CHAPTER NINE
Rori sat back on her heels and waited as the three kids debated the poses they still wanted her to photograph. They were a delightful trio, and Rori couldn’t help but smile at them.
She’d had very little interaction with kids as an adult. In fact, she’d never held a baby in her life.
That clearly wasn’t the case for the other women there. Even Kayleigh and Janessa, who didn’t have children of their own, looked comfortable holding the younger children.
Kayleigh currently had Shiloh, Charli’s youngest daughter, and appeared perfectly at ease with the baby tucked up onto her shoulder. Rori was tempted to lift her camera and take a picture of the woman as she swayed with the baby, but she didn’t.
She wasn’t sure how these people might feel about her taking pictures of them without having given her permission. Her photography had centered around nature and landscapes, so she had no idea if she’d be any good at taking casual shots of people.
Even taking pictures of Elsa and the kids made her a little nervous because she didn’t want to disappoint them. But since it seemed to be just a fun activity for them, she told herself to relax and just do what they asked her to do.
A yell from the volleyball court drew her attention, and Rori looked over to see one team high fiving each other. Lee was in the middle of them, grinning as he smacked hands.
At the clinic, he was always pretty easygoing and smiled readily enough, but with his friends and family, he was even more relaxed. His laughter drifted to her across the short distance between them, and it made her smile.
“Can we take a picture of Elsa as we toss a treat to her?” Peyton asked.
Rori dragged her gaze from Lee and focused on the boy. “We can try.”
Layla and Peyton took charge of setting things up, while Amelia waited with Elsa and a bag of treats. After she took the first shot, they crowded around her to look at the display screen on her camera.
They ended up taking a dozen shots, with some of them looking rather crazy as Elsa lunged forward with her ears flying back and her mouth open—teeth on full display—to catch a tossed treat.
“Thank you for doing this with them.”
Rori looked up from the camera to see Charli settling on the blanket beside her. She gave her a quick smile. “It’s been fun. I don’t usually take pictures like these, so it’s another learning experience for me.”
“If I can talk Blake into it, would you take a picture of our family?”
“Sure. As long as you realize I’m not a professional.”
“I don’t care about that. We’re not really a professional photographer sort of family, to be honest. I leave that to Kayleigh and Hudson.”
Rori could see why she’d say that. Even dressed in casual clothes, the couple exuded elegance and wealth.
“Do you play volleyball?” Rori asked, as the guys called for the women to join them for a game.
“No way. Kayleigh and I are professional cheerleaders. We never play. Do you want to?”
Though Rori would have liked to do something with Lee, she wasn’t about to embarrass herself. “No. I’m not much of a sports person.”
“Me either,” Charli said.
Janessa and Misha jogged over to the net, and soon, they were on opposite sides of it, ready to start another game. There was lots of laughter and plenty of heckling as they began to play again.
Rori frowned at the taunts that were being tossed around. Given her own experiences with sibling taunts, she wasn’t sure how to take them. However, no one seemed to be upset by them, the target often returning the jab with one of their own.
“They’re just teasing,” Charli said, her voice soft. “Smack talk is a given when it comes to competitions in this family. No one is taking it seriously.”
Rori glanced at her, surprised that she’d picked up on her unease. “It does seem like they’re all having fun.”
“They are.”
Aria came over to sit with them, leaving her little boy with Layla. The pre-teen sat with him on her lap while Elsa sniffed around the pair. The boy giggled as the dog licked his face, which made the others laugh too.
There was just so much happiness around her. It was a new experience for Rori. Her presence at family gatherings had always caused tension. But so far, it seemed like her being with this family at the park hadn’t had a negative impact.
“So you work at the clinic with Lee?” Aria asked.
“Yes. I’m the receptionist.”
“Oh, I’m a receptionist too,” Aria said with a smile. “Well, part-time receptionist at the moment.”
“Aria is Janessa’s best friend, and she moved here to work at the clinic.”
