Love Out of Focus

by Rebecca Connolly

“I know.”

  There was a long pause and then, “I heard Mal say that.”

  “What?”

  “She dropped mustard on her pants at lunch and said that. She said she makes up swear words all the time instead of actually swearing. It was the funniest thing I’d ever heard.”

  The ache in his chest intensified while the tension in his limbs softened. He cleared his throat and tried to find his gruff persona again. “Why would you stop off and meet with the photographer from the Lake Lure project?” he asked, folding his arms tightly.

  Audrey snorted loudly.

  He glanced at her and saw her sitting on his couch and kicking her heels off. “What was that for?”

  Audrey gave him a look of sheer and utter disbelief. “If you expect me to believe that is all she is to you, then you, dear brother, are a moron of the highest caliber.”

  He opened his mouth, then closed it. “I never said that was all she was to me,” he muttered, leaning against his desk. “But right now, that is all she is.”

  His sister sighed and tucked her legs under her. “Hunter, you’re trying your best to hide everything emotional, and I get it, it makes you vulnerable, but it’s me. I heard it in your voice, all the way in Seattle. You love her.”

  He sighed and unfolded his arms. “Yes.”

  “So why is it you’re here and she’s there?” Audrey asked, leaning her elbow on the armrest. “What happened?”

  He shrugged, shaking his head. “I have no idea. I must have done something, but I’ve been over it thousands of times … I don’t know.”

  Audrey hummed and threaded her fingers through her hair. “You should have seen her jump when I said your name.”

  “What?” he asked, all systems on the alert again. “Why would you do that?”

  His sister’s trademark mischievous smile lit her face. “Oh, come on, I had to try it. And it worked. I think I covered it well, though.”

  “Why would you put her through that?” he barked. “What is wrong with you, Audrey?”

  A look that was a little too much like their mother’s for his comfort flashed in his direction. “Oh, stop. Like I intentionally went to Denver to torment the one who got away from you. I’m not entirely heartless, just a bit defensive of my brother.”

  “What did you do, Audrey?” he asked her, suddenly exhausted.

  “I went to her studio, and said I wanted to discuss the Lake Lure project and turned it into lunch.” She shrugged unapologetically. “But then I liked her too much to pretend, so I gave it up and talked about Seattle with her. I think I might have convinced her to come do a project for Abby and me, if we ever get it off the ground.”

  He was surprised by that. “Abby’s in on it?”

  Audrey gave him a look. “Our little cousin is quite the talented writer, brother dear, if you haven’t noticed. I wanted her in on it, and it’s not that far for her to come. It’s the only way she lets me fly her in and out.”

  He grunted but said nothing further. Abby was as stubborn and independent as everyone else he was related to, despite being related to the opposite side. Despite her impressive skill set, she was holed up in some tiny town in Oregon, barely making ends meet doing freelance writing and working at a library. They’d offered to help her out financially, but she adamantly refused every attempt.

  “Are we still paying the bills for her aunt?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded. “Yep. Her aunt June will get everything she needs, and the money that Abby thinks she’s paying for her aunt’s bills goes right into the trust we set up for Abby. And the house is covered. I put money into a fund strictly for repairs and upkeep. It’s really all very tidy. Thanks for letting me manage this one.”

  Hunter nodded once. Abby could refuse and be as independent and stubborn as she wanted, but Hunter and Audrey were more stubborn and even more interfering. And she would just have to deal with it.

  “And she wants in on your project?” he asked, still dubious.

  Audrey tilted her head. “Are we talking about Abby or Mal now?”

  Hunter gave her a hard look. His sister was poking at him, and he did not like being poked.

  “Abby’s all the way in,” Audrey said with a roll of her eyes. “Very excited and dying to meet Mal.” She smiled at him, then let it fade. “Mal seems pretty game, but she needs more details. We talked about it for a while, and she’s got some great ideas. She’s impressive, Hunter—professionally and personally.”

