It’s wedding photos for Indy and her man, not for a Vogue shoot…
Rose smiled at Indy’s confusion. “I mean, I took some for my cousin’s wedding back east, so I can do it if you can’t find anyone.”
“Do you mean it?”
The second the offer was out of her mouth, she wanted to pull it back and say she was just being a bitch and was pulling the rug she’d just offered right out from under Indy’s feet again.
“I’ll call you back, Dray.” Indy lowered her phone again. “Seriously?” The hope in Indy’s voice touched Rose deep inside and settled the unease that threatened to overwhelm her. “You’ll do it?”
“Yeah, I can take photos of the ceremony, at least. I’m sorry that jerk let you down.” She lifted one shoulder. “At least they won’t be drone footage stills.”
“I’ll pay you whatever you want,” Indy said earnestly.
“You will not,” Rose insisted. “Let’s just call it a wedding gift.” She was grateful for having the presence of mind to put it this way, as there was no way she’d have been able to afford a wedding gift. Not with the minimum wage job she worked. Aces Bar and Grill was far from the catwalks of Paris, Rome, and Milan, but it was a job that kept a roof over her head, and she was grateful to have it.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Indy hugged her so tight Rose panicked for a second before she could remind herself that this was her friend, and she’d just made her ridiculously happy by fixing a problem for her.
Rose lightly pulled away from Indy and glanced up at the clock behind the counter. “Shit, I’ve gotta run, or Jessyka is going to kill me if I’m late. She has something on with her boyfriend this afternoon, and I promised I’d cover for her so she could leave a couple of minutes early.”
“Are you sure?” Indy almost stepped on her heels on the way to the door. “I can keep lookin?—”
“No.” Rose shook her head. “It’s three days to your big day. You don’t have time for stress. I’ll do it. I promise.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
She glanced at the clock again. She had to leave now, or she’d miss the bus to the bar. “It’s a gift.”
“I’ll drive you over to work.” Lizz appeared with her keys in her hand. “Indy, drink some coffee and settle your nerves. You don’t want wrinkles on Saturday.” She urged Rose out the door of the shop ahead of her.
“Bye, Rose,” Indy called after them. “Thank you.”
What have you done?
This is totally against the rules.
Rose shook off her internal voice, mustered up a smile for Lizz, and they left the mall where the lingerie store Lizz and Indy owned was located. She’d made the offer. There was no way she was going to pull out now.
Lizz hit the key fob to unlock her car from halfway across the parking lot. “Thank you, Rose. You saved the day.”
“It’s nothing?—”
“Don’t,” Lizz warned. “Indy is my best friend, and you saved her using her honeymoon money as bail money for me because I was about to go down the street to the photographer’s place and show him what not keeping his commitments means.”
“You are the maid of honor.” Rose wrapped her fingers around the seatbelt as Lizz’s car took off like she was gunning for first in a street race. She squeezed her eyes shut when they barely missed the nose of a bus as Lizz swung them into traffic. “Please don’t kill us before next week. We both have to be there on Saturday, or Indy will bring us back to life and murder both of us.”
“Wuss,” Lizz teased, but thankfully, she eased up on the gas. “I’m just trying to make sure you aren’t late for work.”
“Jessyka won’t mind if I’m a couple of minutes late, but if I don’t show up at all, she’ll be upset, and I don’t want to do that to her.”
“Are you sure you can do it?” Lizz asked. “Because if not, now is the time to say it. I’d rather you tell me now than on Saturday morning.”
“I swear I can,” Rose promised as they pulled into Ace’s parking lot. “I’ve taken some for my family before.” She’d taken wedding photos for her cousin. There was no need to mention the celebratory weddings she had in her portfolio. “But if you want to look for a professional, keep my offer as a backup. I’m not going to be upset. I promise.”
Lizz pulled to a stop in front of the door. “Thank you, Rose. I won’t forget what you are doing for Indy.”
Rose didn’t know what she was supposed to say to that, so she nodded, smiled, and unclipped her seatbelt. “Thank you so much for the ride. Knock on my door tomorrow, and I’ll show you my cousin’s photos. I still have them on a hard drive.”
“Okay.” Lizz blew her a kiss. “I’ll bring wine. We can watch Mama Mia and get sloshed, too.” She didn’t wait for a response but took off with her wheels spinning. Rose groaned. Her boss was so going to be thrilled at the burning rubber in his parking lot. She fished into her tote and pulled out an apron, tying it around her waist as she elbowed the door open. “Hey, Jess. Sorry, I’m a couple of minutes late.”
