by Erin Dutton
“So, I’d say thanks but—you took all my money.” Casey gave her a wink that made her face feel even hotter.
“Then I should thank you.” She injected a teasing note into her voice, surprised and pleased that she could compose herself enough to flirt back.
“Well, you certainly seemed to enjoy it.”
“Oh, I did.”
“It was nice meeting you—mostly.” Casey stuck out her hand.
Jacqueline laughed and took it, intending a quick handshake. But when Casey’s palm slid against hers, Jacqueline held on, reluctant to relinquish the fire that traveled up her arm and through her body, like a flame following a trail of gunpowder.
“Are you really going to let me leave without getting my number?” Casey stepped closer and lowered her voice, the intimate tone flowing smoothly over obvious confidence. She didn’t even seem to be trying, and she had Jacqueline ready to melt again.
“I believe the bet was for my number, and you lost.” Jacqueline jerked her hand free. Disappointment flashed across Casey’s face, then was quickly covered by bravado.
“The way I see it, we both lost that hand.”
“How do you figure?”
“Because when you wake up tomorrow still thinking about me, you’ll have to track me down through Kendra. And she’ll know you’re into me—”
“I’m into you?”
“Yes. And you know how gloaty she can be.”
“First, I don’t think gloaty is a word. And second—I’m into you?” Kendra did like to be overly involved in Jacqueline’s life. And finding out Jacqueline might be interested in one of her artsy friends would just make her day.
“Yeah, you are.” Casey moved forward until their breasts nearly touched. Only an inch or two shorter than she was, Casey was the perfect height, and Jacqueline couldn’t help thinking how well they’d fit together. Casey’s eyes appeared almost navy in the shadows of the room. “So, ask for my number.”
“You’re kind of bossy.”
Casey crossed to the door to Jacqueline’s bedroom and grabbed the dry-erase marker from the whiteboard hanging on the outside of the door. She wrote her name and phone number across it in a flowy-girly script. “Despite your stellar first impression, if you call me,” she shrugged, “maybe I’ll give you a shot.”
Chapter One
Present Day
Jacqueline looped the handles of five plastic grocery bags over her hand. She lifted her load, pressed the button to lower the trunk of her Lexus, and snatched the two remaining bags out before it finished closing. Though the plastic bags already limited the circulation in her fingers, she didn’t bother redistributing their weight as she hurried up the short walkway in front of her father’s home.
When she reached the front door, she tapped the toe of her shoe against it in lieu of knocking. “Dad.” Her fingers were numb, and her palms tingled under the constricting strips of plastic. She kicked again, harder this time. The door swung open, and she turned sideways and slipped past her father. “I told you I was bringing your groceries today.”
“Sorry, Jacq. I must have fallen asleep in my chair.” He followed her into the kitchen.
“At noon?” She hefted the bags onto the counter and turned to study him. “Are you feeling okay?” His hair had been thinning for years, and the comb-over she’d been trying to talk him into abandoning looked even more sparse than usual. He’d given up golf last year—or was it two years ago—complaining of back pain, so maybe he’d lost some muscle mass since then, due to his increased inactivity. But other than that, he looked fine to her. Was he napping out of boredom? Six years ago, after her mother died, she’d encouraged him to meet up with his buddies at the VFW. He’d always been proud of his air-force service during Vietnam and enjoyed visiting with fellow veterans. But she couldn’t recall him mentioning them recently.
“I’m fine. Can’t an old man fall asleep in front of the television in peace? Doesn’t matter what time it is. I don’t have anything better to do.”
“I brought you that list of activities from the senior center.” She opened the refrigerator and began pulling out the expired food before she put in the new supplies.
“Now, why would I want to go hang out with a bunch of cackling hags?”
“You could make some friends. I’m sure you’d find some surly old veterans like yourself there.”
“Very funny.”
“I got one of those rotisserie chickens you like. You should eat that in the next couple of days. After that, there are plenty of your favorite frozen dinners—”
“I’m not an invalid. If I want something different, I’ll go out and get it.” His tone was gruff but not angry as he left the kitchen.
She nodded, clenching her jaw against her protest, and continued stowing the food. She’d started getting his groceries last winter when he’d had pneumonia and had carried on even after he was well again. Though he readily allowed her to continue shopping for him, he never liked for her to suggest he depended on her to do it.
“I’ll be in Atlanta for the rest of the week. Do you need anything else before I go?” Travel had been an integral part of her career for well over a decade now. As regional manager of human resources for a major national shipping company, she traversed Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina regularly. Company-wide meetings forced her even farther away several times a year. Next week she’d be at the divisional office in Atlanta for a quarterly meeting with her boss.
“If I think of anything, I’ll call Casey.”
“Dad, I’m here. You don’t need to call Casey.”
“You just said you’re going out of town.” He’d already settled back into his favorite chair by the time she returned to the living room. His hand covered the television remote that rested on the arm of his chair, but the flat-screen hadn’t been turned on. She’d replaced his old tube television with a brand-name 55-inch LED model several years ago.
