Hard As Stone

by K. M. Scott

  “Ethan, I want to introduce you to my sister. Dawn, this is Ethan Stone. Ethan, this is Dawn Carmichael, my sister.”

  We shook hands, as Summer gave her more details on me. “Ethan’s pictures have been on the covers of Belle, Prima, and even Cosmo.”

  Dawn’s eyes opened wide in what looked like appreciation. “Wow! How did my sister convince you to do this for the animals then?”

  “She has a way about her that I can’t say no to,” I answered and looked at Summer with the hope she understood what I meant.

  “Well, whatever brought you here, thank you so much. We really hope her idea works so these poor babies find homes. The truth is we need the space for other animals, sadly. Let me go get a few of the kittens to start off with. They’re the easiest to handle.”

  I began setting up my equipment, curious if Summer had told her sister more details about me than past covers I’d shot. “Does she know we used to date?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t have a chance to tell her really. We did only date for a month, Ethan.”

  The way she said that made me feel like shit. Avoiding her gaze, I went back to setting up the background and lighting, still unsure about photographing animals. The basics were the same as with humans, but animals didn’t react to lights and sounds like the models I was used to. Plus, I’d never worried about being clawed to death or bitten by a subject before.

  Dawn returned with three black kittens in her arms and set them down on a white sheet I’d put on the floor in the corner of the room. Summer immediately hurried over to meet them and cooed, “What are their names?”

  “Midnight, Boo, and Spooky, all girls,” her sister answered. “They were born on Halloween to a mother cat we took in last September. Their mom was adopted last month, but we’re having trouble finding anyone who wants to take even one of the kittens.”

  I looked up over my camera and shook my head. “Why? I would think people would want kittens more than a cat.”

  Summer sat down on the white sheet and picked up one of the kittens. Nuzzling her nose, she said sadly, “They don’t want them because they’re black, Ethan. Even today, people are still superstitious and don’t adopt black cats as much as other cats.”

  That sounded ridiculous. “Really? This isn’t the sixteen hundreds. What’s wrong with people?”

  Dawn nodded and sighed. “My sister’s right. You’d be surprised at how many potential adopters immediately say no when they find out a cat or kitten is black. It’s just a reality we have to deal with in shelter world.”

  While I thought about how stupid people could be, I glanced over and saw Summer playing with the three kittens. Their black fur looked striking next to her pale pink sweater. Climbing all over her, they meowed loudly.

  “I think they have me confused with their mommy,” she joked. “I’m their big, pink mommy.”

  Giggling, she lay back on the floor. “I must have mixed up my perfume with catnip this morning.”

  The scene created the perfect image, so while Dawn teased her about some time when they were kids and their cat used to like to fall asleep on her head, I began shooting without letting either of them know. Summer looked incredible smiling and laughing with the kittens as they climbed on top of her. The shots were candid and real, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Summer look more beautiful than at that moment.

  “Not to rush you or anything,” she said as one of the kittens began licking her face, “but I think she’s getting ready to eat me over here. You ready yet, Ethan?”

  “Yeah. Ready when you and the girls are.”

  Summer picked up at little blue ball and began rolling it across the sheet. The kittens chased after it, tumbling over themselves as they raced one another toward where it landed. She moved out of the shot and rolled the ball again, sending the three black balls of fluff back across the sheet. This time, the one named Boo reached it first and clutched it in her little paws like she was holding gold. As I got my shots, the three of them piled into one big fuzzy heap, each one fighting to be the one who finally ended up with the toy.

  Dawn handed her sister a pink and white feather, and Summer dangled it over the kittens’ heads. Once they saw the new distraction, they immediately forgot about the ball they’d so desperately wanted to possess just a few seconds earlier. I smiled as I watched her draw a figure eight with the feather across the white sheet and two of the kittens watched it carefully, while the third pounced on it without another thought. Their joy and enthusiasm for that simple feather made for more great shots.

