Читать книгу Through A Magnolia Filter - Nan Dixon - Страница 12

CHAPTER FOUR

It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.

Alfred Eisenstaedt

DOLLEY HANDED THE clean porcelain wall sconce to Bess. “This one has a chip.”

Bess turned the sconce, found the chip and dabbed enamel on the spot. “Not anymore.”

“I hate cleaning lights.” Dolley picked up a rusty sconce and plopped it on the worktable she and Bess had set up in the carriage house.

This mindless work wasn’t enough to keep her from reliving the moment two days ago when Liam had brushed back her hair at Bonaventure. His fingers had rubbed the strands like they were...precious. Was the pull she’d felt between them the reason he’d agreed to mentor her?

She’d almost reached out and touched his hair. Thank goodness the cemetery guard had arrived.

There was too much at stake. She was sticking to her dating hiatus. She’d given up her day job to work with Liam. Just spending an afternoon together had improved her pictures. He could take it away as easily as he’d agreed to work with her. Nothing was going to screw up her apprenticeship.

Dolley shot a glance at Bess. She needed to break the news to her sisters. Not only was she working for Liam, Jackson had changed her employment status. She blew out a big breath. Already this morning, she’d bid on a project for one of her old clients. That sucked.

With a toothbrush, she loosened the dirt around the base and metalwork. “How many more do we have to clean?”

Bess glanced at the boxes. “I don’t want to depress you.”

“Great.” Dolley dipped her cloth in the soapy water and rubbed gently on the bronze fixture. “Should we take off the patina?”

They both stared at the sconce.

“Mamma had us strip all the Fitzgerald House’s lamps.” Bess chewed on her thumbnail.

Dolley touched her hand. “Let’s find out if we have more metal or porcelain.”

They spread everything on the floor, organizing the lamps by type.

Crossing her arms, Dolley said, “Holy cow, that’s a lot of work.”

“Abby’s just finishing up breakfast. She’ll be here soon.” Bess walked around the lamps and sconces laid out on the canvas. “I would like to have everything bright and shiny.”

Dolley sighed. “Okay, we remove the patina just like Fitzgerald House.”

“How come you’re not working today?” Bess settled back into her folding chair.

“I’ve cut back my hours.” She opened the bronze cleaner, the smell sharp and unpleasant. Pouring a small amount on a clean cloth, she gently rubbed the metal.

Bess frowned. “I thought you planned to wait until January.”

Dolley’s finger tapped the edge of the table. “I’m helping out Liam. Delaney,” she added in a rush. Just saying his name had her remembering the stroke of his fingers in her hair.

“Delaney?” Bess’s reddish-blond eyebrows popped up. “Is he the long-term guest? The Irishman?”

“Yup.”

“How are you helping him out?”

She focused on bringing the lamp back to its original gleam. “Research. And he agreed to take me on as an apprentice.” The words spilled out in a stream.

“Wait.” Bess laid her hand on Dolley’s arm. “Apprentice?”

Abby walked in. “You’re taking on an apprentice, Bess?”

Dolley rolled her eyes. Of course an apprenticeship wouldn’t be about her, right? She was void of creativity.

“It’s Dolley,” Bess explained.

Abby pulled out a chair next to Dolley. “I didn’t know they used apprentices in website design. Is that a new thing?”

“It’s not for website design.” Dolley huffed out a breath. “Liam Delaney is mentoring me in photography.”

Both sisters’ heads twisted, and they stared at her. Their eyes, variations of green and hazel, were wide with surprise.

Their shock hurt.

Abby placed a hand on her back. “You want to be his apprentice?”

“I want to improve my photography,” she said.

Bess rubbed Dolley’s arm. “Is this just for the website?”

Her sisters, the two people she was closest to in the world, didn’t know she wanted to be a photographer. She swallowed. “I want to be...better.” I want to make it my career.

“Then it’s good Liam is here.” Abby bumped her with her shoulder. “And he’s not bad on the eyes. Does he ever smile?”

Dolley frowned. “Not often. Once? That I caught.” And she’d never heard him laugh.

Did that make him romantically tragic, or just tragic?

She took a deep breath. “And I added myself to the B and B’s health plan.”

Abby grabbed a sconce. “Why?”

Dolley shrugged. “Jackson made me an independent contractor.”

“Oh.” Abby’s eyebrow went up. Censure filled that single syllable.

“Cheryl raves about Liam’s accent.” Bess winked.

Dolley pressed her chest. “I could listen to him for hours.”

“Oh. Ooooh.” Bess drew out the last word, pain twisting her face. “Be careful.”

“It’s not like that.” Dolley hated the sorrow in her sister’s eyes. Daniel Forester had done that. He and Bess had dated, but Daniel had pulled the plug and broken Bess’s heart.

“This is purely professional,” Dolley added. “Besides, I’m on a dating hiatus.”