“Then I fell in love with Gareth, and the rest is history.”
“How did you meet your husband?” Rori asked Charli.
“Oh, this is a good story,” Aria said with a laugh.
“Really?”
Charli shrugged. “Since I’m happy with how it unfolded in the end, I agree it’s a good story. It could have had a very different ending, no thanks to me.”
Rori listened as Charli shared how she and Blake had gotten to the point of getting married a few months earlier.
“I learned in a big way that lying and keeping secrets is never the right way to live life. I’m just fortunate that Blake loved me enough to forgive me for what I did. God truly worked in our relationship to help us get to this point.”
Rori found her reference to God interesting, and she thought again of the sermon that morning. It was clear these people gave God a place of importance in their lives.
“I second that,” Aria said with a nod. “I almost lost Gareth because I wasn’t honest about what had gone on in my life before I came to Serenity.”
Was she supposed to spill everything about her life to these people? She’d been honest in any answers she’d given to questions about her family and experiences. However, there was more that she hadn’t shared. It felt too personal to explain about her relationships with her family members.
“Hey, Rori,” Kayleigh said as she joined them. “Would you like to hold Shiloh?”
Rori’s eyes widened as she looked at the little baby cuddled in Kayleigh’s arms. “To be honest, I’ve never held a baby before.”
“Well, there’s no better time to start,” Kayleigh announced.
“I’m not sure…” Rori glanced at Charli, uncertain if the woman would want Rori practicing on her baby.
Instead of looking alarmed, Charli smiled. “I can’t even remember how old I was when I held a baby for the first time. So, if someone trusted me as a young kid with a baby, you’ll do just fine.”
Rori set her camera on the blanket beside her, nerves fluttering in her stomach. Moving with ease, Kayleigh went down on her knees in front of Rori. She got a whiff of light perfume as the woman leaned forward and settled Shiloh in her arms.
The baby gazed up at Rori with large, light brown eyes. She had wispy brown curls and a cute button nose. She was a beautiful little girl.
Rori tried to relax, but it was hard to when she was certain the baby was going to start crying at any moment.
“See. That’s not so hard.”
Rori glanced up to find Charli smiling at her. A glance at the other women there showed that they, too, were smiling.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Even though she’s adopted, she looks just like Layla,” Aria commented.
“Will you tell her she’s adopted?” Rori asked.
“Definitely,” Charli said. “We might have been able to hide that fact since she does look like she’s ours, but it’s not something we plan to keep secret. Adoption isn’t something that we need to hide.”
Kayleigh nodded. “As you can see from our family, adoption has brought us amazing siblings that we love very much.”
Rori cuddled the baby close, and without thought, swayed slightly as she ran a hand over her soft hair. She’d never really thought much about having children. She hadn’t been sure she’d be a good mom since her own hadn’t set a very good example.
Plus, she wasn’t convinced that a man, looking at the totality of her life and family, would see her as being potential wife and mother material.
Another commotion from the volleyball court had Rori looking up from the baby.
“Looks like Jay’s team won,” Aria said. “Again.”
Charli laughed. “That is never a surprise.”
It looked like the players were taking a break since they headed away from the volleyball net. Lee trailed the others with Hudson beside him, the two of them talking together.
One of the men handed the ball to Peyton, and the three older kids began to toss it around while Timothy watched his cousins from where he sat on the blanket with his mom.
“Have you burned off enough calories to want dessert?” Charli asked as Janessa and Misha reached the blanket.
“I’ve burned enough calories to get me dessert for a week,” Janessa replied as she dropped down beside Charli.
The men all detoured to the picnic table and looked over the food laid out there. Lee and Hudson continued to talk as they stood there, but the other men returned to the blanket after making their selections.
“Here you go, my love,” Will said as he bowed to Janessa and held out a napkin with a cookie and brownie on it. “I present thee with a chocolate offering.”
Janessa laughed as she took the napkin from him, tilting her face up as he bent down to kiss her. The other men had brought dessert for their wives but handed them over without the flourish that Will had used to deliver Janessa’s.
