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“Don’t get ahead of yourself. The week isn’t over,” Roni insisted.
“Hey,” Jenni said, holding a squirming puppy in her arms. “This is all for a good cause and I can’t thank you guys enough. Really.”
Roni put her arm around her sister. “Anything for your rescue. Literally.”
Jimmy snapped a picture of the two sisters. “You should have brought Spooky.”
Roni’s eyes narrowed. “Are you after my cat, mister? ’Cause you can’t have him.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, over exaggerating the hurt in his voice. “This is an event for people and their pets. Now, if your pet happens to be infatuated with me, who am I to complain?”
“Right.” She gave a sheepish smile.
It took all his willpower to not close the event down at once so he could spend some time alone with her.
“Okay, back to work.” He gave her a wink, then went back to his post to take the next picture. Every time he turned to look at her, he caught her watching him. He was getting to her, he could tell.
He needed to concentrate, and as Jimmy took pictures of people with their pets, he started to focus in on the animals. Their expressions were all so different, and more than once he’d capture a look that reached into his soul and gave it a good tug. These animals were so full of love and adoration for their owners, and the feelings were returned.
He was suddenly seeing animals in a different light and was starting to see what Gerald was getting at. While his landscapes might be beautiful, they were missing the spark, the soul he saw in this dog’s eyes as he peered at him through the lens of the camera.
That was what he’d failed to capture in his painting of Spooky last night. He’d been so focused on the getting the right shade of green, he missed capturing the cat’s essence.
Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to get home and back to his paints, brushes, and canvas. He wanted to find that spark. To recreate it. To let it shine through.
“I think we’ve beat her, buddy. We’re at four hundred and fifty,” Owen said, and the night wasn’t over yet.
“Don’t tell Roni that or she’ll plan another event,” Jimmy said under his breath.
Owen laughed. “Don’t I know it. She’s already talking gingerbread cookie decorating.”
Jimmy opened his mouth wide. “How is that fair? One of her best friends owns a bakery.”
“Dude, you knew you weren’t going to win this.”
Jimmy laughed. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
At ten o’clock, Brianna approached him. “Your barista is exhausted. I think we should call it a night.”
“Sounds good.” Jimmy looked around him. Other than this last person he’d been working with, no one else was left except his friends.
His friends.
He smiled. It felt good to think of them that way. It had been a long time since he had. A lightness filled him, and he realized he was happy in a way he hadn’t been for years. Was it possible what he’d been missing all along had been right here in his hometown of Pineville?
“You might have beat me tonight, but the week isn’t over,” Roni said, walking up with her coat on.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yep, it’s late and we all have early mornings tomorrow.”
“Are you doing anything tomorrow night?” he asked, suddenly certain he wanted to take that next step. To tell her how he was feeling and hope she’d be willing to give him, give them, another try.
“Are you trying to keep me busy so I can’t find a way to raise more money?”
He smiled. “Never. I thought maybe we could get some dinner somewhere. Just the two of us.”
She looked at him for a long moment, and he found himself holding his breath, hoping she’d say yes.
