Faith looked up from the camera and stared at Bryan. “Did you say Travis Waverly?”
“Yeah, do you know of his work?”
“Actually, I know him,” Faith muttered.
“You’ve been holding out on me. I only got some of his time because he owed my cousin a favor. You should really ask him for pointers once you finish this class.”
Distractedly, Faith replied, “Yeah, I’ll do that.”
“Alright, class let’s go.”
Faith followed her class outside. Travis, here? Helping her class? Faith wasn’t sure if she was excited, nervous, or just confused. He hadn’t said anything about helping teach an amateur photography class, but they hadn’t spoken in the past few days either. This meeting was going to be awkward, and it upset Faith that something she had been so excited about was being tarnished.
The group headed toward Strawberry Creek. The creek began somewhere in the hills of Berkeley and wandered through the UC campus. The area surrounding the creek was pretty with trees and dirt trails to hike. It was one Faith’s favorite spots on campus. A quiet place to think. They followed the trail for a bit until they came to the old stone bridge.
Near the bank of the creek, on the downstream side, stood Travis, camera in hand. “Hey everyone, over here.”
Bryan called out, “Thanks for doing this Travis.”
“I’m happy to be here. I was just telling a friend that no one would ever hire me as a teacher, yet here I am.”
The smile on Travis’s face kicked up Faith’s heartbeat, and she realized how much she missed him. Yet, his words caused her cheeks to heat. No one here would know he was talking about her, but somehow his reference embarrassed her.
“Everyone come down here toward the bank. The light is perfect for taking some unique photos of this bridge, but I want to explain a few things before setting you loose,” Travis said.
Faith kept to the back of the class, feeling uncertain, as they marched down the gentle slope toward the water’s edge. She couldn’t hide from Travis the entire class. He was bound to spot her when they broke apart and began to take pictures. Maybe she should make an escape now and avoid any awkwardness.
The stubborn, independent part of Faith dug in her heals. No! I’m not leaving. It was her class, and she’d done nothing wrong. Okay, she’d sort of ignored Travis’s texts, but she had planned on calling him this evening. She would enjoy her class, learn, and then try to be an adult and talk with Travis after. She’d ask him to come over for a movie tomorrow evening. A smile crept onto her face. Their date would have to be later, just in case ring shopping with Emmitt went beyond dinner time.
Settled, Faith refocused on what Travis was explaining about light, angles, and several types of lens. He even offered a few tips on what could be done with a graphics editor after the fact. He offered encouragement and explained that even though many people believed that photo manipulation wasn’t a pure form of photography that he still believed it was an art form. Capturing beauty or a moment could be done in a million ways, a photo, a drawing, a poem, or a story. All of those were art that conveyed a message or emotion. It was up to the creative artist how they chose to express themselves.
Faith found herself caught up in Travis’s compelling words. Ancient civilizations used pottery, baskets, stone tablets, papyrus, or even cave paintings to express themselves and give people today clues into their daily lives. Some may have thought of themselves as artists or craftsmen. Others might have just been painting on the cave wall to tell a story to their children.
Faith’s rudimentary photography skills may or may not turn into something great, but it was something she could study and appreciate. She could be an artist in her own way.
For an academic like Faith, this was quite a revelation. Nothing big had to come of her art, but she was glad that she’d gone out on a limb and tried something new. When Travis dismissed his class, Faith found herself gravitating toward him rather than trying to take pictures of the bridge or surrounding trees. She felt much more drawn to Travis. Going with instinct, Faith raised her camera and focused in on Travis. Just a portion of the bridge could be seen off to his right. Perfect.
Faith snapped a few shots, enjoying framing and finding the right shot of him as he chatted with students. He hadn’t seen her yet. She waited until there was a break in the students and called out his name.
She watched through the viewfinder as he looked up and recognized her. A warm smile spread across his face, and Faith’s heart warmed as her finger pressed the shutter button on her camera. The photo was a keeper. It didn’t matter if the focus wasn’t great or it wasn’t framed just right. What mattered was the look of happiness on Travis’s face when he’d seen her. That was something precious.
“Faith,” Travis said walking toward her. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. This is my vocational class, and I’m pretty sure you said they’d never let you teach here,” Faith teased.
Travis scrubbed a hand through his hair, looking slightly embarrassed. “Ah… yeah, about that. I owed a favor to someone, and here I am. The whole thing only came about yesterday. I wanted to tell you, but well… we haven’t spoken in a—”
“Stop. It’s okay. That’s my fault. I had this stupid idea that if you really wanted to earn my trust you needed to try harder.”
Travis opened his mouth to reply, but Faith held up a hand. “I’m sorry it was juvenile and very unlike me. I’m still a bit skittish about relationships, but if you’ll bear with me, I’ll make it up to you.”
“I was afraid if I tried too hard you’d think I was a stalker or something.”
Faith laughed. “That’s exactly the point my brother made.”
Travis frowned. “You talked to Emmitt? Uhm, about me?”
“Maybe that’s odd. I don’t have any girlfriends to confide in, just Emmitt,” Faith said, looking at the ground. It did seem rather pathetic that she spoke to her brother about her love life, not that she’d had much of one until now.
