Colin continued down the hall, and Jake looked down at me, want in his eyes but a smile on his mouth. “I’ve always hated that guy.”
We reluctantly went back to the bar with a plan to stay only another hour, then finish what we started in the hall. I loved Em and John, but my desire for Jake was insatiable.
“How about ‘Oops!... I Did It Again’?” Em asked when I returned to my seat.
“Uhh… no,” I replied without hesitation.
“Come on, you have to sing something.”
“Fine.” I bent over to look at the book, and we eventually agreed upon “One Way or Another” by Blondie.
Em scribbled our name on the little sheet, then hopped from her seat to give it to the DJ. “We’ll be up quick. I think the DJ likes me.”
Jake leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Should I be worried?”
There was amusement in his voice and I smiled. “About Em?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You’re singing the ultimate stalker song.”
I smirked and leaned into his shoulder to nip his earlobe. “You’ll be fine as long as you never try to leave me.”
He laughed, then pulled me off my seat and into his lap. “Not a chance, Kit Kat.”
Em came back, her forehead creased and jaw tight.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She didn’t say anything, just threw a chin in the direction of the stage. I felt Jake tense behind me before I turned around. Grace stood on stage with a microphone in her hand. She wore a skintight black dress, her blond hair curly and wild—she looked sluttier than Olivia Newton-John in Grease.
I whipped back to the bar and shifted to my seat. “Shit. Should we go?”
“Fuck, no”—John laughed—“and miss the show?”
Then the music started, and she began to sing “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette.
“What’s she doing?” I whispered to Em.
“Fucking the microphone with her mouth.”
I glanced back over my shoulder and found her looking right at Jake. “I don’t think it’s me you have to worry about,” I whispered in his direction.
“If you’re uncomfortable, we can go.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, and his searching eyes met mine. My throat tightened—why was I so scared? We were doing nothing wrong, but all I wanted was to run away and avoid the whole situation. But I couldn’t run away from every conflict that presented itself to me. I grabbed Jake’s hand under the bar and squeezed. “I’m okay,” I mouthed, then turned to the bar and ate another fry.
A couple of minutes after the song ended, Grace walked toward us with the same man she’d introduced Jake to at the party.
“Jake, you remember Peter?”
Jake nodded, his jaw tight, and shook Peter’s hand.
Grace examined him from head to toe, stopping at our joined hands in his lap. Her eyes flashed to mine, and she smiled a wicked smile that had me adjusting in my seat.
“Let’s give a round of applause for Em and Katie!” the DJ announced over the speaker, and I panicked. I didn’t want to leave Jake alone with Grace, but Em was grabbing my arm and pulling me to the back of the pub. We climbed the steps to the stage, the cheers so loud I couldn’t even hear myself think. We each grabbed a mic from the stand, and we both turned around just in time to see Grace give Jake a hug.
My head was in a fog, my eyes locked on Jake, forgetting to sing until Em elbowed me. Grace turned toward the stage, laughed, and looped her arm through Peter’s before heading for the exit. I sang the words as if on autopilot, glancing between the monitor and Jake, who watched us from the bar. A moment later he answered his phone, and I watched him cover one ear, straining to hear over the music. Then he walked outside, through the same door Grace used not two minutes earlier.
Alarm bells went off in my head, and my voice tapered to a stop. Em threw her arm around me, singing louder to make up for my absence, but all I could do was stand there, staring at the door and willing Jake to come back.
Just as Em and I were hanging up our mics, Jake walked inside. He tilted his head toward me, his smile bright and relaxed, and I let out a small, breathy laugh.
This was Jake, I reminded myself. I walked down the steps—ignoring all the cheers and hoots from the group of college boys sitting at the bar—and threw my arms around his neck. “Why was Grace here?” I asked close to his ear.
He pulled back, looked me in my eyes, assessing me. “Just her way of letting me know we still work together.”
“Oh.” I’d forgotten about that.
