Picture Perfect Read online

She eased back from his warm, cozy embrace. “Oh, I see wheels turning in that brain of yours mister. You wonder what?”

  “What if I added a line to my company? What if I had a line of pre-made covers to sell to self-published authors? You could make them, I could sell them, and we could share in the profit. Genius! What do you say?” He now sat on the edge of the sofa, a knee bouncing with excitement.

  “Whoa, tiger!” She raised her hands in defense. “Let’s slow this train down a minute. I’m flattered that you would offer that to me. Really, I am. But we’ve gone from being total strangers to uh, well, whatever this wonderful bit of loveliness is, to you offering me a business deal all in one day. It’s a little much for me. Let’s take this one step at a time, okay? I’m not going anywhere. I live here, all the time. Just three doors down. Let me get the word out about me to the industry first, see if I get any nibbles. In my spare time, I’ll work up some ideas for covers for you and see where it takes us. As for us, I feel the need to return to where we were just before you had your attack of genius. So lay back and open up those arms, sugar, and pour some of you on me.” She flashed him a toothy grin, hoping to soothe with humor any hurt she may have caused.

  “You’re so right.” He leaned back and opened his arms for her and she immediately settled in. “I don’t know what got into me. It’s been so long since I’ve been this comfortable and could talk this way with a woman without her getting all stalkerish over it, and I went too far. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries, Jamie.” She closed her eyes, soaked in his essence, and sighed. “This is much better. But now my foot really hurts. I have two options, take a pain pill that won’t work after an hour or drink a lot more wine. I vote for the wine. Oh, garcon! Another glass of wine, if you please.”

  “Why certainly, mademoiselle. Drink to your heart’s content.” He filled her cup to the brim and she laughed.

  They spent the rest of the evening snuggled together, talking, drinking wine, eating the crumbs from the cupcake and some cheese and crackers Hope had in the fridge. Midnight came far too soon.

  “I really should go,” he whispered drowsily into her hair as he traced patterns on her arm lightly with his fingers. “I have fitness training at six a.m., and I’m shooting all day after that.”

  “Okay.” Neither moved.

  “Six comes mighty early,” he noted.

  “Uh huh, yep.” Still no one stirred.

  “My phone has an alarm set for six.” He scooted them both down so they lay prone on the couch, hopelessly entangled by their arms and legs.

  “Works for me.”

  Chapter Five

  All through his workout, James couldn’t stop thinking about Hope and the fact that she still lay all warm and delectable on the couch they shared all night long. Just twenty-four hours ago he’d met an amazing woman and his whole outlook on life changed. The only dark cloud? Brittany wouldn’t stop texting him messages of love and forgiveness and yuck. He’d have to put a block on his phone and email when he got home after his shoot.

  The day would be long, with multiple sites for a host of different photo shoots. He showered, dressed, and headed out the door. He was known for being prompt to his jobs and prided himself for his professionalism. He stopped cold about ten feet away from his bike. He could see from where he stood that the gas tank and fenders had been keyed, scratched beyond a simple accident, but purposely scratched so that a simple buff wouldn’t be enough to fix the damage.

  “Son of a bitch!” He hurried up to it for a closer inspection and dialed the police non-emergency number requesting an officer come take a look and write up a report. He called his first job and told them what happened. Pissed as hell, he rescheduled for next month. Setbacks happened all the time in the business, but these shots were cutting edge and time was of the essence. To be original and the first one out there with the goods always set him apart from the other stock photo companies. Finally, he sent a text to Hope asking if they could get together after his last job. She responded immediately with a “yes” and an “absolutely”. All right! That makes things a whole lot better. I bet Brittany had something to do with the vandalism to my bike, though. This is gonna get ugly, I can tell. I don’t like ugly.

  The police showed up and wrote a report. They advised him to call his insurance company. Unless he had witnesses to Brittany causing the damage, they couldn’t do anything more. When they left, he shook it off as best he could and continued with the day’s plans.

  ***

  Showering would be out of the question for a while, but a bath worked just fine as long as she kept that dastardly foot out of the tub. Hope closed her eyes and relaxed, imagining Jamie joining her for a sexy, wet romp. Between yesterday and today everything had been a blur, a somewhat horrible yet absolutely wonderful blur. Who would have thought that a walk along the beach could produce such a phenomenal beginning to the rest of her life? She had only been hoping for a little clarity. Had she known that she just had to slash her foot on a shell, she would have done it years ago. But then again, being divorced for so many years between the two of them offered a better perspective than if they’d met nearer to their traumatic events.

  So he asked to come over tonight after work. Fantastic. But what can we do with my bum foot? I can think of a few things. Oh, girl! Did you really just go there? Yes, yes I did! Her laughter echoed through the bathroom. As she dried off and dressed, she heard her doorbell. It’s far too early for Jamie to be back. She grabbed her crutches and made it to the door within two doorbell rings. Persistent bugger. She opened the door on a petite delivery woman standing and tapping an envelope on her thigh.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Uh, yes. I have an envelope for a Mr. James White, but he’s not home and I need a signature. You’re the only one around it seems. Would you mind signing for this and giving it to him?”

