Epilogue
That the grunts and squeaks of the Great Heart climbing gym had become comfortingly familiar sounds over the past six months was something Ginny had never expected.
Nor would she have ever thought she could make it up a wall herself, since she had chicken wings for arms and the coordination of a double-jointed baby giraffe.
Kira was a good teacher, now Ginny understood there was no anger behind her barked orders, and her friend’s determination to make her feel strong in herself had actually done a little good.
But she wasn’t strong enough for the one important task that had been burning a hole in her to-do list for the past two weeks. Now Rhys was finally back from Outer Siberia or Inner Mongolia or wherever he’d been on his last photography assignment, she couldn’t put it off any longer.
Not that she was happy to see him. Well, she would always be a little happy to see that gorgeous face. But not him, who seemed to make sure he never exchanged more than three words with her at once and looked at her with a kind of discomfort, reserved just for her.
‘You have to ask him for us!’ Ginny hissed to Kira, her eyes trailing the hulking form of the renowned nature photographer as he made his way to a climbing wall on the other side of the gym.
He took measured steps; he did everything with a purpose that was elevated and obscure to mere humans such as Ginny Weller.
The fact that he never smiled made her think his heart must be about as heavy as the rocks he climbed to take his prize-winning photographs.
‘I thought you’d already asked,’ Kira replied. ‘You had the job of looking for a photographer for Sophie’s wedding.’
Between Toni, Kira, Tita and herself, they’d made most of the top-level arrangements for Sophie’s wedding in plenty of time for the autumn extravaganza at a lake in the mountains of South Tyrol: a quaint alpine hotel was booked for the guests; the reception would take place in a castle from the actual Middle Ages; catering support; flowers courtesy of Toni’s besotted new partner Gabri, who was looking forward to the opportunity to return to his art for the event.
I Do’s own wedding would be worthy of their trophy wall at the office – if they had any photos of it at all, given the paucity of professionals to take the damn things.
‘Don’t mention that,’ Ginny whined. ‘I don’t know why I put my hand up for this task when we all know it’s the most difficult job.’
‘You’re just the most easily manipulated,’ Kira said with a shrug.
‘I— What?’ Her voice came out so high-pitched that she saw Rhys flinch from across the gym.
She crossed her arms. ‘I thought I might be able to find someone else, since we all know Rhys charges a fortune in guilt to provide his services to I Do. But at two months’ notice, there is no one else, so you have to ask him.
He did the wedding at New Year’s and that turned out fine. ’
Kira shot her a glance with a glint of meaning, but it was too quick for Ginny to have a hope of interpreting it. ‘I thought you said the photos were weird.’
‘Lots of them were, as though he doesn’t know what a smile looks like, but there were enough great ones that I’m sure it’d be fine. And this is Andreas’s wedding. What could possibly be the problem?’
‘If you don’t think there’s a problem then you ask him.’
‘I can’t,’ she said, lowering her voice in case he had sharp eagle hearing, just like the birds in his photos. ‘He hates me.’
‘Why would you think that? He’s entirely ambivalent towards you – just like he is to everyone else.’
Ginny couldn’t resist a glance in Rhys’s direction, only to find him looking back at her, quickly dropping his gaze, his brow stony.
She had no idea how old he was; there was a timelessness in his eyes, like ancient granite.
It was a shame he was so misanthropic, because his face was a work of bloody art.
A man who looked like him, who could actually tolerate her presence – that was the prince she was waiting for. It wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
‘Since it’s Andreas’s wedding, maybe he should be allowed to just come as a guest,’ Kira suggested. ‘I certainly don’t want to ask him to sacrifice that.’
Ginny frowned at her. ‘Don’t you think he’d hate being a guest?
’ She could tell by Kira’s scowl that she was onto something.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully, just below the piercing where she was wearing a small silver stud today.
‘Maybe that would convince him to take the photos, if I pointed out that it would give him something to do. Otherwise he’d have to mingle. ’
Kira shuddered – either in empathy, or because she agreed mingling was a level of hell. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘you might have your strategy, if you’re game enough.’ She patted Ginny on the shoulder. ‘Go on, ask him.’
Ginny wasn’t sure why, but she thought Kira’s pained look was the expression of someone sending their favourite lamb to slaughter.
‘I will,’ she replied, taking a shaky breath. ‘When I next get a chance.’
Sneaking looks at his rangy form as he hauled himself up by the advanced holds, forearms rippling, muscles she hadn’t even known existed bunching in his back, she made her way to the changing rooms with as much dignity as she could muster.
So what if he hated her – or worse, was truly ambivalent.
She needed him – his photography skills.
For that, it didn’t matter what he thought of her.
Although hopefully, she’d convince him to like her a little. Anything was possible at a wedding, after all.