36. Paige
Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac
Paige: Can I borrow you and Rylin for a photoshoot today?
Ivy: When and where?
Paige: Around 5pm at Willow Creek Park?
Ivy: See you then!
I t’s been two days since I returned to Oak Ridge, and I’m craving some excitement beyond the confines of my new library. I’ve always wanted to dive deeper into portrait photography. I was on the yearbook committee in high school, and dabbled with a simple point and shoot camera for a few years, but if this is something I really want to pursue, I need to get in some more practice. The branding session at Rosie’s was a perfect way to dip my toes in the water but there’s something about the thought of capturing the threads of human connection that tugs at my heartstrings.
An hour after texting Ivy, I’m at Willow Creek Park laying out a vintage crochet blanket on the grass with a small picnic basket and some fresh flowers. I catch sight of my models heading my way, Ry practically dragging her mom across the lawn. It’s a beautiful early spring evening and the sun will be setting soon, bathing us in the warm glow of golden hour.
“Hey Ry! Are you ready to ‘cheese’ for Auntie Paige?” I ask the little girl who has come to mean so much to me.
“I gave her a pep talk on the way over,” Ivy laughs, “but no promises. She has a short attention span.”
“We’ll start with a couple of traditional smiling portraits before I direct you to interact and be playful. I’m looking for genuine connection more than anything. That sound good?”
“That sounds perfect. I was worried about how Ry would do but I think we’ll be ok.”
I direct Ivy to sit on the blanket with her back to the setting sun, the warm light filtering around her like a halo.
“Ok RyRy, can you come over here and sit with mommy? We’re going to play pretend and have a picnic!”
At the possibility of snacks, Rylin stumbles over to Ivy, who catches her and tosses her in the air. I quickly snap a few shots of the sweet interaction.
“Ok, now rub your noses together.” At my instruction, Rylin lifts her tiny hand and boops her mom’s nose — the most adorable misunderstanding ever.
“No Ry, like this,” Ivy says as she puts her nose to Rylin’s and rubs it back and forth. Rylin bursts out into a fit of giggles and Ivy’s face lights up with a genuine smile. We keep going like that until the last bit of sun has left the horizon.
The final shot of the night nearly steals the breath from my lungs. A sleepy Rylin is snuggled up with Ivy, her little curly head laid sweetly on her mama’s shoulder, contented smiles on their faces as Ivy looks out over the lake.
“Thank you so much for doing this, Ivy.”
“You have to let me pay you.” We’ve been going back and forth over payment for the last several minutes while I load my gear into the car.
“Absolutely not. I needed the practice, and I had the best time hanging out with you and my little bestie. Besides, you painted that stunning portrait for my library and I’m obsessed with it.
“Fine,” she grumbles. “How did everything go with your parents? I know you were dreading all of that,” Ivy asks, a sleepy Rylin still clinging to her shoulder as her eyes drift closed.
“It was surprisingly cathartic. There’s still a lot of bad blood, and I’m not ready to forgive all the heartache they caused, but it makes it easier to leave it all behind. When it was all said and done, I felt like I was finally able to give myself permission to choose my own path — without guilt.”
Ivy gives me a one-armed hug. “Forgiveness doesn’t have to be freely given simply because someone demands it. You take your time.”
“Thanks, Ivy. I missed ya’ll so damn much.”
“Girl, that man of yours was a mess while you were gone. We’re all so happy to have you back home.”
“Thanks again, Ivy.”
“Honey, I’m hooooome,” I sing-song. As I enter the house, Goose saunters over to greet me. The smell of something I can’t quite place permeates the air. Following my nose, I walk into the kitchen to find Cade plating something that looks like …
“No fucking way. Did you make poutine?”
“Surprise! It’s probably not perfect, but I tried.”
“Are you trying to earn sexual favors? Because I hate to break it to you, but I’ll do those for free.”
Cade laughs, “I promise there was no ulterior motive; I just wanted to do something nice for my wife. I want you to know that I don’t take for granted everything you gave up to be here.”
I round the island and smash my lips down on his.
“Why are you so perfect? I don’t deserve you.”
“The feeling is mutual, baby. But don’t get too excited. This poutine could be absolutely disgusting.” I highly doubt it. It’s hard to fuck up french fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy. He takes the plates and leads me to the breakfast nook. I can sense his gaze on me as I settle into one side of the bench seats. I moan around the first bite, “Oh my god, the cheese curds are even squeaky!”
“I’m guessing that's a good thing?”
“You have so much to learn. Everyone knows the best poutine is made with squeaky cheese. It’s delicious.”
“So, how did the photoshoot go?”
“It was…” I sigh, remembering the utter bliss that washed over me while I worked, “perfect.”
Cade smiles back at me, affection evident in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you. You look so… alive when you’re behind the camera. There’s a spark in your eyes, and your whole face lights up. You’re doing exactly what you should have been doing all along.”
There’s an ache in my chest, not because he’s wrong, but for all the years I wasted appeasing my parents by following a path they laid out for me. I smile, not saying much as regret settles over me.
“So, speaking of the future, I g ot an interesting offer today.” He leaves me hanging for a minute, finishing off his poutine before continuing. “Connor is going to sell The Ridge. He moved away last year, and he said it’s too hard to keep up with the day to day from Lexington. I’ve basically been running the place with Liam since then, but he doesn’t have any interest in ownership — he’s too busy with Aiden.”
“That’s amazing! You should totally do it!”
“You think? It would mean taking on more responsibility, but I have to admit that I felt a jolt of electricity surge through me at the suggestion. If I’m honest, I’ve been feeling a little bit stagnant in my professional life. Having you here, watching all of your growth — it makes me want to do more. And I won't lie, the possibility of putting my own stamp on some of the menu items and adding theme nights is appealing.”
“It sounds to me like you’ve already made up your mind, babe. I’m 100% on board if that’s what you want.”
“Ok, then I guess it’s settled. I’ll let Connor know he can get the paperwork started.”