Page 10 of Safe With You

Naomi’s smile widened.

“And don’t make it weird,” I added.

“I would never.”

“You absolutely would.”

She was already typing on her phone. A second later, mine buzzed on the counter.

I glanced down.

Ellis Monroe Photography

Beneath the name was a link to his website and a phone number.

I didn’t click it right away.

I don’t know why.

Maybe because Naomi was watching me too closely. Maybe because part of me already knew she had an ulterior motive.

Naomi tapped the counter with one acrylic nail. “Well?”

“I’m working.”

“You’re avoiding.”

“I’m multitasking.”

“You’re single-tasking, and the single task is avoidance.”

I looked up at her. “Do you want this event to have a photographer or not?”

“Yes.”

“Then let me handle it.”

She lifted both hands in surrender, but the knowing smile stayed on her face. “Fine. Handle it.”

When she walked off toward the back of the store, I finally clicked the link.

The site loaded quickly, opening to a black-and-white photo of an older couple dancing in the middle of what looked like their kitchen. The woman was laughing with her head tilted back while the man held her like he’d been holding her for decades and still hadn’t gotten tired of it.

The picture made me pause, but I reminded myself I wasn’t here to admire his work. I needed to know if he could handle a bookstore full of eighty people, questionable lighting, and a spoken word artist who liked to wander into the crowd halfway through her set.

I scrolled past engagement sessions and family portraits until I found his event galleries. A community festival. An art showcase. A private dinner with enough people packed into one room to make tomorrow night look manageable. The photos were clean, well-lit, and, most importantly, didn’t look like everyone had stopped what they were doing the second he lifted his camera.

Okay.

Naomi might actually know what she was talking about.

I clicked over to the About page, mostly looking for how long he’d been doing this professionally.

Then I saw his headshot.

And, unfortunately, Naomi was also right about the other thing.

Ellis Monroe was fine.