The Photo Shoot (Moments...)

Chapter 2- Phillip

Latrice stared at me, a mixture of irritation and question in her eyes.

Maybe that last comment had been a bit out of line.

"Okay," she said, nodding.

"Give me a few minutes to set up my equipment and let Ken know he can go home for the night." Latrice's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I'll be back."

Ken was in the back room, his camera in his lap while reviewing the pictures he'd taken on his computer screen. "I don't like these. For some reason, I can't get her to stay focused."

I leaned over his shoulder to get a closer look. "It's not the best, but it's the subject that's the problem, not you." I put a hand on his shoulder. "Tell you what, why don't you cut out for the rest of the day. I'll handle Latri—Mrs. Williams." He looked at me with a raised brow. "Don't worry. This has nothing to do with you. You'll still get paid."

Ken shrugged. "You're the boss." He removed the cord from his computer and went back into the studio for his equipment.

What am I doing? I ran my hand across my brow.

my inner voice said. We need the company. She seems to be the perfect candidate.

I peered out the office window. Latrice continued to wander around, taking in the images on the wall. Ken and his equipment were gone.

Even though we'd only just met, I knew a few things about Latrice. She was recently divorced and in need of rebuilding her self-esteem. At least that's what her friend had said when she purchased the photo shoot package.

Had they been talking about the same woman? The Latrice I'd just met seemed to be the opposite. While that was intriguing, her issues were none of my business.

She didn't want you to be alone, you know,' the voice said again.

My attention went to my desk where a picture of my beautiful wife sat.

I raised a finger to my lips and put it against the photograph.

My attention went to the woman now standing in front of the empty tripod. Camera in hand, I walked toward my client.

"Are you ready?" Finding enthusiasm about my current task was easy. My subject was ...

Latrice met me with a set of breathtaking brown eyes. Dark, deep, mysterious wells that made me pause. I'd photographed many women over the years, looked into hundreds of eyes, peered into the depths of many souls. None had spoken to me as Latrice's eyes had.

Not since Debra.

"Are you okay?" Latrice stared at me, her face full of concern.

"What?" I forced myself back to reality. "Fine. I'm fine. For a moment, you reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

Tell her and get it over with,' the voice instructed.

I swallowed. "My wife. She died two years ago. Ovarian cancer."

Latrice's hands went to her mouth. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks." I forced myself to focus on the camera in my hands as I set it up on the tripod.

"How long?"

I looked up.

"Was she sick, I mean..."

"A few years. She was a fighter, for sure. So much so she gave me a beautiful daughter before leaving this world. She found out she was pregnant the same time she was diagnosed with cancer. The type of cancer she had could have been cured, but she would have lost the baby. We'd been trying for years to get pregnant. Surgery would have made it impossible to conceive again. She avoided chemo and focused on holistic medicine until she gave birth. By then, it was too late. She lived to see Anna's first birthday."