I looked down to my feet, but he lifted my chin back up with a finger. “What’s wrong?”
I swallowed, but knew it was pointless to pretend with Jake. “Who called?”
His lips lifted in a half smile, and he shook his head a little. “Have you always been this suspicious?”
I grinned a little in spite of the nervous flutters. “Yes.”
He leaned in close to my ear, his body perfectly molded to mine. “You’ll find out soon enough.” Then his lips moved to hover over mine. “Until then, you’ll just have to trust me.” Our mouths met, and his tongue swept inside, filling me with his sweet taste. I no longer cared about Grace, about phone calls, about anything but leaving that damned bar.
WHEN I PULLED IN FRONT of Rick’s house the next morning, I did a quick check of the time before putting the car in park.
8:50
Ten minutes early and no boss waiting for me outside. My shoulders relaxed, and I pushed my head back into the seat.
That morning Jake had crawled out of bed before dawn. I’d watched with hooded eyes as he walked naked into the shower. Steam clouded the mottled glass, but his hard male form was still obvious as hot water slid down his body.
For three days I would be without him, and my heart ached with that fact. I threw the covers from my body, walked barefoot to the shower, and stepped inside without saying a word. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressed my cheek to his muscular back, and took in a shaky breath. I don’t know why I was emotional, but I felt like a little girl leaving home for the first time. “I’m going to miss you.”
He turned around to face me. His hair slicked back, eyes focused, and a bead of water on his full bottom lip.
“Then don’t go.” His voice was low, and full of sleep. But there was more than that. A vulnerability, an emotion I didn’t understand from Jake.
I shook my head and looked into his eyes. I knew he was only half serious, but the intensity of his stare made my stomach flip. “I have to.”
Something inside me unsettled. A tug deep down that warned me there was something wrong. I wanted him to tell me he’d miss me. That he loved me.
But he didn’t say anything. His thumb ran over my lips, wetting them with warm water, then he bent down and kissed me...
I shook my head and pulled myself from my thoughts.
9:09
Where was Rick? I grabbed my phone and pulled up the itinerary he’d sent the day before. There it was, printed in all caps.
DEPARTURE: 9 AM SHARP
His SUV was still parked in the driveway, so I knew he was home. Maybe he was waiting inside?
Shit!
I tossed the phone, got out of the car, and raced up the walkway. By the time I made it up the flight of steps, I was out of breath and panicked. The oversized red door stared at me, and I took a calming breath before knocking.
He couldn’t possibly be angry with me. He’d told me to wait outside—right?
An eternity seemed to pass with no answer. I knocked again, a little more forcefully this time, but nothing. Overgrown ivy covered the stone walls, and I began patting it down searching for a doorbell.
Just when I was about to give up and get my phone from the car, I found a button hidden in the leaves and pressed it.
Not even a minute later, Rick’s groggy voice played through an intercom. “Yeah?”
I cringed. “Rick, it’s Katie.”
&nbs
p; “What time is it?” he demanded.
“Nine fifteen.”
“Shit.”
A loud crash followed, then the intercom went dead. A minute later he yanked the door open wearing a pair of black boxers and nothing else and tossed me his keys. “I need you to load the truck.” Then he turned and dashed back up the staircase.
The living room was full of his gear, and I tentatively got to work packing the equipment in the back of his SUV. What the hell? It wasn’t in his character to be late, but then again, what did I know? This was only my second time working with him. Maybe it happened a lot.
I’d just gotten my bags from the back of my car when he appeared at the top of the stairs. “You drive,” he ordered, then tipped a silver mug to his lips. “I’m still drunk.”
It was an hour later when I realized I’d left my phone in my car. I patted down my pockets to be sure but came up empty and let out a sigh. The universe was trying to tell me something, I was sure of it.
“What’s wrong?” Rick asked from beside me.
Surprised by his perception I forced my shoulders to relax and glanced over at him. “Nothing, why?”
