She’d just clicked her shutter release one final time when thebaby started to stir. The mother, already engrossed in packing up theirbelongings, mumbled and began cooing at him from across the room. Casey set hercamera aside and carefully picked him up. She cradled him close, swaying fromside to side as he settled back down. She brushed a finger against his downycap of brown hair and breathed in the heavenly scent of baby lotion. Shewandered around the open area in front of her backdrop, humming a quietnonsensical lullaby to the boy.
“Thanks so much,” the mother whispered as she lifted him fromCasey’s arms moments later.
“Sure.” Her voice sounded rough, and she cleared the emotion fromher throat quietly. “I’ll email you the proofs soon.”
“I can’t wait to show my husband. His parents will be in town intwo weeks. I’d love to have some to send home with them.” She slung the diaperbag over her shoulder and headed for the door. “I wish I could email picturesto them, but they’re still in the Stone Age and his mother insists on prints.”
“Certainly. If you get back to me with your selections ratherquickly, I should have no problem getting some done for you. Do you need helpout?”
“Thanks, but I’m getting pretty good at juggling all this.”
Casey held the door open while the woman left, then closed itbehind her and retrieved her camera. She ejected the memory card, then slid itinto her desktop and set it to upload the hundreds of shots she’d just taken.Since she had back-to-back appointments tomorrow, she’d be editing these photoswell into this evening so she could get the proofs out.
She passed through the door that separated her studio from therest of the house. Since she’d already established her business here andJacqueline spent so much time out of town, they agreed that she would keep thehouse in the split. They’d listed the house with the school as Sean’s residenceso he wouldn’t have to change districts, and he’d usually stayed with herduring the week.
Jacqueline had moved into a high-rise condo downtown. At thetime, she’d seemed thrilled, citing her shortened commute to the office and thelack of lawn care and outside maintenance. At first, Casey wondered if she’dfaked any of that enthusiasm to cover up her real feelings or to make thetransition easier for Sean, but since she still lived there, maybe she reallydid like it. She’d let Sean decorate the second bedroom for himself. He’d lovedspending weekends and his school breaks with Jacqueline, thrilled by the paceof downtown and the view from the twentieth floor.
“Honey, I’m home,” Casey called to the empty house as she steppedinto the living room. She’d started doing that when Sean left for school lastyear, because it somehow made her feel less lonely.
A few months ago, she’d said it out of habit once when Nina waswith her. Nina had used the opportunity to suggest they move in together. Caseyasked for a couple of months to think about it, citing Sean’s return home forthe summer as an excuse to not rush things. She supposed she’d now be facingthat conversation again.
She liked Nina and enjoyed the time they’d spent together, butonce she got past missing having Sean in the house, she actually looked forwardto having the place to herself again. Until last year, when Sean left, she’dnever lived alone. She’d gone from her parents’ house to sharing a college dormroom, then to an off-campus apartment with Jacqueline.
Without Sean, at first, she’d been lonely and the house seemedtoo quiet. But after a while, she’d learned to appreciate the time for herself.She’d begun to explore photography for her own enjoyment for the first time inlonger than she could remember. She’d started hiking and shooting nature—lakes,trees, flowers, birds—any frame with no people in it, really. She feared thatletting Nina further into her life meant relinquishing those new pieces of herfreedom.
She popped open a bottle of wine and poured a large glass,deciding now was not the time to examine her relationship with Nina. She’d hadfour sessions today, all children, two of which clearly didn’t want to sit forportraits, and was exhausted. She needed a quick break to recharge beforegetting back to work.
She headed down the short hallway to the left of the kitchen.Pausing in the doorway to Sean’s room, she automatically cataloged the thingsmissing from the room—his laptop, the iPhone docking station that seemed toconstantly be playing music, and most of the clothes from his closet, judgingby the empty hangers visible through the open closet door.
He’d left the framed photograph on his dresser of him standingbetween Casey and Jacqueline last year when they’d dropped him off at college.Casey mentally compared it to the one in her own bedroom that was taken the daythey’d officially adopted him. He’d changed immensely, as expected, growing upand filling out into a young man. And Casey critically picked out the signs ofaging in her own features. New lines bracketed her mouth. Her face was a bitfuller—much the same as the rest of her body—and the dimples brought out by hersmile appeared deeper.
Jacqueline, too, had softened over the years. Her waist was alittle thicker, and her breasts and hips were rounder. Her dark hair was aslustrous as ever, but she wore it shorter now, an inch or so shy of brushingher shoulders. Just before the picture had been snapped, Jacqueline had thrownher arm around Sean’s shoulders. Their wide smiles touched their nearlyidentical brown eyes in such a way that if she didn’t know better, she mighthave sworn they were related by blood.
The room still smelled like Sean’s favorite cologne, and sheblinked back a mist of tears as she closed the door and continued down the hallto her own room.
Chapter Two
Jacqueline rolled her golf cart to a stop behind the
