J
"I'm so looking forward to the photoshoot," I announced as I greeted Mino and Jisoo. Immediately, I regretted it. I wasn't a liar and in all honesty, my objection to the plans had nothing to do with the two lovely people with whom I was speaking. Not in the least. My problem was pulling up in front of the winery and parking at the moment. I pasted a smile on my face and tried to forget about my bruised ego.
"Well, well, well," Mino commented absently.
"Hm?" I glanced at him curiously.
"Oh, nothing. You seem a tad…distracted." Mino grinned like he knew some secret.
"I'm just thinking about how I can't wait to get my hands on those proofs. Once you pick your favorite, I can get to work on my part." I shrugged and wandered toward my office. "Have fun. I'll be around, but I need to return some phone calls. Deals and distribution. I'm sure you understand." I started to wander away, but I clearly underestimated how quickly Lisa could unpack a vehicle. I listened to her greeting her clients.
"Hello again, Mino. So nice to see you again, Jisoo." I heard the rustling of clothing I figured was the shaking of hands, a hug, and possibly a quick cheek kiss.
Still, I carried on with my plans, hoping to secret myself away, until Lisa called out.
"Jennie?"
She sounded nervous and…sad. Thought I wanted to ignore her, I had to see her face. "Hello, Lisa," I replied coolly. "Did you need something?"
She took a few tentative steps toward me. "Actually, yes. I need an assistant."
My brows arched at her audacity. One minute she's running off and abandoning me in my time of need, and now she expected my help. I threw out a hip. "An assistant, huh?"
"Yes. It would make my job much easier." Lisa rubbed her hands together nervously.
I stood there, completely unmoved.
She sighed. "With help, I could get out of here sooner."
"And we have a winner. What do you need, photographer?" I stared at her, determined to show no emotion, but my head was completely fucking with me. How could she leave? No. No. Forget about torturing yourself. This is for the best. It's a sign. You promised yourself you'd watch all the signs from now on.
"I can carry pretty much everything, but during the shoot, I'd love it if you could pass me the lenses I need, and help me with the details. You'll see what I mean when we start." Lisa stared at me with a pained look she struggled to hide.
"You got it. Let's get to work. Do you know where you'd like to set up, or do you need a tour of the grounds?" I gestured for her to follow me. "We even have a gift shop with plenty of props, if necessary."
Soon, I had shown them to the tasting room. "This is where we'll be later." I gestured to the wooden bar. "I'll be standing back here, pouring wine, helping Mino and Jisoo decide what to put in those mini bottles."
She surveyed the area. "I love that huge picture window overlooking the vineyards. Really nice touch. I'd love to take some shots here and out there."
The group followed me past all the wooden barrels of wine, out toward the huge back barn doors. I planned to walk through, but Lisa halted our progress. "Those doors would make a perfect prop."
I frowned, unable to see her vision. "I'll trust you on this." Then I gestured to the outdoors. "This is your best access to all that nature you seem eager to shoot." I chuckled and crossed my arms over my body, while I leaned against the side of the barn door. I heard a noise and figured she was taking some practice pictures to test the lighting. I was pretty much determined to ignore her as much as possible. I focused on my vineyard, filled with three varieties of grapes for as far as the eye could see. And if I had my way, there'd be more. I'd come a long way since Seattle. I was never going to let anyone make me feel like less than I was ever again.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lisa circling me. I lazily turned to see what she was doing, only to discover, she was taking my picture. I groaned. "Dude, the bride and groom. Focus on the happy couple. Those are the pictures I need and they want." I huffed. "No one wants pictures of me."
As she came closer, she whispered under her breath, "I do."
My cheeks turned pink, a combination of embarrassment and anger. "I suppose I should allow it, since that's the only way you'll ever have a piece of me." My brow shot up in challenge, then I moved to talk with Mino and Jisoo, completely aware I'd hurt her, frustrated at how much the realization bothered me.
"Ready to get started?" I asked them.
They exchanged a look, and I almost felt like I was in trouble. Mino jerked his head toward Lisa. "I'm going to go discuss locations, now that we've had the tour."
"We'll just have a little girl talk here." Jisoo shrugged.
My stomach churned. Jisoo and I never had girl talk. We were friendly, but it was all business. "I'll behave," I murmured. "I'm sorry."
"What happened? You two spent the other day undressing each other with your eyes, and now you look at her with thinly veiled hatred." She studied me. "How did she hurt you, Jennie?"
I looked toward the open doors at the back of the building overlooking the vineyard, which unfortunately ended up being the direction Mino and Lisa had gone. Mino had an arm around Lisa's shoulders. Their heads were together, deep in conversation. I frowned and met her gaze again. "We were going at it hot and heavy. Then her phone started ringing and she left." I tried to play it off. "It's probably for the best."
"It probably isn't." Jisoo countered. "Any idea who it was? Did she at least tell you that?"
I licked my lips. This part made me feel shittiest of all. "She said it was her sister. The girl probably doesn't even have a sister. I bet it's kid-code for her side-chick. Or maybe I was supposed to the side-chick." I threw my hands up. "How should I know?"
"Oh no." Jisoo shook her head. "She has a sister." She gnawed on her cheek for a moment like she was trying to decide if she should say anything. A minute later, decision made, she broke down. "Last year, I helped Lisa sell her much larger, much nicer, condo on the water. She downsized her lifestyle considerably. The new place, once an industrial building, was barely livable. She had my contractor do some of the work, but mostly, it's awful." She sighed. "I asked her why she made the change and she told me about her mother. Her sister cares for her mom. Lisa helps out financially. If she said she was calling, it was a family emergency. You may want to cut her some slack."
"Why would you tell me this?" I whispered, my throat constricting out of guilt over the pain I'd caused Lisa.
"I'm not telling you what to do, but you're going to want to give her the chance to explain herself. I know you well enough to see you're a good person with a big heart you guard like the gold in Fort Knox." She pulled me into a hug. "And Lisa is a good woman. She's going through a lot." We started to walk toward them. "Oh, and Jennie, I know she may seem young to you, but the girl has aged ten years in the last ten months."
I crossed my arms over my body, determined to play it cool, even though I kind of wanted to throw myself at Lisa and beg for forgiveness. She seemed calmer when we joined them this time, more focused, completely ready to work. And when she did, I saw her in a way I hadn't before. The girl was an artist. She was funny. She knew how to pose her subjects, how to bring out the best in them, and how to sneak in those glorious unplanned shots where they were simply being themselves. Periodically, she would glance at me to see if I was paying attention. She'd show me something she'd captured in the screen on the back of her camera. I'd stopped being angry with her. Now, I was scared. This is such a bad idea. Don't let her get under your skin, Jennie. No matter what, don't fall for her.