Page 30 of Her Cover Model Daddy
Entering the room where the evening’s meet and greet for authors, assistants, volunteers, and others involved in the signing was going on, Lacy automatically scanned the room, looking for Drake. She smiled when she found him sitting on the edge of the stage at the far end of the room with a group of giggling women gathered around him.
Moving to an empty corner of the room, she pulled out her wallet and slid it in her back pocket, then retrieved her camera before leaving the rest of her gear on the floor.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and began shooting the room to establish where this portion of the event was taking place. She then went to the side tables where snacks and drinks were set up. Taking a series of shots to capture all the goodies, she began wandering the room and taking pictures of the group.
She circled Drake but did not approach him. She did wonder what would happen if she stepped between him and the older woman who was flirting hard. When Cressida stepped up on stage and called for attention, Lacy took several pictures of her before retreating to the back of the crowd and sat down at an empty table. In the process, she lost track of her Daddy.
While he tried to stay focused on everyone around him, and not keep track of where Lacy was at every moment, it was difficult. He smiled and gave hugs and talked to the readers who followed him on social media. He watched her come into the room and wander around the space taking pictures of everything.
Once the mistress of ceremonies began the evening’s program, he slipped around the edge of the room. After filling a plate with goodies from the snack bar and grabbing two bottles of water, he continued to where Lacy had settled at one of the back tables.
“Hi,” he said as he sat in the chair beside her.
They were at a table farthest from the stage, so he felt safe whispering without drawing too much attention.
When she jumped with a gasp, he laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Lacy-girl, it’s just me.”
“You scared me,” she whispered, smacking his arm. “Don’t do that again.”
Though he wanted to grin, he forced his expression to be stern as he looked into her eyes. “Don’t hit, little girl, or there will be consequences later.”
Lacy immediately softened and dropped her gaze. “Sorry, Daddy. But it was your fault. You snuck up on me.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry I surprised you. To make amends, I’ll share my food with you,” he said, setting a bottle of water in front of her and sliding the plate piled high with various snacks closer to her.
She looked from the plate to him and suddenly he watched as her eyes grew glassy with unshed tears.
“Lacy? What’s wrong, Lacy-girl?”
“You’re willing to share your snacks with me. That’s so sweet, Daddy. Thank you,” she said as she plucked a bite-size muffin from the plate and popped it into her mouth.
Before Drake could suggest they skip out and find an empty closet with a lock, a trio of women approached the table. They looked nervous, so he smiled, hoping to help to relax them. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Hello,” they said in chorus before turning their attention to Lacy.
“You’re Lacy Grey, the photographer, right?” the one in the middle said. She was apparently the spokeswoman of the group.
He sat back and ate an apple slice while Lacy straightened in her seat.
“Yes, I’m Lacy. Can I help you?”
“Cressida told us we could talk to you about doing new headshots?”
“Yes, I’d be glad to. How about we step outside to talk? Or, if you’d prefer, we could go ahead and do them right now. It shouldn’t take too long.”
The women went wide-eyed and exchanged looks before nodding as if one hand controlled all three heads. “That would be wonderful. Is what we’re wearing okay to do them now?”
“If you’d like my opinion, I think you all look great,” Drake said with a smile.
The three women giggled and blushed. “Thank you.”
“Let me grab my camera bag and I’ll meet you out in the hall and we’ll go find somewhere to take the pictures,” Lacy said as she pushed to her feet.
Drake had to remind himself he could not feel jealous when the women left without another word to him. He watched as they trailed after Lacy out of the room like baby ducks following their mama. He had to remind himself that Lacy was here to work just like he was. Their alone time would have to wait until later the evening’s events had broken up.
With a smile, he began planning ways to use the time from now until then to stoke the fire that simmered between them.
Chapter 18
