15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Nick
“Give me your biggest smile,” Eliza instructs a group of three elementary-aged girls, all of whom are holding massive baskets filled with apples. “We want the whole world to know how excited you are to eat those later.”
One of the girls lets out a giggle, and I hear the shutter of Eliza’s lens going. I lean against one of the wooden railings separating the apple orchard from the Nelson’s hay field, watching with admiration.
“You all are doing great.” She kneels down, continuing to snap photos. Her hair is braided off to the side, and she’s got on a casual, pale pink t-shirt and faded jeans with a coordinating flannel—which is what I’ve come to gather as her usual look.
And I like it.
Daniel stands off to the side, shooting me a grin as the kids all wait in line to have photos taken. She’s already done plenty of candid shots of them picking the apples, and now she’s doing some staged ones, which parents love.
The girls’ giggles never fade as they move on to the weight station, prepared to see just how much fruit they were able to pick. The next kid in line starts his photo shoot, and Eliza handles it with the same grace as she did before, even though the kid is super shy.
I know that feeling.
“I don’t like pictures,” he mutters, his face hidden beneath his cowboy hat and dark-rimmed glasses.
“You know, I don’t like having pictures taken of me, either.” Eliza lowers her camera for a moment.
“You don’t?” he asks, his hands white-knuckling his basket.
“I don’t, but I know that my family loves to see pictures of me, and then I look back on them and remember just how much fun I had the day I took them. Have you had fun today?”
He nods. “I picked a lot of apples.”
“Can you show them to me?” Eliza lifts her camera as he tilts his basket and smiles.
Click. Click. Click.
She pauses to glance down at the little screen. “These are awesome. I bet your family will love them. ”
The little guy smiles, his cheeks rosy with joy as he heads over to the weigh station.
“She’s really great with kids,” Daniel says in a low voice.
That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking.
I nod. “I think they’ll turn out great.”
“Parents will love them, that’s for sure. I can’t wait until the twins are old enough to go on these outings with us.”
“They’ll be here before you know it,” I remark, brushing away the tinge of jealousy. My longing for a family of my own is still ever-growing.
“Yeah, and maybe you’ll have a few, too, huh?” He elbows me, and I force myself to shrug.
“I don’t know. Maybe someday.”
“We know you’re into her,” Daniel continues in a voice that no one can hear. “Just ask her out, man.”
“I already told you, she doesn’t want anything other than friendship.”
“Hmm.” Daniel quiets just as Eliza turns around to face us.
“I think that’s everyone.” She beams. “Now it’s your turn.” Her eyes are focused on me.
My eyes widen as Daniel laughs. “What?”
“Oh, come on, you’re super photogenic,” she muses, gesturing for me to grab a basket. “Let me get some shots.”
I hesitate, looking to Daniel for help, but he’s useless.
“I need to get back to the kids.” He gestures to the table. “You two have fun. Thanks for everything, Eliza. ”
“No problem,” she answers with a smile and then reaches for a basket herself. “Let’s go. It’ll be fun.”
“Nothing about getting my pictures taken is fun.” I grimace, but take the basket from her arms anyway. We head back out further into the orchard, and the entire time her camera is clicking away, and I don’t even know what there is to capture. “I didn’t really dress for a photoshoot,” I say, motioning to my dark brown work Henley.
“Oh, you look great.” Eliza waves me off. “Women love a rugged, outdoorsy man. They drool over them.”
“Huh.” I chuckle. “Have to say I’ve never experienced that for myself.”
“That’s because this town is full of old people.” Eliza laughs, her eyes alight with amusement. “But I’d be willing to bet some of the old ladies drool over you at the hardware store.”
“Come to think of it, they do usually stop to ask a million questions,” I shoot back at her, giving her a wink.
“I knew it!” She laughs. “Gosh, it’s such a beautiful day. Picturesque, really.”
Just like you.
“It’s nice, yeah.” I reach for a few apples, placing them in the basket. “Do you ever bake any pies or anything? My mom is obsessed with baking, and she told me I had to bring some of these apples back for her.”
“I’ve never baked a pie, but I bet Granny could show me how,” Eliza answers, half distracted by her camera. “Can you smile?”