The couples’ interactions were loving and cute, and Rori was happy to see it. They reminded her of one of the women she’d worked with in Denver. Her husband had constantly treated her with little gifts. At least once a week, he’d show up with something for her.
“Who’s that?” Charli said when she heard someone call Lee’s name.
Rori saw three people approach Lee and Hudson. Two hugged Lee, while the third shook hands with Hudson. After a moment, Hudson gave a nod, then turned from the group to look over the desserts.
When he returned to the group on the blanket, he had a napkin with desserts as well. He handed it to Kayleigh, then sat down beside her. She made her choice from among the desserts he’d brought, then handed the napkin back to him.
“Who’s that?” Kayleigh asked Hudson, gesturing to where Lee stood.
“Lee said they’d gone to high school together.”
“Oooh,” Charli said as they all turned to look at the group. “Is that…? Anya?”
“I thought she moved away,” Janessa said.
“She did.” Charli turned back around. “But her parents still live here, so it’s possible she’s here to visit.”
“Who’s Anya?” Misha asked.
“Lee’s high school girlfriend.”
Misha broke the cookie she held in half. “Would he get back together with her?”
Charli shrugged. “No clue. It wasn’t a bad break up or anything, and she was nice enough.”
“But he hasn’t seemed particularly interested in dating since his last breakup,” Janessa stated.
“True.”
Rori turned her attention to the baby who’d begun to fuss and squirm a bit. The swaying she’d done earlier didn’t seem to be what the baby wanted anymore, and when she let out a squawk, Rori felt a pulse of panic.
“Do you want me to take her?” Charli asked. “She probably needs her diaper changed.”
“Sure.” Rori hated to give the baby up. But at the same time, if she was getting ready to cry, she’d rather Shiloh be with her mother.
With nothing to do with her hands, Rori picked up her camera again. She fiddled with the buttons, scrolling through the pictures she’d taken earlier in the garden.
As Charli prepared to change Shiloh’s diaper, she handed the baby over to Blake. “Are you up to do a quick photoshoot?”
“A photoshoot?” Blake asked. “But my Hudson suit is at the cleaners.”
“Haha,” Hudson said, his voice laced with humor. “I’m not the only person who wears suits in your family. I’ve seen both Jay and Gareth in suits.”
“You don’t need a suit,” Charli told Blake. “I’d just like some nice, casual, summery shots.”
“If that’s what you want, I’m on board.”
“Thanks, hun. Love you.”
“You should get some dessert before they put you to work, Rori,” Janessa said.
Rori looked at her and smiled. “I’m still full from that huge sandwich. I think I included too much, but everything seemed so perfect for a sandwich. Well, except for maybe the onions.”
Janessa grimaced. “Oh, I agree about the onions.”
Rori hoped that the woman wouldn’t push her to go for dessert. There was no way she was going over there. She didn’t want Lee to feel like he had to introduce her to anyone, especially an ex-girlfriend.
Plus, never in her life had the crushes she had on guys, included meeting their high school sweetheart. So, if she could continue to avoid that, she’d be much happier.
“There we go,” Charli declared as she rested her hand on Shiloh’s tummy.
She bent over and smiled at the baby. Her love for her child was clear in her actions.
Rori tried to imagine her mom acting like that with her when she was a baby. If her brain had been a computer, there would be smoke coming out of her ears because the request for that imagine did not compute.
“I think I’d like to stand in front of that tree over there,” Charli said as she got to her feet, then bent to pick up Shiloh.
Rori stood up with her camera, trying her best not to look toward Lee. Thankfully, the tree Charli wanted to pose in front of wasn’t in his direction.
“How would you like to position everybody?” Rori asked when they got to the tree, hoping Charli had some ideas.
Sure enough, handing off the baby to Blake, the woman quickly got everyone organized. Rori watched her through the viewfinder, trying to see how to frame the photo and hoping that she did justice to whatever Charli had in mind.
