Despite our age difference, Harper and I had become really close friends the past few years. She’d moved back to the Alondra Valley not long after her son, Aiden, was born, but we’d only really connected when the boys started school. She’d been doing freelance gigs, and I was looking for more help, so it seemed only natural to bring her on.
We both loved photography. Our kids were nearly the same age, though she hadn’t become a mom until her late thirties. And she was originally from Fall River—a neighboring town in the Alondra Valley—so she understood small-town life. Funnily enough, she’d babysat my brother for a while before I was born.
I had other friends, but none I saw as regularly. Most of my friends from childhood had moved away or drifted away during my health issues. Harper had become a close confidante, almost a surrogate big sister.
“I just want—” I huffed. “I want to have one date where I don’t get stood up or it doesn’t end in disaster or the guy doesn’t spend the entire evening staring at my chest. Is that really so much to ask?”
“You wouldn’t think so, but you’re also working with a limited pool of candidates.”
“Meaning…”
“Have you ever considered using a dating app?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I feel…weird about it.”
“Why? People meet online all the time and form friendships or fall in love. In fact, that’s how my best friend’s bonus daughter met her husband.”
“Really?”
“Well, it wasn’t a dating app. But Connor and Olivia were matched as reading buddies for an online program through her old publishing house. They started as pen pals then talked on the phone before they finally met in person.”
It all sounded so simple. So romantic. Why couldn’t I have that?
“And they got married?” I asked.
“Oh yeah. They areveryhappily married with four kids.”
“Four?” I was positive my eyes were bugging out of my head like some silly cartoon character on the shows River liked to watch. I wanted more kids, but…four? After what I’d been through, I wasn’t even sure my body was capable of having more.
“I know, right?” Harper laughed. “I can’t even imagine.”
We both laughed and shook our heads, walking farther down the path as we scoped out potential locations for the shoot. We had a few favorites, but they rotated depending on the lighting and time of day.
“So, what did you end up doing?” she asked as we pulled out our cameras and began setting up. All we needed now was the bride.
“I had dinner with Bennett. He happened to be at Larkspur and asked to join me.”
“Interesting.” She gave me a side-eye. What was that about? It wasn’t like I’d ever told her about my crush on him. “Sounds like you went on a date after all. Just not with the guy you were expecting to.”
I rolled my eyes. “Harper, he’s my brother’s best friend. To him, I’m like an annoying little sister. I can assure you—it wasn’t a date.”
Though it had certainly felt like a date. Bennett had been attentive and a good listener, though that was nothing new. But he’d paid for my meal. We’d sat and talked for a long time, enjoying our ice cream. He’d insisted on walking me to my car. He’d almost… My stomach fluttered just thinking of the way he’d leaned in. His eyes intent on my lips.
“Hey!” Sasha called, her feet crunching on the gravel.
“Hey, Sasha!” Harper waved, and I smiled.
After that, I switched into work mode. Gone were the doubts and insecurities, and I was back in control. Behind the camera, I was confident, happy, free. If only I could be like that with the guys I met.
It wasn’t as if they were entirely to blame. I knew that.
The hard part was that when I finally found a guy I was actually interested in, I freaked out. It was like some weird version of self-sabotage where I’d say the dumbest stuff or clam up and turn it into the most awkward experience ever. So, was it any wonder I wasn’t in a relationship?
I either wasn’t interested, or if I was, I screwed it all up.
“That looks great,” Harper said to Sasha. We alternated taking shots, both of us working different angles, trading out various lenses.
Sasha smiled and brushed her veil away from her face. She looked absolutely stunning in a custom Evelyn Owen dress. Evelyn was a designer who was making quite the name for herself in Los Angeles. And I could see why, looking at the dress. It flowed over Sasha’s body before fishtailing out into a mermaid skirt. And all the tiny applique flowers sparkled in the sunlight, making her look like a sexy princess.