She should tell her sisters she wanted a new career. Dolley bit her lip. A career change that involved travel would affect the B and B and her family.

Staying in Savannah wasn’t in her future, but she wasn’t ready to break that news to her sisters. “Liam’s helping me improve my pictures.”

“If you’re his apprentice, why aren’t you with him today?” Abby asked.

“It’s part-time. He’s in Statesboro. Georgia Southern has an Irish Studies program, and he’s interviewing the department head.”

“I do have homework.” She pushed away from the desk and dug out her camera. Her assignment was to take pictures of people, inanimate objects and scenery. “I feel like I’m back in school.”

“You always loved school,” Abby said.

“I can also use the shots for the B and B’s blog.” Standing on the opposite side of the table, she said, “Work, slaves.”

Her sisters laughed.

Dolley snapped a series, hoping to capture camaraderie and joy. Then she arranged the sconce she’d polished behind all the dirty lamps. Hope was what she wanted to capture, shining through the tarnished wasteland.

“Our last long-term guest was pretty fantastic.” Abby flashed her ring. “Liam is here through next year. I wonder what will develop.”

“And if it will be in black and white or Technicolor,” Bess said.

“I shutter to think,” Abby replied.

“Good one!” Bess fist-bumped Abby.

“You two should take this act on the road.” Dolley rolled her eyes, but she smiled as she cleaned tarnish. She’d told her sisters about the apprenticeship. Her loss of income could wait until she had a plan to replace the income or reduce her expenses.

* * *

THE SUN WAS setting as Liam parked at the B and B. He pulled his equipment out of the car, tugging on his overcoat. He’d made it back in time to catch the wine tasting. Then he planned to head to his room and review the tapes.

“Hi.” Dolley came out of a carriage house. “How was the interview?”

Her smile warmed him more than his jacket.

“The professor was great.” Professor Aiden had highlighted how different the FitzGerald immigration to America was compared to others. James had come with money. The men who had built canals and railroads had come with little more than the clothes on their backs. His breath caught in his chest. This was the core of his story. The difference between Dolley’s family and the poor immigrants Aiden had described.

Dolley hopped up on an iron table, her legs swinging. “Good info?”

“Fantastic stuff, but the poor man was nervous.”

Her eyes glittered like polished emeralds as if she had joy bubbling inside her. Something fluttered in his chest. What would that feel like? He knew peace when a photo turned out exactly the way he’d planned, but joy? His had died with his parents.

“So, did you have techniques to help him?” she asked.

“Some.” She smelled of—silver polish? “What have you been up to?”

“Cleaning old lamps.” She rolled her eyes. “My least favorite job of a restoration.”

“Ahh.” He sniffed. “You smell of metal cleaner.”

“It’s gross.” Even in the dimming light, he could see her blush. “I’m heading home to scrub off the stench.”

An image of her in the shower, soap lather streaming down her naked body, had him taking in a sharp breath.

“The smell isn’t so bad,” he choked out. “Actually reminds me of helping clean my mum’s tea trolley.”

“That’s a nice memory.” She hopped off the table. “Do you have plans tonight?”

“Trying to catch some of your sister’s offerings, and then I’ll review today’s film.”

“You need to see Savannah.” She touched his shoulder, the heat seeping through his coat. “I’m meeting friends at a pub. Do you want to tag along?”

He should say no. But sitting in his empty room sounded lonely.

“It’s just friends getting together.” When she grinned, her curls danced. “I’ll tell them they can’t mob you.”

“Oh, well—” He should work.

“It’ll be fun.”

Fun? He couldn’t remember the last time his name and fun were mentioned together. “What time?”

* * *

THE WALL OF noise enveloped Dolley as she and Liam entered O’Gara’s pub. The yeasty scent of beer and fried food hit her along with the heat. Lights twinkled above the bar, and glittering snowflakes hung at intervals from the ceiling.

“Fantastic.” She bounced onto her toes. “I didn’t think it would be this busy.”

Liam’s eyes had glazed over, his face frozen in a resigned grimace.

“Smile,” she insisted.

He didn’t.

Tonight she wanted to see him smile at least five times. A happier man would be a better teacher.

“Do you want people to know what you’re doing in Savannah?” She leaned close so he could hear her. Close enough to catch his crazy scent that made her insides melt.

“Yes, that’s all right.” He rubbed his chin, and his seven o’clock shadow rasped under his hand. “Is the pub always so loud?”

“It’s a holiday.” She tugged his arm. “This way to the fun.”

He followed, dragging behind her a little. What was up with that?

“Dolley!” Zach picked her up by the waist and spun her in a circle.

She pounded his shoulders. “Put me down.”

He dropped her to her feet and gave her a smacking kiss. “Merry Christmas.”

She patted his cheek. They’d dated years ago when Zach had needed help on a paper, but Zach had been right. They were better as friends. “Merry Christmas to you.”

