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“You mentioned that. Do you really need to work so hard?”
“I don’t have Mark’s income to rely on anymore. Single person, single income.”
“No alimony?”
She sighs. “To be honest, Rowan, I didn’t want to drag things out with Mark. I went for assets, so when they sold, I got the profits. Alimony, as nice as the extra money would have been, would be a regular reminder of what he did to me, and I don’t need that. I’d rather work.”
“Understandable.”
“And you? Why do you work so hard?”
“I’m in-house counsel for my family’s business. Why wouldn’t I work hard?”
She shakes her head. “That’s it exactly, Rowan. You’re in-house counsel for yourfamily’sbusiness. I’d think you could take a little more time for yourself.”
I sigh. “I suppose I could. But I love what I do. Solving problems for the family is what I’ve always done.”
“Like the night you talked a cop out of ticketing Brooks for speeding?”
I laugh. “I’d forgotten all about that.”
“I am pretty sure it was the first time in history that a sixteen-year-old talked a cop out of a ticket.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“You’ve always been there for everyone else. You’ve built a lot of goodwill with your family. I am pretty sure you can cash in some of it for time for yourself and your kids.”
I shrug. “After Stacy died, they told me to take some time off. A couple of months or something. But that sounded like punishment. I couldn’t do it. I needed some kind of normal in my life again, a schedule. Work keeps me sane.”
She gave me a smile I could only describe as sweet patience. “What are we going to do with you, Rowan Cargill?”
“Oh, like you’re all that different?”
“I work because I need money.”
“You didn’t have to work when you were with Mark, but you did it anyway. Admit it, you’re just as much of a workaholic as I am.”
Her face scrunches up, annoyed. “Am not.”
“Are too.”
Autumn laughs and dances closer. She smells fantastic, but I can’t place the scent. “It’s not work that draws me to my office, Rowan. It’s the beauty. Finding the perfect shot that captures a couple’s love or just the right refraction of light that makes a sunset glow. Hitting that sweet spot…” She smiles bashfully. “I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I thinkthiscould be the picture that brings my work to the forefront. That my talent could be renowned, and my techniques taught in schools or…” She laughs. “Never mind.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
She sighs again. “One day, I’d like my work to be important. As in, in a textbook.Thatkind of important. I know wedding photography isn’t going to get me there, but it pays the bills while I work on my portfolio. My actual work.”
“Is that why you were taking pictures at the dock yesterday?”
“Yes.”
God, she is incredible.I did not know she was so ambitious. “That’s amazing, Autumn. If you keep at it, you’ll get there.”
“You really think so?”
“I know it. I’ve seen the landscapes and nature pictures you used to keep in your house—they’re wonderful. They remind me of the old National Geographic Magazines my grandfather had in his attic.”
She beams. “Thank you. That’s what I’ve been going for. That style. I loved those magazines when I was a kid. They capture so much of life in every shot. You feel you are there, right beside the photographer. Those magazines are such good inspiration.”
