Chapter 29

Ashley

I never felt more alive than I did when I had a camera in my hand. I was alone and in the great outdoors with no one nearby. It was just me, God, and the trees. And my favorite Nikon. The weight of the camera in my hands was familiar and comforting. It helped wash away the stress of the last few weeks.

When Janna had called this morning and asked if I was interested in a job, I had jumped at the chance. The client wanted some natural shots of farmland. I was surrounded by farms backed up by hills and mountains. There were some of the most stunning landscapes a person would ever see. I couldn’t wait to share them with the world, and it certainly didn’t hurt that I was going to get paid for it. I knew, without a doubt, these pictures would sell. There was no way the client would pass them up. Plus, I could market them on the website Janna was building for me.

It was a little different than what I was used to, but I liked the idea of working when I wanted to. I could take pictures as I saw them and people could buy when they wanted. It was a little risky, but I had to try. There was always a risk with anything new.

Jasper was spending the morning with his grandpa. Dad had seemed to turn the corner. He was getting his energy back and was eating and sleeping better. I felt completely comfortable leaving the two of them alone. Jasper was fairly self-sufficient and could take care of himself if Grandpa needed a short nap in his chair after working the farm.

I had finally managed to get a couple guys out to help with the bean harvest. They would be coming back the following week to help with the tomatoes and then the corn. Jasper insisted on helping, and of course Dad wanted to assist. I made him promise to take it easy and not stay in the field too long. The fact that he was out there at all was amazing, and I was so happy to see a spark of interest in the farm in his eyes.

I walked along the creek bed, dropping to my knees on occasion to take pictures from a lower angle. I took hundreds of pictures, knowing only a quarter or less of them would be worth posting and selling.

It was close to noon by the time I made my way back to the truck and headed home. When I pulled up in front of the house, I noticed Brock’s truck right away. He hadn’t mentioned he was coming by to see Jasper. I figured he would have kept his distance after dinner last night.

“Hey,” I said when he came out onto the porch.

“Hi. Get some good pictures?” he asked.

“I did. It is so beautiful here. I found this gorgeous stream surrounded by tall grass and trees.”

He was smiling as I talked. “It is very pretty around here.”

“I’m going to go get these on my computer to see if I need to get more. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow. This is my only day to shoot,” I said, climbing the steps up the porch.

“Oh,” he said, looking a little disappointed.

“Why? What’s up? What brings you out here?” I asked.

“I was wondering if you would like a job.”

I laughed. “Have you already fired Anna?”

“No. Not that kind of a job. A photography job.”

“You want me to take pictures?”

He nodded.

“Of what?”

“Land. I have a property I’m going to be selling. I need pictures that really sell the place,” he said.

I assumed it was a favor and reluctantly agreed.

“It pays five hundred dollars,” he added.

“What?” I asked, stunned by the number. “How many pictures do you need?”

He shrugged. “It’s about a hundred acres. There are some heavily wooded areas and a stream that cuts through the area. I don’t know how many pictures. I assumed I would leave that to you. The only request is you photograph the natural beauty of the property. The idea is for someone to see their dream home on the land.”

I nodded. “Got it. I can do that. When?”

He grimaced. “I was hoping for now?”

“Can it wait, like, ten minutes while I review these pictures real quick?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s fine. If you don’t mind, can I see the pictures you took?”

I shrugged. “Sure. They may seem boring to you since you see this scenery every day, but to people that live in the city or other climates, it’s beautiful.”

“I think it is beautiful. I could never get tired of looking at the trees.”

“Good. I’ll grab my laptop. How about you pour us a couple glasses of lemonade and I’ll meet you at the kitchen table.”

We walked in the house and checked on Dad and Jasper. They looked beat. Even Jasper was mellow.

“Hey, guys!” I greeted them. “I need to download these pictures and then Brock has a photography job for me. Dad, are you okay to watch Jasper?” I realized I had no idea where this property was. I turned to Brock. “What time do you think we’ll be back?”

“It should only take about an hour,” he said.

“Of course I can. I think it’s more like he watches me anyway.” Dad winked, smiling at Jasper.

Jasper puffed up with pride. “Yep. I take good care of my grandpa.”

“Perfect. I’m going to grab my laptop,” I said, leaving the men in the room. At least I knew it was safe to leave the three of them alone. I didn’t have to worry about any fighting.