  “I thought you just took it back and left a note for him on his door?”

  “Yeah, well we can do this, too. Our company has done this for him before. He trusts his neighbors. So would you just sign please?” She smiled sickeningly and cracked her gum.

  “Well, all right. He’ll be coming by later anyway, so he’ll be sure to get it.” The woman pushed a clipboard in her gut.

  “Whatever.” She dropped the envelope in to her hands, turned and walked back down the driveway.

  Hope closed the door and wondered how that woman even got her job and considered calling to report her poor professional demeanor. She looked on the envelope for the company name, but found none. In fact, the only name on the envelope was Jamie’s. No return address. Strange. She put it on her foyer table and sat down where she’d piled a ton of pillows for her foot. He would be here soon enough and she’d give him the envelope. For now, she had a load of emails to send to publishers and independent authors she knew. After, soap operas would have her undivided attention.

  ***

  Three hours flew by in a flash. It happens when you spend most of your time online. In between sending out emails, Hope hung out on various blogs and social networks, schmoozing with authors she knew and fans of her work. A knock on her door pulled her back to the three-dimensional realm. She looked at the wall clock and smiled. Jamie.

  “Coming!” She got up from the couch and hopped over to the door. She opened the door slightly and looked out. “Hello, handsome.” She leaned against the door jam with her hand on her hip.

  “Hello there, pretty lady.” He stepped right up to her and slid his hands around her waist. Bending down, he planted a kiss on her that intimated, “Thank God I’m home.” Hope wrapped her own arms around his back and pressed him closer. He released her lips only to blaze a trail from the crease behind her ear down to her neck and back to her mouth.

  “That’s the best hello I’ve ever received. You can come over here after work anytime.” He held her in an embrace that spoke of comfort and ease.

  “You know, you’ve been stuck inside all day. You must be stir-cra
zy. I’m taking you out.” He picked her up amidst her squeals and protests. He cradled her in his arms, took her to his bike, and sat her down on the passenger seat.

  “What about my purse and locking up the house?”

  “You don’t need a thing but your keys. I think I saw them hanging by the front door. Yes?”

  She nodded, totally impressed by his attention to detail. “I’ll be back in a second.” He raced back to the house and returned looking victorious, jangling keys in his hand.

  “Jamie, what the hell happened to your bike?”

  “Long story, but I already called the police and took care of it. I think Brittany is on the revenge path. I just have to catch her in the act. No more talk of the B girl. It’s you and me, babe. Here we go.” He straddled his bike and gingerly placed her foot on his thigh to rest. “Grab ahold of me, okay?” Hope nodded, pushing concern aside for the meanwhile. No problem with that, lover-boy.

  Jamie rode with masterful skill the winding Laguna Canyon Road and stopped at a quaint-looking home nestled in a foothill. After turning the bike off, he leaned back against Hope and looked up at her. “I’ve never been here before, but a friend of mine says it’s great. Thought we’d give it a try.”

  “I love finding new places. Looks wonderful. Thank you for whisking me away.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He got up and proceeded to pick her up.

  “You’re not seriously gonna carry me in there, are you?” She laughed and held him off. “Really, I can hop. And besides, I’m not like those models you work with that get blown away with the slightest breeze. You’re gonna get tired carrying me everywhere.”

  “Hey, you’re a real woman with delicious curves on ya. I’m just taking advantage of your situation to cop a few feels, is all.” He gave her a look that combined innocence and mischief all in one.

  “Well, when you put it that way….” She raised her hands, offering herself up to him. He lifted her off the seat, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck he kissed her breath away. She leaned her forehead against his when he finally released her lips. “I didn’t know there were free appetizers before the meal.”

  “Mmm hmm.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And after, free dessert, too.”

  “I love this place already.”

  They laughed quietly together and he brought her into the restaurant. The hostess seated them in a cozy nook that looked out upon a coy pond. After sharing each other’s food, talking about growing up in California, and gushing over their similar taste in movies and music, Jamie removed them to an outside patio for coffee and cuddling on a porch swing.

  “Look how beautiful the sunset is. Do you realize we’ll have seen a sunrise and a sunset together? It feels like we’ve lived a lifetime in two days.” She played with his large fingers on a hand powerful enough she thought to knock a man out, yet gentle enough to send shivers across her skin.

  “It’s beautiful, like you. Pretty incredible how life changes on a dime, and for the better. When you collapsed at my feet, I never imagined you’d be the best package to land on my doorstep.”

  She kissed his hand and opened his palm to her cheek. “Package! Oh my, I forgot with all the hustle and bustle when you came over. There’s a package, an envelope, on my foyer table for you. Some nasty delivery woman brought it to my house since you weren’t home. Creepy lady. Anyhoo, when we get back, don’t forget to take it with you.”

  “What the heck is a delivery service giving my mail to a neighbor? No offense to you given our current state of involvement.”

  “None taken. I thought the same thing, but she said you allowed this all the time with your packages.”

  “All the time? I don’t even get mail delivered to my house. I have a post office box.”

