s better to be boring than to be a cad.” Her face flushed.
There was still some heat there. She pretended to be over this… Joey… but there was some unfinished business. How was she going to cope with having her ex’s baby? A man whose name she couldn’t even stand to speak.
Joey would find out about the baby. He supposed it was possible that if they never saw each other again, he might not know, but it would better for Danielle if she chose how he found out. She needed to pick the time and place, and Samuel needed to be with her.
He’d read somewhere that the number one cause of death for pregnant women was murder. Men like Joey, who most likely didn’t want a child, could be unpredictable.
He would bring this up after she heard from the doctor.
Right now, he had to figure out what to do about this predicament involving kissing Avery.
Chapter 20
“I changed my mind.”
Danielle folded her arms and glared at Avery. “What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means no. I’m not kissing…” She gestured toward Samuel. “him.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Danielle studied Samuel, looking for something she’d missed. Other than his squirming at the moment, she saw absolutely nothing she didn’t like.
Avery shrugged.
<
br /> Danielle put a palm against her forehead and closed her eyes. This was a train wreck that she never saw coming when she got up this morning. It was a beautiful fall day. Perfect for photographing. “What am I supposed to do?” She asked, mostly to herself.
“You kiss him.”
Danielle opened her eyes. She looked first at Avery, who wore a smug expression, then at Samuel, who had his eyebrows scrunched together. Her gaze went to his lips. And it was as though Avery’s words had breathed life into the most wonderful idea. “Okay,” she said and hoped her voice didn’t sound as breathy as it felt. She cleared her throat and pulled her gaze from Samuel’s lips.
She glanced down. She had on tights and a short skirt. Her jacket was short with a longer shirt layered beneath. Not so very different from what Avery wore. She could work with this.
“You’ll have to take the pictures,” she handed her camera to Avery. She’d have to do some serious Photoshopping, but this was doable.
The author liked Samuel, so maybe she wouldn’t notice that the female model had changed. She’d just put the kissing couple – them – on the cover and send it to her.
Avery went into photographer role. “Let’s do some warm-up shots first.”
Danielle chuckled as Avery mimicked her.
Samuel wore a baffled expression. “So now we’re the cover models?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“Why not?” He took her hand and led her halfway up the stairs of the white house. They waited while another couple walked around behind them.
“So we just look at each other?” he asked.
“That’s a good start.”
“I can do that.”
“Try to look happy,” she said and took her own advice, putting a smile on her face. Her mother had passed along many of the skills she’d learned in finishing school. Danielle knew how to look happy even in the most uncomfortable of situations.
As she gazed into Samuel’s blue eyes, she heard the click of the camera, then she got lost in his eyes, and the rest of the world faded away. Her heart rate went into overdrive.
He took her hand and pulled her closer. Then he put his arms loosely around her. She put her hands on his chest and leaned her elbows against him. Her head tilted up. He was a full head taller than she was. A perfect height. He smelled good, like deep, rich masculinity.
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