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“Stop, I’m begging you.”
Fetching young man? Up that direction. Carrie’s cheeks grew warm. Did she mean Ethan?
“Evan something?” Aunt Pan made a face, working a bit of dough out from her back molars. If old age was the price of such self-assurance, thought Carrie, it was a steal of a deal.
“Erwin maybe? He’s a big, dark pile of a man who fills out a pair of jeans like a cowboy but drives that fancy sports car instead. It’s red, like that old prom dress of yours. Always pictured you in a car like that.”
She knew that car. Everyone knew that car. It was a sleek Infiniti Q60 with blacked-out windows, a stomach-tickling growl and a custom paint job in, as Pansy said, a gorgeous chili-pepper red. But the vehicle in Ethan’s yard had been a Land Rover. He didn’t have two cars, did he?
“Sports cars look like fun,” said Carrie, “but they’re useless for hauling equipment.”
The business line rang downstairs, and Carrie jumped.
“I’ve got to take this,” she said. Hopefully this would derail Pansy’s Ethan Nash train of thought. Wherever Pansy was going with it, Carrie didn’t want to join her. Especially since the man in question was due to show up in… she glanced at her smart phone. Ack! Any time now.
“Actually, I’ve got a meeting planned, as well. Thanks for stopping by with the treats.”
“Take your call,” said Pansy. “I’m in no rush.”
Carrie ran down the stairs to her office, wondering if she’d have to actually kick Pansy out.
“Forever Yours Photography,” she said, somewhat breathlessly. “Carrie Logan speaking.”
The caller was a brand new client that had recently booked a family portrait session.
“I’m so sorry to do this,” said the woman. “Something’s come up. I have to cancel.”
“No problem,” said Carrie. She forced herself to smile, thinking of Pansy, waiting upstairs. “When should we reschedule it for? I’ve got openings on Tuesday and Thursday the following week.”
And Wednesday and Friday, but no need to draw attention to that.
“That’s okay, I’m not sure… I might be going out of town. I’ll call you when I know, okay? Thanks.”
The woman hung up before Carrie could respond. She’d sounded odd. Uncomfortable. As if she was lying.
Maybe she was lying.
“Have a wonderfully awesome day,” she said into the dead phone. She hit the end button and set the phone down on her desk, a distant thud of fear starting to drum deep in her chest.
Two cancellations in as many days? Schedules changed, things happened and it wasn’t unusual to shift appointments, sometimes several times, to accommodate her clients’ busy lives.
That’s not what bothered her.
It was that, like Bethany, this woman had sounded… odd.
“You don’t normally get cancellations, do you?” said Aunt Pansy from the top of the stairs.
“I’m the only game in town,” said Carrie. “So, no.”
But in these days of camera phones and cheap editing programs, professional photographers were going the way of the dodo.
“Maybe you need to branch out.” Pansy waved her hand vaguely. “Specialize. Offer something they can’t get anywhere else.”
“People cancel. It’s no big deal. I really need to get to work though. It’s been lovely seeing you.”
Pansy was oblivious. “What about wildlife photography? Bear season’s coming up, you know. Or pet portraits? Oh, I know. Babies in teapots, covered with flowers, like that famous photographer does. I can’t remember her name.”
“Anne Geddes.” As if. Carrie wanted to crawl out of her skin.
“Or romantic old people pictures. We are the demographic of power, you know. I could drag your ornery grandfather over for some practice poses, if you like.”
Gross. Carrie pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead.
“Pansy, I don’t mean to be rude but I’ve got a computer guy coming this morning…”
“Computers!” Pansy poked a finger at Carrie. “That’s it! The mountain man. He’s into computers somehow. What is his name? Edgar? Reginald? No.” She stroked her chin for a moment. “Ethan! That’s it. Ethan Nash. And, as I understand it, not married in the least. You should look him up. I saw how you enjoyed that muffin, my girl.”
