Picture Perfect Temptation - Chapter 5

For the first time in…never, Carver’s hand shook as he held his camera. Three hours had passed, and much of the staff who’d been mulling around the studio were now gone. Even the domineering RJ Gold had left. Across the room the makeup technician packed her things, and the staffer in charge of wardrobe covered the three racks of clothes with black cloths before rolling them out the front door.

Just ten feet away from him stood the woman he’d once dreamed of every night. Lina had lived in the corner house, three doors down from his. As kids they would play running up and down the street with the other kids on their block until their parents called them in for dinner. In the summer their little group went off on expeditions, exploring the wooded area near the lake, spending hours in the Virginia heat wandering around and making memories. That was before puberty and middle school shifted their priorities—Lina became one of the cool girls who like dancing and cheerleading, and he migrated toward the guys who preferred reading and video games over sports. Still, they’d remained close, spent time together.

“Wanna grab some dinner?” he asked. He’d waited too long to ask her out before, and today he wasn’t going to make the same mistake.

She hesitated, like he knew she would. In high school they’d remained friendly, never getting as close as they’d been when they were younger, but Carver was certain she’d felt the deeper connection between them the same way he had. Especially when they’d danced at prom. The moment his arms had gone around her, she’d stiffened, but then in seconds she’d leaned into him as if that were the only place she’d wanted to be. Sure, that could’ve been just to prove a point to Lenny and Miranda, who’d followed them into the gymnasium, but Carver had told himself it was more than that—much more. Graduation had happened a week later, and then Lina was gone. He’d stayed in Temptation and settled into his job at his father’s restaurant.

He’d only agreed to this job with RGF because Grant was in a jam. After years of his cousin asking him to move to the city to set up a gallery together, he’d finally given in—at least partially. He was taking pictures for a professional gig, something he’d always longed to do. Not that the work he’d been doing for the past years wasn’t professional and even lucrative—he’d made enough to drop a deposit on a storefront in Temptation, where he planned to open a studio.

“Um, I should probably get back to the office,” Lina said.

He glanced at her again, feeling that slow but definite tightening in his chest that came each time he looked at her. During the photo shoot she’d changed outfits several times and now wore belted cranberry-colored wide-leg pants and a white button-down blouse.

“It’s after six. Isn’t that beyond closing time?” he asked.

“I don’t exactly stick to the eight-hour-a-day rule.”

He nodded, not at all surprised. One of the reasons he’d never wanted to live in the city was the rushed, always-busy persona of the people who did live here. “Make an exception. It’s not every day your childhood best friend comes to the city.”