Angel's Hero

Chapter 16

The air was sweet with spring blossoms, and Angel inhaled deeply while she drove away from her house that afternoon.
She'd secured a scarf over her head to keep her hair from flying around, while she drove with the top down to the location Michelle had chosen for their shoot that day.
Angel felt great.
She'd spent the past few days resolving her feelings where Conner was concerned, admitting that he might have had a point.
She didn't want him to feel guilty about something that hadn't even happened between them.
She also admitted to herself, that while she'd hoped to be rid of her sexual status by this age, life's circumstance had lead her to where she was, and combined with her own youthful decisions, she had no one to blame but herself.
That being said, she still bristled a little at how he had just assumed she would have expected more from him, as if Conner Grayson knew her, as if he spoke for her, as if he owned her.
Ugh, there went her temper again. She admitted her underlying daddy issues might have played a role in her reaction.
No matter how many times she talked herself down with reason, and sound fact, she couldn't keep her temper in check at the hurt she'd felt when he'd so easily set her aside after sharing such intimacy with her.
No point in getting worked up now. You don't care, remember?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You need to look fierce for Michelle, so that she gets this job.
Yeah! Let's kick some ass!
Firmly pushing her own feelings aside, Angel focused on Michelle.
She'd often sat as a model for Michelle when her friend had first started out on her own and she'd needed someone she knew to practice on, to gain confidence and experience, so Angel was used to being in front of the lens.
As she turned onto Knickerbocker Road, northwest of her home, another car followed.
This road was usually quiet; only residents who lived on the lake here used it, as it was a branch off the main road; it's sole purpose to lead to the lake, and then feed back onto the main road.
Glancing in her rearview mirror, Angel recognized the Pierce's, and she smiled.
She looked over at the little pastry bag in the carrier beside her, and thought of the two little girls she'd promised treats to during the week when she'd seen them, and discussed the upcoming shoot with their parents.
Katie and Tallulah were little darlings, and Angel enjoyed teasing, cuddling, chasing, and playing with them.
Up ahead, she spotted Michelle's nondescript hatchback pulled over on the side of the road, on a small patch of gravel, the nose of her car well into the surrounding foliage, to make room for the other vehicles arriving.
Following suit, Angel pulled her Jeep in at an angle beside it, taking up as little space as possible.
She noticed Artie Pierce wait for her to park, before he did the same, swinging wide to bring his white SUV alongside hers.
Another vehicle behind him, one that she hadn't seen before, did the same. The green pickup truck had the logo for Twin Mason's Farm on its side.
Hmm, wonder who else Michelle has roped into this.
Michelle had climbed out of her car when she'd seen Angel pulling up, and waved them down.
"Hey!" She called out in greeting to her friend as she pulled her camera bag off the back seat of her car, slamming the door shut.
"Great day for it," Angel said looking up through the trees at the clear blue sky beyond, as she removed her headscarf.
The road they were on cut through the wooded area that ran alongside the lake. The tall, thin trees weren't big at all in these parts, but they were dense, so they created the perfect setting for what Michelle had had in mind, according to the breakdown she'd given Angel.
Angel had helped her scout the location earlier in the week.
"Yeah," Michelle agreed, looking up herself. "And thankfully it's not too warm, so you wont get all sweaty." She teased.
Angel stuck her tongue out. "I don't sweat, I glisten."
Angel had punctuated the sentence with a nose in the air, faking a snooty pose.
Then laughter from the other adults drew Angel's attention.
Artie came around his vehicle with Katie in his arms, the little girl sucking her thumb and her big brown eyes glistening with recently shed tears.
Greeting them, Angel lifted the goodie bag and held it out to the tearful tot.
Katie smiled around her thumb.
She held out her arms to her, and Angel gladly took the weight of the little girl, swinging her into the air before settling her on her hip and nuzzling her nose against the down-covered cheek.
Tallulah ran around the front of the car and hugged Angel around the knees, before taking the pastry bag.