Brock was in the kitchen when I returned. He looked right at home, pouring a couple glasses of lemonade for us and then pouring two more for Jasper and Dad. It was such a normal thing to do. It seemed comfortable. I sat down and opened the laptop before ejecting the memory card from the camera.

“I’m excited to see your work,” Brock said, coming back into the kitchen. “It’s like meeting a celebrity.”

I laughed as he pulled his chair around the table and sat next to me so he could see the laptop screen.

“Don’t get too excited yet. It’s been a long time since I shot landscape. For so long, I’ve been in a studio or working on sets that have been perfectly staged. This is all very raw. The sun can be a fickle beast,” I said.

He shrugged. “I take pictures with my cell phone. That’s the extent of my photography. I’m pretty sure these photos are going to be great by my standards.”

Once all the pictures were downloaded, I opened the file.

“Wow!” Brock exclaimed when I pulled up the first picture.

I studied it and was not impressed. It was not a great picture. It was good, but it wouldn’t make me a thousand dollars. I clicked to the next one, which was similar but taken at a slightly different angle.

“Ash, these are amazing,” Brock said, leaning closer to the laptop.

I laughed. “You should see my work that has made me some money. I’m glad you like these, but I’m not seeing the wow factor. Not yet. Hopefully I have something in here or I’m going to need to try again.”

He was shaking his head. “I would buy this. Who wouldn’t buy this?”

“You’re very sweet. The trick is finding the picture that hasn’t already been taken a million times. There needs to be something that grabs the eye.”

I continued to scroll through the pictures. Brock made sounds of approval as each one popped up.

“There! That’s the one,” I said, excited to have finally found one that was worthy of submitting.

He looked at me, back at the picture, and then leaned over, studying it. “How is that one different than any of the rest?”

“What’s the first thing you saw when you looked at the picture?” I asked.

He shrugged and shook his head. “The water?”

“Okay, and what is it about the water that caught your eye?”

“That rock and the way the water rippled out in perfect circles.”

I smiled. “Exactly. There is something unique about the picture. The scenery and background are gorgeous, but there needs to be something that draws you into the picture.”

Before I knew what he was doing, he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

“You’re absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to show you this land. I know you are going to sell it with your pictures. You are going to capture the essence of the land and make people want to build their homes out there,” he said.

I nodded, still stunned by the kiss.

“Okay. Let me get through the rest of these and then I’m going to send them to Janna. It should only take a couple minutes and then we can go.”

He smiled. “Take your time. I could look at your pictures all day.”

That made me laugh. “If you did that, we’d never get the land sold and you’d be yelling at me for ruining another one of your big land deals,” I teased.

“That is true. I can’t afford to lose another one.”

We finished browsing the rest of the pictures in the file. Brock insisted I send along a couple that I didn’t feel were all that great. He said he knew a good picture when he saw one. I sent the photos just to satisfy him.

“Let me grab my bag with my other lenses and we can go,” I said, heading for my room.

I needed to put some distance between us. Ever since the kiss, my heart had been beating wildly. Sitting in such close proximity to him and inhaling his cologne was making me a little crazy. If my son and father hadn’t been in the living room, I probably would have climbed on top of him and let him fuck me right there on the kitchen table.

I stopped to splash cool water on the back of my neck and my face. I felt flushed, and it had nothing to do with the heat. It was him. He was making me hot and very bothered. I secretly wished I was dressed a little better, but I hadn’t expected to see anyone, and especially not him. I couldn’t change now. That would be too obvious. We were developing an actual friendship and I didn’t want to risk that for another quickie.

I took a few deep breaths and declared myself ready to go with the man who was making me a little wet and sticky.

“Okay, guys, we’re leaving. Stay inside until I get back,” I ordered them both. “It’s hot out there and you two have spent enough time outside today. Drink water and stay cool.”

“We will, Mom,” Jasper said without looking away from his cars.

Brock wasn’t in the kitchen. I looked through the window and saw him talking to one of the men I‘d hired to help with the harvest. I walked out on the porch, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

“Ready?” he asked, noticing me standing there.

“I am. Should I follow you?”

“No. I’ll drive. Get in.”

More than happy to let him do the driving, I got in the passenger seat. I wanted to take full advantage of the AC in his truck. With the windows rolled up, I could smell his cologne once again. I tried to think of anything but him inside me, or kissing him, or me pushed up against the wall in his office.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Fine.”

He gave me a peculiar look before accepting my answer and focusing on the road.