AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s one of Lacy’s.”
Sam looked at his dad for a long moment, then actually laughed, unsurprised. “Of course it is. Just like I suppose the shot of the lodge in winter, with the Christmas tree in the front window is hers, too?”
His father nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he took a sip of his beer. “You got it. She’s made a name for herself in the last year or so. We’ve had hotel guests buy the photos right off the walls.” He shook his head, smiling to himself. “Lacy does us up some extra prints just so we can accommodate the tourists. She’s been making some good money selling her photos through a gallery in Ogden, too.”
“She never mentioned it.”
And it was weird to realize that he was so out of touch with Lacy. There had been a time when they were so close, nothing between them was secret. Now there was an entire chunk of her life that he knew nothing about. His own damn fault and he knew it, but that didn’t make it any easier to choke down.
His father nodded sagely. “Uh-huh. Again, any reason why she should have?”
“No.” Blowing out a breath in frustration, Sam leaned back in his kitchen chair and studied his father. There was a sly expression on the older man’s face that told Sam his father was enjoying this. “She doesn’t owe me a thing. I get that. But damn it, we shared a lot of great times, too. Don’t they mean something? Okay fine. I left. But I’m back now. That counts, too, doesn’t it?”
“It does with me. Lacy may be harder to convince.”
“I know.”
“And Kristi.”
“I know.” Sam snorted. “And Mom.”
Bob winced. “Your mother’s damn happy to have you back, Sam.”
“Yeah,” he said, turning his head to look out the window at the pockets of deep blue sky visible between the pines. He’d felt it from his mom since he’d returned. The reluctance to be too excited to see him. The wary pleasure at having him home. “But she’s also holding back, waiting for me to go again.”
“And are you?”
Guilt reared up and gnawed at the edges of his heart. “I don’t know yet. Wish I did. But I promised you I’d stay at least until these plans are complete and the way I’m adding things I might never be finished.”
“All true,” his father said. “You might ask yourself sometime why it is you keep thinking of more things to do. More things that will give you an excuse to stay here longer.”
He hadn’t thought of it like that but now that he was, Sam could see that maybe subconsciously he had been working toward coming home for good. Funny that he hadn’t noticed that the more involved his plans became the further out he pushed the idea of leaving again.
“Anyway,” his father said, “while you’re doing all this thinking, you’ll have to talk to Lacy about using her photos in the advertising you’re planning.”
“I will,” he said.
“She’s really good, isn’t she?”
“She always was,” Sam acknowledged and knew he was talking about much more than her talent for photography.
Seven
“You want to use my photos?”
Sam grinned at Lacy an hour later and told himself it was good to actually surprise her. He enjoyed how her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.
“I do. And not just on the website, I’d like to use them in print advertising, as well.”
“Why—”
He tipped his head. “Don’t pretend you don’t know how good a photographer you are.”
“I don’t know how to respond to that without sounding conceited.”
“Well, while you’re quiet, here’s something else to think about.” He planted both palms on the edge of the desk and leaned in until he was eye to eye with her. “I’ll want some of your photos made into postcards that we can sell in the lobby of the lodge.”
“Postcards.”
“Hey, some people actually enjoy real mail,” he told her and straightened up. “We can have a lawyer draw up terms—all nice and legal, but I’m thinking a seventy-thirty split, your favor, on the cards and any prints we sell. As for the advertising, we’ll call that a royalty deal and you’ll get a cut every time we use one of your photos.”
She blinked at him and damned if he didn’t enjoy having her off balance. “Royalty.”
