A loud sigh sounded in his ear. “O-kay. But I want you with me.”
Amber sounded nervous—like the time when she was eight and didn’t want to ride the roller coaster at an amusement park near Tacoma. “When?”
“I’ll be finished in an hour.”
Not enough time to go back to his office. “I’ll grab a cup of coffee, then meet you at Jenna’s house.”
Another sigh. “Fine. But if I’m going to this much trouble, she’d better change her mind about photographing my wedding.”
“Don’t you mean your and Toby’s wedding?”
Amber harrumphed. The line disconnected.
Ash opened the car door. Something flashed by again. He looked over the top of his car. Focused. Not a blur, a puppy, the one he’d seen a few minutes ago. She chased her tail.
He assumed her given the pink collar. The couple she’d been with wasn’t around. Her leash was missing.
Coffee could wait. The pup shouldn’t be out on her own. She could wander into the street or get lost.
Holding onto the handle to cushion the noise, he closed the car door. His old dog, a German shepherd named Jefferson, hadn’t liked loud noises. Car doors slamming spooked him. Ash didn’t want to scare the puppy and send her running. Chasing a dog didn’t appeal to him, but neither did the alternative.
The puppy glanced his way, then returned her attention to her tail.
He came closer, trying to be quiet and move slowly. He kneeled at the edge of the sidewalk, reached into his pocket, and jiggled his keys.
Keeping his fingers cupped, he pulled out his hand. “Hungry, pup?”
The dog scurried forward. The rounded belly and short, uncoordinated legs looked out of proportion to the rest of her.
“Sorry.” He scooped the dog into his arms. A lick on the cheek was his reward. “No treat this time. We need to get you back where you belong.”
Ash walked toward Jenna’s house, his steps lighter than they’d been minutes ago. He would get to see her sooner than he expected. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he had no reason to stay. Until now. He looked at the squirming puppy in his arms. “I have no idea what you’re doing out here, but thank you.”
“Perfect.” Jenna took two steps back, checked the lighting in her studio, then adjusted her camera lens while Kerri and Michael made silly faces and played with the props. “Ready?”
The couple nodded.
Jenna hoped working would push thoughts of Ash from her mind. She forced a smile. “Let’s see those pearly whites.”
Two toothpaste commercial–worthy smiles appeared.
She readied her camera. “Now show me your crazy personalities.”
Michael brought the empty frame closer. He and Kerri stuck their heads through the opening as if they were coming out of the picture.
“That’s great.” Jenna hopped on a chair to look down on the couple and get another angle. “You two are naturals.”
Kerri kissed her fiancé. “That’s because he’s so photogenic.”
“You’re the gorgeous one,” Michael replied.
“Happy couples make for happy photos.” Jenna kept taking pictures. Kerri and Michael weren’t just happy to be together; they were deliriously happy and very much in love. The way Jenna thought she and Ash had been.
She swallowed around the lump in her throat. Water under the bridge and all the way out to the Pacific Ocean by now.
“I want our portrait on your wall like the other couples,” Kerri said.
“One will be there,” Jenna assured. “But I have a feeling choosing what photo to use will be difficult.”
A knock sounded.
She ignored it. “Now I want you—”
The doorbell rang.
Strange. She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Another knock.
Kerri glanced at the doorway. “Sounds like they aren’t going away.”
“I’m sorry.” The only people who stopped by were clients. Well, except for Ash. “Someone must want to pick up their prints. Excuse me for a moment.”
“Take your time.” Grinning, Michael held a top hat prop over his head. “We’ve got plenty to keep us busy.”
Jenna hurried to the entryway and opened the door. Gasped.
Ash stood with Peaches cradled in his arms.
She shuffled back a step. Her skin tingled as if brushed by a feather.
Two little paws wrapped around his right arm as if holding a beloved toy. Adorable. Puppy drool left dots and drips on Ash’s tie. The tender way he stared at the dog brought a sigh to her lips. Appealing and attractive.
