Page 10 of One More Shot
‘We’re still working on a few things,’ Caspian says.
‘But don’t worry,’ Bailey says. ‘As soon as we’ve got it all sorted, we’ll be able to confirm a date and get you booked in.’
‘Sure,’ I say with an easy shrug. I’ve got no doubt in my mind that I’ll take on Bailey and Caspian as a couple. They’re friendly, easy-going and open in a way that a lot of couples aren’t – and it definitely helps that they’re paying doublemy fee tonight thanks to the late notice. ‘I tend to book out pretty quickly, but if you let me know as soon as you have rough dates in mind, I can block out some time in my schedule for you.’
Bailey’s smile widens. ‘Like I said, Eliott. You’re a lifesaver.’
We’ve gone over the specifics in our messages already, but Bailey and Cash – as I quickly learn he prefers to go by – give me a brief rundown of what they’d like me to do for the night.
‘We don’t want too many staged photos,’ Bailey explains. ‘We’ll save that for the wedding. Tonight we just want candid photos of the night. Just shots that really capture the atmosphere and the energy.’
‘We should probably make sure to get some with Amber and Finn,’ Cash cuts in.
‘Right. Amber’s my best friend and my maid of honour.’ A sad look crosses over Bailey’s face for a brief second before her smile is back. ‘But she’s moving abroad soon, so she won’t be here in person for most of the wedding planning. It’d be nice if we could get a few photos of us together tonight. For the memories, you know?’
‘Should we get Dane in as well?’ Cash asks.
The name sparks something in me. A memory I’ve desperately been shoving to the side for the last two years. I push it right back to the recesses of my mind where it belongs.
Besides, Dane is a perfectly common name.
I think.
‘He’s my best man,’ Cash says, thankfully interpreting the look on my face as one of confusion and not of sudden panic.
‘And my brother,’ Bailey says cheerfully. ‘You’re right. Let’s make sure to get a couple shots of the five of us together.’
‘Just point them out to me and I’ll wrangle everyone together at some point to get the shot.’ Along with the staged photos, I make a mental note to get as many candid photos of Bailey and Amber as I can throughout the night. If Sasha were moving abroad right before my wedding, I know I’d want as many photos as possible.
‘Amber’s not here yet,’ Bailey says. ‘But I’ll let you know when they get here. And Dane…’ She trails off, her brows furrowing slightly as she peers around the room.
‘He’s definitely here,’ Cash says as he surveys the room himself. ‘I saw him about ten minutes ago.’
A few more guests spill through the doors of the entrance and immediately make a beeline for Bailey and Cash. Bailey shoots me an apologetic grin, and I wave them both off.
‘Don’t worry about it. Once you spot him, point him out to me. Amber too.’
Cash’s reminder to grab myself a plate to eat later is quickly swallowed up by a squeal of congratulations from their new guests as the happy couple is pulled into a small crowd of cheers and laughter. I get a shot of them, capturingthe moment Bailey and Cash are crushed into a five-person hug, and then slink away ready to start doing what I do best.
There’s a long table in the middle of the room that’s rapidly filling with laughing guests. I take my time circling the room, snapping photos of them all, my SD card rapidly filling with casual candid moments of Bailey and Cash’s friends and family celebrating their love.
I lean against a nearby wall and get a photo of Cash and a woman I’m fairly certain has to be his mother on the impromptu dance floor. The look on her face is one of pure adoration as she cups her son’s cheeks and says something to him that makes his whole face light up. I watch as his eyes dart over to Bailey across the room before coming back to settle on his mother. He gives her a little nod, and she beams up at him.
This is my favourite part of the job. Getting the candid and unfiltered moments, the quiet moments when people think nobody is watching, and capturing them for a lifetime. They might not remember this conversation ten years down the line, but every time Cash looks at this photo, he’ll see the look of love and pride on his mother’s face in this moment.
I glance around the rest of the room. Aside from a small cluster of Bailey and a group of friends, most people are settled around the table digging into their plates, and it feels like we’ve reached a natural lull in the night.
I let my camera swing around my neck and head towards the buffet table, fully intending to take advantage of Cash’s reminder to eat before my services are needed again. I’m stopped briefly by a group of screaming children as they sprint across the room, all of them moving in unison like some kind of hyperactive caterpillar.
‘Quickly!’ the apparent leader of the pack squawks. ‘He’s gonna get us!’
The other children scream even louder and I bring my camera up just in time to capture the moment a tall man jumps out from behind a corner and scoops the last child up into his arms. The child cackles – somehow both delighted and outraged at having been caught – and my thumb freezes over the shutter button as my heart climbs into my throat.
His hair’s a little longer, his beard a little thicker, but he’s just as handsome, just as striking, as he was two years ago.
Dane.
‘All right, all right,’ he drawls as he sets the child back down onto the floor. ‘I won.’
