Black & White (Picture Perfect #1) (13 page)

"Whatever, Anne, just stay out of my life. I'm a fully functioning human being, who can pick and choose friends by myself," he shot back. "I'm not going to try and find a replacement for Angelina, so why don't you stop trying to do it for me?"

And with that, the conversation came to an abrupt end. I clung on to Michael, crying over William's angry outburst. I’d been right about William slitting my throat, but the low blow which had come with it was too painful to endure. I had regrets about my reactions and I wasn't dealing well with the repercussions.

I had loved Angelina and I would never disgrace her memory by trying to get William to replace her with another woman. No one would ever compare to her. She was beautiful, talented, everything a man could ever ask for in a woman. How could William think I would ever try to make him forget about her?

I didn't want to forget about her, she was my best friend and had been for many years before her death. She was Angel's mother and we needed to keep her memory alive, so Angel would know who her mother was, what she was like, and how she was a shining star in everyone's lives.

I needed William to understand my thoughts, but this was definitely not the time to explain. The adage suggests you take
two steps forward and one step back
. In this regard, I had managed to send William ten steps backwards. I was in deep trouble and second guessing everything I’d done.

Chapter Nine

Beth

Having finished Mrs. Murphy's photo shoot a little under an hour ago, I was taking a detailed look at the photos, knowing instinctively there was a lot of work to be done. There were hours of manipulation ahead, in order to make them perfect. It would've been a much better shoot if Mrs. Murphy would have agreed to holding it at the lake, and it was disheartening to know the final product would only be an illusion.

I shut the file down, tired of seeing the unnatural images. There was one file appearing on the screen which needed to be finished. I smiled as I clicked on the icon and waited for the photos to appear. The first image in the file was my favorite; William, with no shirt on, was cradling Angel in his arms. His hand covered her diaper, giving an impression of naked innocence and vulnerability.

The expression in William's eyes was soft and humble, the constant heartbreak and grief was missing. The hard lines on his face had softened, hiding the fact that his loss and misery was a daily suffering. Instead, there was pure adoration and devotion for Angel. The photograph was perfect. The natural lighting which had filtered through the windows cast perfect shadows. The positioning of their bodies was incredible. There was no other word to describe the photo, without sounding as if I was boasting, it was pure perfection.

My cell phone vibrated across the desk and I flipped to the next photo while reaching for it. Looking at the next photo, there was complete satisfaction again with William and Angel's natural beauty and synchronicity.

I glanced down at the incoming text. ‘
Hello’

I didn't recognize the number. Since my number was on the business card, I went straight into professional mode. ‘
Hello, this is Beth’

Turning back to the computer, I pulled up another photo. This shot was full of love and happiness, with William gazing at Angel as if she was the only thing in the world which mattered.

The phone vibrated again. ‘
U have no idea who this it?’

This was beginning to seem a little creepy, reminding me of some cheap horror movie. ‘
No?’

Before I even had a chance to open the next photo, the phone vibrated again. I sighed and gave up. Sitting back in the chair, I picked up the phone again. ‘
Shall I give u hints?’

I thought for a moment, considering whether this was a good idea. Nothing like this had happened to me before, so there was no prior experience to fall back on about how to handle it. But I had to admit, it had me curious, despite there being a twinge of nervousness too. ‘
OK’

This could be a very bad thing, but I tried to put the thought of Ivan out of my mind. I couldn't think of any way he would know where I was.
I took a sip of coffee, waiting for a reply, which wasn't very long. ‘
U seen me naked’

I spit the coffee out in a gut reaction. It was a good thing I’d turned my chair away from the computer. Who the hell had I seen naked, who would have my number? My mind went immediately back to Ivan, but this wouldn't be his typical M.O. I thought for a moment and could only think of one person. It had been a while since I’d seen a naked body. ‘
Jude?’

