Chapter Seven
Lucy
My eyes fall closed as I sink further into the warm bubbly water of my bath. The vanilla and lavender bath oil soothes away the stress of the day. I have the first quiet moment of my day, and, of course, my mind immediately focuses on the mile-long to-do list I have for tomorrow. All I want is a moment of peace. No work, just a clear head. I shake away the noise and try to quiet my mind when an image of Hunter appears. He’s been popping into my head a lot lately.
Watching him with Bailey, showing her how to use his cameras then taking goofy pictures with him. That was the most fun I’ve had with a man in a very long time. It felt so natural and relaxed. It’s crazy to even think this, but we felt like a family. And it is crazy, because there is no way Hunter wants to be settled down with a family, and I don’t know if I am capable of being with any man on that level again. But it felt so real.
Fifteen minutes of peace is all I get before real life creeps back in. I slip my robe on and gather my damp hair in a messy bun on top of my head. Before I head downstairs to work on payroll, I stop by Bailey’s room to check on her. She is passed out with a copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows laying across her chest. My sweet little Potter Head. She was destined to be one, I read those books to her every night when she was still in the womb. I set her book on the nightstand, kiss her forehead, and whisper goodnight in her ear.
As I shut her door the doorbell rings. It’s after ten, who the hell could that be. I sneak down the stairs and peek out the office window to catch a glimpse of the person at my door before they see me. What the fuck, it’s Hunter. Of course, I’m in my robe and my hair is a mess. This man has impeccable timing.
I synch my robe tighter and tuck the loose strands of hair behind my ears, then open the door, praying a breeze doesn’t come and blow my robe open. With my luck it would probably happen. Shit, I may have just jinxed myself.
“Hunter, what are you doing here?” I ask before getting lost in his deep blue eyes. Seriously, those eyes are like the ocean after the rain. Dark and a little mysterious.
“I’m sorry to stop by so late, but I got a camera for Bailey, and I was too excited to wait to drop it off. I thought I could teach her how to take pictures.” His smile sparkles in the moonlight as he holds up a box wrapped in brown paper with little white polka dots.
“Hunter, you didn’t have to buy her a camera. That is way too much.” I can’t believe he did that.
“I wanted to do it. She had so much fun playing around with my collection, I thought she might like one of her own.” He softly smiles.
“At least let me pay you for it,” I offer. No one has ever gone out of their way to get Bailey such an extravagant gift before. Toys, books, and nail polish sure, but not an expensive camera. This is something I should be buying for her, not my best friend’s brother.
“Nope. This is my gift to her. And I may have brought something for you too.” He brings a large black bag out from around his back.
“Seriously Hunter? No. You don’t have to take pity on me or my kid by buying us stuff.”
“This is not pity, it’s a nice gesture. Besides I thought this would be something you would enjoy.” He softly smiles, handing me the bag. Whatever it is, its heavy. It’s been awhile since anyone has done something nice for me and Bailey.
“Would you like to come inside?” He’s halfway through the door before I can get the rest of the sentence out.
We walk into the kitchen, Hunter takes a seat at the kitchen island and sets the box for Bailey on the counter. I know Bailey will be excited to see the camera Hunter bought for her. His camera collection is all she has been able to talk about. I’ve even spied her looking up cameras on Amazon.
“Can I get you a drink or something?” I offer.
“I’m fine, thanks. Open your present.” He tips his head in the direction of the bag in my hand.
I set the bag on the counter, dig through the tissue paper, and pull out a beautiful black picture frame. My eyes widen when the image behind the glass appears. It’s a picture of me and Hunter from that day at his loft. Half of our heads are cut off and it’s a little blurry, but you can definitely tell it’s me sitting on Hunter’s knee and neither one of us is looking at the camera. Our eyes are on each other.
“That is my favorite picture from the ones that Bailey took.” He peeks around the edge of the frame trying to gage my reaction.
“Really? Half our heads are cut off, and we aren’t even looking at the camera.”
“Two of my favorite girls are responsible for that picture. Bailey took it and you are in it.” He flashes me a cheeky grin.
“I thought your sister and Ella were your favorite girls.”
“They are my sister and my niece, that’s different. I love spending time with you and Bailey. I had a blast that day with you guys, and that picture is a memory of that day, and I think it’s perfect.” His response brings a blush to my cheeks. Maybe I am wrong about Hunter. He bought my daughter a camera and wants to spend time with her. Not many men would do that.
I glance down at the picture again. We both have big smiles on our faces, and I am looking at him so lovingly. I haven’t looked at anyone like that since Colton. We look like a real couple, and I like that image. I like it a lot.
“I love it. Thank you, Hunter.” I take the picture into the living room and set it proudly on the mantle next to Bailey’s paintings she did in Lucky’s art class and the pictures of the two of us at Harry Potter World. I normally don’t like having my picture taken. I only do it to make sure Bailey has memories of us together, but I usually hate every picture of me. This one I actual like.
“It looks good there.” Hunter appears next to me with a proud smile on his face. “I put a copy of it in my living room, too.”
Knowing that Hunter has a picture of us in his apartment makes my heart skip a beat and makes me love the picture even more. “Really?”
“Like I said, it’s one of my favorite pictures,” he replies. His smile grows bigger. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“I’m wondering if you might have some time to help me with finding some local artists and photographers that I can feature in my gallery. You have a great eye. The stuff you have in both shops is amazing.”
“I don’t know if I have the best eye when it comes to art. I just pick the stuff that I like. Maybe Lucky would be a better person to help you with this.” I know nothing about art. Lucky has tried her best to advance my knowledge in the art world, but it has yet to stick. I just know what I like and go with that.
Hunter turns to face me. “I think you’re wrong about that. Lucky is a great artist, but I would have more fun working with you.”
“I don’t know Hunter. I’m not sure Brooke would want us working so close together.” Brooke is okay with us being in the same room during family functions, I just don’t think she would want us working together like this. I don’t know if I could trust myself around Hunter. I’m probably over thinking all of this, Hunter might not even see me as anything more than just a friend, and he could just be being nice to me. Taking pity on a lonely widow.
“Brooke won’t mind us working together. You are just helping me out and there is nothing wrong with that,” he pleads his case.
“I guess that would be okay.” It’s just a friend helping another friend out. It would be completely professional. We can meet in public places, so it stays all business. Yeah, that could work. “Okay Hunter, I will help you.” Nothing bad could come from this right?