“Look who I found in the front yard,” Ash said. “I assumed that wasn’t the place for her.”
His words shook Jenna out of her daze. She motioned him inside. “Peaches must have escaped from the backyard. Thank you for catching her.”
Ash entered the house, then closed the door. “Least I could do.”
His six-foot frame filled the entryway in a way she didn’t remember. He’d always been fit, a runner and cyclist, but his shoulders and chest seemed wider, as if he’d been weightlifting. The scent of his aftershave brought a rush of memories, including when they’d met in a church parking lot. “Ash to the rescue.”
He rubbed Peaches’ head. “Right place, right time.”
That had been what he said about their meeting. Her battery had died while she’d been trying out a young adult group at a church on the other side of town, and he’d offered to help. She hadn’t noticed Ash during the gathering, but she’d been swept off her feet with a pair of jumper cables and his stunning blue eyes.
Ash stopped rubbing the puppy.
Peaches whimpered.
He grinned. “Her owners are going to have their hands full.”
“They already do. She escaped earlier today.” Jenna remembered her clients waiting for her. “I need to get back to Kerri and her fiancé in the studio.”
“I’ll carry the puppy.” Ash hadn’t been inside the studio since she took photographs for his primary run over two years ago.
Kerri screeched. “Peaches!”
The dog wiggled, squirmed, and barked. Of course, she wanted her mommy.
Ash handed over the puppy. “I found her running and chasing her tail in the front yard.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I can’t believe she got out again.” Kerri cuddled the dog close, cooing and kissing at the puppy as if she were a child. “What am I going to do with you, Peaches?”
“Her paws are getting more efficient.” Michael gave the pup a pat. “I’ll repair any damage she did to the yard or fence.”
“No problem,” Jenna said. “I’m just grateful Ash found her.”
Kerri nodded. “You saved us a lot of heartache. Thanks.”
Ash gave a lopsided smile. “Happy to be of service. I love dogs.”
“I’m Michael Dewar.” He shook Ash’s hand. “This is my fiancée, Kerri Williams.”
“Ashton Vance.”
Kerri cradled the puppy like a baby. Her gaze traveled between Ash and Jenna. “We passed you coming up to the house.”
Jenna recognized the curious tone. She didn’t want Kerri to think Ash was a potential date. “Ash and I have known each other for a while.”
“Almost three years,” he said.
Two-thirds of that time, they’d been out of contact. A part of her wished they still were. Well, except for Ash finding Peaches and offering to cover some of the wedding expenses.
“I want to take more pictures of you in here, but I’m afraid Peaches will escape if we put her in the backyard again.”
“Give me Peaches’s leash, and I’ll watch her,” Ash offered.
Jenna drew back, surprised. “You?”
“I don’t have any plans this afternoon,” he said. “Playing with a puppy will be fun.”
Kerri removed the pink leash from her purse, then clipped the end to Peaches’s collar. “She loves to play.”
“So do I,” Ash said.
/> Jenna’s breathing hitched. His words did funny things to her tummy. She focused on her camera, adjusting settings that were fine, but she wanted to distract herself from . . . him.
“Is that okay?” Michael asked her.
She leveled her gaze at Ash. But her breath remained caught in her throat, as if she’d wound a scarf around her neck three too many times. Not trusting her voice, Jenna nodded.
What was happening? Her reactions didn’t make sense. She didn’t like the guy. He’d broken her heart and nearly sent her into bankruptcy. She shouldn’t care what he did or how he looked at her. Even if a cute puppy was involved.
“Finish up in here.” Ash took the dog from Kerri. “Peaches and I will be in the backyard. Maybe she’ll show me how she escaped.”
Jenna wished the puppy would show her how to get out of here with no one noticing. She pasted on yet another smile. “Thanks. A couple more shots, then we’ll join you.”
“Have fun,” Kerri called out.
“Oh, we will,” he said.
Maybe Ash hadn’t sold out completely. Jenna watched him leave.
Not that she cared. Not much anyway.
