Goodbye, Magnolia (Cornerstone Book 1)

by Krista Noorman

Maggie remembered the moment she had missed. “I got a nice shot of a big bald man’s head.”

  Simon laughed at that.

  “I was trying to get the groom’s expression when he saw the bride for the first time. Big guy got right in my way.”

  “I got it,” Simon stated.

  “You got what?”

  “The groom seeing the bride for the first time,” he replied.

  “You did?” She was shocked. “I didn’t see you anywhere.”

  Simon gave her a sly smile. “I tricked them into seating me up front as a guest.”

  “Are you serious?” She couldn’t help but laugh. It was so typical of Simon.

  Once the introductions had been made at the reception, Maggie and Simon found their assigned seating at a table with some of the couple’s friends.

  “How did you swing this?” Simon asked.

  “What?”

  “The prime seating.” He pointed at the main table just feet away from theirs.

  Maggie’s photographer friends often talked about vendor meals in a room separate from the reception or in a back corner away from the guests, but she had never experienced that. She had always been given a seat close enough to the bride and groom to capture all the kisses and special moments during the dinner hour.

  “They love me,” she replied with a smile.

  Simon pulled Maggie’s chair out for her. “What’s not to love?”

  His comment brought color to her cheeks. She glanced up at Dina and Alex, who were taking their seats. Dina saw Simon pull out her chair and gave Maggie a thumbs up.

  She shook her head.

  Simon tapped his elbow against Maggie’s arm as he took his seat.

  She thought maybe he had noticed their exchange, but instead he was holding his knife in the air.

  Maggie grinned, as he tapped it gently against the side of his glass.

  The room suddenly filled with the clinking of glasses.

  She lifted her camera and pointed it at Dina and Alex, poised to capture their kiss.

  They gazed into each other’s eyes as they stood for the first of many such kisses throughout the night. Alex dipped her back and kissed her sweetly to the sound of loud cheers and applause.

  Click. Click. Click. Maggie loved capturing these moments.

  Simon leaned closer. “You’re welcome.” He spoke softly, his breath tickling her ear.

  A little chill came over her.

  As the night went on, Maggie realized she no longer regretted her decision to ask Simon for help. She hadn’t forgiven him for the debacle at Angie’s wedding, but they seemed to work well together and she was actually enjoying it. It wasn’t the same without Sarah, but she had a new appreciation for Simon and the way he worked. He was good at his job, thorough in his coverage, and she was glad to have his help.

  After the first dance, she noticed Simon standing off to the side of the dance floor talking with a couple of older ladies. They were very chatty, and he seemed to be charming them in that way of his. She grinned as she watched these adorable ladies fawning all over him.

  But then Simon reached into his pocket and handed them his business card.

  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How could he?

  When the ladies walked away, she marched straight over to him. “No!” she scolded.

  “No what?”

  “You can’t pass out your business cards here.” She shook her head in disgust.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She pointed in the direction of the ladies. “I saw you. You’ve got some nerve.”

  Just then, one of the ladies approached him again. “Excuse me. Can I get another one of those for my friend?”

  Simon pulled out another card and handed it to her.

  Maggie’s stomach dropped. It was her own business card.

  “Thank you, dear.” The woman gently squeezed his hand.

  Maggie looked up at him and saw the disappointment on his face. She hung her head a little.

  “You’re welcome. Again.” He tossed the remainder of her business cards on the nearest table and walked away.

  Dina and Alex’s friends were a riot on the dance floor. They spent hours dancing and having the time of their lives to all the usual party songs — the Chicken Dance, YMCA, the Hokey Pokey. Maggie had witnessed these at dozens of weddings before, but she always found them entertaining. She moved around the edge of the dance floor, photographing it all.

  Simon kept to himself for the rest of the night. Every time she spotted him, he was photographing guests or little details. And when she asked him to go upstairs and take some photos from above, he went without a reply. He was all business and seriousness. No more charming, flirtatious Simon. And she didn’t like it one bit. It served her right for accusing him of something he didn’t do.

  The D.J.’s voice cut through the beat. “It’s time to slow things down.”

  The first notes of the next song paralyzed Maggie where she stood. It wasn’t a song she expected to hear. It wasn’t on the list of popular songs usually played at weddings, but it was well known to her. Her camera slipped from her fingers, the strap jerking her neck as it pulled taut. She tried to will herself to lift the camera and take pictures, but she couldn’t. How long had it been since she’d last heard this song? Her eyes stung as she watched the dancing couples, the tears so close to falling.

  Her mind returned to another time and place, when this song had meant so much to her — to a beach at sunset, dancing in the arms of the man who had just become her fiancé. It was their song, the one they loved, the one he played when he asked her to marry him, the one they had chosen for the first dance at their wedding. Hearing it now, well, it ached in places deep down inside, places that had not seen the light of day in many years.

  She closed her eyes for a few moments, attempting to compose herself, but the memories could not be shaken. The sadness washed over her until the final notes faded into the next song.

