Page 49 of I Saw Her First

“Okay,” I say at last. “He said he’s too old for me. I’m not… very experienced.” I rub my face, as if I can rub away the embarrassment. “I think he sees me as too young.”

“Vi!” a male voice calls from behind me, and I turn to see Kyle approaching. “Oh, hey, Daisy.”

“Hi.”

I shuffle away from Violet, hoping he didn’t catch anything I said. He leans in to press a kiss to her forehead, and Violet waves him away.

“I’m chatting to Daisy. Girl talk. You wouldn’t be interested.”

Kyle smiles wryly. “Right. Well, I know when I’m not wanted.”

He chuckles and ascends their steps before disappearing into the house. When I turn back to Violet, she’s looking at the camera in my hand.

“Ah, so you’re the photographer.”

My brows rise. “What?”

A smile plays on Violet’s mouth. “Kyle was over at Wes’s every night last week, installing a darkroom in his basement. At first, Wes said it was for him, but then he slipped up and said something that made Kyle think it wasn’t for him at all. That it was for a woman.”

I press a hand to my hot cheek. “Well, yes. Sort of. He did do that for me.”

“That’s pretty incredible.”

“Then he said we couldn’t see each other anymore, so…” I shrug, fiddling with the Nikon. “I don’t know what to think.”

Violet nods slowly. “You know he lost his wife a few years back, right?”

There’s a twinge in my heart. “Yeah.”

“Honestly, Daisy…” Violet sighs, twisting her engagement ring on her finger. “I don’t know a single guy who would go to the trouble of doing something as generous and thoughtful as making a darkroom for someone if they didn’t have feelings for them. Serious feelings.”

My heart swells at the thought. I want to believe that. I really do. But the sting of him telling me we can’t see each other anymore is still fresh.

“Just give him time,” Violet says gently. “He’s probably shit scared. Yes, you’re young, but look at me and Kyle. Age doesn’t stand in the way of love.” She gnaws on her lip in thought, before conceding, “It’s obviously a little complicated, with his son and all, but I don’t think it’s about your age, and as for inexperience, I doubt he cares about that. He probably likes it.” She chuckles, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “He’ll get there when he’s ready.”

“Maybe,” I murmur. I glance along the street, toward the Clark Street subway. The last thing I feel like doing right now is getting on that train and going home. Sitting with the gnawing feeling of rejection from Wes. Dealing with Denise.

Remembering the weight of the camera in my hands, I turn back to Violet. “Is there anywhere around here that would be good to photograph?”

Her eyes widen eagerly. “Uh, yeah. This entire neighborhood is gorgeous. What are you looking for?”

I lift a shoulder, faltering. I liked shooting the meadow and beach at Sullivan’s Cove, which is not an option here, obviously. But the light at this time of the evening is so pretty, and Violet’s right, the neighborhood is beautiful. Being a historic district, it’s full of nineteenth-century brownstones and townhouses that remind me of a different time.

“I have an idea,” Violet says before I can answer. “One sec.” She dashes up the steps to her place and calls to Kyle that she’s heading out for an hour, before appearing back at my side. “Let’s go.” I let her take me by the arm and tug me along the street. She’s so excited I can’t help but laugh.

“Where are we going?”

She slides me a mischievous smile. “To a secret little place that you have to photograph. You’ll love it.”

A giggle escapes me. My chest warms with gratitude at Violet’s attempt to distract me from Weston, and for a brief second, it almost works.

We cross the street, continue along for a while, then round a corner into a tiny side street I would have missed. It’s a short, narrow lane with a row of unusual buildings along one side. Buildings that look like garages, or something, but not from this time.

“What is this place?” I ask, curiosity making my fingers flex on the Nikon. The buildings are unique and beautiful, and the urge to capture them on film has me raising the camera to my eye before she’s even answered.

“Hunts Lane,” Violet says beside me. “These are carriage houses.”

“Carriage houses?”

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