  “Okay, little ladies, it’s time for someone else to get their picture taken,” Dawn announced as I took my last picture of the three of them with the feather.

  Summer picked up the kittens and kissed each one softly on the nose. When she lifted up the last one, she snuggled her against her shoulder as I secretly continued to shoot the candid moments.

  “Thanks for being such great models. You guys were even better than the human ones I’ve worked with,” she said before handing her to Dawn. “I wish I could take all of them home.”

  She followed her sister to the room where the animals stayed as I looked over the shots I’d gotten. I hadn’t planned on including any human subjects in the pictures, but I couldn’t believe how great the ones with Summer and those black kittens turned out. My favorite was the shot with Summer sitting on the floor as the black kitten named Boo sat on her shoulder like she’d found her favorite place in the world to rest.

  She really took a great picture. I’d never shot a single one of her the entire month we were together, and I didn’t know why as I stood there looking at how much the camera loved her. From the moment I got my first camera when I was a teenager, I’d taken pictures of my sisters and my parents until they were so tired of it they threatened to hide my camera if I took any more. I’d taken pictures of Cole until he said the same thing, and every woman I’d ever been with had been happy to have their picture taken by me.

  But I’d never even considered taking one of Summer, and I had no idea why. Even though she didn’t believe it, she was as beautiful as any model I’d ever photographed. The images in front of me at that moment proved that fact. Yet, still I’d never thought about taking a single shot of her.

  Had that bothered her? Did she think that meant I didn’t see her as beautiful as those models I spent hours shooting on picture-perfect beaches?

  Summer returned to the room, shaking me from my thoughts, and I saw she held a large orange cat this time. He sat curled up against her like he was terrified of what was to come next.

  “This is Jack. He had to have his left eye removed because of an infection he got when he was living out on the streets. Once they brought him here, they realized it couldn’t be saved.”

  She held him up for me to see the smooth orange and white fur over where his left eye used to be. Then it dawned on me. This cat’s name was Jack?

  “Someone named this guy Jack? One-Eyed Jack? I can’t decide if that’s cute or cruel,” I said as I stared at the cat.

  Pulling out a piece of black fabric on a black string, she put it over Jack’s head to cover where his lost eye had been. “He used to wear this before he got his eye out, so I’m going for cute over cruel. I don’t know how long he’ll keep this patch on, though, since cats aren’t like dogs. They don’t like wearing clothes and accessories, so you better get your shots in while you can.”

  Little did she know, I’d been taking pictures the whole time she stood there with Jack curled up against her. She held him facing toward me so I could get some of him with his eye patch showing and then put him on the ground before stepping out of the shot.

  “Okay, Jack’s ready for his close up. Let’s make some magic,” she said with a chuckle as the orange cat plopped down on the sheet like a petulant model refusing to work.

  “I don’t think he’s in the mood for posing,” I joked. “I think he’s more a fan of the still life.”

  The look on Jack’
s face told me he wasn’t going to be as willing as the three black kittens, so I needed to take my shots while I could. He didn’t move much, so I had to do the moving, but after a few minutes I’d gotten some good pictures before he decided to simply walk away like he’d had enough and had better places to be than right there posing as my model.

  “Oh! I better get him before he gets lost. My sister will kill me if anything happens to the animals,” Summer cried out as she chased him around the room, scooping him up in her arms just as he headed for the door.

  Alone, I looked through the shots I’d taken of One-Eyed Jack and saw he had way more personality through the lens than I’d seen with the naked eye. His mouth formed what looked like a sly smile as he sat there looking up at me while I took his picture, and combined with that black eye patch, it gave him a devil-may-care kind of look I hoped some potential adopter would like. As much as he didn’t seem to enjoy being a photographer’s model, he seemed like he’d be a pretty good pet for someone who wanted a mellow cat with a dash of attitude. Hopefully, the shots I’d gotten could help him find that person.

