Daniel viewed the world through a camera lens. If he didn’t actually have his favorite camera up to his face, he saw things as though they lined up for a shot. And he was always looking for one shot in particular.

He wanted to capture moments, crossroads. That tiny breath before a woman says yes to becoming a bride. An old gentlemen who closes his briefcase for the last time, the latch, before it closes. Crossroads. Daniel was all about change. And he wanted to capture it in the making. As yet, he had not ever snapped a moment with the emotional power of change, not the way he wanted. His brothers, their wives, would all say differently. He was an award winning photographer, his images appearing in a few select galleries in Europe, but Daniel know what he wanted and he hadn’t captured it yet.

The sea offered vistas everywhere the eye could see, and all of it changing, but Daniel wanted more. He stepped carefully, managing not to stumble on the rocky path down from the mountain ridge. He had spent the sunrise sitting on the edge of a bluff, wondering what he would observe. The sun rose slowly over the ridge, and touched the world around him as he walked. He snapped image after image of the tip of a wildflower just as the first ray touched its color. A ground squirrel diving into his hole, a butterfly closing its wings. He caught the shadows, the moment before the sun kissed the rock to his side.

Crossroads happened in nature as well, and he sought them wherever he happened upon them.

He stepped off the path, at last at the bottom of the hill. Cliff bluff park, one of the wilder parts of the island. Daniel appreciated its untouched beauty. Part of his assignment today was to capture images of the surrounding area that might help convince the development committee that the park should be preserved.

King Nico, his brother, was getting increasing pressure from the business developers on the Island. They wanted more money from tourism. And the crown could use more money from taxes to run the many programs Jo, the queen, would like to initiate. There had been talk of turning this beautiful land into a new resort, a world class, five star resort, elite, exclusive, and very expensive. Nico wanted to invest in the project himself and increase their large family reserve.

If you considered the Valdez wealth as one unit, they were the most wealthy ‘person’ in the world by many billion. Daniel saw no need to increase it by many million more.

He started clicking shots of the shoreline. The park sat along a long stretch of beach. Lovely white sand, turquoise water. The green grass stretched under the shade of small pockets of trees. A field of wild flowers shivered in the light ocean breeze, their colors a muted coral to compliment the blue of the water.

He moved his lens over all of the beauty that surrounded him and emotion surged through him. It happened to him a lot when taking particularly beautiful shots. And he couldn’t explain the misty eyes or the lump in his throat with any word, but joy. That came closest to describing what he felt. Beauty, though pleasing to the eye, was much more than that to Daniel, it filled him with an exquisite ache.

He grabbed the images of the flowers, the trees reaching for the deep blue of the sky, the ripples on the water, even a crab scrambling back into the sand as he drew closer to the beach.

And then an image shocked him. He clicked furiously as the form of a woman, exited the water, flinging back her hair, droplets spraying out all around her. She raised her hands to the sky, her expression determined, full of energy, as if she were just about to say something. He saw in that moment, the opening of doors, a path of trees, mountains parting. Whatever it was that was happening inside her mind or heart shimmered with the energy of change. He snapped continuously, madly capturing the upturn of her arms, reaching for the sky, her closed eyes, and then the movement as they opened. He didn’t even notice that she turned toward him. He only saw that this creature of change flung her hair off her shoulder, her body lithe, strong, as it moved in his direction, her face, dangerous, angry. He gasped and dropped his camera to hang about his neck.

She marched, her face aflame.

And Daniel was mortified. Her bikini lovely, but he hadn’t noticed during the shoot. Her face and body stunning, by any standard, perfect. And she had every right to be angry with him for snapping images.

But they were likely some of the best he had ever taken.

She arrived in front of him a dripping fury. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He held out his hands, camera hanging on his neck. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. You surprised me when you popped up out of the water and then it was so beautiful, I couldn’t stop.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Some men learn to control themselves.”

He rocked back in shock. “That’s not what I meant at all.”

“Oh no? Well, why would you have any right?”

“I-I didn’t. I know. I am sorry.” He hated to say it, hated to lose what he had just caught. But he continued, “We can delete every one. I’ll let you watch me do it.” He held his hand out, motioning they sit on the nearest bench.”

She shivered. “You know we will. And you’re lucky I don’t ask for your camera.”

He lifted his mouth in a half grin. “I don’t think we need to make threats—”

“You don’t? What about the complete threat to my privacy? What about tomorrow when these images could be anywhere.”

“Ok, ok, I said I’d delete them.” He pointed to the bench “After you?”

She huffed. He hadn’t heard someone huff in years. Then she rang her hair out as it hung over her shoulders.

Her skin was bare. She hadn’t stopped to grab a towel. And he was enchanted. She seemed perfectly comfortable. Poised. She held herself so naturally beautiful. Her posture, the angles she dipped her head. Even in her anger, she presented a stunning beauty, and he was struck by it. “You’re beautiful, you know.” He wanted to bite his tongue. Had her erally just said such a thing to this tempestuaous lady?”

Her face paled. “Are you coming on to me now? Look, mister. I’m feeling uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation.”

He stammered. “No, no, of course not. I just. I couldn’t help it. It’s true. You carry yourself so well. Anyway, I look for beauty.” He held up his camera.

She sat with a huff and motioned for him to take the seat beside her. “Let me take a look. Start at the pictures before you started with me, no hiding any.”

“I said I would delete them.” She was starting to pull at his patience.

He turned settings so the menu pulled up on his back display and then turned the dial to flip to the beginning of his ocean shots so she would catch the moment she broke free from the water. A part of him was excited to show her, excited to see what he had found.

He moved through the shots, with her looking over his shoulder.

She made noises of surprise and he paused, eyeing her.

“Those are really good.”

“Thank you. Ok, watch, here we come. I was playing with the light on the water here, see? It fluctuates in an interesting way, and then boom!” He laughed. “There you were.”

She went still as he slowly moved through the shots of her coming up out of the water. Most of them were good, but he could happily delete. A bit disappointed, he kept scrolling.

Her hands went up and she raised a finger to her eyes.

And then he paused. There. Her expression. “This one.” Had he done it? Caught a crossroads moment? “What were you thinking just then?”

She wiped at her eyes again. “I hardly think that’s any of your business.”

“Please. It’s important to me.”

Her face pinched as if in pain and then cleared. “It’s nothing.”

He held up his camera. “This is a special image. I’ve been hoping to capture one just like it for years. I wish I could send it to you instead of deleting it? It takes me years to find shots like this one.”

“It would mean a lot to me to have it.” She turned to him, then her eyes widened and she snapped. “But you have to delete it from your files.”

“I said I would.” He studied her face, staring into her eyes until she nodded.

He asked for her email and used the wifi settings to send her the whole bundle. She may as well have them as anyone. And then he was about to delete them when she said, “Wait. You can keep the one.”

He nodded. “Thank you. Believe it or not, that would mean a lot to me.” He chuckled. “And it has little to do with that lovely suit.”

She bristled; he felt her stiffen. “I’ll never believe that. Now, it’s time for me to go. You’ve interrupted my morning long enough.” She stood and marched off toward what he assumed was her towel on the sand.

He shook his head. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he was fascinated with the way she carried herself. But she had a fire inside that he didn’t think anything could quench, and he was happy to be away from its blast.