by Chelsea Hale
She took the camera out of her bag and wore it around her neck.
“I thought you were going to get some food,” Liz said.
“That and I’m going to get a head start on the footage I already have so I know what we still need this week. Aspen is a long way to come to redo a shot.”
Coco sat in the lounge area of the crowded dining room mostly filled with skiers. She looked through the menu and settled on a soup and sandwich combo with a steaming mug of orange wassail. She clicked her camera on and began perusing the footage, the volume all the way down. She didn’t need to hear any of the background noise; it would all be dubbed over with music anyway.
“May I join you and your camera for dinner?” Peter’s eyes held a glint in them—a challenge of actually saying no. Was that what he wanted?
She smiled sweetly. “You might be the third wheel, but if that doesn’t bother you, sit. I don’t talk incessantly with my camera, but my focus might be on it for the whole dinner.” She finished watching the clip, bugged all over again at how Peter crossed in front of her at such a critically artistic moment. Sure, he could sit with her … and she would show him all of the ways he ruined her footage.
Peter pulled out the chair across from her and sat, draping the napkin across his lap. His manners were polished, and his smile was disarming. Had he been wearing that smile all day?
“Then my goal for the evening will be to get you to pay more attention to me than your camera,” he said.
“Good luck with that.”
The server came, bringing a small basket of assorted breads and a small dish of rounded butter balls. Peter ordered the lobster tail before she left.
Coco played through another clip, making a face at the small LCD screen.
Peter laughed. He set down the knife he’d used to butter a roll. “What’s wrong? You’re making a face like there’s a spider on the lens.”
“This.” She turned the screen so he could see his social flaws up close and personal. “This is exactly what I was talking about.” She pushed the play button, making him watch the clip.
“What are you talking about that’s a great shot. The lighting is artistic and—” He cut himself off, leaning closer to the camera. “It’s just the corner of my shoe. You’re getting uptight over a small piece of my shoe?”
“Wait for it.”
Peter’s smug smile fell. “Oh. Yeah. I didn’t realize I walked right in front of your camera.”
“Walking in front of me I can maybe understand. But you did this. You stood in front of me. Several times.” She arched an eyebrow at him but smiled to show she was more amused than upset … now, anyway.
Peter nodded. “I wasn’t trying to do that. I swear I wasn’t.”
“I know that now.” She laughed a little. “But did you mean to do this?”
He cringed as he saw the replay of yet another one of his blunders across what would have been a perfect cinematic shot.
“Good thing we figured this out on day one. I’d hate to be the cause of your stress more than I already have been. I guess my only explanation is I’m not used to photo shoots with other artists.”
She blinked. “Surely you’ve shot a wedding before. Weren’t there videographers there?”
“Of course, but a wedding is different from a photo shoot. It’s second nature for me to find the angle I want and maneuver to it. I don’t think about others wanting to see the shot when I’m the photographer. My job is to capture the moment. Generally, that means front and center.”
The server came out with the food while an assistant brought out sparkling cider in a cold ice container with a bottle opener. “Compliments from The Lounge this evening. Enjoy your stay with us.”
Peter acknowledged the man. “Thank you. We will.” The server left, and Peter eyed the bottle. “Would you like some?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He pulled it out of the bucket and unscrewed the cork. “Where were we?” he asked.
“I was about to tell you that I need to be front and center, too. We need to split the stage. While I’m not more important, my video lasts longer. I need my scenes to be long enough that I can splice them, and I need room to do that. If I can only get a five second clip before you walk in front of my camera, that’s not acceptable.”
“Agreed.” He smiled and his eyes seemed to dance. She hadn’t spent much time looking at them since she’d first noticed how blue they were. She’d been too bugged to make eye contact, but now her annoyance was mostly gone.
“If you agree, why are you smirking?”
“Believe it or not, you’ve spent most of the meal focused on me, not your camera. I’m taking that as a win.”
It was past midnight, and Coco still couldn’t sleep.
It had nothing to do with Peter.
Okay, maybe it had everything to do with Peter.
She’d forgiven him, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d probably ruined all of her shots. The thought was going to cause nightmares if she didn’t check through all the video clips. She felt around in her bag until she found her laptop and camera and made her way to the small sitting room in her suite.
She kept the lights off so she wouldn’t wake Liz, plugged in the card reader, and started downloading all of the files. One by one they started to appear. She clicked through the first ones, analyzing how much of the footage she could salvage.
Frustration with Peter surged again, and she rolled her neck, releasing tension. Maybe it would be easier to reshoot the majority of the scenes rather than try to salvage what she had. She needed to change her expectations. She’d start from zero, and anything she could keep from Breckenridge she’d count as a bonus. In the middle of her hunt for decent scenes, she found a few at the very beginning before Peter joined them. She tagged them for use later. She clipped small sections between the shots Peter moved into, and soon her tagged files grew.