She was dead meat, this wasn't a way to get back in my good graces. ‘
Nope... Ur fascinated with my body’

What the fuck? Who the hell would text something like that? This had definitely gone from creepy to the feeling of having picked up a stalker. I looked around the office, just checking if there was someone watching me. My nervousness was at a all time high.
‘WTH is this? >(’

After a moment of indecision, when I had just about decided to call the number and seriously bust the person's eardrums, another text came through. ‘
O:)’

Whoever this person was, they certainly weren't an angel.
Wait, an angel?
The blood rushed to my face as the only person I could think of filtered around inside my head. ‘
Not fascinated by body’

We had agreed to be friends, so I was pulling back on my attraction for him. He was off-limits anyway; he only had eyes for his daughter. ‘
U were when taking pics’

True, taking photos of him was fascinating, but in a professional photographer way. It was the excuse I would continue to claim. ‘
Haha... true... how r u?’

‘Good, u?’

‘Good... r u working?’

‘Yup... what r u doing 2nite?’

‘Nothing’

‘Can I c u?’

He wanted to see me. Confusion was setting in. William seemed to be coming out of his shell, which was wonderful, but it all seemed too fast and it was a little perplexing.

‘Sure’

‘Call u when done’

‘OK’

I sat back completely baffled. This wasn't the William I was accustomed to. This William was playful and free-spirited. It was strange, but exhilarating at the same time. Wondering what he wanted to do, I brought up the browser on the computer and started to search for something we might both be interested in. I was suddenly excited about this opportunity. Would he bring Angel, or would it just be us? I wanted to make sure it was something we could take a baby to, just in case.

As I searched, I found what I thought would be the perfect idea and sat back, pleased with myself. I instinctively knew I was getting in over my head, this was all moving in a direction I didn't have any experience with. I’d had plenty of experience with anyone I considered family, but not with someone who was quickly becoming a friend. It was very bewildering, somehow I needed to figure this out.

~~~~~~~~~~

I was a little sad as I started the final process of printing William's photos. There had been no need to do any editing, but looking them over had been both relaxing and delightful. It was one project I didn't want to end. I hadn't felt like a true photographer in far too long. Since opening the studio, too many clients thought my job was only to take photos and then finesse their images to create a flawless look which didn’t truly represent themselves. As far as I was concerned, natural photos were so much more priceless than artificial ones.

I reached for the cell phone as it began singing to me. Looking at the clock and then the phone, I knew it would be William's name displayed across the screen. I straightened a little in the chair.

"Hello?" I said, cursing inwardly when my voice sounded a little too anxious.

"
Hello, Beth.
" His voice was like silk in my ear. "
How was your day
?"

"Wonderful," I answered, and continued without thinking, "I worked on your photos today."

William chuckled through the phone, "
Told you... you're fascinated with my body.
"

I could feel the blood settling in my cheeks, setting my skin on fire. There was definitely something different about him. "You're a natural model for the camera. Why wouldn't I be fascinated?"

"
Well...
" He was out of words, not speechless, but maybe overthinking.

"It's fine, William. I enjoy taking photos and you make it so easy." I thought about my words, mentally slapping my brain and praying William wouldn't think too hard about what I’d said.

His snort told me he had. "
Okay, before this becomes an obscene phone call, I was wondering if you’d thought anymore about doing something tonight?
"

I smiled, wondering idly if this was the old William, how he’d been before his wife died, or if this was a new persona he was creating. Either way, he was definitely a gentleman. "Well, I was trying to find something we could do with Angel, you know, just in case. I was thinking about the Portland Art Museum."

“Is that because of my interest in painting?”

“I thought it might be something you'd enjoy. We could do something else?” I was beginning to second guess my idea.

"
I'll pick you up around seven?
"

That must have been a 'no' to my question. "Sounds good, do you need my address?" I asked

"
No, Anne has it,
" he answered. "
I'll see you at seven.
"

"Okay," I agreed, and hung up the phone, remembering Anne had been to the house to drop Jude off. I grinned to myself. It was only a night out with a friend, but I was really excited about it and couldn't hide my joy. What the hell was happening to me? It was becoming more obvious that I was way in over my head.

