Page 31 of Coming Undone

Now, she turned the tablet around so Jennifer could see her online album of sample photographs.

“Oh!” Jennifer squealed in delight at the album cover, her cinnamon-colored curls falling forward as she bent over the photo. “How adorable.”

Stephanie moved closer to peek over her shoulder.

“That’s Tennessee.” She had a blast photographing the black and white cat with the easy-going disposition. “His owner named him for the cartoon penguin, Tennessee Tuxedo, so I figured I would run with that.”

She’d taken a series of pictures of the cat on location at a local menswear store, thanks to highly accommodating boutique owners who happened to be animal lovers. Tennessee sat on top of one of the mahogany shelves for the shirt displays, a full-length mirror in the background. The cat wore a mini red and white bowtie, looking like a dapper gentleman amid the finery.

“I love it.” Jennifer ran a finger over the cat’s face on the screen, which turned the digital page. “Whoops. Oh! Look at this one.”

Stephanie warmed with the knowledge that she’d found a compassionate audience. From Jennifer’s reaction, she didn’t think she’d receive a judgmental response to her occupation, no matter that Jennifer was an acclaimed filmmaker.

“That’s Cody, a red Australian shepherd,” Stephanie explained as they looked at the photo of the Aussie in mid-jump for a Frisbee. “He was so agile and energetic. Seeing his abilities made me want to close my photography business and start raising sheep, just so I could see an Aussie shepherd in action with the work they were bred for. Honestly, what great dogs.”

“The light is beautiful for this shot,” Jennifer observed, pointing toward the soft golden haze around the top of Cody’s head. “Is this dawn or sunset?”

“Sunset. We took Cody to a local dog park so I could photograph him having fun in the outdoors, where he’s happiest.”

“It shows.” Jennifer tucked some her curls behind one ear as she turned to look at her. “You have a real knack for this.”

In the foyer, male voices rumbled. Stephanie thought she detected Danny’s along with a couple of others. Music filtered in behind them, the door to the house left open so that the sounds of the party came in.

“Thank you.” She felt better for easy acceptance from an unexpected source. “I have some people in my life who aren’t terribly supportive of my work, so that’s… really nice to hear.”

Her mother, for instance, hadn’t looked at her photos once even though Stephanie had been working in the business for three years. Her father, never a strong personality, simply followed suit. His main concern was always for his wife.

“Are you hiding from me again?” Danny’s hulking brother Axel strode into the living room and flipped on a lamp, his blue eyes locked on Jennifer as they seemed to share a private joke.

“Not this time,” she answered with a wink. “I was just looking at Stephanie’s photographs and thinking we should ask her to do a picture of us with Bobby Orr.” She handed the tablet to Axel to share the photo of Cody.

“Sweet,” Axel declared, just as Danny entered the room.

“What’s sweet?” Danny held a hand out to Stephanie to help her to her feet.

She hadn’t seen him since one of his aunts had claimed a dance from him, but he’d been a truly attentive date considering this shindig was for him. While that was thoughtful of him, it also made it tougher for her to stick to her plan of keeping this light between them. Uncomplicated.

“Stephanie’s work,” Jennifer explained while Axel flashed the tablet screen toward his brother. “She’s incredibly talented.”

Beside her, she felt Danny tense and wasn’t sure why.

“She’s an incredible woman,” he agreed. “Steph, can I see you for a minute?”

“Sure.” She gave Bobby a quick pat on the head before she turned her attention to Jennifer. “We could shoot some pictures out on the ice once it gets colder. I’d love to work with you.”

Following Danny out of the room, she was surprised when they didn’t go back outside to the party out on the lawn. Instead, he led her up a staircase to an empty office decorated with tapestries, romantic paintings and notable quotes spelled out in calligraphy and scrawling all around the walls. It had to be his mother’s office, the feminine touches obvious.

She was about to comment on how beautiful it was. Then she glimpsed the serious expression on Danny’s face and remembered the way he’d tensed back in the living room.

He pulled her toward a window seat tucked into one corner. “How come I’ve never seen your photography?”

* * *

Danny knew he was doing a crap job of keeping things light, and that had been his one freaking goal for the day.

But seeing Stephanie share something personal about herself, something she’d never let him see in all the hours they’d spent together, told him something about his standing with her.

“I don’t know.” She sat on the edge of the window seat, her fuchsia satin strapless dress settling around her with a flounce. “I guess we’ve never talked about our jobs that much, have we?”

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