“No. No. It’s fine.” Travis smiled. “I just ran into Emmitt the other day, and was asking him for advice about you.”
Faith raised an eyebrow. “Really? He never mentioned it.”
Travis took a step forward and gently took Faith’s hand. “I guess that means your brother’s a pretty good confidant. You could do most worse than going to him for advice.”
Faith smiled, feeling warm inside at Travis’s touch. She had two great guys in her life, Emmitt and Travis.
“Yeah, he’s pretty great.” Faith bit her lip, suddenly feeling nervous. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure.”
“Would you like to come over tomorrow evening and watch a movie. I have the perfect one picked out.” Faith playfully tugged on his hand. “Romance and a lot of laughter.”
Travis frowned. “Tomorrow?”
Nerves flooded her. “Yeah.”
“I can’t tomorrow. I have something going on.”
Unreasonably hurt by his rejection, Faith pulled her hand away. “Okay then. Maybe some other time.”
Travis snatched her hand back. “Actually, how about Saturday evening? Not the movie, but a date out. I kind of have a surprise for you.”
“Really?”
Travis looked at the ground, kicking at the dirt. “Yeah, it’s one of the reasons I’ve been busy this week. It took me a while to set it up.”
“Then, I’d love to go.”
“Travis,” a voice called out.
Faith looked behind Travis, and there was a line of students waiting to ask questions. She pulled her hand away, just a bit embarrassed, saying, “Looks like you’re needed.”
Travis glanced at the line and then back to Faith. “Sure, but we’re okay, right?”
Faith grinned. “Yeah, we’re okay. Just call or text me with the details for Saturday.”
Travis nodded, and Faith stepped away, watching Travis get swamped with a hundred more qu
estions. Faith looked around at the light and decided that maybe she should take a few pictures of the trails and trees. She wandered down the stream, snapping pictures, a small smile lighting her face.
Chapter 19
Travis spent Friday night at the mall with Tasha. She’d volunteered to help him find the perfect dress for Faith for the exhibit opening. He was surprising her with a formal event and wanted her to have the perfect dress.
“Thanks for doing this, Tasha.”
“No problem. Emmitt had some sort of errands to run for his mother and her charities. I’ve helped him fill her lists before, and believe me, dress shopping is much better.”
“I’m glad you think so. I have no idea what I’m doing or what to get. I’d be lost in this place.” Travis waved his hand around at the two-story mall.
“We’ll start with the department stores. If we can’t find anything there, then we’ll move on to a few specialty stores I know.”
“I hope by we, you mean you.”
“I’ll do all the picking, but you get the final vote.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
Travis followed Tasha from store to store. By the third store, Travis’s feet hurt, and he wondered why women found the chore of shopping fun. It seemed like too much work to him. But Tasha never tired. In fact, she seemed unexplainably giddy.
At one point, she exclaimed, “I can’t believe you are putting in so much effort on this date.”
“Why is that so surprising to you?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s absolutely sweet and amazing, but this is for Faith, and she doesn’t seem like the type of person who would inspire a guy to do something like this.”
Irritation rose within Travis. “Faith’s an amazing person and deserves to be treated well.”
Tasha sighed. “I’m sorry that didn’t sound right. I’ve been working for Faith for quite some time, and she’s kind of a recluse. It just surprises me that she has come out of her shell at all. It was like pulling teeth trying to get her to leave the office.”
“I may not know everything about Faith yet, but I see something in her, something that makes me want to help her rediscover the world. It’s like my photos. I capture a moment, and then with a few edits, the real beauty comes out.”
“Well, I think it’s working. Faith’s been happier and more outgoing than I’ve ever seen her.”
“That’s a start, right?”
Tasha laughed. “That it is… and oh my… I think I’ve found the perfect dress for her.” She pulled out a gorgeous white dress with a golden sash. “It even has a goddess vibe, doesn’t it?”
Travis took the dress. “She’d look amazing in this. I’ll get it.”
Tasha peeked at the price tag and gulped. “Don’t you even want to ask how much it is?”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s perfect.”
Tasha shook her head. Faith had better hold onto Travis with both hands. He was definitely a keeper. Then, Tasha smiled. Emmitt was a keeper, too.
“Tasha. I owe you one.”
“Not at all. I think my work life is going to improve dramatically after this date. Faith will be walking on air for months.”
“I sure hope so.”
Travis was dressed in a dark suit, loosening his tie, feeling like it was suffocating him. He was sitting in his car, parked outside of Faith’s home, trying to get the courage to knock on her door.
Usually, he was so confident and sure of himself, but he worried that this whole grand gesture thing could backfire. Was it too much, too soon? Or was he just over thinking it.
Taking a deep breath, he got out of his car and grabbed the garment bag that held Faith’s dress. He hoped she liked it.
He looked at himself in his window’s reflection, making sure his hair was in place, his suit properly buttoned, and his shirt tucked in all the way. He wasn’t usually one for formal attire, but he was hoping to make a good impression. Plus, whoever heard of going to an exhibit in a tank top and shorts?