  He swallowed with some difficulty. “And then?”

  She grinned up at him. “Then we talked about food, and she persuaded me to move to Denver if Seattle gets too old. We talked about all the best places to eat, the best dishes, and some shows on Food Network.”

  Against his will, he returned her grin, his heart warming just thinking about the conversation between his sister and Mal. “You like her,” he said simply.

  “I told you I did,” Audrey reminded him, gesturing as if he were stupid.

  He smirked at her and nudged her knee with his foot. “Yeah, but you mean it.”

  She tilted her head slightly, her smile growing fond. “Yeah, I mean it. I like her, Hunter. I don’t understand why you’ve hung around Atlanta when you could go to Denver and get her.”

  He sighed and pushed off the desk to sit beside her on the couch. “It’s complicated. She left without a word to me, and I haven’t talked to her in four weeks. I’ve tried, but she won’t answer or respond. I can’t go invade her personal space. She would hate that.”

  “I think hate might be too strong a word,” Audrey mused, making a face.

  He gave her a look. “Don’t get my hopes up, kid. I’ve done what I can to get her name out there so she has work, and I have some allies in her office that keep me updated every now and then. I think someday, if enough time has done the trick, maybe she’ll talk to me again. Then I can get somewhere. Or get closure. Whichever.”

  “Oh, buddy.” Audrey sighed heavily, putting a hand on his back and rubbing softly. “You are one tormented soul.”

  He snorted and raised a brow at her. “Didn’t you say I needed to learn to be more patient?”

  “I did,” she allowed, patting his back. “You are also intense, so you might want to work on that.”

  He smiled softly but didn’t answer that. He’d heard about his intensity, and it had once been a source of pride for him. He’d liked that he was intense and could get somewhere with it. He’d never considered that it might be a negative, that there could be a downside to it. Was his intensity the reason it was taking Mal so long to forgive him?

  Would she forget him instead?

  “What did she say when you told her you were coming to see me?” he asked softly.

  “Oh, I didn’t tell her that.” Audrey laughed, shaking her head. “No way.”

  He turned to look at her more fully. “What did you tell her?”

  “The truth. That I was going to Florida to see some girlfriends and go to the beach. I had a layover in Denver and changed my flight to see her.” She gave him her impish grin again. “I just left out the part where I was stopping to see you for a few days first.”

  Hunter grinned, wanting to laugh at the irony. “You were never dishonest,” he said softly, an echo of former days rushing through his mind.

  “Nope. Just not completely forthcoming.”

  “Semantics.”

  She shoved at his back with a laugh. “You are such a dork.”

  He pulled his sister in for a hug, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “How did she look?” he finally asked, almost holding his breath.

  Audrey looked up at him, her eyes searching his for a moment. “Good. She looked good. And I think … I think you might be able to get her back. She wouldn’t have agreed to see me if she hated you, right?”

  He hugged his sister tighter. “I don’t know, Audrey. I really don’t know.”

  Chapter 19

  A week later

  The Hancock Building
was one place Mal could honestly say she’d never been before, and at this moment, it seemed a shame that she hadn’t. They were at the top of the building in the new 360 CHICAGO observation deck, and the surrounding Chicago skyline and scenery were breathtaking in the fading light of sunset. What was previously glorious had transformed into something magical when the night came and the city lights were all aglow. She’d never been that much of a city girl, but that view might have convinced her.

  She had come early, as arranged, to get a fair number of pictures before the guests arrived and the room became overcrowded, and it was a good thing she had. There was so much to see that she barely got it done before the guests arrived. It would be impossible to take it all in, but she could try.

  The room was gorgeous with its view alone, but the decorations tonight set it at a completely different level. The lights were tinged gold, and all the table decorations and place settings were gold themed in honor of pediatric cancer awareness. Elegant and tasteful floral arrangements were scattered about the room and on tables, and the whole place seemed to sparkle.

