CHAPTER NINETEEN
LIZ
Istill don't know what possessed me to include Jovi in the photos.
Maybe it should have been the natural conclusion, given his place in this family.
And if I'm being honest, it's hardly the first time I've captured the man on camera.
But it is the first time I was vocal about it.
And I'm not sorry either. Looking at the shots now on my computer, I can't help but smile as I take in the moments I caught between him and the kids.
The silly smiles. The soft affection. The obvious way he adores them. It's all there.
Then there's this shot. The one where he's looking straight at the camera. At me.
"Whatcha looking at?" Holly asks, coming up behind me. She got in just before midnight. Due to an unfortunate delay in her flight, she missed rodeo night entirely. Along with all the cowboys she was hoping to see.
She’s also the reason I'm sitting at my desk in work mode. Where I got distracted by the last batch of photos I left open in my editing program.
Before I can answer, I feel her chest press into my shoulder as she leans closer. "Oooh, look at that!"
"Calm down," I snort, clicking the little X to close out the screen. "It's just Jovi."
She laughs, backing up. "Yeah. That part was obvious." I spin around in my chair to find her smirking at me. "Be serious. You can't tell me you look at those pictures and don't see what I see."
I cross my arms, back pressing into the chair. "What exactly do you see?" Oh, God. What is that in my tone? Freaking jealousy? Am I jealous that she was checking out Jovi? No.
But my tone must say otherwise because it earns me another giggle. "Feeling possessive, are we?" she teases. "It's fine. I would too if I had a guy that looks like that."
I roll my eyes. "Did you forget what I do for a living? I set scenes. Create impressions. Don't go falling for the man just because I happen to know how to make people look good."
"Oh, please," she chides. "Tell that bogus line to someone who hasn't seen him in real life.
And I'm not referring to catching a glimpse of his physical hotness.
I mean, I've seen him. That man in those pictures with those kids is the real deal.
" She bends down to meet me at eye level.
"And I've also seen him look at you like that. "
I scoff. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Denial it is then." She bounces her shoulders. "Alrighty. In that case, shall we get to work? Let you move on to something that doesn't make your chest break out in hives?"
Instinct draws my hand to cover the skin beneath my collarbone. "It's not hives. I'm hot."
She winks. "I bet you are."
I groan, but before we can carry on with this absurdity, Remmi knocks on the door I left half open and comes in.
"Are you going to have a photoshoot?" she asks, taking in the makeshift studio I've set up in my bedroom.
Since it's Sunday, both the kids are home today, and it takes about three seconds before Gavin spills in after her.
"I am." I confirm, smiling.
"Can I help?" she asks, clapping her hands together with anticipation.
"Me too," Gavin pipes up from behind her.
My gaze slips to Holly in her summer dress and the improvised set I have ready for today's shoot. Including my bed and a skimpy black lace body suit.
"Let's start with some casual shots outside," I announce.
"And you two can be in charge of lighting.
" Not really. I'll be relying on the sun for that, but I do have two circular reflectors they can both hold up that may or may not improve my shots to some degree.
"Oh," I add, "And one of you can hold onto our props.
" I point to the small wicker basket beside my desk filled with random hats and headbands and other things I've collected over the years that come in handy in the most surprising ways.
"Me!" Remmi squeals, one hand shooting up to claim the gig.
"No fair," Gavin pouts.
"Yes fair," Holly cuts in. "I need you to be my water boy. A model needs to stay hydrated while out in the sun."
And like that, his smile is back.
Our shoot starts out in the backyard, and I get some gorgeous headshots with nature's early autumn colors for background.
Then, we move to the swing hanging from the sturdiest branch in the ancient oak back here, and I get some lovely, whimsical images of Holly, childlike smile and wild hair blowing behind her.
"We should go to the barn," she suggests after we finish making our way around the garden for inspiration. "Cowboy romances are all the rage right now. You want to keep up with the market, don't you?"
I scrunch my nose at her, but before I can shoot down the idea, Remmi starts jumping up and down with giddy excitement. "We can use the horses as models too!"
"And maybe a cowboy or two," Holly winks.
I scowl at her but can't really argue the point. If I can't swing a budget for couple shoots right now, I at least need to keep up with the themes most in demand and thus most likely to gain me sales.
Even if I don't pick up any new customers, I need to do what I can to keep my current subscription members happy.
"Fine," I sigh. "Let's go to the barn."
Gavin and Remmi lead the way, Holly following close behind. Just short of the large doors we face an ambush when Cas's kid comes running out of the barn to say hi, excited to see us.
"Whose toddler?" Holly asks, stepping close to speak through the corner of her mouth.
"He's not a toddler," I make a face at her. "You know shit about kids, you know that right?"
She grins. "I can learn if he comes with a hot single dad cowboy."
I don't answer her. I don't need to. Cas and Jovi choose this precise moment to step outside.
"It's happened," Holly breathes.
"What has?"
"I have the physical need to say humana-humana."
"You're ridiculous," I mutter.
"Tell me he's single," she pleads under her breath, both hands gripping my arm.
"He is," I confirm. "But fair warning, he's totally not doing the dating thing."
She frowns. "Why not? Divorce damaged?" Her eyes grow wide. "Oh, God. Is he a widower?" she practically hisses the words given we're less than a dozen feet from the men now.
"He's not a widower," I tell her. "But I can confirm that he's damaged." To what extent, I have yet to discover.
We come to a stop in front of both men. They're huddled around all three kids, the two boys telling an animated tale about their run-in with a possum last night.
