“I think he may have bought a how-to book before deciding that a professional would be a better idea.”
Brad laughed lightly. “He sounds a bit like some of the people I design for.”
A bright smile crossed Allan’s face, making lines crinkle at the edge of his eyes. “Get a lot of people like that, do you?”
“More than you’d think. The marketing types seem to think that just because they can do an ad campaign, they can do a web page. It’s fun coming in to fix things after they mess up.”
“Well, at least with you here now, we can skip the messing-up part,” Allan remarked. He had stopped in front of an office door with the word “Private” scrawled across it. He pulled the door open and waved Brad ahead of him. “After you.”
The first thing that Brad noticed as he stepped into the office was the man waiting inside. It wasn’t his looks that had captured Brad’s attention, but the way he had situated himself so that whoever walked in the door had no choice but to look at him. He was shorter than Brad, with blond hair, brown eyes, an artificial tan, and a slightly prominent nose. A rather friendly smile crossed his face as he held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Dwight Richards. And you must be Brad.”
“I am,” Brad replied, shaking the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Dwight released his hand almost reluctantly and waved at a small stack of folders on the desk. “Well, I’ve got everything packed up. We should get going if we want to cover everything on my itinerary and get something to eat.”
Allan sighed and leaned against the door frame. “Dwight, you have a way of sucking the fun out of everything.”
“This isn’t fun, this is business.”
“I don’t know. Brad here looks like he enjoys his job, which leads me to believe that this should be fun, so stop being such a wet blanket and let’s get going. I’m hungry.” The words and tone were teasing, but there was an underlying sense of steel to Allan’s words that let Brad know he was dealing with a man who was used to being in charge. It also seemed as though he didn’t appreciate it when people in his employ thought they knew better than others.
An annoyed expression crossed Dwight’s face, but he relented, snatched up the stack of files, and stalked past them. Allan sent an amused glance in his direction and then looked back at Brad with his eyes twinkling with mirth. Brad had to suppress a chuckle. Allan was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Shrugging his laptop bag into a more comfortable position, Brad followed Allan out of the office.
Brad waved to the perky blonde behind the counter as he followed Allan and Dwight out of the store. She smiled brightly and returned his wave. Brad grinned. She was so perky it was infectious, and he nearly skipped out of the store. He caught Allan’s grin out of the corner of his eye and slowed his pace, blushing softly. They were never going to give him the job if he kept acting like an idiot.
They walked down the street to a small, cozy-looking deli. Allan and Dwight nodded at the man behind the counter, who then directed them to a booth in the back. When they reached the booth, Dwight slid in first, and Allan sat beside him. Brad saw what appeared to be annoyance flash through Dwight’s eyes. Either Dwight didn’t like being that close to his boss, or he wanted to sit with Brad. Brad placed his laptop bag on the bench beside him, pulled his laptop out, and put it on the table in front of him.
While his laptop powered up, Brad looked around the deli. “This is a really nice little place.”
“I eat here a lot,” Allan replied. He pulled two menus out of the holder on the table and handed one to Brad and one to Dwight.
Brad looked at the menu in surprise. It had a rather large selection for such a small place. The menu contained several different types of soup and salad along with the sandwich selection. He’d just finished reading over the menu when a young man approached the table and asked if they were ready to order. Dwight ordered a small bowl of broccoli soup and a house salad. Allan ordered a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and an order of fries. After one last quick glance at the menu, Brad chose to get the pulled pork sandwich with fries and coleslaw.
While they ate, Brad tilted his laptop toward them and went through all of the different design ideas that he had. They talked about using the store’s logo; colors to use on the web site; how Allan wanted the navigation bar to look; if he wanted the mouse to change when showing a link or if he wanted the link itself to change color; if he wanted to show on-hand numbers for the merchandise; if a map to the store should be included, along with store e-mail, phone, fax and contact info; and finally, if Allan wanted to one day set up for online orders.
They had just about finished with their meeting when Allan got a call on his cell phone. He looked down at his phone and frowned. “Sorry, Brad, I need to take this.”
“Not a problem. I’m pretty much wrapped up anyway.” Brad stretched his arm across the table and grasped Allan’s hand. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Same. If you need anything for the web page, just give me a call.”
“I’ll do that.” Brad almost let Allan get to his feet before he remembered that he wanted to take some pictures. “Oh, could I come back with my camera to get some shots?”
“Sure. Come by whenever you want.”
“Want me to call first?”
“Nah. It’ll be more realistic if you take pictures without giving us a chance to clean up first. Give the store that lived-in look.”
Brad laughed. “Okay, I’ll do that.”
Allan waved and left the deli. Brad and Dwight finished what was left of the coffee that had been brought for them while chatting about random things, like what they had liked about school and which sport was their favorite. By the time they had finished the meal, Brad felt like he had a new friend in the making.
“That was an incredible meal.” Brad gave a small sigh of satisfaction. “How much do I owe you?”
“This one’s on us. Consider it congratulations on getting the job.” Dwight grinned. “Plus, we can write it off as a business lunch.”