Thirty minutes later, Ash sat on an Adirondack chair in Jenna’s backyard, shaded by the covered patio. He held onto Peaches’s leash, though the tired pup wasn’t going anywhere except Dreamland.
A welcome breeze rustled tree leaves and toyed with the ends of Jenna’s blonde ponytail. She moved effortlessly around her subjects, drawing his attention wherever she went. She could have been taking pictures of a lion on the loose, and he wouldn’t have noticed anything except her.
Beautiful.
More so than he remembered. But she looked thinner—not I’ve-been-working-out slim, more like worn out and eating less.
Too many June weddings on her calendar, or something else?
None of his business. Yet he felt responsible.
Who was he kidding? He was responsible.
His fault.
Ash had a feeling those words would be echoing in his mind for a long time.
He looked down. Peaches, worn out from playing and posing for photos, slept with her head on his left shoe. Her paws moved back and forth, running in her dreams.
Cute, but he’d rather watch Jenna.
She stood near a colorful garden complete with bright blossoms, a charming birdhouse hanging from a weathered post, and a quaint, slat-back bench. The last time he’d been here, the yard consisted of a cement patio, dying grass, and trees needing TLC. Now the lawn and plants thrived, creating an outdoor oasis.
“I’m going to take candid shots using the garden as the backdrop,” she instructed Kerri and Michael. Their smiles hadn’t wavered once this afternoon. “Don’t worry about posing. Talk. Hold hands. Wander around. Do whatever feels right. You can’t get this wrong. Okay?”
Kerri and Michael nodded.
Ash found himself doing the same, captivated by Jenna.
Writers used a journal; she recorded memories with photos. She’d always been comfortable behind a camera, but her new confidence impressed him.
“Can we smooch?” Michael asked.
She smiled, a mischievous gleam in her gaze. “Up to you.”
Michael winked at Kerri. Her blush, a charming shade of pink, matched her short-sleeved dress.
Jenna lowered her camera. “You two are total pros. Great job.”
Her bright-as-the-midday-sun grin lit up her face. How could Ash have believed she’d lied? Talk about stupid. Stupid for breaking up with her. Stupid for not calling her these past two years. Stupid for pretending he’d been fine since asking for his ring back. He wasn’t fine and only had himself to blame.
He’d been so quick to judge her. Strange, given she’d been a ray of sunshine in his life. Even after he’d called off their wedding, she’d changed his life when the viral photo led to a job offer at the top law firm in town. His now-boss had wanted to hire someone who didn’t fit the typical lawyer mold to work with out-of-the-box clients—creative types as well as eccentric ones. Jenna’s embarrassing picture had earned Ash an interview.
“We’ll have plenty of photos to choose from for your engagement portrait and save-the-date card.” Jenna continued snapping photos. “I’ll upload the proofs, then send you a link to your online album tomorrow.”
“This was more fun than I thought it would be.” Michael’s words earned him a slight elbow from Kerri. He laughed. “Just being honest, babe.”
“So am I.” Kerri shimmied her shoulders. “This was great, Jenna. Thank you. I can’t wait until you’re photographing me in my wedding dress.”
“Did you find one?” Michael asked.
“Not yet,” Kerri said with a smile. “But I will.”
Finding a dress wasn’t hard, Ash thought. Amber had found hers the first day she looked.
Jenna’s forehead creased. “Are you planning to buy off-the-rack?”
Ash had no idea what that meant.
Michael scratched his chin. “Is off-the-rack like buying illegal Fourth of July fireworks out of the back of a white van?”
Kerri shook her head. “No. And I hope that’s not how you’re planning to buy fireworks this year.”
Michael pleaded innocent with a who-me look that suggested he’d already placed his order.
Jenna looked like she was trying not to smile. “Off-the-rack means buying a dress that’s in stock rather than ordering one from a designer, which can take months.”
“And is more expensive.” Kerri’s serious tone contradicted the grin on her face. “The bargain shopper in me cannot fathom paying full price for a dress I’ll wear only once. I’ve been checking bridal store clearance racks and scouring thrift stores and consignment shops.”