Angel set Katie on the ground, and the two girls set off to find somewhere to sit and devour their treats.
"Good to see you, Angel," Artie laughed as he kept a watchful eye on his daughters. "When are you going to have one of your own? You're so good with them."
Angel laughed despite the pang in her stomach, "You looking to get rid of one? I'll take both if you're offering."
Artie laughed loudly.
"Never," he smiled sweetly and moved over to stand next to his girls, and squatted next to them, accepting the piece of croissant squished in Katie's hands. The girls giggled as their father pretended to eat the little girl's hand.
Angel could hear Olivia, Artie's wife, talking and laughing on the other side of their car.
She rounded the hood, chuckling at something the other person was saying.
He followed her around the SUV, and Angel's jaw almost hit the floor.
The man standing there was by far the single most handsome man she had ever met. Michelle came to her side.
"Who," Angel fanned herself. "Is that?"
Michelle looked up from the camera and lens in her hands that she was fitting together. "Oh, that's Robert."
"Just, 'oh, that's Robert'? Where did he come from?" Angel mocked. "I mean, my friend, do you have eyes in your head?"
"Yes, I have eyes," Michelle responded tongue in cheek. "He is pretty hot."
"That man is more than hot, he's smoking hot," Angel pretended to wipe drool from her mouth.
"And he has an identical twin brother," Michelle said, laughing as Angel's head whipped around to stare at her incredulously, before she hooted.
"Two of them? Christ, I'd like to be in the middle of that sandwich."
"Just cool your jets there, crazy lady," Michelle cackled, stepping around Angel to greet the others.
Angel followed, her eyes glued to the divine man walking towards her.
A little taller than her, nicely built, thick and wavy dark blonde hair, deep green eyes; he definitely made a delicious package.
Was this the man Angel would be posing with?
Please, please, please let it be him.
"Robert, this is Angel," Michelle introduced the two.
Angel smiled demurely as their hands connected. "Nice to meet you Robert."
"Likewise. I've heard a lot about you," his silky voice washed over her, as he winked at Michelle.
Michelle choked out a sound that had Angel looking at her friend curiously.
Michelle stepped away from them to talk to the family. They were up first for their photographs.
Angel and Robert turned to watch Michelle and the family walk a little further into the wooded area, to set them up for their shot.
As Michelle moved around the couple, she cracked jokes and threw leaves and twigs at the little girls to make them giggle.
The objective of this scene was to have the parents chasing their little girls, while they were all dressed to match in red shorts, their T-shirts white.
Michelle had told them all to wear unbranded sportswear, or clothing that could pass as sportswear, color-coded to her specifications.
She'd asked Angel to wear a sports bra and high-waist leggings. She'd shown Michelle the only sports bra she owned; the navy blue covering was a little small, something she'd had in her younger days and never thrown away. Getting ready for this, she'd had to stuff her girls into it, and they bulged a bit over the top. It didn't really bother Angel too much, as long as when it was her turn to pose, she didn't pop out of the thing. It was strange, as in everyday wear, she didn't like any sort of attention, but posing for Michelle seemed to pull the opposite out of her, and she didn't embarrass easy.
Her black leggings came to just above her navel, leaving the expanse of her upper abdomen exposed.
As long as she was standing, Angel knew her waist looked great; sleek and toned.
Seated, her stomach rolls would be visible, so she would just have to make sure she remained standing for all the photographs.
She was thankful for the sweatshirt she had on now, though, so she could lean comfortably against the front of her Jeep, without having to suck her stomach all the way in. As progressive as she liked to think she was, she still balked at having her lumps and bumps on display. She was working on it.
Robert commented on how easily Michelle moved, and wondered what would be required of them once it was their turn.
Enjoying the company of the handsome man, she wanted to set the tone to light and teasing.
"I really can't see why Shelley here picked you for this project," Angel teased. "I mean, you're just hideous."
Robert responded to her smile with a dimpled one of his own.
"Likewise," he said, making Angel laugh happily.
This was going to be a lot of fun.
