Page 16 of Tequila Lime and Sunshine

“It’s my charming wit and devilish good looks,” I tell her.

She chokes on her drink.

“You are absolutely ridiculous.” She shakes her head but is smiling beautifully, which makes her poking fun at me worth it.

We decide on tacos and place our order.

Summer leans back in her chair and sips her strawberry margarita, the light from the sunset making her glow. I can barely take my eyes off her.

“So,” she starts. “Is being a photographer everything you dreamed of?”

I consider her question, pleasantly surprised that she’s trying to have a civilized conversation with me right now. “Yeah, you know I always loved taking pictures.”

“I know. I remember that camera you got for your birthday one year. You’d make Holden and I stand in all sorts of poses just so you could figure out the best angles and lighting.”

The number of pictures I have of her from when we were kids is crazy. And I can’t bring myself to get rid of them. She probably doesn’t know this, but I used one of the portraits I took of her in my portfolio for my art school application.

“I remember that. I should dig those up one day.” Truthfully, I know exactly where they are, so no digging is required.

She cringes. “Let’s not and say we did.”

“Fair enough.”

“You know, I’ve seen some of your work. You’re really good. You should be proud of yourself.” Hearing her say that makes me happier than any praise I’ve ever gotten for my photos.

“Thanks, Sum. That means a lot. I love what I do, but sometimes, I feel like I’m not doing enough.”

She cocks her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Like you, for example. You use your blog to help people experience the world even on a budget. You promote small businesses. I just take pictures of pretty people. I’m not doing anything meaningful.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this. I’ve never really talked about this with anyone. When I first started out, I loved that I was working with beautiful women every day. But the older I’ve gotten, the more it feels like I’m going through the motions. I’m trying to build a reputation I’m not convinced I even want.

“I don’t think that’s true. It means something to you, and that’s just as important. But I’m sure there are some ways you could make your work feel like more.”

“How’s that?” I ask, interested in hearing what she comes up with. I’m sure it’ll be something brilliant.

“Well, off the top of my head, you could work with more brands that offer a wider range of sizes. Include models in the shoots that have curves like the average woman. While the models you shoot regularly are gorgeous, they give unrealistic expectations for most women. It could also be extremely harmful to younger girls. It would be beneficial to show women of all shapes and sizes, you know?”

I sit there in stunned silence for so long that she asks, “What?”

“It’s just. . . perfect. I don’t know how you do that. You come up with the best ideas.”

A slight blush creeps up on her cheeks.

Our food is delivered before she has a chance to respond.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” I announce, taking in the different tacos we ordered. There’s a feast in front of us. We’ve got hard-shell tacos, soft tacos, seafood tacos, chicken tacos, and vegetable tacos. We figured it’d be best to order a little of everything to give a comprehensive review.

“There is no way we can eat all this,” Summer says, eyes wide. She grabs her phone and takes several pictures at different angles to get the shot she needs.

“Challenge accepted.” I wink at her before grabbing my first taco.

Summer grabs one too, and we both take a bite.

“This is so good,” she says as she goes in for another bite.

She closes her eyes as she chews, and that’s how I know she’s enjoying it. I can’t help but smile at her. When she opens her eyes again, she catches me staring. “What?”

I reach out and swipe my thumb over the corner of her mouth. “You had a little sauce there.”