Brad laughed. “I can live with that, but next time let me at least chip in.”
“I’ll try, but that’s up to Allan.” Dwight gave him a cheerful smile and then headed to the counter to pay. Brad took the opportunity for a quick run to the bathroom before he had to get on the road. When he returned from relieving himself, Dwight was waiting by the door. They walked back to Brad’s car in a friendly silence.
“Well, Dwight, it was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, as well.” Dwight reached out and gave his hand a shake, once again lingering on the release. “If I don’t see you when you stop by for the pictures, I’ll see you at the next meeting. Have a safe drive.”
“Thanks.” Brad waved to Dwight as he climbed into his car. He thought he saw Dwight give him a once-over, but Brad put it out of his mind as just a trick of his overactive imagination. Why would Dwight be checking him out? Putting the car in gear, he headed home with ideas for his new project dancing in his head.
Chapter 5
CAM snapped a picture of the older woman looking at her miniature poodle in horror as it rolled in the mud. He didn’t bother to hide the grin on his face. That was one of the things he loved about taking pictures at the dog park. Dogs were more honest than people. They did what made them happy. The woman looked like she was going to burst into tears by the time the white dog rolled out of the mud puddle. She backed away from the dog as it tried to put its muddy paws on her leg. Cam laughed and snapped another picture.
When the weight of a head landed on his thigh, Cam reached down and scratched the dog. His hand paused when he didn’t feel the familiar texture of Hershey’s fur. He looked down to see a German Shepherd resting on his lap. Cam continued to pet the dog as a tail wagged happily against his leg.
“You know, you really shouldn’t pet another man’s dog without permission, Shutterbug.”
Cam looked up as Patrick settled beside him. “Making things dirty is
as easy as breathing for you, isn’t it?”
“Hey, you’re the one who went to the dirty place. I didn’t say a word.” There was a bright smile on Patrick’s face. Bingo left Cam’s lap and went to flop down beside her master. She seemed to have adjusted to no longer being a working dog quite well, if the sprawl was anything to go by.
“You’re always in the dirty place,” Cam muttered. When Hershey came trotting over with a stick in her mouth, Cam took it from her and gave it a toss. She bounded after it. “You look better.”
“I feel better.”
Cam cast a glance at his oldest friend. “So, the long-distance relationship is working out for you?”
“Anything that gets me Brad.” Patrick sighed as he rested back against the bench they were sitting on. “I miss him.”
“Is that your subtle way of asking me to watch Bingo so you can go to Alberta?”
“No, that was my subtle way of saying I’m sorry for being an ass when I got back. I’m not used to this whole caring thing, and being away from Brad kind of messed me up.”
“Noted.” Cam leaned over and rested his head on Patrick’s shoulder. “And forgiven.” Cam snuggled in as one of Patrick’s arms wrapped around his waist. “So, am I going to get to meet your boyfriend?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want you to scare him off.”
“Me? You think I would scare him off? I’m the normal one!”
“That’s just what you think, Shutterbug.” Patrick’s arm tightened around his waist, and Cam felt lips pressed to his hair. “You’re special.”
“How come when you say that I feel like I should be wearing a helmet and eating paste?” Cam watched as Hershey returned with the stick. This time, instead of giving it to Cam, she dropped it in front of Bingo. The older dog looked from the stick to Hershey as if to say, “Are you serious?” Hershey simply wagged her tail until Patrick took pity on her and tossed the stick.
“Shutterbug, your dog is as messed up as you are.”
“There is nothing wrong with my dog.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. She just tried to play fetch with another dog instead of the two humans sitting on the bench.”
“Maybe she just doesn’t like you.”
“Not possible. Everybody likes me.” Patrick tapped Cam’s camera with his hand. “What are you taking pictures of?”
“Life.” Cam looked around the park at all of the people and their dogs. “I like to come here and just take pictures of the things that happen.”
“What type of things?”
“Well, last week, I got a picture of a toy poodle dragging away a purse that was twice its size while the owner was napping. The dog had it half buried before she noticed.”
Patrick laughed. “Dog purse thief. Neat.”
Cam shrugged. “I can’t really explain it. I just like it here.”
“Hey, I’m not judging you. I love you even though you’re a freak.”
“You are such an ass.”
“But you love me anyway.”
“I do.” Cam pulled away from him and stared into his best friend’s green eyes. “Although I sometimes think I may need to be committed when I think about the shit you talk me into.”
“Hey, it’s not like I held a gun to your head.”
“Which you could do.”
“Very true, but I let you make your own bad choices.”
“And yet when I make those bad choices, I’m always with you. That would lead me to believe that you are a bad influence.” Cam grinned and slapped Patrick’s arm. “Bad Patrick, no cookie.”
“But I want a cookie.” Patrick gave Cam a pout and attempted puppy-dog eyes. The mirth Cam could see in the green depths kept the eyes from working.
“Nope, no cookie.” Cam felt his lips twitch as he tried to suppress a smile. He really did love it when Patrick bantered with him.
“But I—do you even have cookies?”