  In a glass pavilion off the main floor of the museum stood a beautiful old carousel with its hand-carved chariots, wooden horses, and other animals. It was one of the highlights of the museum and Maggie’s favorite. As the guests took rides, she stood to the side and watched the carousel go round and round. It felt a little like her life — spinning and spinning, never moving forward, stuck in the same place.

  The bridal party soon hopped on the carousel, and Maggie joined them for some photographs. She chose a spot ahead of Dina and Alex, between two of the wooden horses, and leaned against one for balance as the carousel began to move.

  Simon stood by the ticket booth watching and taking pictures. She didn’t blame him for being upset with her after the way she’d spoken to him. She was still pretty upset with herself.

  Taking photos while riding the carousel was not an easy task, especially for someone with a tendency for clumsiness. The centrifugal force and the movement of the horses going up and down made it nearly impossible for her to shoot. She felt unsteady and more than a little dizzy. Stumbling forward, she grabbed onto a stationary bar behind one of the horses. It was difficult to take pictures and retain any kind of balance. She lifted the camera to her eye and attempted to steady herself against the bar, but instead she missed the bar and stumbled to the left. Her camera, which she had unfortunately not secured around her neck by its strap, flew from her hand and bounced off the edge of the carousel. The loud crack of the camera landing on the cement floor by the wall made her cringe.

  Simon suddenly jumped the gate and hopped onto the carousel behind her.

  “Hey!” the operator hollered.

  Grabbing onto the bar she had been holding, he moved behind her until she was leaning back into him. It felt a little too close for comfort, but she couldn’t escape until the carousel slowed down, so she used him for balance.

  He took the camera from over his shoulder and placed the strap around her neck. “Use mine.”

  “Thanks.” She was dizzy again, but not
so much from the motion of the carousel.

  He moved his hand down the bar until it was resting on hers and placed his other hand on her waist. “For support,” he explained.

  A shiver went through her at his touch, and she found herself leaning back into him more.

  Dina and Alex couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation.

  Maggie took a few photos of them laughing, then scanned the carousel for the others. She noticed Angie and Steve riding two horses just past a lion and a giraffe. She let go of the bar and turned swiftly to the right. Simon’s hand came to rest across her stomach. The quick motion of the turn made her head spin a little, and she gripped his arm. “Woah!”

  “You OK?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She kept hold of his arm, and he squeezed her tighter against him, her camera arm pressed into his chest. “Just hold me steady.”

  He grinned. “Will do.”

  She lifted the camera to her eye and rested her arm against Simon’s to get as steady a shot as she could. Angie and Steve were talking and laughing, no idea Maggie was about to take their picture.

  Simon looked over his shoulder.

  Steve leaned in toward Angie, and she joined him halfway in a kiss.

  Click. Click. Click.

  “Nice.” Simon smiled down at her.

  As the carousel began to slow, she regained her balance, and let go of Simon.

  His arm lingered around her a little longer than was necessary.

  Maggie looked up at him uncomfortably, and he shifted away from her.

  When the carousel came to a complete stop, the bridal party posed for one last group photo of the night.

  Dina approached and gave Maggie a hug. “Thank you guys so much.”

  “You’re welcome. It was … a day to remember.”

  “That’s for sure.” Dina laughed. “It was great seeing you again, Simon.”

  “Nice seeing you, too. Congratulations!”

  “You two make a great team.” She winked at Maggie.

  Maggie grinned at her.

  She and Simon watched as the happy couple walked away hand in hand behind their bridal party to enjoy the rest of their reception.

  “We do make a great team, Canon.”

  She glanced up at him, but didn’t respond. She was too exhausted to disagree.

  Simon reached out and slid his fingers under the camera strap around her neck and tugged her closer.

  A quick breath escaped her lips.

  “Let me help you with that.” He lifted the camera up and over her head, relieving her of its weight.

  She squeezed her sore shoulders, and let him take care of everything. He packed up all the equipment, then retrieved her broken camera. The camera body was banged up, but looked relatively unharmed. The lens, however, was shattered. Replacing camera equipment was not exactly in the budget.

  The walk to the parking garage was a wet one. The thunderstorm had passed, but the rain continued in a steady drizzle. They walked quickly down the street, avoiding the huge puddles as best they could.

  Maggie pressed the unlock button on her key fob when she spotted her car.

  “Did Sarah give you my disc?” Simon asked, once they had dumped her bags in the back seat.

  “She did.”

  “I’m really sorry, Maggie. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I hope you’ll give Angie and Steve those pictures.”

  She could see the sincerity in his eyes.

  “I will,” she admitted.

  “So you looked at ‘em then?”

  “Yeah. They’re really good.”

  Simon took a step back. “Whoa! Was that a compliment?”

  She shrugged and fiddled with her keys. “Sorry about before … with the business cards.” She felt embarrassed for jumping to conclusions.

  He took a step closer. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just call it even.”

  “And … thank you,” she continued. “For all your help today. You weren’t completely useless.”

  “Now there’s the Canon I know.” He grinned at her.

  She grinned back, then looked nervously at the ground.