~~~~~~~~~~

I heard the clatter of the coffee pot as I finished slipping into a pair of flats and headed to the kitchen. It was obvious from the ruckus, Jude had finally come home.

Jude and I needed to have a quick chat before I left. It had been a few days since I had confronted her over the Brookside Park incident, and she’d been making herself scarce, which left me feeling lonely and isolated. It was beginning to feel like I was losing my best friend. This wasn't what I’d intended when I talked to her. Well, actually, screamed like a maniac was probably more accurate. With a sigh, I decided I needed to apologize for it.

I leaned against the doorway and watched as she finished cleaning up the coffee she had spilled all over the counter and giggled.

Jude looked over her shoulder. "What?" Her voice was soft, but nervous.

"I never thought I'd see a woman in four inch spikes doing housework. Wyatt must love it," I stated. This wasn't the way most people would handle issues, but this was Jude and I, it was our way and it worked.

"Funny, Beth, he'll never see this or hear about it," she clipped out.

"Oh, I'm not saying a word," I said confidently, as I felt Wyatt's presence arrive behind me. "Maybe, I'll buy a French maid's outfit for Halloween for you. Wyatt would drop dead of a heart attack."

"Hell, I don't need the outfit. The heels are all I need," Wyatt stated.

Shivers of horror ran across my skin. In a few words the tables had been turned on me. I hadn't been this grossed out in a few days. The mental images these two were providing me with were going to scar me for life.

Jude spun around and gave him a look which made me gag. Literally. Wyatt's deep laugh was directed at both my reaction, and Jude's.

"Could you two just wait till I leave?" I asked, disgusted at the turn in the conversation.

"Leave?" Jude asked, tearing her eyes from Wyatt to stare at me in question.

"Yes, leave, as in, I'm going out," I answered, slipping under Wyatt's arm and heading towards the couch. I sat down, watching out the window, and hoping William would arrive soon and rescue me.

"Where are you going?" Wyatt intercepted Jude's oncoming bombardment of questions, to ask one of his own.

"I'm going to the PAM tonight, there's an exhibit I want to see." I left the details deliberately vague. Since neither of them were into art of any kind, they would assume it was a photo exhibit, so I could keep this a secret for a little longer.

There was no doubt Jude would be on the phone with Anne as soon as she discovered who I was going with, but for now, I wanted some time to try and figure out what the change in William's attitude was all about. He was a walking pendulum, full of swinging emotions. He had lots of valid reasons to have mood swings, and he was under a lot of stress, but despite all that, I thought we were doing great. We got along and we could become really good friends.
Now, who's the walking pendulum?

"Boring!" Wyatt huffed, heading down the hallway.

A car pulled up, parking in front of the house and I scooted off the couch and attempted to get past Jude. She grabbed my elbow, spinning me around in a tight circle and into her arms. I wrapped my arms around her waist, crashing into her.

"I love you, Beth," she said softly, kissing the top of my head.

"I love you too, Jude," I answered honestly. It was our way. Things weren't healed between us, but we did have the stitches in place.

"Say hi to William for me," she whispered, as she pushed away and quickly followed Wyatt down the hall.

I stood stunned for a couple of seconds. I could swear I saw tears in Jude’s eyes. We definitely needed to talk, and soon, because she was clearly devastated by our last argument. We were as close as sisters, and I didn’t want things to change between us because of one lousy argument.

With one last glance down the hallway, I stepped outside and saw William walking up the driveway. "Hey, no fair," he grumbled.

"What?" I was confused by his reaction.

"I'm nothing, if not a gentleman. I should be picking you up at the door," he answered.

I snickered. "This isn't the 19th century, William, and the 21st century dictates that I can come to you."

William stopped and stared at me, his mouth bobbing up and down. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"What?" I asked, confused all over again.

"Sorry, I'm not use to being around independent women like you," he explained, sweeping his hand in a gentlemanly fashion towards the car.

"Oh, you'll learn how independent I am quickly enough," I answered, prancing past him.