  Jenna and Tom greeted her at once, looking as blissful and happy as the day they’d gotten married. Jenna was a vision in a royal-blue mermaid gown with a sweetheart bodice that was covered with a sheer and elaborately detailed neckline and cap sleeves. With her hair in a loose chignon and gold details and jewelry, she looked like a vibrant goddess or the queen of some spectacular imaginary kingdom far, far away. Mal told her as much.

  Jenna laughed, kissed her cheek, and then winked. “Not entirely a goddess, sweetie,” she murmured and then turned to show her that the gown was backless. On some people, it would probably have been shocking, but on Jenna, it was perfect. She kept herself so fit that it almost made sense for her to show off her back.

  Mal smiled and shook her head. “This is amazing,” she said, gesturing to the room around them.

  Jenna’s smile would have lit the room on its own. “I’m so excited. I can’t believe how well it turned out. The room only sits about a hundred comfortably, so we had a donation battle, and only those who donated the most could come. It’s barbaric, I know, but everyone else is coming to a much bigger event at the Field Museum in a month. Come to that one too, won’t you?”

  Mal grinned, which made Jenna take her hand and give her a teasing look.

  “Come on, Mal,” she drawled playfully. “You know you want to.”

  She laughed and gave her cousin a look. “Of course, I want to, Jenna. Let me know the dates and times, and I’ll check. I’m supposed to go to British Columbia next month to work a resort shoot.”

  Jenna raised a brow slowly. “Travis Bradford’s place?”

  Mal nodded, surprised. “How’d you know?”

  “He’s the biggest name there. Gorgeous resort. You’ll love it. If there’s a conflict, let me know. Travis owes Tom a favor. We can switch him around if we need to.”

  “Does everybody do what you want?” Mal asked her cousin with a laugh.

  “Pretty much,” Tom said, appearing at Jenna’s side, looking dapper in a classic black tux. He kissed Jenna’s cheek, then did the same with Mal. “Hi, Mal. You look great!”

  Mal laughed and looked down at herself briefly. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Taryn what she’d wear—white blouse, high-waisted black pencil skirt with a simply detailed ribbon belt at the top for emphasis, and her hair done up in a french twist, with diamond stud earrings and a silver heart necklace. Simple, elegant, but ultimately professional.

  Particularly with the camera around her neck.

  “Thanks, Tom,” she said with a wry grin. “Not black tie, but I’m working.”

  Tom winked at her. “You look fantastic. And if you’ll look around the room, you’ll see that you look better than most of the women here. And with those shoes, kiddo, you’re almost average height!”

  Mal rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.

  “You’re wearing the Christian Louboutins!” Jenna squealed, turning Mal to see them better.

  “Of course,” Mal said simply. “I have nowhere else to wear them, and they matched.”

  Jenna gave her a look. “They’re black pumps, Mallory. They match just about everything.” She looked down at the shoes again. “I love those on you.”

  “They were a very generous gift, Jenna,” Mal said, taking her hand again. “Particularly when I wasn’t in the wedding party.”

  Jenna waved that off. “You’re my favorite; that means you get the presents too. I don’t care what the other girls said about your choice. I firmly believe every woman needs a sexy pair of black pumps. They do amazing things for your legs, and they are always in style.”

  Mal smiled and sighed as more people filtered in. “I guess you guys better get to it. Host and hostess, after all.”

  Jenna wrinkled her nose. “Guess so. I hope this works, you know? I want to make a difference here. After Emily …” Her throat worked, and she looked up at the ceiling to force the tears away.

  Mal squeezed her hand tightly. “I know,” she murmured. “I was just thinking about her. I thought about that fantastic children’s choir at her funeral service, remember?”

  Jenna smiled broadly. “Such cute kids. I think they still have that choir down in Memphis.” Her eyes suddenly brightened, and she turned to Tom. “Can we get them for the event next month at the museum? That would be amazing!”

