“Only if you’re sure.”
“I’m positive. I’m sorry I didn’t know who you were. I guess I really do keep my eyes on my own lane.”
Shrugging, Andy walked to his desk and opened a drawer. “I think we all get like that sometimes. I’m really sorry about taking your client.”
A smile lifted the corners of Elise’s lips. “I did have a fire, and you had no idea if I had equipment or not. It was…just a misunderstanding.”
The man looped a large bag over his shoulder and approached them again. “It really was, and I’m sorry about your fire. Did you lose your equipment? I have an extra camera you can use until you get everything worked out.” He smiled. “It’s one of those newer models that I’ve been trying to figure out, but,” he looked over his shoulder, “I think it’s safe to say new technology isn’t my thing.”
Chuckling, Elise’s posture softened a little more. “I actually do have my equipment, but that’s a really sweet and generous offer. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
After a round of handshakes and goodbyes, Bryan and Elise stood on the sidewalk, watching Andy get in his car and drive away. As it disappeared down the road, Elise palmed her forehead. “I can’t believe I thought he was the person responsible for setting my house on fire when he was just a nice man running a business.”
“Offering you his equipment was a step beyond nice.”
She dropped her hand and looked at Bryan. “I know. I can’t believe I didn’t notice him before, or his daughter. Now that I think about it, I remember a girl with the name Adams in my class. I’ve been living on her block all this time, and I didn’t even know it.” She paused. “And what does that say about me? That I don’t even remember the people living on my street?”
“Honestly? I think it makes you human. It’s easy to fall into a routine, forget the world outside of us exists, and that there are people all around us. It’s…life.”
Slowly, she nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s true, but it doesn’t make me feel like any less of a heel. His daughter and I went to school together, and if you asked me to pick her out of a lineup, I couldn’t.”
Taking a step back, she’d misjudged her distance to the curb. Her arms pinwheeled as she lost her balance and started falling back into the street.
Instinct kicked in before Bryan knew what was happening. He reached out, taking her by the waist and pulling her to him. “You were saying?”
“No clue.” Holding his gaze, she smiled. “You saved me again. Most likely only my dignity, but still…I’d put that firmly in the save category.”
“It was just instinct.” His gaze lowered to her lips, and the temptation to kiss her hit him square in the chest. She’d just lost everything. How could he be sure it was him she wanted and not the guy coming to her rescue? The one that was more fantasy than reality? Swallowing hard, he loosened his hold on her and stepped back.
“Sure.” She smiled. “Uh, I’ve been thinking about when we…”
“Almost kissed?” The moment he wanted nothing more than to repeat but finish this time.
She chewed her lip and nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to do that. I’ve thought about it, and with all that’s happened and you helping me, it’s not a good idea to do that let that happen. Not right now at least. Maybe when this has—”
“Right…I mean, I like you, but it would be better if your life wasn’t in complete chaos. I know I’m not ready for anything serious.” It was the biggest lie he’d ever let slip past his lips, but she was right. He was right. And to think he’d been so close to kissing her just then. At least he’d saved himself that embarrassment.
“I guess we should be going,” she said softly.
It sounded like she was disappointed, but he knew he was hearing her wrong. He was the one disappointed, not her.
What if he lost himself in her and she decided the same thing Courtney had? That he wasn’t worth it? He’d known Elise for less than two weeks. Anything new was fun and easy. It was a year later, on the verge of committing, that things grew shaky. Could he handle spending a year caring about someone only to watch them leave?
No, and that was why stopping this before it could get started kept them both safe. As long as the line was in the stand, they knew where they stood. Even if his heart screamed he couldn’t be more wrong.
Chapter 15
By the time they returned to the house, whatever awkwardness between them had faded. They spent the evening preparing dinner, having a great conversation during their meal, and now, she was in a full-on laughing episode at his expense.
“Oh my gosh!” Elise fell back on the couch, kicking her feet like a kid and laughing. “That’s awesome!”
Bryan didn’t find it nearly as funny as she did. “The dog peed on me, and you’re in hysterics?”
“He didn’t do it on you.” She wiped her eyes as she sat up and then palmed her midsection. “My stomach hurts.”
“I’m so glad I amused you,” he grumbled, though it was more playful. He wasn’t nearly as annoyed as he pretended to be. She had a great laugh, and it was nice to hear it. It had been a long day, and she’d needed something to lighten her spirits.
“You look so cute, though.” She smiled, looking at the image of him holding Scotty at arm’s length. “You’re like, ‘What do I do with this?’”
“Because that’s pretty much what I was thinking at the time.” He laughed.
“It’s a shame we’re not doing an outtake project, because that image alone would sell a million copies.” She glanced at him, grinning. “Missed opportunities abound.”
He merely took a sip of his soda and moved on to the next image, and the next. “Incredible that this was only a few days ago.”
“I know.” Her voice was soft as she stared at the image. “Imagine if we’d stopped early, you know?”
“Everything turned out the way it was supposed to. You’re safe. That’s what matters. Things are replaceable.”