  The evening took a disturbing left turn. “Let’s go home, Jamie. I’m not liking the sound of this at all. You need to check out what’s inside that envelope.” He grumbled under his breath and agreed, scuffing his boots against the dirt like a disappointed schoolboy.

  ***

  The ride home had taken on a more somber tone. Hope prayed that whatever was inside the envelope would be legitimate and not another harassing tool of Brittany’s, but she didn’t hold out much faith. Going over the scene for the millionth time, she could kick herself. What a load of crap the woman handed her. Anyone could have seen right through it. Anyone but a love-crazed woman. Well, back down to earth now, she remembered every little detail of her interaction with the abrasive bitch.

  When she described her to Jamie, as he walked them up to her front door, he confirmed that Brittany hadn’t delivered the envelope, but maybe a friend willing to do the vengeful deed did. He opened the front door, and there it lay, deceivingly innocent, on the foyer table. “That had to have been the longest ride in history. Put me down, would you, please? Go ahead and open it. I can’t take the suspense much longer.”

  “All right.” He felt the package, first around the edges and along the sides. “It feels like photographs to me. Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He tore through the top and looked inside. “Uh, they’re a stack of photos all right. I think I’ll take these back to my place and call the police. I’ll call you when this mess is cl….”

  “Jamie, you’re not going anywhere. Come, let’s sit down, the police can come here. I’m the one who can describe the delivery woman anyway.” He shook his head and used both hands to cup her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. Bright amber orbs glowed before her and his jaw twitched with controlled rage.

  “I don’t want you involved in this mess any more than you are already, Hope. It’s turned ugly, scary, and I refuse to have you tangled up in it as well. I’m just gonna go home, and deal with it on my own. When the police and I have things under control, I’ll call you.”

  “Listen to me. You’ve been here for me. Let me be here for you. I can handle things, and I can help you handle things. You’re not alone, Jamie. Come on.” She eased his hands off her face, and as she hopped, guided him toward the sofa. “Now, let’s take a look, together. And we’ll take care of this, together.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” He shook his head and took the wad of photos out of the envelope.

  He placed them, one by one, on the coffee table. The first six were various stock solo shots of Jamie, altered. Red marker slashed through his chest like a dagger on each.

  “Oh, my God, Jamie,” she murmured through trembling fingers as he put the next few photos down. “She’s taken photos of you, us.” She scooted forward to get a better look. “Through my windows!” They were amateur shots and poorly taken. She saw her image had been marked over with red and Jamie had devil horns drawn on his head.

  “She’s really sick, this Brittany.” He swiped the photos from the table and put his head in his hands. She rubbed his back and held him in her arms. “I’m so sorry.”

  “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. She’s got you as a target now, too. Shit. All right, I’m calling the cops.” He took out his cell phone and called. He spoke to an officer who said someone would be over to take a report.

  When the police arrived there was a little flurry of activity. The photos were collected into evidence, the area around the windows and doors were scoured for footprints while the outer windowsills were dusted for prints. They suggested that while the investigation continued they both stay elsewhere and keep a low profile.

  “We can’t very well do that. We have lives and jobs, Officer Reese.”

  “Well, Ms. Evans, we don’t have enough resources to put a detail on both of your houses, but we can put a detail on one of them.”

  “Actually, Hope, I’m just renting this house for the summer. I have a place in LA. We could get lost there, easily. Brittany doesn’t know that address, and I’ve never taken her, or any woman, home. It’s actually my mom’s home, I live there to take care of the place. She fashions herself as a jet-setter and lives on the East Coast half the year, this coast the other half. I’m cheap l
abor.” He laughed in a self-depreciating way. “You could bring your laptop and do work from there.”

  She immediately approved, not wanting to spend another minute in her home with that lunatic still out there. “Would you be able to provide a detail or a contact up there for us, Officer?”

  “Yeah, we could swing that. Give me the address there. I have the rest of your information. You’d best head out and ‘get lost’. We’ll get the station near you apprised of the situation. On our end, we’ll stake out this woman’s apartment complex and follow her to see if she makes another move. Here’s my card. Hopefully this will be over and done with quickly.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  Jamie walked the officer to the front door and returned, determination set clearly on his face. “You’re not leaving my side, not for a moment, so let’s get you packed up and we’ll head to LA. Hopefully, Brittany will make a mistake in the next couple of days and our worries will be over.”

  “It’ll be all right, Jamie. We’ll get through this, she’ll be caught red-handed, literally, and we can go back to our normal lives.” She smiled, praying she showed a calm exterior rather than the stone-cold fear she really felt inside.

  Chapter Six

  Midnight in LA was like rush hour in LA. It took them twice as long to get back to his place as it should have due to a couple of accidents off to the side of the road. Brake lights and headlights lit up the freeway like a lava flow. Hope had fallen asleep soon after Jamie put her in the car. He replayed everything that had happened since his photo shoot went bust with Brittany and his ire reignited. He didn’t know what he’d do if she tried to contact him again. She’s good, the psychotic bitch, always making it seem as though I’m the bad guy and she’s only trying to make things right again. He finally pulled up the driveway and into the garage. He turned off the car and closed the garage door. Time to forget about her and concentrate on the extraordinary woman next to you, bud.