The rest of the group included a middle-aged husband-and-wife pair who were experienced photographers but brand new to night photography, a pair of women in their fifties who had done almost no photography at all (including the cheerful first arrival), and a gorgeous blond woman who immediately walked up to Ren as if they were old friends.
“Sorry I couldn’t make Iceland,” she said in a light German accent.
“Nice to see you, Elka,” Ren said. “I’m glad you could make this one.”
“So no Freya?” Elka scanned the room, her eyes landing briefly on Sarah.
“No, not this time,” Ren agreed with a frown.
The woman seemed happy with the news as she placed herself near him at the table.
Had Ren slept with this woman? Sarah decided that there had certainly been flirtation, at least on Elka’s side. And now Ren appeared to be single again. Perhaps this woman would make her move.
As Ren began his opening talk, Sarah watched him and considered for the first time that Ren’s good looks could pose a challenge in workshops like this. If people were interested in him romantically, they could sign up to spend five nights with him under the stars, flirting with him constantly, handing him hotel room keys that were only a few doors away. She noticed that Ren carefully wasn’t looking at Elka, but that could mean anything.
Putting aside her reserve of adolescent jealousy, Sarah realized that perhaps having a female assistant could be a strategy for keeping interested clients at arm’s length. Maybe it would even be useful for Ren if the participants thought Ren and Sarah were dating, especially if this blond woman was persistent and Ren wasn’t interested. After a moment’s reflection, she realized she wouldn’t mind pretending they were dating, if that would help him. Sarah had been harassed occasionally at work and knew how unpleasant it could be.
“Everyone,” Ren began once everyone had introduced themselves, “this is Sarah Drakenberg. She is a brilliant photographer who is going to be assisting me on this week’s shoot. She’s based in Toronto, but I talked her into helping out with this one.”
Sarah smiled. “Happy to be here.”
Elka shot Sarah an intense look that confirmed Sarah’s suspicions.
Ren began giving the practical logistics of the workshop first: where they would go, what would happen if it got too rainy on Tuesday or Wednesday, when they would probably have their overnight shoot, options for fun activities and shooting locations during the day for those who were interested (and for those who could manage to stay awake.) Ren explained the daily plan: they would meet each day an hour or two after lunch to review photos from the night before and to have a lecture on shooting and processing techniques. The shooting portion of the workshop would begin around sunset and run until midnight (for those who wanted to go to bed ‘early’) and until sunrise for anyone interested in shooting all night. Kyle gave a knowing smile to Ren.
“Signing up for the dawn crew,” Kyle said confidently.
“I expected no less,” Ren replied with a smile.
The presentation paused as Ren let everyone leave who already knew the basics of shooting at night. As Sarah had anticipated, most of the men left, including Kyle. That left behind one of the Silicon Valley-type men, Jack, the married couple, the pair of women who might also be a couple, and Elka, who walked up to Ren and smiled.
“I think I know the basics,” she said in a low murmur. “But let me know if you want me to stick around.”
“You’re already an expert,” Ren said with a polite smile. “You’ll find this boring.”
“I doubt that, but I’ll see you at dinner,” Elka replied. She put a hand on his arm and squeezed it before heading out. Sarah carefully felt nothing about the exchange.
She found that she enjoyed Ren’s introductory night photography lesson. It was a useful review for her after their discussion the previous day, but it was also an opportunity to observe Ren in his new incarnation as a teacher. She had known him best when he was young and restless, with a tendency to bounce off the walls and switch topics. To see him being so organized and articulate was new. She also got a general sense of which people were likely to need the most help once they went out shooting. The married couple, Binita and Tanjul Dangol, had a number of targeted questions but seemed to understand photography in general, while the two middle-aged women, Rita and Selassie, needed introductory concepts like focal length and f-stop explained to them. Jack, a corporate executive near Sarah’s age, was by turns confused and irritated, like he was annoyed that this wasn’t instantly easy for him. He had a very expensive camera but seemed unsure of how to navigate its menus, which meant he would need a lot of personal attention, Sarah suspected. She also suspected that, like many prickly and easily frustrated men, he would prefer the help from Ren and not from her.
She could see how one teacher would not have been enough—not if these people were paying thousands of dollars to learn how to take great photographs of the stars.
“And one huge request,” Ren concluded, “I beg of you. No using your camera flash. It never, ever looks good.”
“Rarely,” Sarah said, and he jokingly glared at her. “It’s a tool like any other tool,” she added.
“Don’t listen to Sarah,” he said with a smile. “She’s a bad influence.”
At the end of the lecture, Sarah helped Ren pack up the gear before they walked into their hotel room together.
As soon as they were alone with the door shut, she turned to him.
“Hey,” she said quietly. “Your previous assistant was someone you dated?”
He grimaced. “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wasn’t sure it was relevant.” They were right in the doorway again, near to each other. Would she have to flash back to that kiss every time they stood like this? Apparently so.
“Well,” Sarah began, “if you need me to pretend to date you to make your life easier, just let me know.”
He stared at her. “What?”
