“You like books?”
“I love them.”
“So do I.” But somehow, her enthusiasm seemed to pale before the awe she saw in Jake’s eyes. He was looking at the shelves of books like, if it weren’t so late and she weren’t standing there, he might spend hours exploring every shelf, familiarizing himself with the Langdon family’s collection.
“You can borrow them if you’d like,” she told him. “The library’s open to all our guests and anyone staying here on the property.”
“I just might do that, thanks.” He led the way out of the library toward the front door.
Megan was fascinated by this new side of him. She already knew Jake the rugged horse trainer, but she’d only just met Jake the dreamy-eyed book lover. How many other sides to him lurked beneath that handsome exterior? She saw him to the door before returning to the kitchen, where her friends still lingered at the dinner table.
“So, I see you and Jake are still hot for each other,” Ruby said, eyes sparkling behind her glasses.
“He’s our tenant, and that would be unprofessional.” Megan sat, picking up her wineglass and taking a hearty sip.
“Um…” Elle glanced at Theo with a grin. “That didn’t exactly stop us.”
“Just a little harmless flirtation,” Megan said with a shrug. “I don’t think Jake’s looking for a relationship right now, and really, neither am I.”
“He does have a lot on his plate,” Ruby agreed.
“He does. Actually, there was something I wanted to run past you guys.” Megan looked at her friends, seizing hold of a momentary burst of confidence. “What do you think about offering photography sessions to our guests? You know, now that I have my new camera?”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Elle said enthusiastically. “I love it.”
“Me too,” Ruby agreed. “I see our guests outside all the time taking pictures of themselves. I bet they’d love the opportunity for a professional portrait session.”
“Oh! We could offer sessions with the Fairy Tails pets too,” Elle said. “They could have pictures taken with their new pet before they leave, or if they’re local, they could come back for a session later on.”
“Yes,” Megan said, relief washing away the last of her worries. “So, you don’t think it’s presumptuous of me to offer sessions, when I don’t really have any professional experience?”
Ruby gave her a stern look. “Meg, we’ve seen your work. You’re more than qualified. In fact, maybe we should have you take headshots of us for the website while we’re at it.”
Megan ducked her face with a smile. “Yeah, okay.”
“Great.” Ruby stood from the table. “We’ll meet tomorrow to go over all the details, and then I’ll get it added to our website and the rest of our marketing materials.”
Megan stood too, excitement bubbling up inside her. She was doing this, finally taking a chance at turning her hobby into something more. Now, she just had to keep working, keep practicing, keep pushing herself to improve, to make sure she didn’t let her friends down. Or herself.
