The Wedding Photo

by Kelley, Pamela M.

  “That works for me. I can’t thank you enough for this. I am clueless about this part of the process.”

  “I’m happy to help. Plus this is fun for me and I’m good at it.”

  “I know you are. I’m feeling very lucky,” Charlie said. Amber worked at a local ad agency as a social media specialist. She’d started out as a graphic designer and knew all the ins and outs of social media platforms, marketing and ads.

  “So explain to me exactly what the goal is,” she began.

  Charlie took a deep breath. “Okay. So far, this has been a secret. I asked you not to mention that you were helping me because I haven’t told anyone yet, not even Connor or my Aunt Daisy.”

  Amber looked perplexed. “Why not?”

  “A few reasons. Mostly because I want to wait and see if this goes anywhere before telling people at work and even then I hesitate in case there are doubts about my commitment to the job. For family, I think it’s just wanting to reach a certain level of sales first. Self-publishing is still a somewhat new thing. People don’t understand that it can be a good option.”

  “I understand. More people are starting to get that now, though. Besides, your books are really good.”

  “You’ve read one?” Charlie was surprised.

  “I started with the first one and then raced through the other two. You need to write faster. I’m ready for Raphael’s story.”

  “Really? Wow. Thank you. I’m honored that you read all three and actually liked them.” He was floored, actually. This was the first real feedback he’d received from an actual reader aside from reviews online, which were mostly good, too. But this felt different and it was a very good feeling. “I’m halfway through his story, actually. It should be out in a few weeks.”

  “How do you juggle writing with working full time?” Amber looked impressed.

  Charlie grinned. “It’s important to me, so I make time for it. I get up earlier, usually by five and after making coffee, I dive in and write for a few hours before heading into the office.” It had been hard at first because he wasn’t naturally a morning person, but it had grown easier and now he looked forward to those early morning sessions when it was still dark outside and he was half-asleep. That was when he slipped into the writer zone more easily and the magic happened.

  “Do you think you might want to write full time one day?”

  “Maybe. Someday. If the books ever do well enough for it to make sense. That’s why I need you.”

  Amber grinned. “Well, from what I can see, your reviews are excellent and your covers are good. We just need to make more people aware of you. Have you heard of Bookster?”

  “Yes. I get the emails daily. I don’t always open them, though, because if I do, I’ll usually buy at least one book and I’m behind as it is on my reading.”

  “See, the emails work. People sign up to be on the list because they want to buy books. We need to get you one for the first book in your series. You’ll run a free promo, and give copies away for free for a few days to get the word out.”

  “Giving away free copies will help sales?” Charlie didn’t mean to sound skeptical but it sounded counterproductive to him.

  “Think about it. Have you ever grabbed a free book off one of those emails?”

  “Sure. Lots of times.”

  “And if you like the book, what do you do?”

  The light dawned. “I’ve bought more books by that author. Okay, I see where you’re going with this. It’s like a free sample.”

  Amber looked pleased. “Exactly. And some readers don’t even wait to read the free book. They’ll grab the others in the series at the same time. It’s crazy.”

  “That’s a good kind of crazy.”

  “It is. So, we’ll try to get you a Bookster ad and work on a plan to get these books more attention.”

  The doorbell rang and Charlie jumped up to get the food. They took a break to eat and then Amber spent the next few hours mapping out what she had in mind and making Charlie’s head spin with all the ins an outs of social media. His face must have reflected his sense of overwhelm because when Amber looked up, she laughed.

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to set it all up for you. I’m just letting you know what we’re going to do. You just need to focus on finishing your story. I’ll do my thing and you do yours.”

  Charlie relaxed a bit. “Thanks, Amber. I can do that, and you will be sending me an invoice. I am more than happy to pay you for your time.”

  “Maybe down the road we can talk about that. For now, just send me Raphael’s story when it’s ready and we’ll call it even.”

  Reluctantly, Charlie agreed. A book wasn’t enough, especially if Amber’s efforts helped his sales. He’d find some way to pay her.

  Chapter 5

  Charlie got up a little earlier than usual Saturday morning. He usually allowed himself to sleep in, but since they had to be at the church by nine a.m. for pictures, he wanted to still get his usual writing session in. He was excited about how his meeting with Amber had gone and his head was spinning with all the great ideas she had to promote his books.

  He’d been chatting with her a few weeks ago at a birthday gathering for Anne, his cousin’s fiancee. Amber had mentioned that she was really enjoying her work because she’d been assigned several authors and was a big reader herself. When she mentioned that they were mostly mystery writers and that their sales had increased significantly, he’d pulled her aside and asked if she thought that kind of thing could possibly help his books.

  She’d been excited to discover that he was moonlighting as a mystery writer and eagerly volunteered to help. He’d been ready to sign on with the agency and pay full price, but she insisted on doing it herself as a favor and he was grateful. He was hopeful that it might help but still feared that maybe his books weren’t good enough. It had been a boost to his confidence that Amber had said she’d really liked the books and read all three.