She blinked at the time on the computer screen. 3:00 a.m. She did her best work in the evening, but it was late. She grabbed the top of the laptop screen to close the lid but ended up adjusting the tilt instead. Just a few minutes of editing. Just to make sure the feel is right.
Her brain kicked into creative mode, and she could see the few seconds of good clips among the parts where Peter blocked her view. She pulled in more files to her video program. She split clips and rearranged. All clips with Peter in them she dragged to a secondary video line. No need to clutter up her main film strip.
Her thoughts continually rolled back to Peter. She blamed it on his entrance into just about every clip she used. After she had several clips of him, she pressed the play button.
Without any applied transitions between each clip, Peter jumped back and forth in and out of her shots from different sides of the camera. She rearranged a few of his clips, making him look like he was part of a magic show—never in the same place twice and never entering from the same side. She sped up the film and snorted at the rough-cut video. The more she sped it up the funnier it became.
She’d spent most of the day yesterday being bothered by Peter’s presence, but watching the video she noticed how attractive he was. His features were photogenic, and his eyes … She’d have to get a close-up of his eyes. For the video, of course. She could make it a school project.
Her thoughts faded back to his concern for her and her car. He helped her solve her problem and gave her a ride without any hesitation. That was a trait she loved in people—those who were able to see the needs of others and fill them quickly. He had only met her two hours before, and he did that. The thought warmed her.
She immediately thought of Jeffrey. He always helped people. With Better Builders, he went all over the world facilitating the back-end work for charities and other humanitarian groups to serve. Some projects took him away for months at a time, as he coordinated the efforts of building an orphanage or a school. He did monumental good in the world, and she admired that he was always willing to go so far for others, to
make a difference in their lives. She lucked out with him for a boyfriend. He was so selfless and caring.
She hopped over to her email. Maybe her phone had finally sent her message. Her heart jumped around as an unread email blinked at the top of her inbox.
The subject line confirmed he’d arrived safely in Seattle. This month’s travels consisted of several corporate meetings presenting Better Builders’ rollout plan on how to help charities this year.
Hello my hot Cocoa,
That joke never seemed to get old.
I texted back multiple times, but my phone keeps saying they can’t be delivered, so I thought I’d write you an email rather than call because it’s later where you are.
She checked the time stamp on the email. He’d sent it just after midnight her time.
Seattle is my last stop on this corporate presentation tour, and I can’t wait to see you this weekend. I’m glad you get to help Liz out with her wedding video this week. Sorry the photographer ruined your shots.
She’d been so frustrated with Peter that she had to vent to somebody after lunch, and she didn’t want Liz to stress out about it, but now that she and Peter had talked, she was confident it would be a much smoother week.
Don’t get discouraged. Not everyone in the business world is professional.
What? Was he referring to her or to Peter? She wished she’d been able to explain the situation in person to Jeffrey and now wished she hadn’t mentioned it to him at all. She didn’t want Jeffrey to think she was unprofessional.
I’m sure you’re doing a great job, and Liz appreciates whatever you capture on film. I love you. Can’t wait for our date night on Saturday. – J
Jeffrey would be home for a date night on the weekend. That happened less and less as he took international flights on Saturdays. She looked forward to Saturday.
Coco went back to working on the engagement video, editing and adding effects. Liz and Tyler’s video doubled as an assignment. Maybe she could make Peter’s short montage into a project, too. She had yet to figure out her idea for her satire video. Maybe this would do it.
She’d need a close-up on his eyes though … and his permission.
The digital clock on her laptop read 5:00 a.m. Coco saved her work and closed her computer. She crawled under her covers just as Liz’s alarm went off. Liz jumped out of bed. A few minutes later as Coco drifted off to dreamland she heard Liz whisper, “I’m going to the hotel gym. Be back in an hour.”
Coco sat up with a bolt. 11:30? Oh no. This was not good. She read her missed text messages. Everyone had been waiting for her down in the lobby since 8:30.
She scrambled to get dressed and ran a brush through her hair, but it didn’t do anything for her. Good thing it was beanie weather. She grabbed her coat and shouldered her camera gear.
She punched the elevator button several times, standing close to the doors, waiting for them to open. They hadn’t set a time last night, but the last thing she remembered was Liz going to the gym this morning. She hadn’t heard her come back or leave again.
The elevator doors opened to the lobby as she pulled on her gloves. She turned the corner to enter the lobby and immediately made eye contact with Peter. Had she been dreaming about his eyes, or just thinking about them during her video editing last night? Either way, they didn’t disappoint.
“Where is everyone?” she asked, looking around the deserted lobby for Tyler and Liz.
“Rise and shine, sleepy head.” Peter had an amused smile on his face.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” she admitted.
“Well, it appears this morning’s nap made up for it.” His bright blue eyes seemed to dance.
She laughed it off. He was teasing her. She didn’t need to get bugged about it. “Where are Tyler and Liz? They said they would meet in the lobby on their text messages.”
“They did. Three hours ago.”
Coco smacked her hand against her forehead. “Ugh. I never sleep in. I’m usually up before Liz. Can we get started now?” Her pulse raced.