Travis had steadied himself before he rang the doorbell. It was met by silence, and for a moment he thought that maybe she wasn’t home. The seconds seemed to stretch out into an eternity as he waited.
Finally, he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. The lock turned, and the door swung open.
Faith tilted her head in confusion. “Travis, why are you in a suit? You didn’t say we were going anywhere that had a dress code.”
“I know. That’s part of the surprise.” He held up the opaque garment bag. “Surprise. I hope you like it.”
“Like what exactly?”
Nerves were eating away at Travis, he felt silly standing in a suit on her doorstep with a dress that she may or may not like. This whole plan was ridiculous. “Please, just open it.”
Hesitantly, she unzipped the bag, pushing aside the bag’s panels. Her brows furrowed in confusion when her fingers wrapped around the chiffon material. She pulled out the gorgeous white gown. “Travis…?”
“I thought you might need something to wear tonight. Tasha helped me pick it out.”
“Where are we going?” Faith asked, getting even more confused.
“There’s something else in the bag.”
Faith quickly fished along the bottom until she found an envelope. Carefully, she slid her finger underneath the seal, prying it open. She gasped the second she pulled out the ticket to the exhibit she had been dying to go to. “How did you… I mean… these have been sold out for weeks… How…?” She gasped, staring at the ticket in disbelief. “I don’t understand. How did you know?”
“That favor I owed… the reason I helped out with the class. Well, that was all about finding a ticket. Some friend of a friend and their cousin or something like that. Anyway, I managed to get us two tickets. It was no big deal.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“No big deal? This is the biggest exhibit of Greek artifacts in the country!” Faith was beyond thrilled. Just thinking about being there amongst all those pieces of history made her heart pound with excitement.
Faith grabbed Travis’s hand and pulled him inside. She guided him into the living room and practically threw him at the couch. “Wait here, I’ll be ready in just a minute.” She ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
Travis couldn’t help but smile to himself. He leaned into the couch, trying to imagine what she would look like in her dress.
The smile was still plastered on his face when she came down the stairs, the dress flowing behind her. Travis’s jaw popped open when he saw her. She looked like a modern-day goddess with her perfect skin, sharp little nose, and her high cheekbones. Her blond hair was in a sophisticated bun that suited her quite well. “Wow…”
“What?” Faith stopped in her tracks. “Did I get mascara on my nose or something?”
“No. No. You just look… stunning.”
Faith colored at his words, her eyes dropping. She had never been good at accepting a compliment. “Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath.
They stood there, just staring at each other before Travis finally remembered the time. “We have to hurry if we want to get there on time.”
Quickly, they went out to Travis’s car, and he floored the gas, heading toward the exhibition hall.
“Travis?”
“Yeah?” He was turning into the highway, but he glanced at her for a second, making sure everything was okay.
“Thanks…”
“For what?”
“For this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most guys wouldn’t go through all this trouble to be with me. You were planning this, and I was being childish and not speaking to you. I’m sorry, and this gesture is incredibly thoughtful. You took the time to find something I would really enjoy going to.”
Travis eased onto the fast lane, one hand on the wheel. With the other, he reached over to capture her hand. “When a girl is as amazing as you, it makes everything worth it.”
Faith’s cheeks turned
a shade darker. She held his hand, squeezing it slightly, feeling most of those tower walls she surrounded herself with crumble.
So what, if she had gotten her heart broken five years ago? It was high time she got over that and moved on with her life. She couldn’t let the past dictate the present.
Faith chatted a bit about what she was most excited to see and asked what sort of items might interest Travis. Faith laughed when he commented that ancient swords sounded interesting. Just like a guy to be more fascinated with swords than the intricate carvings that told stories about a people’s culture, or the pottery that hauled life-giving water from the river to the village.
Eventually, Travis pulled up to the large state building, where well-dressed individuals climbed the marble stairs. He got out of the car and opened the door for his date before tossing the keys to the valet.
“I can’t believe I’m actually here…” she whispered.
Travis just smiled, glad that his grand gesture had gone over so well.
Inside, a large open room was filled with ancient Greek artifacts from coins to busts to tattered books.
“Wow… this is amazing…” Faith’s eyes started to twinkle in delight.
“You can say that again…” Travis was instantly drawn to a large statue of Poseidon in the back, the clear focal point of the whole exhibit. The statue was once massive but time had destroyed everything from the torso onwards. The only thing that identified it as the God of Water and Horses was the three-pronged trident that shot overhead.
“This is magnificent,” Faith said in awe. “I can only imagine what this looked like during its glory period, housed in a temple. It’s amazing how the Greeks were able to craft such beautiful pieces of art.”
“I should have brought my camera.”
“I don’t think they allow photography.”
“Still, do you know what kind of pictures I could have taken?”
“Oh, I have no doubt. Maybe you can give me a private lesson or two, so I can better document history?”
“Now, that’s something I’m happy to do.”
Faith smiled as they moved onto the next artifact, an ancient coin. Together, they explored the entire exhibit. The displays were amazing, but the people milling about were less interesting.
A Cherry on Top (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 7) Page 11
