order.â
Olivia came out of her chair. âI did.â She held Natalieâs package to her chest. âItâs on the storage shelf out back.â
âWe need it for the Brady prints. I told you I wanted to do the copy work today.â
âItâs there. Otis? I have to show you something.â The timing wasnât right. He was not going to be receptive. But she couldnât wait. She had to act on this now.
He walked past her to his desk on the far side of the room, and began flipping through yesterdayâs mail.
Olivia followed him and held out the package. âThis came, too.â
He scowled at it. âWhat?â
âItâs from Natalie Seebring. More photographs. But there was a letter with them. I think you should read it.â
âIf she doesnât like what we did, she can stuff it,â he said, but he held out a hand. âShow me the thing. I have work to do.â
She gave him the letter and waited impatiently while he read it. His expression remained dark. The timing wasnât only
not
right. It was
awful
. But if Asquonset was going to happen, if she was going to beat out more qualified applicants, she needed the elements of enthusiasm and speed.
Otis finished the letter, flipped it over, and looked at the blank back, then flipped it front again. He gave Olivia a long look. She held her ground. He read the letter again. By the time he had finished the second reading and looked at the page for a while, she could tell his mood had mellowed.
âI know what youâre thinking,â he said with a touch of what sounded like sadness, and Olivia felt suddenly disloyal. Otis was her employer and a friend.
âWell, youâre retiring,â she reasoned. âSeven more weeks and Iâm out of a job, and anyway, youâve stopped taking new work. We can finish what you have in two weeks. We can. Really.â When he was silent, she added, âIf we donât, I could come back for a day or two.â
âThatâs not the point. The pointââhe held up the letterââis that this is only a summer job. You need something full-time.â
âBut nothing else has come up. Iâll keep looking. I can do it from there. This just buys me a little time.â
He frowned, brooding. âThatâs not the point either, I guess. Thereâs something else. Iâve been watching you work on the Seebring job. Youâve become attached to it.â
âI just love old photographs.â They were rich. They conjured a time when life was simpler and more romantic.
âThese more than others. Why?â
She was embarrassed. âI donât know.â
âYes, you do. Natalie has you wrapped around her little finger.â
âThatâs not true. Iâve never even met the woman.â
âNot that I blame you,â Otis went on. âShe had me wrapped around her little finger once, too, so I know how that is.â
Olivia was startled. âYou knew her?â She had assumed that Natalie was simply another client drawn to the studio by its reputation. Then she remembered the yellow envelope with Otisâs name on the front. Horrified, she pulled it from the large manila envelope. âIâm sorry. This was tucked in with the photographs. I didnât open it.â
Otis did that himself and pulled out a yellow card. He was barely ten seconds reading it when he began to smile. It was a sheepish smile that lingered, even when he rapped a fist to his heart and rolled his eyes. âShot down again.â
âExcuse me?â Olivia asked.
âSheâs remarrying. Once upon a time, I fancied it would be me.â
Olivia was doubly surprised. This was a whole
other
twist on Natalie knowing Otis. But then what Otis had said registered fully. âRemarrying? Whereâs Alexander?â Granted, Olivia hadnât seen photos from the last decade, but it had never occurred to her