“I am, but—” She couldn’t argue. She wouldn’t be around this week. Before they’d split up, she’d always loved that her father and Casey were close, especially since Casey had lost both her parents only two years after she and Jacqueline met. But Jacqueline hated that sometimes it seemed Casey was closer to her father than she was. She couldn’t really fault either of them since she spent more than half the month out of town. So instead, she nodded stiffly and squeezed his shoulder as she headed for the door. “I’ll call you tonight.”
“Be safe.”
She waved a hand as she exited. He’d been calling out the same good-bye since she first started driving away by herself at sixteen. With the exception of one minor car accident in her twenties, she’d managed to comply.
In the driveway, she slid behind the wheel of her car. She’d loaded her suitcase and her leather laptop bag in the trunk that morning. By the time she merged onto the interstate, just minutes later, her brain had already switched completely into work mode. She would arrive in Atlanta in time to check in at the hotel and make her first meeting. But, for the sake of efficiency, she would also be monitoring a conference call via her car’s integrated Bluetooth feature while driving.
*
“Come on. Give me that smile that makes everyone melt.” Casey looked through the viewfinder of her favorite Nikon and shook a rattle over her head. The baby propped up in the fall-themed tableau giggled, and Casey fired off a series of shots. She’d hoped to get some photos outside, but the day had turned too cold for the baby, so she’d be doing the whole shoot in the studio. “There we go. Just a bit longer, little man. Okay, Mama, put him in his last outfit.” She adjusted a couple of settings on her camera as the child’s mother swept him up and carried him to a small loveseat against the wall behind Casey. “Sean, let’s get the next setup ready.”
“Sure thing, Mom.” Sean loped into the frame and began loading the decorations into a large plastic tote. He’d always loved hanging out in her home studio. In fact, even from the time Casey and Jacqueline had taken
him in at five years old, he’d been so fascinated with her cameras that she’d been convinced he would follow in her footsteps.
When, at ten years old, he’d declared that he wanted to be a veterinarian, she’d been certain that was just a childhood phase. Now, entering his second year as an animal-science major in preparation for veterinary school, he’d proved her wrong. Though their road hadn’t always been smooth, she couldn’t be more proud of the caring young man he’d become.
Those first few months, fresh out of a nightmare of a foster home, he’d been timid and extremely distrustful. Slowly, Casey and Jacqueline had won him over and soon found out he was warm and anxious to please. In the early years, when Casey gave him busywork in the studio to keep him occupied, she offered a small allowance as a reward for good behavior. Not long after his twelfth birthday, she and Jacqueline had split up. That first year, he’d begged to stay on and work with her for the summer. The petty part of her had celebrated the fact that he seemed to be choosing her over Jacqueline. But in the eight years since, she’d learned to share his affections.
In preparation for the next series of shots, Sean rolled out a piece of artificial turf marked with white yard markers. As the baby’s mother dressed him in the onesie decorated like a football, Sean assembled the smaller version of a football goal post that he’d built for her out of PVC pipe and spray-painted yellow. She found the layout a bit boring, but this particular shot had been set up exactly to the mother’s specifications. Casey hadn’t been able to convince her that there were other, more creative ways to shoot a football theme. She planned to take a few like this, then switch it up a little to better fit her style and let the client decide which she liked best in the end.
“Do you need anything else before I head out?” Sean asked.
She pulled him into a hug, which he merely tolerated at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as well. “Would it be too much to ask that you not go?” She pressed her cheek to his chest and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. Her baby boy had topped six feet by the time he graduated high school.
“Mom, classes start next week. You know I like to get moved into the dorm and settled early.” Last year, she and Jacqueline had both helped him move into the dorm at Middle Tennessee State University for his freshman year, neither willing to forego such a milestone. This year he would be handling the move-in himself, taking all that he could fit in the Camry that Jacqueline had given him for his birthday.
“I got spoiled having you around all summer.” She reluctantly released him and resisted the urge to ruffle the dark mop of hair he’d let grow shaggy over his forehead and ears.
He smiled, and for a moment Casey glimpsed the boy who had somehow managed to keep his beaming smile despite being taken from his birth mother and placed in foster care at five years old. The first time she’d seen him, she’d been taking photos for the Department of Children’s Service website as part of a charitable donation. She’d met several caseworkers and the children in state’s custody at a park to get some candid shots for the DCS website to showcase the kids that needed loving homes.
That night, at home, she hadn’t been able to shut up about the little curly-haired boy who’d stolen her heart. Within days, and after several serious discussions with Jacqueline, she’d scheduled the necessary parenting classes to gain approval as a foster parent. She figured Sean would’ve already found a home in the time it took for her to become fully qualified. But as soon as she finished, she inquired about him and found he’d been placed only temporarily. She and Jacqueline had brought him home days later. For over two years, they endured frustrating supervised visitations with his birth mother, which often left Sean disappointed and cranky for days afterward. Finally, his mother’s parental rights were terminated. He had officially become theirs three days before his eighth birthday.
