Not wanting to pop into the shop in his uniform, Ashton ran home. Thankfully, he didn’t live far from the depot, so he was home, showered, changed and back in town in less than half an hour. He had arranged to meet Carla at Rossi’s Cafe near the town hall, and as he approached he worried that she might have gotten fed up with waiting and left.
His relief when he saw that she hadn’t was greater than it should have been, considering he hardly knew her and they were only going shopping.
She hadn’t spotted him yet – her eyes were on her phone – and he studied her through the cafe’s window as he walked up to the door. She was smiling softly, and he was struck anew by how pretty she was. There was a sadness about her, though, and he wondered what her story was. For some reason, he suspected her visit to Dulcie wasn’t just a catch-up with a friend.
Carla glanced up from her phone and saw him enter the cafe. When her smile widened into a beam, Ashton was gut-punched.Seeing it did something strange to his insides, and his heart stuttered.
What the hell was all that about?
Gathering himself, he made his way to her table, reining in his shock – he hadn’t had such a reaction to a woman in a long time, and it wasn’t welcome. He was barely out of a relationship, and now he was lusting after a woman who would be out of his life before he knew it. Or was that the attraction? Whatever it was, he had no intention of doing anything about it. It would soon pass. And even if he did want to pursue it, he highly doubted Carla would be interested.
‘Hi. Ready?’ he asked.
‘Would you like a coffee or something before we go?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘Okay, then.’ She picked up her bag and got to her feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her biting her lip and he hoped he hadn’t been too brusque.
‘Do you know what camera you want?’ he asked as they walked towards the shop.
‘Not a clue.’
‘What sort of things do you intend to photograph?’
‘I’m not sure yet. Anything that catches my eye, I think.’ She slowed and pointed to the cornice on one of the buildings. ‘Like that, maybe. Or those.’ This time, she was looking at an elderly couple who had paused outside a jewellery shop. Their hands were tightly clasped as they peered through the window, and the woman’s lined face glowed when she turned her face towards her companion.
Carla asked, ‘Apart from the ones you took around the farm, do you only take photos of wildlife?’
‘I do photograph other things, but my favourite is wildlife in a more urban setting. Like a fox on a high street, or birds nesting in a warehouse. Here we are.’ He stopped outside the shop and pushed the door, holding it open for her to enter first.
Barney looked surprised. ‘Back again?’
She told Ashton, ‘I was in here earlier checking out the cameras.’ She turned to Barney. ‘I bumped into Ashton, and he volunteered to help me choose.’
Barney nodded. ‘Ashton will see you right. I’m here if you need me.’
Ashton was rather nervous at the weight of the responsibility. He wanted Carla to have the best camera she could afford but he didn’t like to ask what her budget was, so he decided to start with the perfectly acceptable second-hand ones and go from there.
‘This is a good one,’ he said. The camera was little more than a body, but she didn’t need a plethora of lenses to begin her photography journey. A couple of basic ones would do for the time being, and she could add to them later if she wished.
Twenty minutes later, they were leaving the shop, Carla clutching her purchases. She looked both eager, nervous, and slightly shell-shocked. He had to admit he was, too. She hadn’t given him any indication yesterday that she intended to buy a camera, and he wondered whether she’d thought her purchase through or whether it had been an impulse buy.
‘That’s the hard part done,’ she joked. ‘Now all I have to do is learn how to use it.’
‘You’ll soon get the hang of it. Trial and error are the best teachers. Point, shoot, make a note of the settings, review the results.’
‘I’ll have to do some genning up.’ Her eagerness was slipping away, and nervousness was gaining the upper hand.
‘Would you like a couple of lessons?’ he offered.
‘Lessons?’ Her eyes widened.
‘Not formal ones. Just me, you, and our cameras.’
The smile was back. ‘Yes, please.’
‘Sunday?’