  For as long as he could remember, Charlie had loved to read and had always dreamed of being a writer. But, it wasn’t a practical career choice. He knew that very few authors of fiction were able to support themselves and he did enjoy his work as a detective. It certainly came in handy for the mysteries he was writing. He wasn’t sure exactly where his books fit in the market. He was writing for himself mostly, the kinds of stories he liked to read—interesting investigations, flawed people and a hint of romance.

  So far, people seemed to like them. Reviews were mostly good and he occasionally received emails asking when the next book would be out. Since he’d started taking the whole thing more seriously and getting the writing time in before work, he was able to get a book written and published in about three months.

  He had a mildly productive session. His thoughts kept drifting to Jenna. He’d been glad that she hadn’t seemed too disappointed that George seemed to be more interested in Carolyn. He hadn’t been too sure of there being a match, but he did think that George was a nice enough guy and he’d been interested in meeting Jenna.

  George had thought at first that Jenna was Charlie’s girlfriend as he mentioned her so often, but when he explained that they were just good friends, he was curious to meet her. He was full of apologies Friday morning, though, when Charlie ran into him at the office.

  “Jenna was really great. I can see why you’re such good friends. But, Carolyn and I seemed to have an instant connection. We stayed for several hours after you left and talked non-stop. I’d love to ask her out but wanted to check with you first to make sure neither of you mind.”

  Charlie had assured him that they were both happy for the two of them. Though he’d agreed to introduce George to Jenna, he actually had been regretting it all day before they went out. He couldn’t figure out why the idea bothered him so much. He’d been interested in Jenna when they’d first met, but she never shared his feelings and he’d soon after started dating someone else.

  They’d stayed friends, though, and grew close. Every now and then
the thought crossed his mind again, whenever one of them was single, but he never caught even a whiff of interest from Jenna, so didn’t want to jeopardize what they had. He considered her one of his best friends. They’d never both been single and not dating anyone at the same time before, though.

  He pushed the thought away as quickly as it had come. He knew that dating a cop was a deal-breaker for Jenna and he didn’t see that changing for him any time soon.

  He caught his breath when he arrived to pick her up and she opened her front door.

  “You look beautiful,” he said. Her long, brown hair, the same dark shade as his, fell shiny and straight to her shoulders. She was wearing a shimmery, sleeveless dark blue cocktail dress that showed off her toned arms and long legs.

  She smiled and looked pleased by the compliment.

  “Thank you. It took me forever to decide on what to wear,” she admitted as she gathered her coat, purse and camera. “You look quite handsome yourself,” she added as they walked outside.

  “Thanks. It’s hard to mess up a good tuxedo.” They were all wearing charcoal gray tuxes and pale, blue-gray accent ties and cummerbunds.

  When they arrived at the church, Jenna went off to find the bride and get started on taking pictures.

  The service went smoothly. Afterward, everyone proceeded to the Breckenridge Manor for the reception and there was more picture taking. Like most brides, Anne wanted a variety of shots, group pictures and individual for everyone in the wedding party. Jenna didn’t stop from the time they arrived at the church until they sat down for dinner.

  Charlie had posed dutifully for his pictures, too, feeling contemplative when she shot the one of him alone on the front porch of the grand old home. She’d snapped away while he’d been lost in his thoughts, until she said she was done with him and to send in the next brides groom.

  He didn’t see her at dinner because he was seated at the head table with the wedding party and she was at a smaller round table with a bunch of people he didn’t know. Once the meal was over, though, and the music started, he hoped to steal her away for a dance.

  Chapter 6

  Jenna had a great time at the wedding. She felt like she was getting a lot of really good shots and was snapping pictures constantly throughout the day. She liked to take as many pictures as possible as there were always hidden gems that came out of them.

  By the time dinner was served, she was famished and took her seat at her assigned table. The only person she knew was Charlie’s Aunt Daisy, and she was happy to be seated next to her as she was good company.

  “Did Charlie mention my Daffodil Derby party to you?” Aunt Daisy asked as the waiters cleared their salad plates.

  “Yes, he did. Thank you for thinking of me. It sounds wonderful.”

  “You don’t mind taking some photographs for me? I thought a few pictures of this party might be nice to include in my entertaining book.”

  “I’d be honored. It sounds like a fascinating project.”

  Aunt Daisy smiled. “I’ll introduce you to my friends. Some of them own art galleries. It will be good for you to talk to them.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate that.”

  Aunt Daisy looked at her intently. “My nephew thinks the world of you, you know.”

  Jenna smiled. “I think he’s pretty special, too. He’s one of my dearest friends.”

  His aunt frowned slightly, and then leaned forward and spoke softly, almost in a whisper. “Has Charlie told you much about my last husband, Peter?”

  “Just that you loved him very much.”

  Aunt Daisy’s face lit up as she spoke of him. “Well, we started out as friends too, you know. I wasn’t interested in him for the longest time. Maybe he wasn’t as exciting to me as the other two were at first. But Peter was always there for me and we grew closer over the years. He came to all my weddings, but I finally came to my senses and realized it was supposed to be him all along. Once I figured that out, my life was full of joy and love. I wish that for Charlie and for you, my dear. I hope you both find a love like that.” Her eyes grew damp as she spoke of her late husband, and she turned away to take a sip of her cocktail.