“No, but it was really fun seeing you pout for a fake snack.” Cam burst into amused laughter as Patrick glared at him in outrage. His laughter just got worse as Patrick shoved him.
“And you think I’m the mean one.” Patrick’s outrage faded as he started to laugh softly.
“I never said you were mean. I said you were an ass.”
“You kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?”
“Among other things.” Cam let his lips curl in a sly grin. When Patrick broke into his trademark grin and laughed, Cam felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It looked as if Patrick was finally starting to heal.
“SO HOW is the new account going?” Annabelle asked. Brad looked up as a cup of tea appeared in front of him. He smiled as his grandmother settled across the table from him. Annabelle was not a coffee person. All she ever drank was tea. She even refused to have coffee—or a coffee maker—in the house. People who didn’t like tea were just out of luck.
“Good. Allan, the owner, he’s a great guy and he has some really good ideas.” Brad fiddled with his tea until Annabelle pushed the sugar across the table. He smiled and added some to his tea. “Dwight, the marketing guy… his ideas aren’t that great.”
“Do you have to listen to his ideas?” Annabelle took a sip of her tea before adding her own touch of sugar.
“Not really. Allan’s the one in charge. I just listen to Dwight to be polite.” Brad smiled at his grandmother. “I do a lot of smiling and nodding and then ignoring. Plus, he kind of gives me a weird vibe.”
Annabelle laughed. “Well, at least you know what you’re doing.”
“That’s why they hired me.” Brad flashed his grandmother a cocky grin and laughed when she rolled her eyes at him.
“And what do you mean by a weird vibe?”
“I can’t really explain it. Sometimes I think I catch him watching me. He never really does anything; it’s just a feeling that I get.”
“Well, then you should keep an eye on him. If he does it again, you just tell him that you’re seeing someone.” Annabelle placed her teacup back in its saucer. “On that note, how are things going with your young man?”
“Better than I thought they would. I thought it would be harder to have a long-distance relationship.” Brad gave his grandmother a rather lopsided smile. “I do really miss him, though.”
“I’d be surprised if you didn’t. I’m glad that the two of you are working things out. I was worried about you.”
“Why?” Brad asked with a touch of surprise. He’d thought he’d done a good job of hiding how he felt from his grandmother.
“You seemed so sad after he left.” Annabelle reached across the table and gave his hand a squeeze. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Gran, can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything, you know that.” Annabelle smiled as she lifted her tea to her lips once again.
“Why didn’t you like any of my girlfriends?”
“My, you would pick the hard topic, wouldn’t you?” Placing her tea back on the table, she stood. “Come on, if we’re going to have this conversation, we’re going to do it on the couch. It’s more comfortable out there.”
Brad grabbed both of the teacups—saucers included—and followed his gran into the other room. He placed her mug in front of her on the coffee table. Maybe he should call it the tea table? When she patted the spot next to her on the couch, he sat there instead of the chair he usually sat in when they chatted. Once he was settled on the couch, she turned to face him.
“So, you want to know why I didn’t like any of your girlfriends?”
“Yes.”
“It was the way you acted when you were with them.”
Brad furrowed his brow in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Your happiness seemed forced. It never looked natural to me. It was like you were going through the motions of what you thought you should be feeling.”
“Really?”
“It was like you were trying too hard.” Annabelle reached over and patted his hand. “Pl
us, some of the girls you dated were sluts.”
Brad let loose a startled laugh as he thought about what his gran had said. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at his teacup. They were using the ones with the bluebirds on them. Brad wouldn’t admit it to many people, but they were his favorite teacups. “You don’t think I led them on, do you?”
“No, darling, I don’t. I know that you cared for them, but it just never seemed right. There was a glimpse of that real emotion when you were with Roz, but I think it was more friendship than love. It was like you were waiting for the right person.”
“And you think that person is Patrick.”
“Darling, when you’re near him, you glow. There’s no other way to describe it. He brings out true happiness in you.” She smiled at him, and Brad felt himself blushing at her description if his relationship.
“He does make me feel things I never felt with any of the girls I dated.”
“Bradley, I don’t need that much information.”
Brad felt his mouth drop open. “Gran! That is not what I meant!”
“Darling, you are so much fun to tease.” She patted his thigh. “Oh, I have something that I want to show you.”
“What?” Brad moved closer as she picked up the photo album that was sitting on the table. When Annabelle opened the album, Brad moved close enough to allow him to pull half of the heavy album onto his lap. He waited patiently while his gran flipped through the book to the page she wanted.
“Here it is.” She pointed at a picture of two young women standing beneath an apple tree with their arms around each other. “That’s me on the left.”
“Wow. You were quite the looker when you were younger,” Brad commented. He grinned when he saw a slight flush to his grandmother’s cheeks.
“Thank you.”
“Who’s the other girl?”
“That is my best friend, Maggie Harris.”
Brad looked over at his gran. “I don’t remember meeting her.”
“She moved away before you were born. Her son was starting a family in Ontario, and she wanted to be close.”
Broken Wings Page 7