“Relax. Deep breath. You’re fine. The weather forecast was really sunny for the day. That’s not ideal for pictures. I told them they should take advantage of the beautiful day and get some runs in. Liz didn’t want to wake you so I suggested not sending another text, and I’d wait for you here.”
Waiting for three hours? She cringed.
“Hey. This is a stress-free week for me. We have plenty of time to get the footage you need, the photos I want, and still have time to enjoy ourselves. This is not worth worrying about.”
“You waited for me for three hours? What if I never came down?”
“Eventually I would have sent room service to make sure you weren’t starving.”
A smile forced its way to her lips. “How thoughtful of you.”
He stepped closer. “Careful. That sounds close to a compliment.” He held his hand out to her. “So, are you hungry for breakfast or are you ready for lunch?”
“Lunch.”
“Then let’s do lunch. Fair warning, tomorrow I will make sure you’re up early enough to enjoy the delicious Winter Wonderland pancakes I had while I waited for you.”
Chapter Four
Peter wasn’t sad that Tyler and Liz already left to ski. They’d eaten an early lunch and headed for the slopes next to the hotel. He and Coco could probably catch up if they wanted to, but Peter thought spending time with just Coco would be a good thing. Maybe they could overcome their first impressions before they did another big shoot together.
“So, what is the plan for the day?” Coco said as she finished her lunch. “Are we going to shoot this afternoon, or will we postpone until tomorrow?” She tucked a small strand of dark hair behind her ear.
“I doubt I’d want to head straight from the slopes to an engagement shoot. Let’s fit in more filming and photos tomorrow.”
“That makes sense.”
“It’s too bad they aren’t ready for a photo shoot though. I need to do some action product shots.”
Coco tilted her head. “What products?”
Was she really interested in his other work, or just being polite? “Ski apparel for a friend of mine. It’s next year’s line, but they released a few to me so I could take pictures in the snow. He likes to test out the new products the winter beforehand, and then he has time to work out any problems before the start of the next season.”
“That explains your full car. I thought maybe you just packed more stuff than a girl would for a quick trip!”
He bumped her shoulder. “It’s work.”
“Can I help you with it? Or should we scout out places to film tomorrow? I’m not as familiar with Aspen as I am with Breckenridge.”
Peter smiled. She’d read his mind. Originally, he was going to ask Tyler and Liz, but if Coco was willing to be in the shots, it would work out nicely to have the product shots finished before the engagement photo shoots. He needed a model. It would work so much better than using the tripod for every shot. “Would you mind standing in and wearing some of the products? Maybe we can get some action shots.”
She shrugged. “I don’t have anything else to do since my roommate ditched me. Let me go get a little more camera ready first.” She smiled, showing she maybe wasn’t too put out by the idea of spending the afternoon with him.
“The clothes are in my car.” He dug in his pocket for his keys, and she followed him outside. He carried in two large duffel bags into the lobby and gave her one of the bags. “Meet back here when you’re ready.”
While he waited for Coco to return, Peter checked through all of his camera equipment. Everything seemed to be in order.
“I’m ready,” Coco announced fifteen minutes later. “The boots are a little big.”
Coco’s green eyes sparkled more than they had before and her dark brown hair was styled. He had noticed she was attractive when they had met yesterday, but something about her was different. He couldn’t put his finger on it. The clothes seemed
to fit her perfectly. The dark red coat she wore contrasted against her beautiful milky white skin. No one looking at the pictures would notice if her boots were big. Then it hit him. Her smile. He hadn’t seen much of that the day before and it caught his entire attention. She was beautiful.
He cleared his throat. “You can bring your other boots if you want. We only need a few pictures with them on you.”
“It should be fine.”
Peter carried the other duffel. “I have a few extra things to add. A few different colored hats and outer shells for the coats. Don’t feel like you’re stuck for the rest of the day doing this, but the snow is so much better here than in Denver. The more shots I can do here, the better.”
“I’m game. I’ve never done product shots before.”
“It’s a great résumé builder.” He readjusted his camera settings and escorted her through the door. They walked down the side pathway of the hotel that led directly to the ski slopes. At the bottom of the bunny hill several evergreens clustered together. The fresh snow on the pines made for the perfect backdrop to start. He set up the tripod and a few reflectors. Hooking up his remote, he stood back from the camera as he took each shot.
Peter went back and forth, giving her a new hat or scarf and different gloves. “Tilt your head down a little. No. Try just tilting your head, but not moving your forehead.” He handed her a pair of skis to hold.
“Like this?” She laughed. She tilted her head until her ear touched her shoulder.
“Definitely not like that.”
“How about this?” She did the exact same thing with her other ear and shoulder.
“No.”
She tilted her head so her chin touched her neck. “I didn’t move my forehead.”
“I get the feeling you’re making fun of me,” he said, planting her skis in the ground and positioning her hand exactly where to hold the skis. Even through her gloves warmth radiated from her hand. He pulled back.