  “I hope to find that someday, too,” Jenna said. It was the one thing that had been missing in her past relationships. There had been passion, but when that had faded, there hadn’t been a solid base of friendship to sustain the relationship. Her last boyfriend, Walter, had been jealous of her close friendship with Charlie. She tried to reassure him that there was nothing there, but he was never comfortable with it.

  The servers brought out their meals and Jenna ate quickly, then excused herself to take more pictures. Once the meals were cleared and the cake was cut and served, the band picked up the tempo and soon people were dancing. Jenna got it all, and when she finished, she collapsed in her seat.

  Aunt Daisy was up on the dance floor and Jenna had the table all to herself. Her feet were killing her. She slid one of her shoes off and rubbed her heel absentmindedly. That’s what she got for wearing new shoes.

  She noticed that Charlie was on the dance floor with a very pretty girl. She was his usual type, tall with long blonde hair but younger than she was used to seeing him with. When the song ended, he looked Jenna’s way and smiled when he saw her sitting down. The blonde girl went to get a piece of cake and Charlie headed over. He seemed out of breath, as he sat down next to her.

  “Did she wear you out?” Jenna asked with a chuckle.

  “I think she did. I haven’t danced that much in I don’t know how long.”

  “I’m glad you’re having fun.” Jenna was relieved that everything had gone smoothly so far and now that her job was done, she could relax.

  “So, one of my cousin’s friends has been asking me about you. I don’t think he’s right guy for you, though.”

  “No? Why not? Who is it?” Jenna couldn’t help but be curious.

  “You’ll see soon enough. He’s coming this way. But trust me, you don’t want to have anything to do with him.”

  “Okay…” Jenna wanted to find out more, but the man in question was almost at their table. He looked to be about their age, with blonde hair and a muscular build. He was a little shorter than Charlie, who was just over six feet tall.

  He smiled when he reached them, held out his hand and looked Jenna in the eye. “I’m Shep Baker, a friend of Connor and Charlie.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Charlie said that you’re the photographer for the wedding.”

  “That’s right. How do you know Connor and Charlie?”

  “I’m their realtor. I sold Charlie his condo and have bought and sold a few houses now for Connor.”

  Jenna nodded. Shep seemed pleasant enough, but Jenna noticed that Charlie seemed tense as he wasn’t speaking at all. The band started to play a slower song and Shep held out his hand. “Would you like to dance? We can chat more out there.”

  She glanced at Charlie but he said nothing, just sat there silently. It felt rude to say no, so Jenna stood up. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  Shep led her onto the dance floor, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her toward him.

  They danced in silence for half the song until Shep finally spoke.

  “I’ve been watching you for the past few hours. You’re very beautiful. I’d like to get to know you better.”

  Simple words, and from the right person it would’ve been flattering. But something about Shep’s tone made Jenna feel uncomfortable instead. She couldn’t put a finger on why, though. Shep pulled her in closer and she automatically resisted.

  He chuckled. “I have to admit you feel good against me.”

  Jenna tried to pull further apart, but Shep wouldn’t let her and tried to pull her in tighter instead. Jenna was not enjoying it at all. Just as she was seriously considering stepping hard on his foot, she heard a welcome voice.

  “Mind if I cut in?” Charlie asked. His voice was deceptively friendly, but there was an edge to it that
Jenna had only heard once or twice before.

  “Not at all,” Jenna said quickly before Shep could protest.

  Shep didn’t look happy about it, but he reluctantly stepped aside.

  “Maybe we can dance again later?” he asked as Charlie spun her away before she could answer.

  “Thank you for coming to my rescue. You’re so right. He’s awful.”

  “I should have just told him that you’re my girlfriend when he asked about you. Sorry I didn’t think of it.”

  Jenna laughed. “That would’ve been a perfect solution.”

  Charlie raised his eyebrows and looked thoughtful. “Wouldn’t it, though?”

  They danced quietly for a bit, and Jenna couldn’t help but notice how different Charlie’s arms felt around her. They fit together perfectly and there was no awkward pressure like there had been with Shep. Charlie looked lost in thought and then took a deep breath and spoke.

  “Marlene has been giving me a hard time. She doesn’t seem to be accepting that we’ve broken up. I overheard her telling her mother on the phone that a friend that works in publishing invited her to go to my aunt’s Daffodil party. That could be awkward. She won’t leave me alone if I’m there by myself.”

  Jenna thought for a moment, and then said, “Why don’t you tell her that I’m your date? We’re going together anyway, and I do owe you for that invite.”

  “You don’t owe me anything,” Charlie said and then grinned. “But I will take you up on that offer. Next time she asks to get together, I’m going to let Marlene know that we’re dating and if you don’t mind playing along for a few weeks or so, she should accept it and move on. I hope.”

  Chapter 7

  Charlie should have realized that dating Marlene would be a mistake. He used to look forward to it, but he now dreaded walking by the front desk every morning when he came into the office. That was her area. As the front desk coordinator, Marlene greeted everyone that came into their department and knew everything that was going on with everyone.