"Hello, Angel."
Her smile dropped when she heard his voice. She turned stiffly to face him. "Hello, Conner."
She said his name through gritted teeth.
How had her resolve to be cordial to him the next time she saw him vanished so quickly?
"What are you doing here?" She said over her shoulder.
"Michelle asked me to be here," he said simply.
"She did?" Angel turned to look at him, and stared into his eyes, no longer avoiding his gaze. Her eyes widened and she took in his outfit.
Navy blue T-shirt and black baggy basketball style shorts.
Looks like Angel had a partner after all, it just wasn't one she'd hoped.
Michelle made her way over twenty minutes after starting with the family. Angel hadn't spoken to Conner again, but had kept her voice bright as she'd engaged with Robert and asked him about his farm.
"Conner!" Michelle smiled brightly. "You made it!" She walked over to him and hugged him in greeting.
Angel seethed, and watched her friend through narrowed eyes, her gaze lingering on the hand Michelle kept on Conner's arm as they conversed.
She resisted the urge to forcibly separate them.
Michelle chatted easily with Conner and Robert, while Angel kept her eyes away from the tall man.
As soon as Michelle finished with the chit-chat, Angel pulled her aside.
"Why is Conner here?" Angel said furiously under her breath.
"Why wouldn't I ask him? He's really fit and this is a sport fitness shoot. What's the problem?" Michelle raised her eyebrows as she looked at Angel. "I thought you said you were friends?"
"Uhm," Angel took a breath, her anger deflating. She had said that. She was just too proud to admit what had happened the other day, and didn't want her friend to know her humiliation.
This was her own fault, her own doing. "Yeah, we're friends. Just thought Robert was my partner," She shrugged.
Averting her eyes, she scuffed the toe of her sneaker in the dirt.
"Oh," Michelle said brightly. "No he's my solo model. And then he and his brother, Raymond, are going to do some other work for me, but over at their farm tomorrow."
Michelle waved for the guys to join them.
"Right, here's my idea for the first shot of you two," Michelle said confidently. "I want you two to go to that fallen tree over there."
The group moved into the wooded area. Angel looked over her shoulder as she heard the Pierce's SUV start up, pull out, and then drive off. She waved goodbye to the two little faces in the rear window, and scrunched her face at them. She felt his eyes on her, but when she turned her head, Conner was focused on Michelle.
Michelle was pointing to the tree lying on its side, as she moved into the position she would be taking the photo from.
"I want you leaping over it Angel, while Conner is running behind you. Think trail running. This is an action shot."
"Alright," Angel, determined to make the best of the situation, moved off to the other side of the log, stepped back, and jumped over the log on her first test jump.
"Like that?" she asked.
"No, not quite," Michelle thought for a moment. "A runner wouldn't jump with two feet together over something in their path."
"True," Angel nodded. She moved back around to her starting point and tried again, launching herself over the log one leg at a time. "Better?"
"Much. But it still looks a bit forced. I need natural," Michelle's eyes went blank as she let her mind wander over their options.
"What if you actually ran at it and then jumped?" Robert said. "You did say this was an action shot, right? Maybe she should really do it."
"That could work," Michelle nodded her head at him. "Angie, go up around that bend over there and run and jump as if you were really a trail runner, and this was in your way. I also need images of you guys running so this kills two birds."
"Alright, let's try that."
Angel jogged up the path, and then did a quick survey of the area, and ran back, stretching her right leg in front of her as she leapt over the log. She heard the camera's shutter flicking as Michelle tracked her jump.
She stumbled a bit as she landed and Robert steadied her as he was nearest to her.
"Nice leap there, Odette," he laughed. Ooh, a cultured man who'd seen a ballet!
"Thanks, Siegfried," she laughed back at him, smiling widely.
"Are we going to do this or what?" Conner's voice cracked her happy mood.
Stop, he's your friend. Be friendly.
I can't.
Try.
Fine!
"That was great, Angel," Michelle said loudly. "Let's try the shot now. Shirts off people."