Read Online Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection by Violet Duke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Violet Duke
Ads: Link
Elizabeth hated to admit it), and she was with Lance, Rob’s former opponent, on some kind of casual date. Rob must surely want her back, even if he didn’t want to get married or have kids this year. And, if Elizabeth read Tara’s signs and signals correctly, Rob wouldn’t have much difficulty getting his wish.
But, on a high note, the jugglers finally stopped juggling, the music got turned off and the customers went back to their regularly scheduled lives.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
When the tile floor was clear of townspeople, Jacques bounced in her direction. “Exciting day, no?” he said, still gyrating his hips and snapping his fingers. “Rob’s extraordinairement ideas make me want to dance.”
“Everything makes you want to dance,” she said.
He tried to engage her in a hip-hop boogie next to him, but the customers and the noise had drained her of every last ounce of sociability. Plus, she needed to save her strength for another evening with the Gabinarris. She pulled away and Jacques bopped off without her.
Rob was cleaning some of the utensils in the backroom and had become uncharacteristically silent. Brooding, no doubt. Or, maybe, plotting Tara’s easy seduction. Elizabeth was preparing herself to return home and settle down to another four or so hours of typing when her cell phone rang.
“Camden, how are you?” she said to her photographer.
“Good, good, darling. Remarkably, unbelievably good. I’m in love.”
“Oh, that’s…that’s terrific. Wow.” This was saying something. A statement for the record books, in fact. Camden was not one to easily fall. “I’m so happy for you. Who’s the lucky lady?”
“My Annabelle. She’s the most gentle, delicate creature I’ve ever seen, hiding inside the buffest, most sculpted body imaginable.”
Elizabeth heard some loud splintering noises on the line. It sounded like a ceiling beam had just crashed into the floor. “Cam, my goodness! Are you okay? Where are you? Please don’t tell me you’re on assignment in a war zone.”
“No, no. I’m at Annabelle’s karate studio in Idaho. She’s amazing,” he said, his tone blanketed with an awe she’d never heard from him before.
“Um, well, I’d love to meet her sometime. Maybe when you come over to do the photos next week she can—”
“Oh, right,” he said. “That’s why I called. There’s no way I can make it out to Wisconsin next week or, really, anytime this month. Annabelle and I are going on a little jaunt out to Yellowstone where I’m going to shoot her doing karate poses in nature. Can you be a darling and let me reschedule for early or mid July?”
“W-Well, sure, I guess. I’d hoped we could have the shots taken and developed well before the publisher’s deadline, though, just in case anything needs to be redone.”
“Not a problem. Not a problem. We’ll have plenty of time to re-shoot if necessary. But you know I’m a one-shot wonder.”
Elizabeth heard another booming crash over the phone line.
“Ohhh,” he groaned. “Just watching her kick those muscled legs so high…and break bricks with a slice of her fragile hand…and flip unsuspecting opponents in the air the way I’d toss my Nikon bag over my shoulder… Man, it’s like hottest foreplay ever.”
“Thanks for sharing, Cam.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Okay, so we’ll talk in a few weeks and set the date. Jacques here is especially excited to get his éclairs immortalized on Kodak paper.”
Another bash, bang, boom. “Fine. Fine. Tell him we’ll get it done. Gotta go now. Thanks for being so flexible, darling.” And on that note, Camden hung up.
She stashed her phone in her purse and stepped onto the sidewalk. A young man and woman strolled by holding hands. Teen lovers, oblivious to the world, made out on a bench across the street. An elderly, longtime married couple window-shopped in the stores nearby.
And Camden was in love with Annabelle the Karate Queen.
And
But, on a high note, the jugglers finally stopped juggling, the music got turned off and the customers went back to their regularly scheduled lives.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
When the tile floor was clear of townspeople, Jacques bounced in her direction. “Exciting day, no?” he said, still gyrating his hips and snapping his fingers. “Rob’s extraordinairement ideas make me want to dance.”
“Everything makes you want to dance,” she said.
He tried to engage her in a hip-hop boogie next to him, but the customers and the noise had drained her of every last ounce of sociability. Plus, she needed to save her strength for another evening with the Gabinarris. She pulled away and Jacques bopped off without her.
Rob was cleaning some of the utensils in the backroom and had become uncharacteristically silent. Brooding, no doubt. Or, maybe, plotting Tara’s easy seduction. Elizabeth was preparing herself to return home and settle down to another four or so hours of typing when her cell phone rang.
“Camden, how are you?” she said to her photographer.
“Good, good, darling. Remarkably, unbelievably good. I’m in love.”
“Oh, that’s…that’s terrific. Wow.” This was saying something. A statement for the record books, in fact. Camden was not one to easily fall. “I’m so happy for you. Who’s the lucky lady?”
“My Annabelle. She’s the most gentle, delicate creature I’ve ever seen, hiding inside the buffest, most sculpted body imaginable.”
Elizabeth heard some loud splintering noises on the line. It sounded like a ceiling beam had just crashed into the floor. “Cam, my goodness! Are you okay? Where are you? Please don’t tell me you’re on assignment in a war zone.”
“No, no. I’m at Annabelle’s karate studio in Idaho. She’s amazing,” he said, his tone blanketed with an awe she’d never heard from him before.
“Um, well, I’d love to meet her sometime. Maybe when you come over to do the photos next week she can—”
“Oh, right,” he said. “That’s why I called. There’s no way I can make it out to Wisconsin next week or, really, anytime this month. Annabelle and I are going on a little jaunt out to Yellowstone where I’m going to shoot her doing karate poses in nature. Can you be a darling and let me reschedule for early or mid July?”
“W-Well, sure, I guess. I’d hoped we could have the shots taken and developed well before the publisher’s deadline, though, just in case anything needs to be redone.”
“Not a problem. Not a problem. We’ll have plenty of time to re-shoot if necessary. But you know I’m a one-shot wonder.”
Elizabeth heard another booming crash over the phone line.
“Ohhh,” he groaned. “Just watching her kick those muscled legs so high…and break bricks with a slice of her fragile hand…and flip unsuspecting opponents in the air the way I’d toss my Nikon bag over my shoulder… Man, it’s like hottest foreplay ever.”
“Thanks for sharing, Cam.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Okay, so we’ll talk in a few weeks and set the date. Jacques here is especially excited to get his éclairs immortalized on Kodak paper.”
Another bash, bang, boom. “Fine. Fine. Tell him we’ll get it done. Gotta go now. Thanks for being so flexible, darling.” And on that note, Camden hung up.
She stashed her phone in her purse and stepped onto the sidewalk. A young man and woman strolled by holding hands. Teen lovers, oblivious to the world, made out on a bench across the street. An elderly, longtime married couple window-shopped in the stores nearby.
And Camden was in love with Annabelle the Karate Queen.
And
Similar Books