Liam hung behind, a frown pushing his sharp black eyebrows together. She towed him to a table filled with people. The more the merrier, right?

“Gang, this is Liam. He’s staying at Fitzgerald House through March.” She introduced the people she knew; others filled in their names. “He’s making a documentary.”

If that didn’t get people talking to him, she didn’t know what would.

Chairs were dragged to the table. Liam slipped along the wall, sitting next to a pretty blonde. He wasn’t frowning, but he wasn’t smiling, either.

Dolley took a spot closer to the middle of the table. She could watch his face but couldn’t hear what he and the blonde were saying. Her chest squeezed a little, but she pushed it away. He was her teacher, and she was on a hiatus.

“How are things?” she asked Zach.

“Pretty damn good.” He wrapped an arm around the brunette sitting next to him. “Meet Erica.”

Erica smiled. “Hi, Dolley.”

After chatting with Erica for a while, she leaned in to Zach. “She’s perfect for you.”

“I know.” He grinned and pressed a kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek.

Zach’s grin reminded her of tonight’s objective. Get Liam to smile.

She looked down the table, and Liam was staring—at Zach and Erica.

When the server came over, she ordered a martini called Santa’s Jollies. Might as well get in the Christmas mood.

Her drink arrived, and she held it up, giving Liam a silent toast. He saluted her with his beer. And smiled. Number one. She wracked it up on her mental spreadsheet.

The blonde leaned in and pointed at his beer. Liam nodded as he responded to her.

“Zach,” she asked. “Who’s the girl at the end of the table?”

He looked over. “Shana?”

“Right.”

“You should worry about your friend.” Zach leaned closer. “She just jettisoned her last boyfriend and is looking for a new conquest.”

Shana pointed to the dance floor, tugging on Liam’s arm.

Dolley’s throat constricted. Would he dance?

He shook his head, and the blonde pouted.

Dolley was stupidly relieved.

Liam tipped his chair back, resting against the wall. Mamma would scold him for balancing on two legs, but it gave her an opportunity to admire his lean form. The man made black jeans look like a work of art. With his black hair and bright blue eyes, he was striking.

She sighed. Not for her. But he sure was easy on the eyes. She stared for a minute, frowning. He wasn’t—engaged. He talked to people next to him, but he didn’t lean in like he was part of the conversation. It was like he was a spectator.

The band changed to playing fifties music, happy songs. The walking bass had her toes tapping.

A friend she hadn’t seen in a couple of years touched her shoulder. “Dolley, how are you?”

“Brad?” She gave him a hug. “I’m great. And you?”

They yelled over the sound, trying to catch up. Finally Brad rolled his eyes. “It’s impossible to talk. Let’s dance.”

“Sure.”

She checked on Liam. He was frowning again. She tried to give him head signals, suggesting he ask someone to dance, but he apparently couldn’t read Savannah sign language.

Maybe she’d have to ask him to dance. A little jolt went through her. What would his arms feel like holding her?

Nope. Being held by Liam wasn’t her objective. She wanted to ease the solemn look off his face and have him participate in the evening. Was that too much to ask when she threw strangers together? He needed to smile four more times. Maybe if he asked Shana to dance, she could accomplish that.

And maybe he would go home with Shana.

She stumbled.

Brad tugged her into the familiar steps of the Lindy. She let the music and Brad spin her into a happy place.

She and Brad had learned how to Lindy from his parents. They’d dated once, but as usual, they’d decided they were better off as friends. Her dating history was pathetic.

Brad pushed her out so their arms extended, then he tugged and she spun back to him. They rocked back and forth to “Rock Around the Clock.”

They settled into the setup of their signature move. Brad grabbed her by the waist, and she swung her legs from one of his hips to the other.

“Do the flip?” he mouthed.

She shook her head. “No!”

They were laughing as the music ended, and he spun her into his arms once more.

“That was great,” Brad gasped.

Dolley twirled around. “I loved it.”

“Thanks.” He walked her back to the table. “Nothing like reliving our youth, but I’ll be stiff tomorrow.”

They talked for a few more minutes, then the people at Brad’s table waved him back.

“You looked good out there,” Zach said.

“You should dance with your girl.”

“I’m holding out for a slow song.” The band finished a song to applause and then broke into a ballad. Zach grabbed his date’s hand. “That’s my cue.”

Dolley grinned as they moved to the dance floor. They looked good together. She took a swig of her drink. Damn. It was gone. She caught the server’s eye, and the woman gave her a nod.

“I’m going to have to call you twinkle toes.” Liam’s deep voice above her head rumbled through her core. He sank into the chair next to her, smiling. There was number two. Only three more to go.

“Abby has the twinkle toes in the family.” Dolley bopped her head to the music. “She used to dance.”

“You could have fooled me.” He set his half-drunk beer next to her empty glass. “Can I get you another?”