With Love Page 3

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The next afternoon I sat with my laptop and my last glass of wine, leaving the French doors wide open. I was wearing my short shorts and a tight T-shirt with my hair in a pulled-up messy look. I had my music blaring, getting ready to edit those wedding pictures. I started dancing—okay, in all honesty, I was drinking and dancing sexily to the music playing on iTunes when I heard a knock on my door.

  Not thinking anything of it, I yelled, “Come on in and leave the bottle on the table.” I kept on dancing; it felt so good to feel alive, even though I knew it was the wine at one in the afternoon, but I didn’t care. When “Crazy Bitch” by Buckcherry came on, I grabbed my now empty wine bottle, jumped on the bed, and gave the best damn karaoke I could—sexy dance and all.

  Just as I am yelling the last line, I heard roaring laughter. It scared the shit out of me, and I fell off the bed.

  Then, all I heard was “Are you okay?”

  I was so scared to look up, so I just said, “Yeah, it happens all the time.”

  Stupid! Seriously, did I just say that?

  “Really?” a male voice said in a chuckling tone.

  “Um, yeah. You can just leave the wine on the table. Thank you.”

  I lay quietly huddled on the floor, waiting for the door to shut. Slowly, I decided to peek out from behind the bed. Standing there was the man I saw yesterday in the tux with those beautiful blue eyes. He was leaning on the doorframe, laughing quietly. Except this time, he was wearing blue jeans and a white dress shirt.

  I stood up quickly and brushed down my shorts—well, okay, my legs because I was wearing short shorts. “What are you doing here? How did you get in? Why are you watching me?”

  This all came out in one sentence in a yelling tone.

  He just stood there with a big grin on his face. “Well, I thought I’d come and take a look at those pictures from yesterday. I know Meg, and she let me up. Your door was open.” He offered me the bottle of wine. I took the bottle and placed it near my laptop. “Moscato. Very nice.”

  “Well, I haven’t edited them yet.”

  “I can see that,” he said with a smile.

  “When I’m finished, I’ll be more than happy to email them to you.”

  “It’s alright. I’m here now, so we can edit them together,” he suggested.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” God, I wish I was wearing something longer on my legs.

  He started walking across the room.

  “Wait, what are you doing? You can’t just come in here! I don’t even know you,” I said, panicking a little.

  “My apologies. My name is Luke, remember? And, you are?”

  “Ally. It’s short for Alyson.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you Ally-Alyson.” God, she smelled so good, simple like a sunny day, Luke thought.

  By this time, he was standing right in front of me. I lightly pushed him away.

  “You really need to leave Luke.” Why does this man have to smell so yummy? WAIT…WHAT?!

  “Okay.” Luke then grabbed my laptop and headed out to the living room.

  “Wait, what are you doing?”

  “Well, I wanted to see what kind of photographer you are, so we’re gonna look at the photos together and edit them.”

  I shut the adjoining door and slid down to the floor, trying to breathe. What the hell?! I haven’t been this close to a man since Sam died eight months ago. What would Sam think with another man in my room? Oh God, I thought, looking at what I was wearing. I just wanted to puke.

  I got up and changed into sweatpants. Then, I went to see what Luke really wanted. I opened the doors quietly and tried to peek at him to see what he was looking at. He was seated in the middle of the couch, concentrating on the screen on my laptop. As I opened the door more, he looked up and then returned his gaze back to the laptop.

  “Wow, these turned out great. You even captured the light in my dad’s eyes,” he complimented.

  I sheepishly smiled. “Thank you. I’m sorry that I intruded on your sister’s moment. I just couldn’t help myself.”

  Luke looked up and grinned. “Don’t be; it was the highlight of my afternoon. How long have you been doing this?”

  “About six years, but I haven’t done anything in eight months. I was just playing around.”

  “What made you stop?” he questioned.

  It was right then and there that I stopped breathing.

  “Ally, are you okay? You look pale. Ally?”