  Tom sighed and took Jenna’s arm. “We’ll talk about it, babe. Let’s do this one first, okay?” He looked back at Mal. “Brunch tomorrow, Mal. No excuses, no exceptions. We’ll call you.”

  She smiled and waved as they left, then went back to her job.

  A small group of musicians in one corner of the room started playing, and Mal’s heart leaped to her throat as they started playing light jazz. She listened to jazz almost all the time now, but hearing it live was something else entirely.

  She swallowed hard and started taking photos, capturing what she could of the evening. The guests, the food, the decorations, the musicians—everything all wrapped together. It briefly occurred to her to wonder how much money was in this room with her, and that made her smile. A few couples started dancing near the musicians, and Mal moved in that direction to take pictures of them.

  Jenna and Tom worked the room expertly, making a point to speak to everyone, which wasn’t hard, as everyone wanted to speak to them. They had grown even more popular after their wedding than they had been before, which was an accomplishment. True to form, they smiled and laughed the entire time, took a brief break in socializing to dance, and were never more than ten feet from each other all evening.

  If anybody had thought their marriage was all for show and publicity, they wouldn’t think so if they saw them tonight. It was almost too intimate to watch, and Mal’s throat burned at the sight. She ventured out onto the walkway outside the building, and the night air felt wonderfully cool against her flushed skin. From inside, she could hear the jazz ensemble start playing “It Never Entered My Mind,” and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes as she remembered that dance. Had she ever felt that beautiful or loved?

  No, of course she hadn’t.

  No one had ever made her feel the way Hunter had.

  She inhaled slowly, letting the fresh air fill her, and then went back inside, professional face on once more. Jenna and Tom introduced her to a number of people, never once bringing up their relationship, but overflowing with praise and referencing her work. She collected so many cards and promises to call that she couldn’t remember half of them. At this rate, next year would fill up quickly too.

  For all her pride at wanting to make it on her own, there were some doors she wouldn’t have been able to get through without help from her family and their connections.

  As the evening wore on, Mal grew more and more tired, the glow of the evening fading as she found herself missing someone who belonged there, who probably ought to have been there …

  Someone who might have forgot
ten her thanks to her pride.

  Insecurity was a crippling weakness, and stubbornness made recovering from it excruciating.

  Maybe she should have called him back at least once. Maybe, if he were still calling her, she would have answered this time. If she still felt this way, maybe he—

  She shook her head quickly, forcing the thought out. There was no use in maybes and what-ifs. What was done was done, and she was going to have to live with her stupidity.

  She got Jenna’s and Tom’s attention and signaled that she was leaving, which earned her a wave and a blown kiss. She got her bag and coat from the bag check, situated her camera snugly, and started the long elevator ride down. She was staying at a hotel nearby, and she would have brunch with Tom and Jenna in the morning, get the details of their next event, and then head back to Denver.

  There was a lot of work to do, and more to come. Life was good … or something.

  She pushed open the door of the Hancock Building as a breeze came through, courtesy of the Windy City, and she smiled to herself as a troublesome lock of hair dislodged itself. She tucked it back, readjusted her coat, and started toward the street to get a cab.

  She looked up and stopped dead in her tracks.

  A cab was already in front of the building, but that wasn’t what stopped her.

  It was the man leaning against the cab.

  Hunter.

  In a formal black tux, collar open, tie undone. He stared at her hungrily, as if she were dessert.

  “Hunter,” she gasped, losing sensation in her lower extremities. She swallowed and tried to remember how to breathe. “What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for you.”

  She almost threw herself at him right then and there, but there seemed to be a miscommunication between her brain and her legs. Hunter had that effect on her. He would always have that effect on her.

  His voice, that low almost-rough timbre that had once scorched her lungs, set them aflame again. His eyes never moved from her face, and even with his casual pose against the cab, she could see a coiled tension that set her on edge.

  She swallowed several times. “You’re wearing a tux,” she managed, blurting it out stupidly.