Powerful (The Driven World) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,44
into the room.
“I thought you left?”
“No, no, no. Getting photos of the bride getting ready is just the beginning.” He looks around the room. “Okay, ladies, how about we go outside to the garden?”
“Can I finish my glass of bubbles first?” asks Ashlea.
Henry plucks the glass out of her hand and shakes his head. “Not in here. Come on, you hired me to do a job, and I’m doing it.”
“Henry, you’ve got photos of me practically naked. I need that drink.”
“Those are only for you and TB to look at. I promise not to share them. Trust me when I tell you, he’s going to love them.”
“If he doesn’t kill you for taking such intimate photos of his bride, he might,” I tease as I hold open my front screen door.
Henry shakes his head and looks down at Ashlea. “Come on, daylight’s fading.”
“It’s early.”
“So, humor me,” replies Henry, holding out his arm to her.
Ashlea grasps it, and we all move out to my walled-in garden. Henry has set up a chair, and he guides Ashlea to it. For the next half an hour, he takes lots of photographs. Then he moves us out at the bluff with nothing but the ocean behind us. Thankfully, the wind is mild and doesn’t ruin Ashlea’s or my hair. A loud wolf whistle pierces the air, signaling Todd and Ashlea’s father’s arrival.
“Perfect timing,” mutters Henry as he picks up another camera.
Todd walks out to us. He’s in a charcoal suit, white shirt, and pink tie, which is a perfect match for my dress.
Touching it, I laugh. “We match.”
“Well, as your date, I had to. Besides, it’s what a boyfriend would do.”
Henry is clicking away, taking pictures of us, so Todd and I start posing for the camera, and soon Ashlea and her father join in.
“All right,” says Henry. “That’s enough. Now I want some serious shots of the bride and her dad.”
Grabbing onto Todd’s hand, we walk back into my home while Henry does his thing.
“Do you want a glass of champagne?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Todd smiles. “You look beautiful. That dress really suits you.”
“You don’t think it’s too pink?”
Todd chuckles. “It’s a wedding, you can never be…” he does finger quotes in the air, “… too anything.”
Laughing, I hold out a glass to him. “When do we leave?”
Todd looks at his watch. “Another ten minutes. So, sit, relax, and tell me you’re okay.”
“You know?”
“I know.”
Taking a seat in my red overstuffed chair, I take a sip of champagne. “Seems everyone knew about me.”
Todd lets out all the air in his lungs with a whooshing sound and sits on my sofa. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. I really am. It’s a relief to have it all out in the open, and Kris, well, Kris is wonderful.”
Todd quirks an eyebrow and swallows half his glass. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
Smiling, I say, “He’s changed.” Leaning forward, I put the glass down on my coffee table. “And yet he hasn’t at the same time.”
“What does that mean?”
“I guess we are the same but older and wiser.”
Ashlea bustles back through the front door and points at me. “I need one of those.”
Rising immediately to my feet, I go and get her a glass. Ashlea takes the barest of sips and lets out a sigh.
“Are you okay?”
She looks at me. “My parents aren’t like yours. My dad is trying to tell Henry how to do his job. I swear I’m about to kill him.”
“Sit down, and I’ll go fix this. It’s my job on your day.” I glance at Todd. “Keep the bride happy.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Walking out to the bluff, Ashlea’s dad is in a loud conversation with Henry, not allowing him to speak by talking over him.
“Enough!” I yell.
Both men look at me.
“I will not have my daughter’s day ruined by this, this… this incompetent buffoon.”
Henry’s mouth falls open, and then he swings his head in my direction.
Holding up my hands, I smile at him. “Henry, why don’t you go into the house and have a glass of champagne? We have to leave soon.”
Henry scowls at Ashlea’s dad and strides away without a word.
When he rounds the corner of my walled garden, and I can no longer see him, I address Mr. Lynch. “You need to take it down a notch, Mr. Lynch. Henry isn’t charging TB and Ashlea for his time today. The only thing they’ll need to pay him for is the prints.”
“But—”
“No buts! Henry has been taking pictures for years. He’s