“You’re frowning.”
“I just realized I left my phone in my car.” I smiled for added reassurance, but his brows furrowed as he considered me.
I turned back to the road, my eyes locked on the license plate in front of me. “I’ll be fine, I don’t need it.”
“You can use mine,” he said after a pause, but when I looked at him again, his attention was once again focused on his laptop.
The wedding was over five hours away, on a private estate in Carmel. I knew it would be extravagant, but my jaw still dropped when I turned in to the long stone driveway. The estate was nestled on the edge of a cliff where manicured lawns and forty-year-old willows graced the front entrance. Beyond that, nothing but ocean.
Rick directed me to park around the back where a white fence contained a green pasture and two beautiful chestnut horses. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car as fast as I could. Foam-capped waves crashed into the mountainside, and the sun painted diamond-shaped facets in the water. Out in the distance, through a tuft of trees, a train of rocks was covered in a sheet of green—almost like tiny islands that tapered off into the sea.
“We’ll be shooting out there tomorrow,” Rick said, following my line of vision.
I turned to him and smiled. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
He nodded, then seemed to assess me. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at, but I got the feeling I pleased him in some way.
“Come on,” he said, gesturing with his chin back to the truck. “We have work to do.”
Moments later, weighed down with heavy gear, we were led through the back entrance to our rooms, and the wedding coordinator gave us a map of the property before she excused herself to let us get settled.
My room was large and very beautiful. A king-sized sleigh bed sat between two sizable windows that overlooked the ocean. Crown molding encased the ceiling, and large canvases broke up the pristine white walls with gentle shades of blues and greens. I placed my suitcase on the pale blue comforter and began unpacking.
This place was an oasis overlooking the sea. Somewhere you’d bring a loved one and never leave your room. A place I’d like to bring Jake...
“They’re connected.” Rick’s voice shot through the silence and I jumped. When I turned, there he was, leaning against my bathroom door. Correction—our bathroom door.
His black shirt was unbuttoned at his throat, his hair tousled, as he pushed himself from the doorway and walked toward me. Something about the way he looked at me made me nervous. His eyes never wavered, his jaw tight and confident. I backed up a step and ran into the edge of the bed.
He stopped, turned his gaze to the window, then smirked. Trapped in silence, not knowing what to say, I shifted my eyes to the dark wood flooring.
“I’m not a predator, Katie.” His tone was deep and even.
“I—I didn’t...”
He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his cell. “Be ready in ten minutes.” He tossed the phone on the bed and turned back to the bathroom from where he’d come.
Shit!
After berating myself for my suspicious behavior, I called Jake to tell him about leaving my cell behind. His phone rolled to voicemail and I left a message. That same uneasy feeling grew inside, and I threw myself back to lie on the bed. I was losing my mind.
There was a quick tap on the door, and I joined Rick outside. We walked down the long prestigious hall, then stopped at the top of the stairs. The room before us was where all the magic would happen. The bride and groom would be announced from where we stood. Below, they would share their first dance in a room enveloped by windows. Wood beams curved around the concave ceilings and looked like the underside of a ship, and the view from the edge of the cliff took my breath away.
Rick nodded to me, as if acknowledging my awe of the scene before us, and for the first time, he looked at me like I was a peer. Like another artist appreciating the beauty we were presented with.
Regardless, he was nothing short of curt, barking orders and expecting me to be two places at once. But the apprehension I’d felt earlier began to fade. Even though he was demanding, he was completely professional. And by the time the rehearsal dinner was over, I felt guilty about my behavior back in my room.
“Good job today, Ms. McGregor,” Rick said, passing me in the hallway.
“Rick, wait.”
He paused, adjusted the heavy bag slung over his shoulder, and turned around. I pulled the phone I’d forgotten to give him earlier out of my pocket, and walked toward him. “Thank you.”
His eyes locked with mine and his brows lifted in surprise. He took the phone from my outstretched hand then continued down the hall. “Katie,” he said in a gruff voice before entering his room.
