Page 34 of A Moment In Time

“Oh my gosh. These are great.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty pleased. The two year wait was worth it.”

“Is that a Bald Eagle?”

“Yeah. He was kind enough to fly right into my shot. Then he posed for me on the top of that pine tree.”

“I love it.” She looked at Gage. “These are fantastic. What are you going to do with them?”

“Uncle Duncan has been wanting to do a book on the mountain and the history behind how it got its name. But we didn’t have the pictures to do it. This will help get that project off the ground.”

“Definitely. How exciting.”

“It seems I’ll be wearing many hats soon.” He took one of the photos down and looked at it. “I think I’d like to blow this one up to an eleven by fourteen and give it to my grandma. She loves the mountain.”

“She’ll love that then.”

“Yeah. Grandpa proposed to her along Highway Three back when it was a dirt road. Right under Scotsman Peak.”

“How cute. You need to give it to her.”

He looked at the picture again. “Yeah.”

“And um… Maybe I don’t have the right to ask. But I’d love this one with the eagle in it. I’ll even buy it from you.”

“Hmm. I’ll sell it to you for…three-hundred, sixty-seven dollars, and fifty-four cents.”

“I’ve got that on me.”

Gage laughed. “I’ll make you a print. No charge.”

“Thank you.”

“It could be worth something someday. A photo taken by the mayor of Calaway Crossing.”

“I’m pretty sure a photo taken by Gage Calaway will be worth more.”

“What’s the next step in my socialization?”

“I was talking to Rose the other night during the battle of the bands. She loved helping you, by the way. She said they were having career day at school and Corbyn has gone the last few years. But I think she’d like someone else to come and talk about their career. Remy could go. Or Clementine.” She smiled. “But I think hearing about the newspaper business might be interesting for the kids.”

“I think they’d be bored.”

“No. Especially if you talk about the printing press. And the fact you still use film.”

“Hmm.”

“Wait. I have a much better idea. A field trip. Your uncle used to do it, right?”

“You didn’t go to school here.”

“I know. But I hear things. That would be perfect. The kids will go home and tell their parents all about cool Mr. Calaway and his printing press.”

He smiled. “Cool Mr. Calaway. I’ve never been cool. Not even when I was in high school.”

“I’m sure you were.”

“Nope.” Gage shook his head. “Especially having to come up right behind Mr. Cooper Congeniality.”

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