  Before I fell to the floor, Luke caught me in his hands, guiding me to the floor.

  “Breathe, Ally. Breathe.”

  Tears just started flowing; they were uncontrollable. I couldn’t move away from Luke. “Please, Luke. You need to leave.”

  “Alyson?”

  “Please. Please leave.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  As Luke left, looking behind him, all he wanted to do was cradle Ally. The devastation in those tears was very hard to turn away from.

  When he closed the door quietly, Luke stopped for a moment to catch his breath, wondering what the hell just happened in there.

  Meg stepped up to Luke. “Hey, bud. Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “Yeah,” he whispered, shaking his head lightly. “Hey, Meg, can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure, but you’re out of favors,” she said with a shy grin.

  As they walked to the elevator, Luke kept looking back toward Alyson’s room, hurting for someone that he didn’t know.

  “Meg, do you know anything about Alyson?”

  “No, not much, Luke. She arrived a few days ago. She looked pretty out of it, like she had lost her soul.”

  Luke had a feeling what had happened. He had only seen that devastation once in his life. He wondered to himself, Why didn’t I see it before?

  ***

  Later on that afternoon I decided that it was time to go home. I started packing up my things, slowly tucking the toothbrushes, stuffed animals, and Sam’s shirt away in my luggage. Looking up, I stared at my laptop thinking, What am I going to do? Then, I quickly came to a decision. Well, the first thing you are going to do is put on your big-girl panties and edit those damn photos that you enjoyed taking. Send them to Luke and leave. That’s what you are going to do.

  I spent most of the night editing the photos this way and that. After I was completely happy with them, I sent a quick email to Luke.

  Luke,

  I hope you enjoy these. Your sisters looked absolutely beautiful.

  ~Ally

  With that, I closed my laptop and crawled into bed for a few hours.

  ***

  The next morning Luke could not sleep. He decided to get up for a run and then head into his father’s office.

  When he was seated at his father’s desk, he decided to check his email. He noticed an email address he didn’t recognize. He was just about to delete it when something caught his eye. He opened the email and was stunned by what he saw. He had never seen his sisters look so beautiful; they had their mother’s smile. His father had never looked so young. Ally managed to capture a glisten in his father’s eyes. Luke was absolutely taken back by the beauty in her work.

  “Luke, what are you doing in here?” his sister, Julia, said.

  “I was just looking at some wedding photos from the weekend.”

  “What?! Let me see! How do I look?” Julia said excitedly.

  “Beautiful.” Luke said in awe.

  Julia and Luke took their time looking through all the photos Ally had sent.

  “Luke, who is this photographer? I think we need her to do the Gala.”

  “Her name is Alyson. ” From the email address, he noticed her last name was Almon. “She just happened to be there.” Then, he whispered, “You’re right; I need her.”

  His father, George, walked into the office, noting the wonderful surprise.

  “Why do I have the honor of having both of you in my office first thing on a Monday mor
ning?” asked George.

  “Hi, Daddy. Luke and I were just looking at some pictures of the wedding. This photographer is amazing. I think we need to use her for the Gala.”

  “Who is she? Is this the photographer that you used for the wedding?”

  “No, Daddy. She was at the hotel when you and Luke were coming to get me. Luke said she was just there snapping pictures, and he asked her to take a few of us. She emailed him the pictures this morning.”

  They were still staring at the photos when Julia continued, “Daddy, this is the photographer that I want and what the Gala needs. Daddy, you look so handsome and young.”

  “Well, Luke, do you think you can get her?” George asked.

  “No, I don’t think I can…” Luke drifted off lost in thought.

  “Oh, Luke, I’ll get her. Don’t you worry about that,” Julia replied as she kissed Luke and George on the cheek and turned to leave.

  ***

  As I was walking out toward the cab, someone grabbed my arm and asked, “Are you Alyson Almon? Please be Ally.”

  “Yes, I’m Ally. Why?” Why does she look familiar?

