Chapter 15
Kira tracedthe tip of her finger over her tabletop, spelling out the wordperfectin big cursive letters. Things had been so perfect last night she could hardly believe it. The more she kissed Anthony, the more she realized just how much a kiss could say about a guy. Python was a greedy kisser. It had always been about him.Everythinghad been about him. Sloppy, hurried kisses with wandering hands. But Anthony … she sighed. Anthony Marino had mastered the kiss with paced perfection. Slow rapture. And allthe feelsshe could hope to feel andmore.
I love you, Kira.The words washed over her like liquid sugar. Offering that same, deep-seated thrill every time she replayed them. Which was roughly ninety-nine times that morning. Not to mention the couple of hundred times she’d replayed them before fallingasleep.
Anthony Marino loved her. Believed in her. And best of all, as dumb as it sounded, he wasn’t afraid of her. Wasn’t secretly terrified that she’d up and leave and ruin her own life. His support felt like a raregift.
Also a gift was the sun as it rose over the east mountain and warmed her back while she checked her to do list. Her new notepad—a gift from Anthony—sported the Tony’s Dinerlogo on top. It made her picture him in the diner, ready to slide a mug of coffee across the bar. She’d sip on it over fresh banter, the conversation more stimulating than the caffeine. Today would be great, she decided while looking over the list. She’d take her laptop to the studio and work on images of the Lockheart’s darling baby girl. Talk about adorable. While bundled into a gorgeous wool-knit wrap, Abby had fallen asleep, her tiny face and puckered lips looking doll-like. Another favorite was the one she’d taken on the soft floral mat—a canvas made up of hundreds of pink, silky petals. Kira had tossed a handful of matching petals over the baby to cover her diaper and tucked another into her tiny fist. Kira’s heart melted every time she looked at thosepictures.
Trent and Jessie had already selected their favorites and ordered a ton of enlargements, prints, and baby announcements—a first for Kira. She could hardly wait to sit down and try out some of the new digital templates she’d bought to create customcards.
Hopefully she’d book a few more appointments. Maybe get some walk-ins. Anthony had lent her a standing sidewalk sign, which should catch more attention than the marquee. The thing was nearly as tall as she was. She’d pick up some colored chalk at Graham’s Pharmacy and write up a special on walk-ins. She planned to switch it up each week or so. This week’s offer would include a set of photo mugs with anysitting.
Oh, and she was supposed to show the rental later that night. Yep, things were looking good. Or, as she’d spelled out on the tabletop, perfect. She nodded, giving her to-do list one last glance over, Marissa’s visit waving from its designated spot at the bottom, then slipped it into her bag on her wayout.
Yet as she neared the car, that pesky little voice told her she was tempting fate.There’s no such thing as perfect. And when Marissa came, she’d see nothing more than a wannabe.Slim funds coming in. Not many customers to speak of. A woman still trying to find her course inlife.
True, she hadn’t found her way in life yet. And there wasn’t such a thing as perfect. It might take a while to get the duplex rented. Perhaps it’d take months. It could be that the studio would sit empty day after day, and Kira would have to drain her savings and possibly even take out a loan. Maybe that’s all Marissa would see when she came next month. But the thing was, none of those things were as important to her as they used to be. Because for the first time in a very long time, Kira didn’t have anything to prove. Thanks to Anthony, she felt good enough just the way shewas.