I roll my eyes at her but smile anyway. “Better? ”
Eliza chuckles as she snaps a couple of photos. “Perfect.”
“You know, I see you have a tripod in your bag. Why don’t you set that baby up and jump in these photos with me?” I suggest, a mischievous glint in my eye.
Eliza’s cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink as she stammers, “Oh, I-I don’t know…”
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” I nudge her, picking up the tripod and setting it up under a particularly lush apple tree. “We can take some photos together. It’ll be like a memory of this day.”
Eliza hesitates for a moment, her camera still in hand, before finally giving in with a shy smile. “Okay, just a couple of pictures.” She repositions the tripod before setting the camera on it and fiddling with the settings. “I’ve set up the interval timer, so it’ll automatically take a couple photos of us every five seconds. Are you ready?”
I nod and she rushes over to stand beside me under the tree, sending a whiff of her perfume my way. It’s a delicate, floral scent that mingles with the crisp apple smell in the air, creating a heady concoction that has my head spinning.
The camera begins its countdown, and we both try to relax into a natural pose. Our shoulders brush lightly, sending a jolt of electricity through my body.
As the first shutter clicks, Eliza’s laughter rings out, infectious and joyous. I can’t help but grin in response, warmth spreading through me as we capture this memory together.
Eliza and I continue to laugh and joke as the camera snaps away, posing in different ways and throwing in a few silly faces here and there. I steal glances at her when she’s not looking, admiring the way her eyes crinkle at the corners when she smiles, the freckles scattered across her nose like constellations in the night sky.
“This is fun,” Eliza exclaims between laughs.
Instinctively, I drape an arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. Her eyes widen in surprise, but she doesn’t resist my touch.
I swallow hard before tilting my head down to meet her gaze. Her emerald eyes are speckled with flakes of a darker green and seem to sparkle in the sunlight. For a moment, I find myself getting lost in them. Her face is tilted up towards mine, her lips curved into a warm smile. In this moment, all I can think about is how much I want to press my lips against hers and taste the sweetness of her smile.
I want to kiss her so bad…
She puts her hand on my chest, and I know she can feel my heart thudding like a hammer, but she doesn’t say anything … until she pulls away.
“I think that’s good.” She clears her throat, stepping away from me. “Thank you so much, Nick.”
“Yeah, of course,” I reply as she makes her way back to the tripod, doing my best to hide my disappointment that the sweet moment between us is over
“Oh wow. These are … They’re really good.” She breathes out, looking up at me. “Do you want to see them?” Eliza dismounts the camera from the tripod and heads toward me, extending out the camera .
I take it from her, holding my breath as I glance down at the small screen and sift through the photos. “Wow. These are great photos.”
“We have so much on-screen chemistry.” She looks up at me, a smile on her face. “I think that’s a rarity.”
On-screen chemistry?
Or real chemistry…
I shrug, trying to play it cool. “I don’t know anything about that sort of thing. All the artistic stuff is way out of my element.”
She laughs. “That’s kind of a relief.”
“Why’s that?” I ask, giving her a funny look as she begins to gather up her things.
“Oh, my ex-boyfriend used to be a know-it-all about everything, and artsy stuff was one of his favorite things to be an expert about. He was the reason I gave up photography in college. I didn’t want him to critique me any more than he already did.”
Sounds like a jerk.
“I’m sorry,” I say instead. “You deserve to be with someone who encourages you.”
“Yeah, I think that ship has sailed,” she mumbles. “Men always start out being super nice, and then they turn into jerks.”
“That’s a big assumption of all men,” I counter, feeling a little defensive. “Not every guy is like that.”
Eliza pauses, meeting my gaze with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Her lips part as if she wants to say something, but then she closes them again, a thoughtful expression crossing her features .
After a moment of silence, she finally speaks up. “You know, you’re right. Not all men are like that. I’m sorry for generalizing,” she admits, her voice soft and vulnerable. “I’ve just had some bad experiences in the past.”
I nod. “It’s okay. We all carry scars from our past relationships.”
And every part of me wants to help her heal, to show her that not all men are the same. To tell her she’s worth so much more than what her ex had to offer.
But I hold back, unsure if I’m overstepping my bounds. Instead, I simply smile at her and ask, “Are you hungry?”