Shrugging, she pulled up another image. “I’ve never been super into things anyway. My parents had a lot of things. I used to have to dust them. I don’t like dusting.”
He bumped his shoulder against hers. “That’s where a cleaning service comes in handy.”
A small gasp escaped her. “That’s how you keep this place so clean.”
“I’m not a slob.” He palmed his chest like he was wounded. “For the record, knowing about cleaning services and using one are two different things. I don’t need a cleaning service when I’m only here half the week.”
“Ohh. Right. You’re not here half the time.” She winced. “There goes my foot, getting crammed all the way down my throat.”
“Nah, I’m kidding. You’re entirely too hard on yourself, as usual.” He reached the last image in the folder and closed it out. “That was fun to look through. You did a great job with us.”
“Like it was all that hard?” She rolled her eyes and pulled up another folder. “I took these that morning on the beach. I haven’t looked through them yet. Do you mind if I do it now?”
Did he mind? Not at all. They were sitting on his couch, side by side, with his dog snoozing near his feet, sharing a few laughs after the simple dinner of soup and salad they’d made together. This was one of the nicest nights he’d spent in a long time. She could’ve taken the entire laptop apart, and he would’ve happily watched.
As it turned out, going through her pictures was much more enjoyable than watching her take a computer apart. He barely recognized the stretch of beach she’d photographed, and he took Smokey there all the time.
He looked from the screen to her, watching as she examined her work.
“Oh, that’s a pretty good one.” Her smile widened with pleasure and maybe the slightest bit of satisfaction. With her face lit up like that, it was bright enough to take his breath away.
The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know. He’d had one foot in quicksand the night he went to dinner with her, and
after spending more time with her, he’d put the second foot in. At this point, he couldn’t see trying to break free, and truthfully, he didn’t want to.
“I like this one.” She turned to him, smiling like an artist enthused by her art. “What do you think?”
He focused on the picture, admiring the way she captured the setting. “Wow.”
The rising sun had painted a thin layer of clouds colored gold, orange, pink, violet, and the water running over the sand reflected those colors. It was breathtaking, the sort of thing that lasted as long as it took to blink an eye.
“It’s my favorite time of day to take photos. The day is perfect and untouched, you know? Anything could happen.”
Yeah, that’s how the photos made him feel. “You make me wanna go out and buy a camera, but I couldn’t possibly do anything like that. I’d get it wrong.”
He didn’t know until that very second that she’d leaned in to study the picture with him, but he found out as he turned to look at her and ended up with her face mere inches from his. Those lips, tempting and tantalizing.
It would be the most natural thing in the world for him to lean in for a kiss. This was the sort of situation that warranted a kiss. She was right there. So close.
He cleared his throat, turning back to the laptop. “What’s next?”
* * *
As Elise stopped on one of the last photos she’d taken, Bryan sucked in a sharp breath. “Wow. All of these have been great. No wonder this is what you do for a living.”
She waved a dismissive hand even as her cheeks warmed with the compliment. He was so sweet. “I’m not all that great.”
Why had she apologized for almost kissing him? Because she’d felt him pulling away emotionally before he’d even taken his hands from her hips. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel pressured to kiss her. He’d already gone above and beyond by letting her stay with him.
“Don’t say that.” He sounded so serious, and Elise turned to him.
“What?”
“If you have a gift, don’t pretend it doesn’t matter. It matters very much. I’m sure there are people out there in the world, right this very minute, who’d kill to be even half as talented.”
The thought was sweet, and she knew he meant it sincerely. It didn’t come as a big surprise that he noticed, as perceptive as he was. But that didn’t stop her from flinching at his choice of words. She didn’t want to think about someone having already tried to kill her.
“You know what I mean,” he said.
Still, it wasn’t easy for her to accept a compliment like that. “I guess it looks special to someone who doesn’t make a living doing it.” She shrugged. “Or maybe I’ll never think I’m all that good because that’s when laziness sets in. I can’t let myself lose the drive to be better. To grow and evolve.”
He nodded slowly. “I get it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t admit your talent. You have a natural ability. Some people have it, while the rest of us only wish we did.”
“I guess.”
“You take amazing photographs.” He pointed toward the screen. “You’re good. Accept that.”
“Okay.” She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “I guess it’s just hard to hear someone say I’m good at something. I mean, even before Patrick’s accident, he was the one who brought home all the awards, accomplishments, everything. I was just the kid sister with the consolation prizes.”
“Is that why you stayed here in Baker Beach instead of moving to Florida?”
“Maybe.” She sighed. “Okay, yeah. You would think I’d jump at the chance to leave. Everything here revolved around Patrick, but I guess I stayed because I wanted to see if I could carve out a piece of this place for myself.”
Bryan set his foot on the coffee table and crossed his ankles. “I can see that. If you’d gone to Florida, the scenery would have changed, but the focus wouldn’t have.”
“Exactly. I mean, I still deal with the little looks, but I’m not Patrick’s sister anymore. I’m Elise Richards.”
“Do your parents want you to move to Florida?”
