Page 3 of Why Not Now?

He laughs a lot.

It doesn’t take long to realize, not only does he work here, but these four people who run Blue Vista Events are close friends.

Bethany gets up as soon as the speeches start and continues taking photos.

“Do you need to go as well?” Adalie asks.

I shake my head. “I’ll take some more when the dancing starts. And I have a few more I want to get later. But I mostly take stills and portraits.”

“You should go up to the rooftop later,” Derek says, and my heart stops.

It’s the first time he’s spoken directly to me all night. I turn to him and get lost for a moment in his brown eyes, so deep and intense.

“Get a few shots of the moon and stars over the bay.”

“Yeah,” Spencer chimes in. “It’s a clear night, so it’ll be good for that. Maybe we can take Daze and Sophie up later and get a few shots of them in the moonlight. Lis and Kelly, too.”

Everyone nods and the conversation moves on. But Derek is still looking at me, like he can’t look away any more than I can. Until the two bridesmaids arrive. Lis directs all her attention at Spencer.

The father-daughter dance is just ending, so I should head out there to start taking more pictures, but I linger to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“I know you usually don’t like it when bridesmaids hit on you, but I wondered if you’d make an exception tonight?”

Spencer catches her hand, rubbing her fingers. “I don’t know,” he responds, keeping a serious expression on his face. “It’s a pretty strict rule. I don’t break it for just anyone.”

“I understand. But maybe you’d like to dance?”

“I can’t say no to that,” Spencer says as he stands.

Before they leave, Lis turns to Derek. “This is Kelly. She won’t hit on you, but she is happy to dance.”

He stands, giving Kelly that grin, the one that used to make warmth spread to the tips of my toes. “I’m always happy to dance. You sure you don’t want to hit on me?”

Kelly grins back at him. I hate how easy they are together. “You’re not exactly my type, Romeo.”

Spencer and Lis have already made it to the dance floor, wrapped in each other’s arms, but Derek turns back to the table, his eyes meeting mine for just a second before he turns to Adalie and Vic. “You two want to join?”

Vic snorts. “You won’t get me on that dance floor.”

Adalie nudges her. “We will eventually. Have another drink.”

I get up and return to my job. The wedding is a really beautiful one, different shades of pink mixed with creams and gold at each table, from the linens and floral centrepieces to the gold sashes tied around each chair. Tea lights flicker in glass holders on every surface. It’s easy to find good shots. After a while, someone touches my elbow, and I turn, sucking in a breath through my nose. As I do, I inhale the scent of him: amber and cardamom, warm and sensual, a little sweet and a little spicy.

Refuge. The cologne I bought him for Christmas so long ago. He still uses it?

“You want to go up and get those pictures?” Derek asks, breaking the spell, obviously not as jittery about running into me as I am about running into him.

“Sure.”

“Spencer is going to bring the ladies up in about fifteen. Will that be enough time?”

I nod, stopping to grab my tripod and a different flash before following him to a staircase and up to the rooftop terrace, .

I’d been up here earlier during the ceremony, but the view with the moon and stars is breathtaking, even if the early fall night is a little crisp.

I’ve taken a bunch of shots before he speaks again.

“So you stuck with photography?”

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