After several minutes with my entire focus on Keri in her gown, I realize I’m in my element. No matter how I feel or how my world gets rocked, when I take my camera and pay close enough attention, I’m able to uncover the remarkable beauty hidden in plain sight. I want to hold on to this moment, my painful memories flying over the falls’ precipice like Evie in her butterfly costume. Bits of fairy dust and water spray sprinkling over our heads.
“Can I see?” She lifts the edges of her gown, carefully crossing the uneven terrain toward me. I reach for her hand, and she grasps it. Hooking her arm around my waist, she tilts her head to get a better look at my camera screen. “Oh, wow,” she whispers.
I scroll through each pose. “There’s not a bad one in the bunch.”
“I especially like the ones where I’m looking out over the water with my arms relaxed at my sides, don’t you?”
I can’t help but grin. The girl has a great eye. “It’s very moving. It makes the observer want to know what you’re thinking. What you’re feeling in the moment.”
She laughs. “I was feeling a little nervous being so close to the edge. But also feeling excited about the potential for more.”
“More what?” I ask.
“More photos.” She takes a step back with confidence. “Adam, don’t you see? I have at least twenty different gowns stored in bins back in Heartsboro. How much fun could we have with this? We could go on a road trip and take pictures of me wearing dresses at different locations. At different national parks. Small towns and big cities. The beach and the desert. The Jamison lavender farm. Hey, I even know of a Christmas tree farm and winery that’s gorgeous and only a couple of hours from Heartsboro.”
She’s on a roll, her gumption adorable.
“Adam, I know my pageant dresses are not high fashion. But you should have heard Mrs. Dirk at the wedding. She went on and on about my dress, believing it was a vintage Oscar de la Renta. Can you believe it? An Oscar de la Renta!”
We’re both laughing, and I can’t help but shake my head. This beautiful creature standing before me in her wrinkled cerulean dress has come up with a plan. And it’s a good one.
“Come here.” I reach for her and pull her by her fingers into my arms. She rests her chin on my chest and smiles looking up at me, her arms wrapped around my waist.
“So you like this idea?” Hope glimmers in her eyes.
“I love this idea. I think we should do it.”
“You do?”
I nod. “I do. It’s unique, blending two stories. People love a good story.”
She nods with enthusiasm. “We could do a gallery tour and show off your photos and my grandmother’s dresses on mannequins. We could start a YouTube channel and talk on podcasts. We could combine our talents and just go for it.”
“Go for it?”
“Yes. Why not? We have nothing to lose.”
“Good point.”
“And I have a name for it too.”
“Of course you do,” I chuckle. “Lay it on me, Angel Face.”
She flicks my hair and can barely get her words out without giggling. “Beauty and the Beast.”
“Hey, now… wait a minute,” I guffaw. I grip her chin and lean down to kiss her hard on the mouth, the roaring in my ears more than just the waterfall.
I’m captivated by her enthusiasm and her smile. Desperate to learn all the little isms about her. I want to know her deepest desires. If her goose-honk laugh will make an appearance after her infectious giggles, or if it happens out of the blue. If she craves salsa and pink cake like me. I want my hands in her hair and my mouth on her lips. I have visions of us together, forever. I realize I’m not standing at the edge of Feather Falls. I’m all the way over it.
Somewhere between the winding highways and the unexpected moments of shared joy, I’m beginning to realize this road we’ve ended up on together might be the way home.
Chapter Twenty
Keri
“These need to be dry-cleaned. And the ones in this bin need bust and hip alterations. Hard to believe how skinny and flat-chested I was as a teen. My grandma always said I didn’t blossom until senior year.”
Madison giggles. “I hear ya. I, on the other hand, blossomed in fifth grade.”