  He took another step closer, very clearly invading her personal space, and spoke in an intimate whisper. “It was a joy to watch you work.”

  As much as she wanted to, she would not look up at him. He was still the same Simon. And he was still dating Michelle.

  He leaned in close enough for Maggie to feel his breath against her cheek. “Goodnight, Maggie.” He turned and walked away.

  Maggie got in her car and hit the lock button on her door. She drew in a deep breath and let it out. What a day!

  June 29, 2009

  The Big Picture

  Everyone had a case of the Mondays. Sarah was recuperating from her weekend of sickness, and Maggie was recovering from a “wedding hangover”. This was her term for what consisted of a killer migraine headache from squinting through the camera viewfinder, agonizing muscle and back pain from carrying camera gear around, and sore feet from standing most of the day.

  Coffee was always the best medicine, so they closed up shop and headed across the street to State Grounds. From their seats toward the front of the coffee shop, they could keep an eye on Magnolia while they took turns grumbling about the aches and pains they were feeling.

  “I’m so sorry I had to bail on you Saturday.” Sarah set her cup on the table in front of them.

  “I’m glad you had Tom there to take care of you.”

  “Yeah,” Sarah replied. “He even held my hair back while I puked.”

  Maggie laughed at the thought of it. “That’s true love for ya’.”

  “Did you find anyone to take my place?”

  “No one can take your place.” Maggie grinned sweetly.

  “Aw.” Sarah tilted her head and grinned. “So you had to shoot it alone? I feel even worse now.”

  Maggie shook her head. “I didn’t shoot alone.”

  “Oh, good, who helped you?”

  “Simon,” she stated very matter-of-factly.

  Sarah inhaled sharply at Maggie’s news, and the coffee she was drinking flooded her windpipe. She coughed and hacked until she could manage a reply. “How did that happen?”

  “Nobody else was available. Are you all right?”

  She coughed and nodded.

  “We actually worked surprisingly well together. He kinda saved my butt.”

  “Is this gonna become a regular thing? Am I out of a job?” Sarah looked worried.

  Maggie shook her head. “It was an emergency situation, Sarah.”

  “Of course.” Sarah searched Maggie’s face for more.

  “What?” She tried to hold back her smile.

  Sarah laughed a little. “I thought you weren’t on speaking terms with Simon.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “OK.”

  The girls sat in silence for several minutes, and Sarah didn’t press her for more.

  Maggie stared across the street at her shop. She took in the sign with its magnolia flower logo, which had been designed for her by Ben. They had been together for two years when she decided to start her photography business, and he had been there every step of the way. He was there when she chose a business name and launched her website, when she got her first call, and when she booked her first client. He had truly been her support system during that time, the early years, when things were so good between them. Even after all this time, she felt sad that he wasn’t there to help celebrate her successes.

  “Are you thinking about Simon?” Sarah teased.

  She grinned weakly. “I was actually thinking about Ben.”

  “Your ex, Ben?” asked Sarah.

  “Yeah, he’s been on my mind lately. You know, this was the same weekend Ben and I would have been married five years ago.”

  “No! Maggie, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” Sarah looked very concerned.

  “Yeah.”r />
  If their song hadn’t played at the reception, Maggie might not have remembered what weekend it was. She wished she could forget.

  The afternoon dragged by as slowly as the morning had. After Sarah left for the day, she decided to load the pictures Simon had taken at the wedding on Saturday. She opened the folder on her computer’s hard drive and clicked through them. Maggie was very impressed with Simon’s candid skills. He claimed his strength was the fashion shoots, but clearly he had an eye for capturing the moments as well.

  As she came to the ceremony pictures, she searched for the shot of the groom she had missed. There it was. Maggie stared at the photo. Simon had completely nailed it. The groom’s eyes glistened a bit from the tears that had formed at the sight of his bride. She clicked forward to the next photo of him wiping his tears away. Amazing! She was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude to Simon for catching this priceless moment for her and for the couple. And again, she wanted to kick herself, for treating him so horribly.

  She moved on through the folder and came across a photo of herself shooting. She smiled. Sarah sometimes took pictures of her working, too — action shots for the website.

  A few shots later, there was another one of her working. And another. And another. She came upon several shots of her laughing with Dina and Angie, then another series of her wiping her own tears during the father-daughter dance. She was very impressed with the pictures, but she also realized he had been watching her work far more than she knew.

  She blushed a little at the thought. These photos felt different than the ones Sarah usually took of her. More personal, more intimate somehow.

  After a couple dozen dance pictures, there were a few of her standing alone near the dance floor. She was watching a dance, shoulders slumped, hands hanging at her sides. She looked sad. In the next, her eyes were closed, and she knew exactly what she was looking at. The song. And she realized then why Simon had warmed up to her again after her reprimand over the business cards. He felt sorry for her.

  The melody of the song from that dance returned to Maggie again, and she let the memories of Ben wash over her. Her throat grew tight at the thought of them dancing in the sand. Tears burned behind her eyes as she remembered his kisses, and she fought hard to keep from breaking down at the memory of him slipping the engagement ring on her finger. Lies. All lies.