Jill spent the morning in her darkroom. She occasionally shot with a digital camera and she used digital for her marketing photos. But for most of her artwork, she still used film. Good old-fashioned film that she developed in her darkroom.
She loved developing her shots the old-fashioned way. The smell of chemicals, the click of the reel as she loaded film for processing, the ability to play with her shots by dodging or burning areas of the picture or using different filters.
These things made Jill fall in love with the art of photography and she wouldn’t give them up for the convenience of a digital camera and computer.
She came out of the darkroom she’d set up in her grandparents’ basement and checked her messages. She always turned the ringer off when she was developing so she could focus on her work, getting the timing and exposures just right. Jill knew that when she lost her focus, she wasted materials and time.
There were no voicemails but there was a text from Andrew asking Jill to call him. She almost laughed at the small thrill she got from seeing his text. She dialed his number as she walked up the stairs and went to the back door to let Rev out for a potty break.
“Hey, gorgeous!” came Andrew’s voice over the line. She felt a shiver of excitement rip through her, as if his hands tripped over her body, setting off all of her erogenous zones.
“Hey, yourself, sexy.”
“Oh, I could get used to being called sexy,” came his deep reply. “You’re good for my ego.” Jill could hear Andrew’s smile through the phone.
“Ha! As if you need any help with that ego, mister. Now, why are you chatting me up during the day instead of working?”
“What are your plans this weekend? Thursday night through Sunday afternoon,” he clarified.
“What are you up to?” she asked, suspicion lacing her tone.
She wasn’t at all sure she wanted to be making weekend plans with Andrew. She could already feel the pull of a ‘real’ relationship with him, but wasn’t sure she wanted to let this go past the no-strings sex stage.
Hell, who was she kidding? It was already past that stage, but she still felt the need to dig in her heels and fight it if she could. Andrew had told her he didn’t do strings. If she couldn’t keep this relationship casual, she knew she’d end up hurt.
“Would you be okay with letting Kelly and Jack keep Rev for you for the weekend?” He still wasn’t giving Jill a clue about what he was getting at.
“Maybe… What are you planning, Andrew?” She tried to put censure in her tone but it was hard to be tough with Andrew. He was too damn cute, and he knew it.
“I have to go to Austin, Texas for a meeting Friday but I’ll finish early in the afternoon. I thought if you came with me, we could head out to Big Bend National Park afterward. It’s a long drive but if we fly out of Midland-Odessa instead of driving back to Austin, we should be able to spend Saturday and some of Sunday morning hiking. You’ll get some great pictures and there’s a resort and spa we can stay at nearby.”
She could hear the excitement in his voice as he detailed their plans. That and the fact that he would go out of his way to bring her somewhere for her photography, rather than just viewing her photography as an afterthought, melted her resolve in an instant. Not to mention her heart.
She was surprised she wasn’t a puddle on the floor after hearing the way he had planned this side trip for her.
“I’ll tell Rev to pack his bags,” she said. She didn’t try to hide the excitement in her voice. “Did you already call Kelly or should I call her?”
“I talked to her earlier so I’ll just tell Jack to let her know. Kelly was excited to have built in entertainment for the puppy all weekend. Your dog has his work cut out for him.”
“Oh, Rev will love it. As long as Kelly pays Rev in treats, he’ll be happy.”
“I’ll make the reservations. See you tonight? I can bring take out,” he said.
It really wasn’t necessary for him to ask at this point. It had become a given that they would have dinner and spend the evenings together. The only real question each night was whether they would go out or stay in. Apparently tonight, Andrew wanted to stay in and that suited Jill just fine.
“See you then,” she said with a smile that she couldn’t fight off if she tried.
As she pocketed her phone, she heard it ring again.
“What’d you forget?” Jill asked. Figuring it was Andrew, she hadn’t bothered to look at the screen. There was a heavy pause before she heard a voice she hadn’t expected and wasn’t happy to hear.
“Jill? It’s Jake. Who were you expecting?”
She swallowed a sigh. “What can I do for you, Jake?”
“No need to sound so formal. I just wanted to see how you are.”
“Jake, I’ve asked you to leave me alone. I mean it. I don’t want to talk to you, don’t want to hear from you and don’t want to tell you how I am. I asked for a clean break. You need to respect that,” she said. She gave up trying and let the exasperation boil over and pour through the phone.
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset with me for checking up on you. I still care about how you’re doing. I want to know that you’re okay,” he said.
He really sounds like he believes his own crap.
“Jake, you’re the last person who has the right to ask how I’m doing. You gave up that right when you left our bed for another woman’s. You don’t get to care about how I am. You don’t get to call. You don’t get to check up on me. You get nothing, period.”
She pressed the ‘end’ button and turned off her phone. So much for the smile Andrew had put on her face. Jill was just about to stomp back to the darkroom when it dawned on her.
She wasn’t hurt and sad and angry. She wasn’t filled with heartache and loss like she had been every time she spoke to Jake in the past.
This time, she was ticked off and frustrated. She was agitated and annoyed.
But that was it. No more heartbreak. Jill’s smile returned as she slid the door to her darkroom open and went back to her chemicals.