“October isn’t that far away,” Jenna said.
“I’m not worried.” Kerri sounded confident. “I’ll find what I want. I always do.”
“Yes, you do.” Michael touched her shoulder. “She did the same thing when we went to our senior prom in high school. Found a beautiful dress.”
Kerri beamed. “For less than twenty dollars.”
“Sounds like you know what you’re doing,” Ash said, impressed.
Nodding, she picked up Peaches. “Thanks for taking such good care of my baby. She’s worn out from playing. That’ll make the car ride back to my place quieter.”
On the way to the front door, they exchanged good-byes. Kerri, Michael, and Peaches left. Ash hung back.
Jenna kept the door open, her hand on the knob. “I appreciate your help with the puppy.”
“Peaches and I had fun.”
“Well, thanks.” Opening the door farther, she looked at Ash expectantly.
He remained in place. Michael had joked about being honest. Honesty here would serve Ash best with Jenna. “Amber is on her way.”
Something flashed in Jenna’s eyes so fast he didn’t have time to figure out the emotion. She gripped the knob so tight her fingers looked frozen.
“That’s not necessary.” She spoke slowly, as if considering each word.
“Maybe not for you, but Amber needs to apologize in person. She believes the world is Amber-centric. She needs to learn the universe doesn’t revolve around her.”
“Amber might not want to learn that lesson.”
“It’s time and for her own good.”
Jenna started to say something, then stopped herself. “You can wait in the living room. I’m going to clean up the studio.”
“Want help?”
She eyed him, warily, cautiously, as if she hadn’t decided if he was friend or foe. “No, thanks. It won’t take me long.”
At least she hadn’t told him to leave or asked him to wait outside. Progress? Ash hoped so.
Inviting sunlight shone through the wood paned windows in Jenna’s living room. So homey and quiet compared to Ash’s condo in Sweetwater’s downtown district, where the train station and fire department made silence a rarity, not the norm.
He r
ecognized the braided rug and the white coffee table in front of the couch. Many nights he’d kicked his feet up, shared a bowl of buttered popcorn with Jenna, and watched a movie.
The bookcase sat against the opposite wall. He remembered when they put the pieces together. Lots of laughter and debate over whether reading the directions was necessary.
The new blue and white plaid slipcovered couch was more welcoming than the solid yellow one. A red blanket lay on an old rocking chair along with a pillow.
Pictures of him and Jenna used to fill the shelves, mantel, and walls. Not any more. He rubbed his chin and stared at the unfamiliar faces with her. A weight—two tons of regret—pressed on Ash’s chest, making each breath a struggle.
What had he expected? That she’d kept the photographs of him on her walls? Or stopped going out and having fun?
He hated that his answer to both questions was yes.
A family portrait hung on the cream-colored wall next to images of rock climbing, hiking, horseback riding in a collage frame. He had no idea she liked those activities, but the smile on her face suggested she was enjoying herself.
The pictures showed all he’d missed these past two years. His stomach churned so badly not even a bottle of antacids would help. Jenna had created a life without him. A career. A home. New friends. Knowing she’d moved on unsettled Ash.
“Would you like a glass of lemonade or iced tea? I can mix the two into an Arnold Palmer if you’d rather.”
Jenna’s voice startled him. He stepped back from the wall of photos, feeling like a visual eavesdropper on her life. “Lemonade would be great. Thanks.”
“Be right back.”
As soon as she left, his gaze refocused on the pictures.
One thing in the images jumped out. Fun. She’d been having fun, something missing from his life, not to mention his vocabulary. Work had become his priority. He took Sundays off, but the extra hours during the week and on Saturday would help him reach his goal of partner sooner. He’d be the youngest at the firm. Maybe a promotion would bring the same satisfaction he’d felt when he first started working there.
Picture Perfect Love (Year Of Weddings 2 Book 7; Series Order 19) (Christian Romance) Page 3