  Summer came back in, but this time she had a dog with fluffy brown fur and white paws that made him look like he wore socks. I didn’t know what breed he was, but he was definitely adorable and I knew I’d get some good pictures of him.

  “This is Pokey. He’s a Pomeranian mixed with something else they’re not sure of. Someone found him living in their shed last December.”

  “Pokey? Why wouldn’t they name him Sox? I mean, come on. Look at his paws. He looks like he’s wearing socks.”

  She rolled her eyes and sat down on the sheet with Pokey. “I don’t make the name choices, Ethan. I just deliver the animals and you make the magic, so let’s do this because I’ve got this problem with dogs peeing on me.”

  I began taking pictures as Pokey bounced around eagerly on her lap. “You didn’t say anything about the cats doing that. Why does this poor little guy get that warning?”

  “Because he’s a dog. Cats only go to the bathroom in their cat box. They’re very particular about that. Dogs will go anywhere, especially on people if they’re excited, which I can definitely report this guy is.”

  “Well, since that’s the case, I better get going. If you don’t want to be in this, you better move a little to your left,” I warned as I moved closer to take Pokey’s picture.

  Summer quickly scooted away, leaving the dog wondering where his newfound friend had gone. Snapping my fingers above my head, I tried to get his attention, but it was no use. He liked her more than me.

  “I think I have a new fan,” she said with a sweet smile. “Maybe if I stand next to you he’ll look over at the camera?”

  “It’s worth a try. If not, I’m going to have to get you back in the shot or I’ll be left with just his profile in all these pictures.”

  She came around behind me as Pokey watched her every move. Standing at my side, she waved her hand and called out his name. “Over here, Pokey. Look over here for the nice man with the camera.”

  Hearing her refer to me like that made me laugh, but it did the trick and the dog stared up at her with rapt interest like he had when she sat next to him on the floor. “That’s it. Keep talking to him so I can get a few more.”

  “Who’s a good puppy? Are you a good puppy? Are you going to get a new home because of Ethan’s wonderful pictures? Yes, you are. Yes, you are, Pokey,” she said sweetly, enchanting the dog and me.

  I finished and turned to see her smiling at the little dog. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that without you. Thanks.”

  Shrugging, she moved around me and returned to take Pokey back to the animal room. “It’s the least I could do, Ethan. You’re doing me a huge favor. I can be the dog whisperer to help you out.”

  I gave Pokey a little wave as he stared back at me while Summer carried him away. Taking a look at the shots I’d gotten of him, I saw that just like with the three black kittens and One-Eyed Jack, the best ones had Summer in them.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Summer

  After two hours of wrangling animals and trying to get them to sit still for Ethan to take their pictures, I sat down on the floor exhausted. He said little whenever we were alone, but that wasn’t surprising since I hadn’t said much to him from the moment he picked me up at the hotel. It wasn’t that I was angry with him or anything like that. I just didn’t want to let myself feel for him again.

  My sister returned from the room where the animals stayed in their cages and thanked Ethan once again for his help. “This has been really great of you, but I have to close up now. The shelter doesn’t have the funds to stay open long on weekends.”

  “But what about the rest of the animals?” I asked, knowing that he hadn’t taken pictures of at least half of them yet. “We have to do them too.”

  Dawn shrugged, clearly used to not being able to do all she wanted for the animals she loved so much. “We can only do what we can afford, Summer. There’s never enough money for everything.”

  I stood and looked at Ethan, who had started to put his equipment away. “We can’t let half of them not have their glamour shots. What about next weekend? Can you come again then and get the rest of them?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a look of surprise come over Dawn’s face. I knew I’d already asked a lot of him already, but if Ethan could spare a few more hours on one more day, all the animals in the shelter could have a better chance of being adopted because of his pictures. What was one more day considering all the help it might do?

  She looked over at him and smiled. “My sister has always had a soft spot in her heart for animals. If you can’t do any more, please don’t feel bad. You’ve already done us such a big favor.”

