Free Finally Satisfied by Tori Scott Page A

humming to
herself as she walked. Now that she didn’t have to worry about
running into Eric, she was relaxed and completely at ease. Nerves
would probably set in again when the wedding day got closer, but
for now she would enjoy every minute she could.
    As she neared the lake, the sky turned a
brilliant pink as the sun began to sink below the horizon. She
hurried to the water’s edge and quickly set up her tripod, snapped
her camera onto the top, and lined up her shot. The lake was
covered with a thick layer of ice which provided an interesting
foreground, with cracks zigzagging across the surface. She took her
first shot, changed the exposure and took another. She shifted the
camera angle a few degrees, then a few more.
    Once she was satisfied, the sun had
disappeared below the horizon and she looked around for something
else to shoot. The lights came on at the lodge, bathing everything
around it in a golden glow. She hefted the tripod onto her shoulder
and headed back to take a picture from the front. As she rounded
the corner, she ran into Mitch, nearly knocking both of them
down.
    “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
    “Yeah. I was just coming out to make sure you
made it back okay.”
    “How did you know where I was?
    He tucked a wayward strand of hair back under
her cap. “I’ve been watching you.”
    “Really?” She ducked her head, suddenly shy.
“Why?”
    “I was on the balcony, looking at the lake,
and I saw you taking pictures. You looked so at peace out there,
like you were totally in your element.”
    “I was.” She let him take the heavy tripod
from her without protest. “If I could figure out how to make a
living at it, I’d do nothing but nature photography. Nature doesn’t
criticize.”
    “I’ve seen your work. I can’t imagine anyone
criticizing it.” He tucked his hand under her arm so she wouldn’t
fall if she hit a patch of ice and carried the tripod in the
other.
    “Oh, you’d be surprised. I get moms sometimes
who schedule their kids’ appointments because it’s a certain
birthday, or half birthday or something. But they can’t afford the
pictures. They just want the proofs. But instead of telling me they
can’t afford to buy prints, they start nitpicking every shot. Then
they storm out. They got what they wanted--the proofs--and they
don’t mind ripping me apart in the process. But that’s depressing,
and the last thing I want to be up here is depressed. So, are there
any plans for tonight?”
    “Everyone’s getting together in the lobby in
a few minutes.” Mitch waited while she took several shots of the
lodge entrance, then helped her carry her gear inside. Then he
waited while she put it away. When she’d finished, they went down
to the lobby where the others waited around the fireplace. He
stopped in front of a beautiful twenty-something who had to be
Erin. Two children, about five and seven years old, were working on
a puzzle on the large coffee table.
    “Erin,” Mitch said, “This is Angel.”
    Angel held her breath. Would Erin blow her
carefully guarded secret wide open by mentioning Eric?
    But Erin smiled and said, “It’s very nice to
meet you. Mitch told me you’re a professional photographer and will
be taking pictures at the wedding. I’m so excited. I hope you get
lots of pictures of these two monkeys. I’ll pay whatever you ask to
get some good prints. They always goof off at the studio.”
    “I’m sure we can get some good candids for
you. And hopefully they’ll let me get a few formal shots as well.”
Angel prayed that she could. Though the kids were behaving right
now, she could tell by the mischievous glint in the younger one’s
eyes that he could be a handful.
    They chatted a few more minutes with no
mention of Eric or Angel’s relationship to him, and then Erin
gathered the two kids and took them upstairs.
    Mitch must have picked up on Angel’s tension,
because he leaned close and whispered, “I talked to her before we
left home. She