She scanned several thumbnails, dismissing images that didn’tstand out. When one grabbed her eye, she enlarged it. She remembered taking aseries of shots featuring the small grouping of ducks. Their dark-brown headsfaded down their necks into light-tan bodies mottled with variegated brownfeathers. Their monochromatic nature, further enhanced when placed against thedrab tones of bare trees and dry leaves at the waters’ edge, had interestedher. The one male of the group stood out, with his yellow beak and darkerfeathers.
“Nice.” Sean looked over her shoulder.
“Right? There’s something about it.”
“Definitely. You expect autumn shots to have these brilliant redsand oranges, but this captures another side of the season.”
She smiled with pride. “Why couldn’t you have been aphotographer?”
“I know. Instead, I’ll be wasting my life in veterinary school.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind.” She raised her eyebrowswith false optimism. “I need a good apprentice.”
“I actually agree. You do.” He pulled a stool over and sat downnext to her, his expression turning serious. “I still want to help you withKendra’s wedding. But I was thinking next semester I might get a job at ananimal hospital.”
“Oh, of course.” She tried to hide her disappointment.
“It’s not that I don’t want to work with you. But you know howmuch competition there is for post-grad openings. I need all the experience Ican get.”
“I know.”
“You should reach out to the art school and find an actualphotography student to help out. Maybe talk to the program director and see ifthey could offer course credit or something.”
“I’ll think about it.” He had a good idea. But she’d never workedwith anyone else. In the beginning, she couldn’t afford to. By the time she’dbuilt the business up enough to justify an average wage for an assistant, Seanhad been happy to fill the spot. Now, the idea of bringing in someone elsewould be a big adjustment.
“You’re not just saying that?”
“Why are you so ready to shove me off on someone else?”
“Mom.” She’d used that same chastising tone on him numeroustimes. “You’re talented and passionate. A student who’s just as excited aboutthe work as you are could really learn a lot from you. And maybe you’d getsomething out of it, too.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Great. I’m going to finish my movie.”
Casey went back to flipping through the pictures from lastweekend. When she reached the series she’d taken of Jacqueline, she stopped.She’d said at the time that Jacqueline looked distant, but now she saw that itwas more than that. She appeared almost sad. She tried to remember what they’dbeen talking about right before that moment. Jacqueline had handed over Casey’sbird book. The mood had been light and familiar—one of their more stress-freeinteractions. And when she turned around, Jacqueline had taken her breath away.She stared out over the water, not moving even when the wind swept a strand ofhair across her face.
She’d been taken by Jacqueline’s beauty and the simplicity of themoment. But looking at the photo now, she couldn’t recapture that feeling. Theday had been colored by what happened after. She should have said no whenJacqueline asked to come in, especially since she still felt weak from thatkiss at the park. But Jacqueline’s assertion that they should try somethingother than their usual communication pattern had caught her off guard.
Then, she had a whole list of “should-haves” in regard tosleeping with her. She should have stopped it after the kiss, before theshower, after the shower—any one of those times, really. She’d been angry whenJacqueline said having sex was a mistake, but actually, the comment hadn’t beenso out of character for her. Jacqueline panicked—and when she did, she tried toback out of a situation as quickly as possible. Casey had acted predictably aswell. She knew what to say to cut Jacqueline the deepest, and when they argued,she’d never hesitated to inflict pain.
Finding Jacqueline still in the living room afterward had beenthe surprise. The openness and naked honesty of that exchange was what hadCasey reeling. Though Jacqueline had agreed to give her time to think, she’dmade it clear that she both wanted to talk further and to maintain some kind ofrelationship. But Casey couldn’t have another conversation until she knew forcertain what she wanted from Jacqueline.
She was becoming more and more convinced that she wanted anotherchance at a relationship, but she worried that they would put the feelings oftheir family on the line along with their own. They both needed to havechanged, or the outcome would likely be the same. And even if she could figureher own self out, she didn’t know if one brave stand in the living room wasenough to convince her that Jacqueline had.
Chapter Twenty
Jacqueline poured a splash of rum into a glass, topped itwith Coke, and dropped in a few ice cubes. As soon as she’d returned to herroom, she’d grabbed the ice bucket and made a quick trip to the vending area downthe hall. She didn’t usually indulge in anything from the minibar, but shedidn’t feel like going to the hotel bar.
She’d just finished making her drink when she heard a knock atthe door. After she answered it, she wished she’d insisted she and Marti meetdownstairs. She’d thought they needed a little privacy for this conversation.But Marti had shown up in her flight-attendant uniform, and Jacqueline was kindof a sucker for the high-waisted skirt and that scarf tied around her neck.
“Hey, come on in.” She stepped back, then closed the door behindher. She lifted her glass. “Rum and Coke. Can I make you a drink?”
“No, thanks.” Marti sat on the edge of the bed and crossed herlegs. Jacqueline’s eyes followed as if they had no choice, and when she jerkedthem back to Marti’s face she found a look of satisfaction. “I didn’t think I’dbe hearing from you again.” Marti patted the
