Chapter 4
FRAME FOUR
THE KISS NOT MEANT TO BE SEEN
The chateau towered on a hill with about twenty steps separating the parking lot from the building.
Various maple trees with budding leaves framed the path uphill, allowing only the uppermost part of the all-glass front to be seen from down here.
The orange sun reflected off the windows, creating a breathtaking contrast against the clear blue sky and mountaintops.
I turned off my car, bumped my head on the headrest, and closed my eyes for a moment.
It was too early in the morning, the sun was too bright, and the location was forty miles too far away for someone who had barely slept for five hours.
But I made it to the parking lot without falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into one of the many trees lining the streets on my way here.
So that should count as a good start to the day even though I’d rather crawl back under the covers, preferably with Theo.
Still, never in my life had I been happier about not hooking up with someone.
Not because I didn’t want to—on the contrary, he was the person I thought about before falling asleep last night—but if we had hooked up, I wouldn’t have slept at all, and I didn’t even want to think about what that would look like now.
In my twenties, I could easily cut down a forest after pulling an all-nighter.
But those days ended sooner than I’d hoped and before I even realized it.
Four minutes later, Theo parked right next to me with a lively grin, the kind that only a well-rested person could have.
That didn’t help my mood, but the two coffee cups he lifted out of his car onto its roof did.
Almost in sync, we nodded good morning to each other and marched to our trunks to get our equipment.
He wore the same gray suit as yesterday, but this time with a white button-down shirt. Within seconds of arriving, a black camera harness snuggled around his chest with two cameras strapped to it.
Happy that I was awake enough to also put on a pair of dress pants this morning, I threw my equipment backpack over my shoulder.
“The couple should arrive in about half an hour,” he said, wrapping a fanny pack around his waist that blended into the gray of his pants far too well to have come off the rack.
“I usually use that time to scope out the location.” He locked his car, picked up the two coffee cups, and came over to me.
“Scope out the location,” I repeated, my voice so hoarse that I had to clear my throat. “Sounds good.”
Theo positioned himself before me, staring at the cup in his right hand. “I hope a cappuccino without sugar was the right choice. That’s what they gave you for your magazine interview.” He looked up, the question lingering on his face.
“I appreciate it,” I said, holding back the urge to point out that they had just assumed I would like it, not knowing that the combination of milk and coffee wouldn’t be my first choice, though I could endure it.
The thought was what mattered, and I appreciated the caffeine either way. “Next one’s on me.”
“You’re welcome.” He handed me the cup and guided us up the stairs toward the chateau’s main entrance.
As he spoke, his eyes scanned every corner, already looking for possible spots.
“Just a heads-up, the wedding itself won’t start before three in the afternoon.
But they want to document everything, starting with the small private breakfast. So, it’s going to be a long day. ”
“No problem. I brought enough food for the day and told my staff that I wouldn’t be in today.”
“Food?” Theo stopped walking halfway up the stairs. “You really have never done a wedding before, have you?”
“Judging by your reaction, it was unnecessary to bring food. Got it. But just so you know, you’ll definitely have to bring stuff when we go storm chasing.”
“And you should prepare to chase some storms today, too, rookie.”
“No one has called me a rookie in twenty years.”
The hint of a grin reached the corners of his mouth. “Does it bother you?”
If anything, it reignited the urge to prove myself that I had when I was an actual rookie. “As long as you don’t call me a rookie in front of people.”
“Got it, rookie.” Theo turned back to the chateau, definitely hiding a smirk now, and set his foot on the next step.
“Anyhow, you don’t really have to worry about taking any pictures for my clients.
I’ll get everything I need on my own. I’ll still introduce you as my assistant so no one gets suspicious.
As for your lesson, focus on everyone but the happy couple.
” He looked over his shoulder and winked at me.
“We’ll regroup at lunch and see how things went. ”
“Any other advice you’d like to share with me?”
“Avoid the bride at all costs. And if you can’t, hide behind the camera.”
“Calming.”
When we reached the top, we both paused to take in the view.
From this angle, the building’s glass facade reflected the trees while the distant mountains embraced it.
The letters of the metal sign reading “Chateau Lumiere” glowed in the sunlight.
I raised my camera, took two steps back to fit the scenery into the frame, and clicked the shutter button to capture its beauty.
When I lowered my camera, Theo looked at me as if I had committed a cardinal sin by not including a person in the shot.
Sure, I hadn’t come here to take pictures like this one.
Landscapes, with or without a storm, always came easily to me.
But the warm feeling of having a stunning shot already in the bag spread through my chest, energizing me more than any coffee could.
What kind of photographer would I be if I didn’t photograph what I found beautiful?
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not judging.”
We wandered around the estate for twenty minutes.
A vast meadow stretched out behind the chateau, where a frame tent had been set up for today’s event.
Despite their best efforts to dress everything up with flowers, the white tarpaulins surrounding the forty tables clashed with the surroundings.
I didn’t understand why the wedding wasn’t taking place in the beautiful dining room with its stunning mountain view, but I didn’t bother to ask.
We also met the wedding planner, a “lovely” lady whose smile could definitely turn people to stone.
She scolded Theo for not telling her in advance that he would be bringing an assistant.
Then, she “graciously” walked me through today’s schedule, as if Theo hadn’t already done so while we got a lay of the land.
When she finally finished, we headed back to the entrance, sharing a quick laugh about her lecture, and arrived just in time to see the first car pull up.
The bride stepped outside—no dress or makeup yet, her blonde hair only loosely bound into a ponytail.
The minute her feet touched the asphalt, she was swarmed by eight hyperactive women, who all looked like carbon copies of one another, along with a guy who must’ve been the bride’s twin, as they both looked identical—same blond hair, stature, and facial features.
The only difference was his male physique and the straight, protective frown on his face.
A few minutes later, the groom arrived in a separate car, wearing only jogging pants and a sweater for now.
Three guys accompanied him, looking more like they were headed to a basketball game than a wedding.
One of them was so tall that he would probably have to duck in the group photos they were likely going to take that afternoon.
With only them around, and Theo busy running back and forth between rooms—although he was focusing more on the bride’s side—I couldn’t find much worth photographing.
For hours, I wandered around, feeling like a fool holding a camera for the first time.
I took a few shots of the groomsmen lounging on the couches, along with the bride’s brother, but none of them were good enough to hand to the couple, let alone compare to the artistry I’d seen in Theo’s pictures yesterday.
Theo and I talked about it briefly over lunch, and once he’d seen them, he was very polite about them by suggesting that it might get easier once the guests arrived in the afternoon.
After that, I tried my best to mimic Theo’s tactic of looking everywhere, but none of the people around me were doing anything even remotely interesting.
In fact, the only person I found myself drawn to was Theo.
He looked so good in his suit that I wanted to rip it off him right then and there.
Knowing he wasn’t wearing any underwear during our shoot two days ago made me wonder if he was going commando again today.
Every time I spotted him, I wanted to photograph him, but he was the one person I couldn’t.
That would have raised too many questions, especially with the wedding planner constantly watching me.
In the early afternoon, after the staff had finished setting up the table in the frame tent, I watched Theo take some stills and tried my best to follow his example.
Finally, I took a second shot with at least some artistic value.
A ray of light shone through a transparent part of the roof and reflected off a knife, throwing a rainbow back against the ceiling.
Still nothing exciting, but at least something.