“Everyone smile,” Charli commanded.
Rori pressed the shutter button a few times in a row, capturing multiple images. Charli had several more poses in mind, and her family patiently worked with her. Rori was actually impressed at how well the kids obeyed their mom.
“I think that’s good,” Charli said after about ten poses. “Am I able to see them on the camera?”
“Yep.” Rori switched modes and brought up the first picture.
Blake didn’t join Charli to look at the photos, but Layla and Amelia did.
“Those look great,” Charli said.
As they chatted about the best way for Rori to get the pictures to Charli, the girls ran to rejoin Peyton, and Blake came to stand with Charli.
“I’m so happy that we could do that,” Charli said as she leaned against Blake. “And it was so much less stressful than if I’d tried to plan it in advance.”
“I enjoyed it.”
“Would you do it for us as well?” Janessa asked as she and Will came up.
“Do the others want pictures, too?”
Janessa glanced at Charli. “I think maybe Aria wants some, but no one else said they did.”
“Is that okay, Rori?” Charli asked.
“Yep. That’s fine.”
“Well, you take their picture,” she said, gesturing to Janessa and Will. “I’ll go talk to Aria.”
Since there were only two of them, photographing Will and Janessa went quickly. Rori had a hard time keeping the camera steady because she kept laughing at their antics. They were so funny, not taking things too seriously as they arranged themselves into wacky poses.
“Think you got any good shots?” Will asked.
“I’m not sure…” Rori said with a grin.
Janessa made grabby hands. “Let’s see.”
Rori showed them the pictures, which they both declared were perfect. When they were done, Aria and Gareth were there with Timothy.
Much like Charli, Aria had poses in mind, and when they were done, she and Gareth appeared to like what they saw on the camera screen.
Even after all that time taking pictures, Lee was still talking to the woman. He had his back angled toward them, so he was probably oblivious to everything that had gone on since starting the conversation with his ex-girlfriend.
Back at the blanket, Rori packed up her camera, then she went to Charli. “Thank you so much for including me this afternoon.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. I still have a few things to do today before we dive into the week.”
“Well, I’m so happy you ended up joining us,” Charli said, then gave her a wink. “Maybe next time you’ll come when I invite you.”
“I’ll definitely consider it more seriously.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And now I have your phone number so I can harass you from a distance.”
Rori had no idea why she’d want to do that, or if Charli would actually follow through, but she liked the idea that Charli had at least thought about it.
After she had gathered up all her stuff, she said goodbye to the others, then headed in the opposite direction of where Lee stood, even though her car wasn’t parked that way. The plan was to avoid drawing Lee’s attention to her departure.
Keeping her head bent, Rori walked for a while before crossing the road that ran through the park. Keeping to the grass, she circled back around to the garden.
Parts of the walk tempted her to stop and take more pictures, but Rori would save that for another day. Summer wasn’t over, and even when it did end, there would probably be glorious autumnal colors to shoot. Though she’d had fun taking pictures of people and animals, she would never abandon the nature photography she’d always loved.
The one person Rori wished she’d gotten a picture of was Lee. It was probably for the best that she hadn’t, however, or she’d move way beyond crush into unrequited love. Normally, she didn’t have this much interaction with someone she had a crush on.
The last guy she’d crushed on had been a water delivery driver. He’d come by the dental office once a week to drop off water, and they’d chat for a few minutes each time. It had never gotten personal, so she’d always known there would never be anything between them. And she’d been fine with that.
It was different with Lee, though. Already, she knew more about him than any other man she’d had a crush on. And with each new thing she learned, her attraction to him grew. Which would only lead to disaster.
Having a crush not return her feelings wasn’t anything new, even though it always hurt a bit hurt. However, falling in love with someone who didn’t love her in return would be devastating.
Somehow, she had to figure out how to be around Lee without being drawn to him even further. Or be strong enough to say no when they wanted to include her in things.