Page 3 of Happily Ever After

“Neither can I.” Brick gave her an amused look, then turned his gaze back to the horizon. “Therapist’s happy with his progress, though, so he just needs to keep going.”

Blaise hadn’t realized how much she’d been worrying about that until just now. Not so much about Holland, but about Brick, because she knew his son’s health weighed on him. “I’m really glad to hear that.”

“Me, too.” He paused, then added, “Thanks for asking. I know we’ve been having some heavy conversations lately.”

She waved that off. “Life is full of less-than-light conversations. It’s fine.”

Brick gave a small smile at that.

They walked a little farther in comfortable silence. Beau circled back, dropped something unidentifiable at Blaise’s feet, and looked up at her expectantly.

She paused long enough to make sure the thing wasn’t alive. “Fine,” she said. “But it’s not coming in the house.”

Beau scooped the thing up again, which might have been a rock or a chunk of concrete, and bounded away, triumphant.

Brick snorted. “He’s full of himself today.”

“Today? Try every day,” Blaise corrected with a grin. “If he’s still got it when we get home, I’ll give him a bone and he’ll forget all about it.”

They reached a stretch of beach where the shoreline flattened out, leaving a little cliff of sand where it dropped down. The waves arrived in a soft ripple before retreating.

Blaise couldn’t keep it back any longer, the thing she’d been holding in since she’d woken up. She’d told herself she’d wait to tell Brick about it until it naturally fit into conversation. That she’d be casual about it.

She was about to fail spectacularly.

“So…I booked a photoshoot,” she blurted.

Brick stopped walking.

Blaise stopped, too, heat rushing into her face now that the words were out. “I mean, it’s nothing huge,” she added quickly, which was a lie. Or at least an incomplete truth. “Well. Maybe a little huge. It’s with a designer. In Miami.”

Brick stared at her for a moment, then his expression shifted into surprise, then something that looked very much like pride. “Outstanding,” he said. “Is this a paying thing?”

“It is.”

“Even better.”

She let out a breath that felt like it had been waiting days to escape. “They reached out after hearing me on the podcast. I checked the guy out. He’s very real. It’s a legit, paid deal.”

“Smart man to hire you,” he said, the smile spreading, slow and genuine. “How do you feel?”

Blaise thought about that. She was excited, but she was so much more than that. “Blessed. And like this could lead to more,” she said finally. “Like I might actually be able to turn things around a little.”

Brick nodded once. “Makes perfect sense. I’m sure you will.”

Something about his certainty filled her with calm assurance.

They started walking again. Beau led the pack, head up, the newfound treasure still in his mouth, clearly pleased with himself. The sun had climbed higher, warming her in a way that felt good.

Or maybe the warmth was because Blaise was still basking in the glow from Brick’s kind words.

After a quick coffee with Brick, she and Beau headed home. She didn’t mind keeping the coffee with Brick short and sweet, because they were going out to dinner tonight, so she’d see him again later.

She set her keys on the small tray by the door, slipped off her sneakers, and wiped Beau’s feet off before getting him fed. Once he was taken care of, she headed to the bathroom. Morning light streamed through the glass-block window over the shower, filling the bathroom with natural light. The best kind, in her opinion.

She turned on the shower, put her clothes in the hamper while she waited for the water to warm, then stopped.

Her reflection had caught her attention.