Page 2 of The Weight Of Falling
“Are they still busy with wedding photos?” Sofia asks Tess.
“Yep.” Tess snags a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “At least my part is over. Now it’s just pics of the bride and groom and flower girl.”
“Lisset must be in her element,” I say, smiling at the thought of Kate’s young daughter posing for photographs in the hotel’s beautiful gardens.
Tess’s eyes soften with affection. “That girl glows in front of a camera. She’s the exact opposite of Kate, who keeps trying to find ways to cut the photo session short.”
Sofia takes a sip of her champagne. “Didn’t Kate initially hint to Gideon that they should have a small, private ceremony?”
Tess grins. “Gideon nearly had a stroke when she suggested that. He’s determined to give her the best of everything.”
“He’s definitely outdone himself,” I murmur, my gaze sweeping the reception area of the hotel, where servers are offering champagne and canapés to wedding guests. It’s clear Gideon has spared no expense. The luxurious Brown Oaks Hotel exudes grandeur and romance.
Just then my skin prickles, like someone’s eyes are on me.
I turn and stare straight into a pair of bottomless dark eyes belonging to Joel Adams, the food photographer Kate works with. His assessing gaze provokes an odd flutter in my chest. He’s a compelling figure as he leans against a pillar in a superbly tailored suit, his dark hair falling in sexy disarray around his face. The light from the chandeliers highlights the strong, angular cut of his features in a way that has my fingers fluttering at my side, itching to sketch him.
I realize he’s still staring at me. And I’m staring back at him.
Something flashes across his face. With a tightening of his unsmiling mouth, Joel turns his gaze dismissively away from me.
Heat floods my cheeks. I take a hasty swallow of my champagne in an attempt to wash away the feeling of hurt that rises up.
“Joel Adams,” Sofia murmurs, following my line of sight, her ruby-red lips curving into a smile. “That man is fine. Remember when his hair was longer and he had it tied back with a leather cord?”
Tess sighs. “Kate told me some of the mothers at Lisset’s school went into mourning when Joel cut his hair.”
Sofia makes a humming sound in her throat. “With a face and body like that, I’m not surprised.”
“I always assumed photographers were wispy, artistic types,” Tess muses, winding a brown curl around her finger.
Sofia snorts. “There’s nothing wispy about that man. And that scar on his cheek? It definitely adds to his appeal.”
I’m listening intently, while also trying not to reveal how invested I am in this conversation. I don’t know what it is about Joel that draws me in. He’s so different from the clean-cut, polished air of Bobby, my last boyfriend. Sofia’s right. There’s something rough and dangerous about Joel with his cool aloofness and dark eyes full of dark promises.
Sofia taps a red fingernail against her champagne glass. “Isn’t it weird that Kate invited Joel to her wedding?”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because Joel really liked her at one point. Liked her enough to ask her out on a date.”
Oh. I didn’t know that. For some reason, the revelation knocks me back like a blow.
“Kate didn’t go out with him though,” Tess reminds her.
“No, she didn’t,” Sofia agrees. “Still, wouldn’t Gideon find it awkward that Joel’s at the wedding?”
Tess shrugs. “Kate told me that when she and Gideon became serious, Joel invited Gideon out for a drink and cleared the air between them.”
“My admiration for the man increases,” Sofia murmurs.
Abruptly, Tess turns to face me with a quizzical frown. “Hey, didn’t Kate try to set you up with Joel?”
I freeze. “Did she?” I say vaguely. “I don’t remember.”
I will my face not to flush at the lie. Unfortunately, the memory is carved into my brain.
“I’m almost certain Kate said something about how she was sure you and Joel would hit it off,” Tess continues.
