“Hey.”
Jason replied while looking through the viewfinder, “Nice to meet you.”
“You sure you have time for this, Bella? You look kinda busy.”
“Don’t mind me. I have plenty to do here.” Jason moved a backdrop and turned down a light.
“We always work around each other and Jason is used to me going flat out.” She hugged Cory, gave a giggle, and pushed him around to the other side of the counter. “I got a head start this morning and the cookie dough is chilling in the refrigerator. Grab it out for me.”
“Sure, and Dad said he’d be over later. He had some stuff to do at the fire station, more paperwork or something.”
Warmth crept up her belly. “Great. He can help us decorate the cookies then.”
“Are these cookies going in your book?” Jason arched his eyebrows as he looked at her.
“Don’t think so but feel free to shoot away as we work. I’ll decide later once I see what you come up with.” She gave Cory an apron and showed him what to do. “I brought in my cookie cutters. You can have a few different sized hearts. That would make for an interesting mix. What do you say?” Bella took the lid off the bucket of cutters.
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
While Cory rolled out a batch of dough, Bella kept an eye on Jason in case she wanted to make changes. She had several sets of photos she wanted dealt with today and it would keep him busy for ages. “Jason, have you spoken to Russell lately? I pitched an idea to him about the Valentine’s Day dinner I’m cooking for. I wondered if he’d asked you to be on hand?”
“Yeah, said something about it but hasn’t finalized anything yet. If I don’t hear anything by tomorrow, I’ll go home.” He checked the photos he’d taken and held the camera out for her to look at. “What do you think?”
Bella moved over, peered over his shoulder at them, and tapped one image. “I think that one is perfect but I’ll wait until you have them all on the big screen to make a decision. Let me know when you want the next meal set up.”
“Sure. Do it anytime you like. But let me take a few more before you move anything.” He watched Cory for a moment and raised his camera, taking a few shots of the teen absorbed in cutting out heart shapes from the dough.
“You okay there, Cory, while I set up the next display?” She handed him another baking tray.
He lifted his head at her question. “Huh? Oh, yeah.”
Bella took an old wooden pedestal plate she’d found yesterday in the attic and set it on the work bench she’d pushed over to the wall, the background stark white, old painted bricks. She arranged an antique silver tray with a pair of fine crystal champagne flutes, stood back and looked at it wondering if it was going to be enough.
“What’re you doing?” Cory lifted his head to watch her.
“I made some cherry cordial the other day. I was going to pour it over ice-cream or I can add champagne to it for a nice refreshing summer drink.” She tipped her head and looked at the display from different angles. “I think I need something more here.” She took the bottle of cordial from the fridge and poured a little into each glass followed by a splash of champagne. The bright red bubbles burst over the rim of the glass. “Still not the look I was going for. Jason, you ready for some speedy shots? I have an idea.”
“Sure.” He came over, checked the lighting, made adjustments and stood ready with his camera. “Fire away.”
Bella pulled the lid from the bottle of cordial, leaned it on its side and placed it beside the glasses, stepped back out of the way. The thick red liquid oozed out of the bottle, spread over the wooden stand and poured down onto the work counter in a thick wave of dark red juice. Jason snapped from different angles, keeping it up until the trickle of liquid turned into a pool of stickiness on the counter below.
“Wow.” Cory watched amazed. “Dad would freak if I did that at home.”
“Did what?” The doors flipped closed with a quiet whish.
Bella’s heart clenched when Jake walked into the kitchen, making the room seem so much smaller than it was.
“Dad, look at this. Bella poured cherry cordial everywhere and Jason took photos while it dribbled over the counter.” He wiped his hands on the apron and peered over Jason’s shoulder.
“You did good, Bella. That thick red syrup against the white background is superb.” Jason gave her a quick hug and stepped away.
*
Jake stood back, tiny shards of jealousy ripping into his gut. She obviously had a good relationship with her photographer. Should he be worried? He looked at the guy’s hand for a wedding ring and came up blank.
Bella came over and threw herself into his arms, planting her lips against his dismissing that thought. “Hi.” Her warm breath fanned over his face. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“You seem to be busy enough. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Never. I missed you and you know how I work, flat-out and no time to breathe.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him over to the counter where Jason had plugged his camera into a laptop. “Jason, I want you to meet Jake. Jake, this is Jason, photographer extraordinaire.”
Jason looked up and reached for Jake’s hand. “Hi. What do you think of what our girl’s done today so far?” He swiveled the screen so they could all see it.
“Yeah, they look great. You look like you know your way around a kitchen.” He put a hand around Bella’s waist.
“Should by now. We’ve worked together for the last two books, haven’t we, Bella? And I do work at the studio as well so we get to hang out