A bark of laughter popped out. “Oh yeah. If they could, they’d have me on a plane and headed there yesterday. Which is why I stay. On the phone, I’m pretty strong. It’s when I’m with them that I can’t seem to break away.”
“So that’s why standing on your own two feet is so important.” He rolled his head and looked at her.
“Yeah.” She brought her gaze to his, and again, they were so close that all she’d have to do is lean in a little and her lips would be touching his. But as soon as they did, she’d be regretting it. He didn’t want that or her. He was being a friend, and she didn’t need to mess it up. Not when she needed a friend more than anything else.
Covering his mouth as he yawned, he sat up. “I think I should hit the sack. That shift tomorrow is coming whether I’m ready or not.” He stood and looked down at her. “Feel free to stay up as long as you want, okay?”
“Thanks.”
Crossing the room to the stairs, he paused. “I’m glad you’re here, by the way. It’s really nice having someone other than the guys to talk to.” He tapped the banister with his fingers and then climbed the steps, leaving her alone with Smokey.
Admittedly, she liked it too. He’d already done a lot for her, and she needed to be content with that.
Plus, he was right. She liked standing on her own two feet, and getting involved with him would change things. Her life was in too much chaos to be thinking about a relationship. Once things were back to normal, maybe then she’d consider it. Until then, things needed to stay the way they were.
Chapter 16
The next day, as Elise pushed her cart up and down the aisles of the local mart, trying to reassemble a wardrobe and replace her makeup, she held her phone to her ear. Following the fire, she’d grabbed a few essentials, but not nearly enough. As it stood, she’d been washing clothes more than she wanted to, and that was enough to motivate her to find more clothes. “I’m fine. Bryan’s been great.”
Understatement. He’d been better than great. Fantastic. Letting her stay with him, allowing her to dump on him…it was more than she’d expected.
“It was so nice of him to let you stay, but I was serious. You can stay at my place. I mean, I know I’ve got a full house, but I will always make space for you.”
Elise stopped next to a display of shirts. “I know, and if it weren’t for Bryan, I’d be taking you up on it. It’s just him and Smokey.” She held up a black shirt and looked it over. “I never thought my dad would be right about putting a little money back, but it was the smartest thing I could’ve done. I can actually afford to replace a lot of my stuff.”
“No offense, but I can’t imagine your wardrobe costing very much.” Sally laughed.
Scoffing, Elise lowered the shirt. “Now, why would I take offense to that? Just because I wear the same clothes all the time doesn’t mean they’re, you know, the same clothes. Having a uniform gives me one less thing to think about every morning. I keep it simple.”
“I know. I shouldn’t be teasing you either.”
“No, you should be. I need it.” Elise held out the black t-shirt again. It worked well. She grabbed five and tossed them into the cart then added a few white shirts on top.
“Didn’t he say his house was on the beach? Are you’re sure you’re okay with that? I mean…it’s the beach.”
Elise pushed her cart a little farther and rummaged through a rack of pants. “I don’t like swimming, but I sure like the view.” As if her parents would’ve let her within ten feet of the water’s edge after the accident. “But it’s great. Really, a blessing in the middle of all this. Being able to just walk out the back door and take pictures helps.” Now that she was thinking about it, she hadn’t been out to take pictures since arriving at Bryan’s. That was something she’d rectify the next morning.
“You know, you’d complained about not having enough space to disp
lay your pictures. You could look for a space in the middle of town. Remember that record shop on Harbor Drive? I think there was an apartment above it. Maybe you could live there? Open a studio.”
Nodding, Elise let the idea run in her head. A large, light-filled open space with her pictures hanging. She couldn’t be invisible when her heart was on display to the general public. “That actually doesn’t sound bad. It won’t hurt looking into it at least.”
And with distance, the temptation to kiss Bryan would be just that, a temptation with no way of following through on it.
“Exactly. So, see? This might have been the universe’s way of giving you something you’ve wanted.” Sally paused a moment, and it sounded like she switched the phone to her other ear.
“True. I’ll just need to wait for the insurance.”
“Right. Do you know how long you’ll have to stay with Bryan?”
Elise slowed her cart as she considered the question. “I don’t know. I guess I hadn’t thought about it yet. I mean, I’ve thought about it; don’t get me wrong. Worrying, more like it. I’m afraid he’ll get tired of me and kick me out.”
“I can’t imagine anyone ever doing that.”
“You’re sweet, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Plus, I need to get my life pulled back together.” More accurately, she needed to be on her own. She didn’t like depending on other people. When she did, more often than not, they disappointed her. “Tell the truth. He’s so nice that I doubt he’ll put any pressure on me to get moving.”
“He’s pretty hot, which I would find pretty tempting if I were you.” Sally laughed. “I don’t think I’d be in any hurry.”
“What did I say?” Elise whispered into the phone. “I don’t need to be reminded, thank you very much. Because then I get to go back to him and remember you calling him that, and I’ll think about how right you are, and that’s a recipe for disaster.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I have to behave myself. Besides, from what I’ve heard, it’s a waste of time trying to break down that wall of his. He’s locked up tighter than a bank vault.”
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