Taking my remaining breakfast to the garbage can, I scrape the last few bites into the bag. At least I had eaten the majority of the food before the taste turned bitter on my tongue. As long as it stays down, everything will be alright.
I do a few last-minute checks in the house before grabbing my purse and heading to my car. My head in a fog, a list of scenarios running rampant in my head as to why we are having a dinner meeting. The distraction gets the best of me and before I realize what is happening, I trip over an uneven paver and fall face-first into the grass. I turn my head and grimace at the paver I have been meaning to fix for months but have ignored.
“Shit,” I curse into the wind.
It is my fault, I recognize this. But it doesn’t make it hurt less.
What I need to do is focus. Quit worrying over what if and pay attention to what is. And right now, my sole focus is this photo shoot. Not the man whose picture I take this week. This is my job, my livelihood. The only thing that will remain constant when he leaves again. Because he will leave again.
Thirty minutes later, I wind through the two-lane road inside Sand Key Park. The sun hasn’t been up long, which is why the park remains quiet. None of the locals, or spring breakers, have arrived yet. But within an hour or two, this place will be inundated with exposed flesh and sunscreen.
Driving past a few covered shelters, I glimpse the birds and squirrels as they peck at the semi-scraped BBQ grills in hopes they will find a morsel. Half a minute later, the road winds left and I near more shelters, restrooms, and the beach access parking. This park is the perfect mix of park-life and beach-life. And makes an excellent backdrop for any outdoor photo shoot in the area.
I park the car and feed the meter station. Leaving my equipment in the car, I walk down the path leading to the beach and look for potential places to work today. Sitting on a boulder-sized rock, I stare out at the water and get lost for a moment.
Although my job takes me to various locations, I never have the time to stop and enjoy where I am. The beach is great at times—in the early morning or late evening. But I love wandering in the parks and nature preserves. There is something magical about being in the thick of nature. Disconnecting from life and reconnecting with yourself. Forgetting about social media or texts or all the distractions and simply focusing on you.
And in my zoned-out mindset, I recall the occasions when Gavin and I would play-bicker over the beach versus the park. How he stated the beach was superior because of sunsets (on our coast) and sunrises (the east coast). My rebuttal consisted of how the sunlight filtered through the trees and the connection with the earth. We debated over it for hours before deciding it didn’t matter.
Spotting a few places, I head back to the car and wait for Erin to arrive. As I take out the last few things I will need, I hear a car and look up. Erin waves at me as she parks in the space beside me.
“Morning,” she hollers as she gets out of the car. “Present!”
I am momentarily confused until I see her retrieve and then hand me an oversized iced coconut milk matcha latte and a chocolate croissant from a local bakery.
Swooning at the treats, I kiss her cheek and snatch them from her. “Have I told you how much I love you?” I ask as I bite into the sweet pastry and moan.
Two seconds later, I regret that moan. Because that is the exact moment Gavin walks up behind me, rests his hands on my hips, and scares the shit out of me.
“That’s a sound I haven’t heard in years,” he says then smirks.
Almost dropping my drink, I whip around and glare at him. “JFC, Gavin. You scared the bejesus out of me.”
He laughs before asking, “JFC?”
Erin shakes her head and answers his question, noticing how I am hunched over and still trying to catch my breath. “It stands for Jesus fucking Christ. She uses the acronym in public, so she doesn’t offend anyone.”
“Ah,” he lilts. “Still so considerate of everyone else. Good to see the good qualities haven’t changed.”
Briefly, I want to ask what other qualities he remembers. Or consider good? But I opt not to. The last thing I need after a second night of shitty sleep is a trip down memory lane. Because memory lane when you’re not altogether there is a dangerous setup.
Once I locate my voice, I scold him. “Don’t do that again! You know how much I don’t like people sneaking up on me.”
His smile is subtle, falling away as quickly as it appears. His actions were intentional and got the result he was hoping for, that much I read from his smirk. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try.” Great, now Gavin plans to use my quirks against me.
I look around the lot, expecting to see Alyson. Although she spends a great deal of time on her phone, she seems the type to be involved. Especially after receiving her email earlier. But she is nowhere in sight. “Where’s your agent?”
Gavin gazes out toward the beach, his sunglasses shielding his eyes from mine. “She’ll be here soon. After yesterday, she’s taking her time waking up today. Says she may have had a twenty-four-hour bug or food poisoning. She’s not sure, but doesn’t want to run full force this morning.”
I let Erin know the three places I want to be sure we shoot today. We take a few minutes to prioritize the order, guaranteeing the best shots with the least amount of beachgoers, and how to use the natural lighting to our advantage in each spot.
When we finish talking strategy, I glance around the lot again and something dawns on me. “Gavin, how did you get here?”
“I walked,” he replies flatly. As if it should be obvious. But for all I know, he could have gotten an Uber and let them drop him off at the entrance of
the park.
“Over the bridge? The walk is long enough, but that incline is ridiculous.” Walking the distance probably wasn’t too bad. It was maybe three miles. But with the traffic, the tourists, and the bridge incline, I would have fallen over by now. Not to mention the mix of humidity and sweat.