  Ethan simply smiled and said, “I’d love to come back next weekend. Saturday at the same time okay?”

  Shocked he wanted to do more, Dawn nodded and grabbed his hand to shake it. “Oh, thank you! That’s more than generous to give of your time and your talent on a second day. Next Saturday would be great! I have to go get everything shut down for the day, but I’ll be back.”

  I wasn’t surprised he’d agree to do more. As much as I knew he loved traveling to exotic locations to shoot the most beautiful women in the world, I’d seen a sparkle in his eye while he photographed the animals at the shelter. Actually, I couldn’t help be impressed with Ethan. Not a single one of the cats and dogs gave him anything those models ever did, and still he seemed to enjoy himself.

  “I want to talk to Dawn before we go. Give me a couple minutes, okay?”

  “Sure. I’m going to be a few packing up the car anyway, so take your time,” Ethan said with a smile as he stuffed his gear into cases.

  I found Dawn filling the animals’ water bowls and grabbed a few to fill up for her. “I’ll have Ethan send you the pics this week after he finishes doing whatever he does to them. I’m sure they’re going to be great.”

  She took a bowl from me and walked it over to one of the cages. Crouching down, she opened the door and set it down in front of a scruffy mutt named Zeb. “I really can’t thank him or you enough for all of this. The animals looked so cute getting their glamour shots. I really think this will help us find them homes, and the pictures he took will be a vast improvement on the ones we took here at the shelter.”

  “Well, next week he’ll get the rest of them and then hopefully you’ll get something happening for these little guys and girls,” I said as I handed her a second filled water bowl.

  “Summer, this is the guy you were dating a few months ago?” she asked before heading down to another cage.

  “Yeah, but we’re not together now. We’re just friends these days. Or maybe not even friends. Actually, I don’t know what we are.”

  I so wanted to tell her the truth—that I was still crazy about him, but he’d broken my heart and even though I’d let him in more than I planned to ever do again Thursday night, I just couldn’t handle that part of
his life he wouldn’t tell the truth about.

  But I didn’t say any of that. Instead, when she said she thought he still cared for me, I laughed it off. “Ethan’s just like that. He flirts all the time. I don’t even think he realizes it.”

  She gave me a look like she didn’t believe a word I’d said and smiled. “I don’t know about any of that, but I saw the way he looked at you when you weren’t paying attention. And I’ll tell you what you’d say to me if it was me in your place. A man like that doesn’t give up a single hour of his weekend for someone he doesn’t want to be with.”

  “A man like that? What does that mean?” I asked, curious to know what she saw in him that I hadn’t.

  “He’s gorgeous, Summer, and he’s a successful photographer. I don’t think I’m exaggerating by saying he could be with those models he takes pictures of for those magazines. He didn’t come out here because he cares about shelter dogs and cats. He did this for you because you asked him to. Whatever happened, he’s still crazy about you.”

  I rolled my eyes even as I secretly wished that was true. “Whatever. We tried dating and it didn’t work. I better go. I’ll see you next Saturday. Tell Mom I’ll call her this week, okay?”

  “Sure. Have a nice ride back to the city with that guy you’re just friends with,” Dawn said in a singsong voice.

  Sometimes little sisters were a royal pain in the ass know-it-alls. Too bad this time she was wrong.

  Ethan drove out of the parking lot of the Mended Paws Shelter and Rescue, and we headed back to the city without saying much. After only five minutes on the road, he looked over at me and asked, “Are you hungry? I could go for a bite to eat.”

  I hadn’t considered food in all the thoughts going through my head as we rolled down the road silently, but now that he’d mentioned it, I could eat something.

  “Yeah. There’s a little place about a mile ahead that used to have good food. It’s no four-star restaurant, but you won’t leave hungry. Assuming it’s still open, that is. I haven’t been there in a long time.”