Anthony lifted a brow. “All right. Let’s hear it.” Already, she looked so pleased with herself he had tosmile.
“I talked to the secretary at Cobble Creek High School and found out that their next dance is in less than a month. It’s a girl’s choice dance with a fiftiestheme.”
“Okay,” heencouraged.
“Monica—that’s the secretary’s name—told me they didn’t have a photographer yet, and if I wanted the job, it was allmine.”
“That’sgreatnews.”
“Yeah, and they have several dances throughout the school year, so I’ll be able to come up with new backdrops and ideas for eachone.”
He smiled, absorbing Kira’s warm, brilliant energy. Allowing it to soak into his soul like a soothing remedy. In the last week, Anthony had talked with Kira over coffee at the diner a handful of times, been to her studio twice, and taken her out on a date. And each time, she managed to soften his mood with her playful nature, offering fun and interest to each interaction. He guessed life didn’t often get boring when Kira Moretti wasaround.
She leaned her elbows onto the table as she continued, her eyes wide with excitement. “I was thinking about what kids like now and how they—especially for the girl’s choice dances—probably want something less formal. And with it being a fifties theme and all …” She dragged out the last word, cuing Anthony to pick up where she’d left off. He was already catching thedrift.
“We could do it in thediner.”
“Yes,” she cheered, jumping to her feet. “If you’re okay withit.”
“That’s a greatidea.”
Her smile grew wider. “I hoped you’d think so. It’s not that I couldn’t do them in the studio or the school, but it’d be perfect to shoot them in that far booth by the back entrance. Don’t youthink?”
“Yeah, I do.” He loved the fact that Kira was thinking differently—talking about her plans as more of awething than amething.
“And hopefully they’ll want to get some fries and shakes while they’re there. Oh, and they said I could bring out handouts for senior pictures too, since graduation’s coming up in a few months.” Kira leaned to one side of the chair, shoved a hand into her back pocket, and pulled out a folded page. “This is a list of their dances for next year, along with their themes. The student body already sat down and arrangedthem.”
Kira slid the paper around her plate, past the center dish where the extra meat and buns rested, and alongside the side bowl with Kira’s candy bar salad. “If the one next month goes well, we could incorporate other businesses along Main Street according to the theme.” She was talking faster now, her excitement building as she rested a finger on the page. “They have a Halloween dance at the beginning of the upcoming school year. Think of how cool it would be to shoot that in Books and Nooks, that cute little bookstore on Main. Stretch webs across one of the aisles; maybe have a live tarantula climbing up a stack of books up front. Some dry ice wafting smoke just behind thecouple.”
“Wow,” Anthony said. “You’ve really got a good mind for this, don’t you? Makes me want to go back to high school so I can get something other than those lame dance pictures where we sit there posed in front of some foam pillar and fake, dustyplants.”
“Me too,” Kira admitted. “But maybe we’ll luck out and have a student from the yearbook staff shoot one of us together. We’ll dress up asstudents.”
“Sounds good to me.” Anthony meant that. The fact that she was thinking so far ahead told him she really did plan to stick around. Make a life for herself there. Contribute to the town in a fun and unique way. He hoped she had a talent for taking photos, like her granddad. Creativity was always appreciated, but it couldn’t replace the quality Cobble Creek had come to expect from StudioClick.
Stop worrying about it,he scolded himself. Angelo always said that Kira got her eye for photography from him. And leaving his studio to her proved that it wasn’t just talk; the last thing he’d want to do is set Kira up tofail.
“Man,” Kira said. “I totally overate. It was too good to stop. You’ve got to show me how to cook a roast likethat.”
He grinned. “Or I can just have you over for dinner again the next time you’re cravingit.”
“That works too.” She held his gaze, allowing that magic of hers to seep into him oncemore.
Already, he was dreading the goodbye. Wondering if she’d come into the diner for coffee the next morning. Fifteen minutes of Kira each day could cure the lonely in his life like a drug. But he wanted more than fifteenminutes.
“Favorite things,” Kira blurted. “Let’s list some. Youstart.”
Anthony looked at her for a moment while his brain played catch-up. “Favoritethings?”
She grinned. “Yes. Candy bar salad. There—I started us off. Yourturn.”
“Mango cheesecake,” heblurted.
“Fluffysocks.”
“Cowboyboots.”
Kira tipped her head back. “Good one. They look good on you too. Um …” She looked around the room as if it might help, but then darted her gaze back to him, her expression turning serious. “Cold. Pillows.” She put emphasis on eachword.
