Zack feel more comfortable is something I don’t want to think about. “I take family photographs.”
“How did you get involved in photography?” His tone is cautious, and I can’t figure out why I want to ease it and make him trust me.
I shrug, tying to be nonchalant, but know I fail miserably when I can’t look him in the eye. “I know the importance of capturing family memories.” It doesn’t specifically answer his question and I know based on the questioning look he gives, he knows I’m hiding more than I’m sharing.
“I feel like there’s a story there.” He says it with a more lighthearted tone. I relax knowing he isn’t thinking I’m going to be spreading his photograph across the blogosphere before morning.
“Are you a journalist, too?” I smirk at him teasingly and then take a sip of my drink thinking of the correct way to explain.
“There’s a look a parent gives their child, and vice versa, that when caught in exactly the right moment tells the other ‘you hold my entire heart and are my entire world.’ I can spend hours with a client looking for that look or glance. Sometimes it comes while they roll in leaves, walk across a bridge looking at the fish in a pond below. Sometimes it happens when the child is thrown high into the air, or has a temper tantrum because their shoes are too tight, or too pink, or too whatever. I never end a session until I’ve got that look captured from everyone in the session. I want them to be able to hold onto it forever.”
“That sounds incredibly fulfilling.”
“It is.” I smile meekly.
He doesn’t press me for more, and I’m thankful because he doesn’t need to know all my baggage, and I certainly don’t want to bring it up. I learned shortly after Mark and Andrew's death that people won’t look me in eye after hearing I am a twenty-six year old widow and the parent of a dead child.
“So why are you guys in town?” I ask in hopes of changing the subject. The question is met with a round of laughter again, and I wonder what I said that’s so funny.
Mia shakes her head. “You’re hilarious, Nic. Seriously.” She waves her hand out to the guys. “They have a concert tomorrow.”
Oh. That would explain it. At the risk of looking even more stupid I look at Jake. “So I take it you play with Zack too?”
Jake bows his head and his body shakes with laughter. I should have known that would happen.
Zack mutters something I barely catch about this being absolutely hilarious. I blush ten thousand shades of red knowing I’m the hilarious thing he’s talking about.
He lifts a hand. “Don’t be embarrassed. This has been fun.”
My ignorance is amusing to him. I’ve never felt so proud. “Why is that?” I ask, even though I’m not quite so sure I want to know the answer.
He just shakes his head and smiles and then nods to Jake. “Jake plays the bass for me. And this is hilarious because I haven’t been hit on by a beautiful woman who knows absolutely nothing about me in way too long.”
I clench my teeth together to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor. Did he seriously just say that? I must have misunderstood, or he’s talking about Mia because she’s the hot one of the two of us. She has the body of a ballet dancer without ever having to work for it, and I may be fit from running all the time and…pretty, sure. Girl next door innocent? Maybe. But beautiful? I’m not sure anyone besides Mark has ever called me that and it feels strange to hear it from someone else. I look at Mia wide-eyed, not sure what to say, but she looks pleased.
How in the hell do I respond to that? Easy.
I don’t. Instead I get Pete’s attention for another drink because my mouth feels full of cotton balls and I can’t speak. Let alone think clearly.
When I finally get the courage to look back at Zack, he just raises his eyebrows. “Surely that’s not the first time you’ve heard that.”
I shake my head, still feeling too stupid to speak and blush again as he laughs softly.
Jake looks at his watch and sets down his beer. “I hate to break this up, but we gotta get going.”
Zack frowns and looks at me and Mia, then to Jake. He nods once and set his drink down too.