The Billionaire's Ex-Wife (Re-Written)

Chapter 8: Confrontation and Chocolate Kisses

"HE'S WHAT?" Blake yelled. I slightly flinched as the volume of her words impacted me. "How long have you known this?" She asked as she dropped her roller.

"Only about a week..." I whispered, hoping she wouldn't hear, but knowing that she would.

"And you didn't even bother to tell me? Wow, thanks Jen." I could tell by her body language that she was really upset. Her jaw was slightly clenched. She pushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "When?"

"In about two weeks. It's a hotel opening and they want me to work it with some other photographers. That doesn't mean that I'll see him. I can try stay out of his way..." I found myself rambling, which wasn't doing much for the situation at hand. She stuck her hands in her pockets and began to pace back and forth.

"Let's just get back to painting. We still have a lot to do." She said quietly as she reached down and grabbed her paint roller.

That's when I really realized how much this upset her. We always told each other everything and I held this back. Of course it wasn't for a super long period of time, but I still didn't tell her.

________

As I headed into work on Monday I still felt guilty about not being honest with Blake. I entered my office and immediately plopped down into my chair. I stared at the computer and noticed the sticky note. I remembered my conversation with Travis and that he wanted to see them as well. I knew he wouldn't get into the office for about twenty more minutes so I decided to go grab a hot chocolate from the lobby and go over my schedule.

When Travis arrived he seemed eager to see the photos. That lifted up my confidence a little bit. He stood beside my chair as I began to sort through the photos. Every so often he would put in advice or point out the aspects he liked the best. When he made suggestions, he wasn't harsh. One of my favorites, the couple standing together, her left hand on his chest. Him looking down at her with the biggest grin on his face and her staring up at him. The snow was falling down around them and their cheeks and noses were both rosy. A blanket of white consumed the ground. When Travis saw it he went speechless.

At first this concerned me. It was my favorite so there had to be some value to it, right? I began to think that he didn't like it and that he was trying to let me down easy, but I never expected to hear what he said.

"This is absolutely astounding...It's such a common pose, but something about this photo is so unique and beautiful. I love it." He said, smiling. Nothing was better than hearing your new boss hype up your work.

"I definitely want you on this hotel event. I think you could really capture the essence of it all. I mean, this is your first shoot here and it's astounding. I'm excited to see what you do next." He said as he began to leave the room. "Also, I loved the snowman picture as well."

That surprised me. The snowman picture was them in the process of putting together a snowman. He had a mischievous look on his face as he gave the snowman arms. She looked focused and determined as she decorated the face. They were both kneeling on the freezing ground, letting their inner child come out.

I wasn't as fond of it at first. But the more I studied it I began to love it. While it didn't necessarily focus on the engagement, it narrowed in on how they brought out the little kid in each other and how they could have fun. It showed that they could make each other smile.