One I was unfortunately present for and would retell with a great deal less enthusiasm considering the thing hissed at me as I used a broom to remove it from my kitchen.
Yeah.
Back door was left open and unattended for way too fucking long. Lucky for me, Harriet was hanging around the kitchen at the time of the possum's arrival, and she went all feral cat on his ass, keeping him from trespassing further into the house.
Holly pastes on a wide smile. "Hey, Jovi.
" Her teasing lilt sounds almost flirtatious and I have to fight the urge to stomp on her foot.
Not that she can't flirt with Jovi. He's single.
She's single. It would be totally fine, and I wouldn't care at all.
Though I do find that tension melts from my chest like ice hitting a hot stove when his brow furrows at her tone in confusion, and his response sounds dry, not interested.
"Holly, nice of you to join us," he says, and that's undeniable sarcasm in there. "I so missed hearing your constant, and wildly inaccurate, insights on our day-to-day lives."
A laugh almost bubbles out of me, remembering how he referred to her as an annoying narrator after her last visit.
Holly, to her credit, chooses to ignore the jab, batting her lashes at him as she says, "Just wait until you hear my thoughts after I've been away all these months. I bet I've made observations upon my return you'd be thrilled to hear."
My head snaps toward her, jaw instantly tight.
Before I can ask her what exactly she's trying to imply, she goes on, "Meanwhile, I see you're all still struggling with basic social skills.
" She extends a hand toward Cas. "I'm Holly.
I do some modeling for Liz, but most importantly, I'm her best friend. "
Cas looks startled for a second, but he recovers fast enough to clasp the hand she's offering. "Casper Hayes. Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
I catch her little nose twitch and say, "Ma'am is charming in cowboy. He's not calling you old."
Cas's amber eyes get round and the slightest blush tints his cheeks through the light stubble covering half his face. "No, ma'am. Absolutely not."
Jovi chuckles, elbowing him in the side. "Calm down, man. You can talk to Holly the way you talk to any one of us. Hell, you probably use more manners when talking to the horses than she'd know what to do with it."
She glares at him, before making an obvious decision to pretend he has ceased to exist. Bending at the waist, she holds her hand out toward Cas's kid. "How are you, fine sir?"
He giggles, one hand covering his face, even more bashful than his father.
"His name's Wyatt," Gavin answers for him. "He's my friend."
"He's our friend," Remmi corrects.
"Well, any friend of Remmi and Gavin's is a friend of mine." She smiles. "My name is Holly, and I'm delighted to meet you, Wyatt."
"You guys out here for a reason?" Jovi asks, rolling his eyes at her display before they catch on my camera. "Looking for a rustic backdrop?"
"And a cowboy," Holly chimes in before I can answer. "Which one of you wants to help out?" She points at Jovi. "Not you."
"She's kidding," I insist, waving a hand up to disengage this conversation before it goes any further. "It's a solo shoot."
"Yeah," Holly says, voice dropping to a low monotone, "because you don't have any other choice while your business is in transition. And solo shoots are still better than nothing."
Cas's brow furrows, but it's Jovi who asks, "What is she talking about?"
"My library of stock images usually consists of couple shots since I cater primarily to romance authors," I explain, trying to sound as matter of fact as I can to dial down the direness of the situation Holly so unhelpfully highlighted.
One which is very real but also very much my problem and not his.
"But I can't exactly pull from my usual models here and I can't afford to fly them in."
Hell, right now I can't even afford to pay them.
"I've put my feelers out, but, no surprise, Camden County isn't the sort of metropolis where you find a lot of up and coming models looking for gigs.
" I'd take some wannabe actors at this point, if I could find them.
Honestly, I'm barely clinging to ‘not desperate enough’ to show up at the nearest college with pizza boxes to see who will work for a free meal and professional pictures to boost their social media accounts.
"What would modeling entail exactly?" Cas asks, catching both me and Jovi off guard.
"It's so easy," Holly says, already sidling up to him. "And, of course, I'd be there to help you. Plus," she says, reaching up to slide a finger under his shaggy, dark hair to swoop it off his forehead and reveal the entirety of his handsome face, "I have a feeling you're going to be a natural."
"He didn't agree to it," Jovi cuts in.
"I could," Cas says, locking eyes with me. "If it would help."
JOVI
I shouldn't care that Cas is playing model for Liz.
Hell, I should be grateful he's willing to help her out like this.
I had no idea she was struggling with her business since the move.
Which is eating away at me too as I watch her direct Holly and Cas into different positions before snapping pictures of them from every available angle.
Meanwhile, all three kids are buzzing around holding up their little light props, giggling or oohing and aahing every time Liz asks Holly and Cas to embrace in some way.
Another reason I should be thrilled Cas jumped in to help out. I sure as shit wouldn't want to be the one pretending to make googly eyes at Holly. I doubt I'd even be capable.
But despite all rational thoughts pointing toward the positive in this situation, I can't shake the nagging irritation over seeing Liz's focus honed in on him like this.
Appreciating him, maybe in ways she hasn't before. Or fuck, has all along but never had the opportunity to express.
And fine, maybe all her compliments are actually directed at both of them.
And, if listened to in detail, are all centered around how good they look together and how convincing they are as a couple.
So much so, she asks if Wyatt can join the shots, because apparently, ‘single dad falls for the nanny’ romances are a real hit right now.
Holy shit. What is wrong with me?
Am I really getting jealous over Cas? When every word out of Liz's mouth is in regard to him and her friend? Would she really be suggesting he look perfect with another woman if she wanted him all to herself?
I might be losing my Goddamned mind here.