Sean slung his backpack over his shoulder, but before he could ease away, she cupped her hands on either side of his face and pulled him down for a kiss on his cheek.
“Did you already say good-bye to Mama?”
He nodded. “She had to get Poppa’s groceries today. Then she’s headed out of town this afternoon. I went by her place last night.” He was used to living his life around Jacqueline’s schedule. They both had been. Not long after making Sean legally their son, Jacqueline had accepted the promotion that pulled her away from home at least two weeks a month.
Casey had assumed most of the daily responsibilities for Sean. After trying unsuccessfully to juggle her own schedule with his, she’d quit her position at a growing art gallery. She’d converted their garage into a home studio and invested in enough new equipment to launch her own photography business.
As Jacqueline advanced through the ranks, the amount of travel required increased. If Casey dared complain, Jacqueline promised someday it would pay off and they’d spend more time together. But they’d split up before that day had come. And now, eight years later, Casey didn’t get the sense that Jacqueline had slowed down at all.
“Text me when you get there.” She wanted a phone call, but that would be too much to ask. Sean had been trying to assert his independence lately. During his freshman year, he’d seemed to experience some of the same separation anxiety she had. But this year, he’d seemed braver, more ready to conquer the world.
“Sure thing.” He headed for the door, pausing long enough to call over his shoulder, “Tell Nina I said bye.”
She smiled as the door closed behind him, suspecting he only mentioned Nina for her benefit. She’d been seeing Nina for a year and a half, and though he’d been away at school for most of it, when they did spend time together, neither of them showed interest in getting to know the other. Somewhat solitary by nature, Nina had told her when they first started dating that she didn’t want kids. But they’d agreed to see where things went. After all, Sean was grown; it wasn’t as if she’d need to parent him.
The next round of photographs went smoothly. In fact, the baby slept through most of them. She even managed to snap a few with her own, more-minimalist take on the football theme. Though she wished she’d captured a bit more variety in his expressions, she knew better than to suggest they wake him in order to catch a couple with his eyes open. Most likely, the parents would choose only one photograph in this outfit to include in their purchased package. Certainly, this young mother wouldn’t think one more option would be worth the effort of getting the boy back to sleep afterward. Especially since she’d likely end up picking a proof in which he was sleeping. Casey had theorized that parents liked pictures of their babies sleeping to remind them of how cute they were during those times when they just wouldn’t stop crying. Of course, she’d made the mistake of mentioning that joke in front of only one mother before she learned that, in fact, it really wasn’t funny.
She’d just clicked her shutter release one final time when the baby started to stir. The mother, already engrossed in packing up their belongings, mumbled and began cooing at him from across the room. Casey set her camera aside and carefully picked him up. She cradled him close, swaying from side to side as he settled back down. She brushed a finger against his downy cap of brown hair and breathed in the heavenly scent of baby lotion. She wandered around the open area in front of her backdrop, humming a quiet nonsensical lullaby to the boy.
“Thanks so much,” the mother whispered as she lifted him from Casey’s arms moments later.
“Sure.” Her voice sounded rough, and she cleared the emotion from her throat quietly. “I’ll email you the proofs soon.”
“I can’t wait to show my husband. His parents will be in town in two weeks. I’d love to have some to send home with them.” She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. “I wish I could email pictures to them, but they’re still in the Stone Age and his mother insists on prints.”
“Certainly. If you get back to me with your selections rather quickly, I should have no problem getting some done for you. Do you need he
lp out?”
“Thanks, but I’m getting pretty good at juggling all this.”
Casey held the door open while the woman left, then closed it behind her and retrieved her camera. She ejected the memory card, then slid it into her desktop and set it to upload the hundreds of shots she’d just taken. Since she had back-to-back appointments tomorrow, she’d be editing these photos well into this evening so she could get the proofs out.
She passed through the door that separated her studio from the rest of the house. Since she’d already established her business here and Jacqueline spent so much time out of town, they agreed that she would keep the house in the split. They’d listed the house with the school as Sean’s residence so he wouldn’t have to change districts, and he’d usually stayed with her during the week.
Jacqueline had moved into a high-rise condo downtown. At the time, she’d seemed thrilled, citing her shortened commute to the office and the lack of lawn care and outside maintenance. At first, Casey wondered if she’d faked any of that enthusiasm to cover up her real feelings or to make the transition easier for Sean, but since she still lived there, maybe she really did like it. She’d let Sean decorate the second bedroom for himself. He’d loved spending weekends and his school breaks with Jacqueline, thrilled by the pace of downtown and the view from the twentieth floor.
“Honey, I’m home,” Casey called to the empty house as she stepped into the living room. She’d started doing that when Sean left for school last year, because it somehow made her feel less lonely.
A few months ago, she’d said it out of habit once when Nina was with her. Nina had used the opportunity to suggest they move in together. Casey asked for a couple of months to think about it, citing Sean’s return home for the summer as an excuse to not rush things. She supposed she’d now be facing that conversation again.