“Yes?”
“Be ready by five tomorrow. We have a sunrise shoot in the morning.”
The day of the wedding, we rushed from one event to the next. Only stopping to change our clothes, eat, or rehydrate. Rick watched me like a hawk when we were together, but over half of the day I was on my own—and that was when I was able to relax. There were even a couple hours in the early morning when I got to walk the grounds and focus on photographing the landscape. Something I would have done without being paid.
Every couple hours we met in Rick’s room and backed up our files on his hard drive. Just the thought of losing a single image from this high-profile wedding made me want to vomit. His room was much like mine, but there was a small table with two chairs set up on the far wall that held his laptop.
“I want you to take the groom’s party this time,” Rick said, before we parted.
“Okay,” I replied, unable to hide my confusion. That was not on the plan he’d sent me earlier.
“See you at the ceremony.”
The groom’s party was secluded in the pool house out by the stables. Beer flowed on tap and shots were passed like water. I somehow corralled the rowdy bunch and took the obligatory photos without much trouble. The groom reminded me of Jake. Tall, dark wavy hair, built... Though he didn’t have the dimpled chin or sideways smile that drove me crazy. There were five other men standing up with him, one of whom had a three-year-old boy with dark curls, big blue eyes, and carried a little bear in a tuxedo that matched his own.
“He’s a ring-bear, just like me,” the little boy named Peter told me in a tiny voice.
“Oh yeah?” I said, dropping to my haunches and smiling. “Can I see?”
He eyed me sideways, seeming to assess if I was a trustworthy person or not, then passed me the precious bear. “He’s berry shy.”
I smiled and took the stuffed toy from his chubby fingers. “What’s his name?”
He scrunched his little face like he’d just tasted something sour. “Ring-Bear. I already toad you dat.”
“Oh, yes,
silly me.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Well, he’s a very handsome bear. And so are you, I might add.”
His chubby hand flew to his mouth to suppress a giggle. “I not a real ring-bear. I just pretending.”
I threw my head back and laughed, and he joined me with more tiny giggles. “Can I take a picture of you, Peter?”
He nodded, took the bear from my hands, and smiled so big his eyes remained only as tiny slits.
The next hour was spent taking candid shots of the groom and his men. Peter stayed glued to my side the whole time. It felt natural and comfortable having a little shadow, and I couldn’t help the longing that settled deep inside me to one day have a little boy of my own. A boy with chubby cheeks, dark curls, and big blue eyes. Just like Peter... Only with a dimple in his chin that matched his daddy’s.
My heart squeezed. I needed to talk to Jake. To stop pretending like the future didn’t exist. No matter how much I wanted to ride the waves and see where this thing took us, I was falling deeper and deeper in love with him, and pretty soon, I wouldn’t be able to swim my way out. I wanted to get married, have kids, grow old together. Not a big wedding like this. This was beautiful and breathtaking, and something you’d see featured in a magazine, but it wasn’t me… and it wasn’t Jake… But what was Jake? What did he want?
My thoughts were consumed with him for the rest of the evening. Every tender moment I caught between the bride and groom, every laugh, and every kiss. Tiny feet that tapped on the dance floor, and Peter’s chubby hands wrapped around his daddy’s neck when he fell asleep.
It was just after midnight when I made my way to Rick’s room, and my feet dragged with exhaustion. His door was left ajar and creaked open when I knocked. He stood in the center of the room, his shirt untucked and open at his chest, his feet bare, and a glass of dark alcohol in his hand. He was on the phone and waved for me to come in.
His computer was there on the table, so I dropped to the nearby chair to retrieve my memory cards.
Still on the phone, Rick poured a glass of whiskey and set it in front of me on the table. The invitation to have a drink with my boss made me nervous, but I took a tentative sip and got to work with the backup. In a few minutes the job was done, and I picked up my bag intending to slip out without notice.
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