  “Are you the Ally that sent those beautiful wedding pictures to my brother, Luke, this morning?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude or anything. I just happened to be there with my camera, and you were all laughing—”

  Julia interrupted, squeezing my arm and bringing me closer. “Oh my gosh, Ally. You have nothing to apologize for. They were wonderful! In fact, I want to hire you for another event.”

  “Hire me? Why?”

  As Julia was pulling me aside, she kept talking. “Ally, the way you caught the reflection of my Dad and the natural way you captured my sister and me laughing was awesome. Not to mention the way Luke was looking at you.” Julia continued walking down the street while still holding onto me.

  My mind was racing, thinking, Luke was watching me? Oh God.

  I stopped and tried to take my arm away from Julia.

  “What are you doing, Ally?”

  I looked at Julia and said, “Well, I’m going to my cab—where my luggage is.”

  Shocked, Julia replied, “What? You’re leaving? You can’t leave! Ally, why are you leaving? Please stay, Ally. Please take pictures of our Gala. It must be perfect. This is the first Gala that I am fully in charge of since my mom died. Please, Ally. Please say that you will be our photographer. Please! The pay is pretty good.”

  I just stared at her. “Do you always talk that fast?”

  Julia smiled. “Is that a yes, Ally?”

  I wanted to say no—no with all my heart because all I really wanted to do was go home and be with Sam and my kids. Instead, I asked, “When is this Gala?”

  Julia screeched and brought me in for a big hug. “Oh, thank you, Ally! Thank you!”

  Julia then quickly turned on a dime toward the cab and jumped in, pulling me behind her. She then gave the cab driver an address.

  Gala? I wondered to myself.

  On the way to Julia’s father’s office, Julia was bombarding me with information about the Gala. I just sat back and watched Julia have at it. I couldn’t believe that someone could be so excited about something this much. I was a simple photographer—nothing too exciting.

  “So the Gala is about helping children that can’t afford to go to college.” Julia informed me.

  I stopped listening when we arrived at McDerment Industries. As the cab pulled up to the building, I instantly fell in love with it. Here I was in the heat of downtown—the core of the city—and standing on fresh green grass, looking into a cabin-style building with wood-log siding and river rock on the bottom. It made me feel like I was a little closer to home.

  “You like it?” Julia asked with pride in her voice.

  “Yeah, it’s breathtaking. Nothing like what I expected,” I replied, still taking in my surroundings.

  “My dad helped design it. It reminds him of my mom.”

  With that, Julia grabbed me, and we went inside.

  ***

  “Afternoon, Ms. Julia,” a nice-looking man addressed her.

  “Afternoon, Eric,” Julia said with a big grin. “This is Ally, and she’ll be working here for a while. Please make sure she is well taken care of,” she finished with an evil little laugh.

  “Yes, sure thing.” Eric looked at me and winked.

  “Eric, do you mind grabbing Ally’s luggage from the cab? Put it in the back for now.”

  “I’d love to. Enjoy your stay Ms. Ally,” Eric said with a kind smile.

  I tried to stop Eric. “Oh, that’s not necessary. I can do it, Julia.”

  “Don’t be silly. Eric will take good care of your stuff.” Julia nodded to Eric and took my arm, pulling me in another direction.

  As we were riding up the elevator to the second floor, I couldn’t stop straightening out my T-shirt.

  Julia noticed and said, “Ally, you’re fine. If my dad had his way, he’d be wearing a T-shirt, too.”

  When I stepped out of the elevator, I admired the color of the walls. They were a light grey with green accents. In the corner, there was a huge waterfall, the sound of it loosening me up a little bit.

  “Ready?” asked Julia, beaming with delight.

  I hesitated. “Uh huh.”

  Julia grabbed my hand and coasted into her father’s office. I couldn’t help but notice that her father’s office had the same cottage theme. It was relaxing. I walked over to the cherry-wood bookcases and looked at the family pictures, recognizing the resemblance of Luke and Julia as children. I giggled a little when I saw the one of Luke in his minor ball uniform with a dirt smudge across his face.

  “Hey, Ally, I’m just going to see where my dad ran off to. Are you okay here by yourself for a few minutes?” Julia asked.

  I didn’t respond. I now had a picture frame in my hand, looking at a young couple. They were standing in front of a lake near a shaggy-looking boat. The husband had his right arm around his wife’s waist, and in his left hand, he was holding three fish. He had the biggest grin on his face. I touched the glass lightly over his face, thinking back at how life used to be so simple.

  ***

  Luke needed his father’s signature on a report that he was finishing. When he stepped into his father’s office, the presence of Ally took his breath away. He stopped dead in his tracks, just drinking her in. He started at her feet and noted the light tennis shoes, and then his eyes ran up her legs—the cut of those blue jeans did wonders to her ass. He wondered if she realized how great she looked.

  As Luke’s eyes wandered up, he noticed the subtle curves to her waistline and was instantly attracted to her womanly figure. He had never seen a woman carry herself so well. He was getting so turned on by just looking at her. Oh no you don’t, down! The girls he usually dated were tall with big chests and small waists. He imagined how his large hands would feel around her body. Shaking his head and trying to get rid of the thought, he took a deep breath in. That did not help. His penis twitched with the light smell of vanilla in the air. He needed to leave—and fast.

  ***

  “Daddy, here you are.”

  “Julia, what has you so confident? Did you get the girl?”

  “Daddy, when are you going to learn? Ally is in your office.” Julia declared proudly to her father. “She’s wonderful, pretty, and real. You should have seen her reaction to the building. Daddy, she was so cute.”

  “So you think this one is a keeper, do you? Well then, let’s get me introduced, shall we?” said George.

  Julia grabbed her father’s arm and walked toward the office. “You know, Daddy, there is something about her—something about her nature. She reminds me of Mom.”

  George just smiled and looked at his eldest daughter.

  ***

  George and Julia stood in the doorway for a minute, and George whispered, “I see what you mean.”

  With that, he walked up behind Ally. “That is my beautiful late wife, Helen.
She hated fishing. She said they stunk,” he said with a giggle and sighed.

  I looked back at the man like I was a child getting caught doing something that I shouldn’t. I quickly handed him the picture frame and said, “I’m sorry.”

  George grabbed her hand. “Oh, my child, never be sorry. She was a true gift from God, and I will always be thankful.” In that moment, when George looked into her eyes, he knew—she needed to stay.

  “My name is George McDerment, and I see that you already met one of my strong-willed daughters, Julia.” George placed the picture back and then led the way to the sofa on the other side of the room. “Please have a seat.”

  “Thank you, Mr. McDer—”

  He interrupted. “Oh no, you don’t. George will do just fine. May I offer you something?”

  “No, thank you, George. I’m fine.” I said, sitting next to George.

  “My name is Alyson, but please call me Ally.”

  “Alyson, what a beautiful name. Are you named after someone?”

  “Not that I am aware of,” Ally stated with a warm smile.

  The more I kept talking with George, the more I liked him. At this point, I forgot all about Luke.

  An hour or so later, Julia reminded me that the Gala would be the first one since Helen died. I was absolutely honored to be asked to be the photographer.

  When our meeting was just about over, Julia received a phone call. “If you will excuse me,” she said as she left.

  George turned to me. “Alyson, you are welcome to stay at our cottage. I mean, it’s big, and of course, you will have your own room. It’s beside Julia’s old room, and you’ll be across the hall from my youngest daughter, Kristen.”

  “George, it would be my pleasure.”

  “Well then,” George said as he stood up. “Shall we?”

  He started walking toward his desk. “I’ll just let Eric know to put your belongings into my car, and then we’ll be on our way.”

  After putting a few files away, George led me out of the office. On the way out, we stopped by Julia’s office to let her know that we would be leaving for the day and that I would be staying at the cottage.

  Julia was on the phone; she looked up and glanced at her father holding my hand. She grinned and nodded her head.