“How are you doing?” Jennifer smoothed out the full skirt of her dress and slipped her feet back into her turquoise-colored shoes. “I hear this is your first time meeting the clan.”
“They’re great.” Stephanie couldn’t deny that she’d been treated with complete hospitality. “I’m just having a hard time figuring out where a pet photographer fits in with the glittering world of the heirs to Murphy Resorts.”
She didn’t know what made her confide in Jennifer, a woman who was as successful as any of them with a burgeoning film career and growing critical acclaim. Over dinner, Stephanie had received a brief tutorial from Danny on the women who’d claimed the hearts of the Murphy males. There was Ryan’s wife, Keira, the traveling teacher who worked at a variety of underprivileged schools around the world during the year, then made recommendations to the Murphy Resorts charitable foundation about which groups would make the best candidates as beneficiaries. Jack’s fiancée, Alicia, owned a bed-and-breakfast in Bar Harbor, Maine. Keith’s fiancée, Josie, was an interior decorator with a design show on Boston television that had been picked up for syndication. Kyle’s girlfriend, Marissa, was a celebrated Philadelphia matchmaker and the daughter of a famous pop star.
Then there was her—pet photographer and author of one colossally unsuccessful book that still generated heated reader responses.
“You fit in perfectly. I see the common denominator being that all the brothers chose highly interesting women, right?” Jennifer grinned as she passed over her iPad. “Are your photos online? I’d love to see some of your work.”
“Really?” Stephanie took the device. “That’s flattering. Thank you.” She clicked through a few screens to the master website page where she stored proofs and samples to show her clients and prospective customers. “It’s not...you know...world-class photography or anything. But I try to capture the personality of each subject.”
She knew that some of her old friends in the film-and-video world looked down on her new career as a fluff job. But after her experience in Baghdad, she’d lost some of her sense of adventure. She kept hoping one day she’d be “recovered” enough to return to her old line of work. But as the years slipped by, she still didn’t feel drawn to the gritty field that used to fascinate her.
She turned the tablet around so Jennifer could see her online album of sample photographs.
“Oh!” Jennifer squealed in delight at the album cover, her cinnamon-colored curls falling forward as she bent over the photo. “How adorable.”
Stephanie moved closer to peek over her shoulder.
“That’s Tennessee.” She had a blast photographing the black-and-white cat with the easygoing disposition. “His owner named him for the cartoon penguin, Tennessee Tuxedo, so I figured I would run with that.”
She’d taken a series of pictures of the cat on location at a local menswear store—thanks to the highly accommodating boutique owners who happened to be animal lovers. Tennessee sat on one of the mahogany shelves for the shirt displays, a full-length mirror in the background. The cat wore a mini red-and-white bow tie, looking like a dapper gentleman amid the finery.
“I love it.” Jennifer ran a finger over the cat’s face on the screen, which turned the digital page. “Whoops. Oh! Look at this one.”
Stephanie warmed with the knowledge that she’d found a compassionate audience. From Jennifer’s reaction, she didn’t think she’d receive a judgmental response to her occupation, no matter that Jennifer was an acclaimed filmmaker.
“That’s Cody, a red Australian shepherd,” Stephanie explained as they looked at the photo of the Aussie in midjump for a Frisbee. “He was so agile and energetic. Seeing his abilities made me want to close my photography business and start raising sheep, just so I could see an Aussie shepherd in action with the work they were bred for. Honestly, what great dogs.”
“The light is beautiful for this shot,” Jennifer observed, pointing toward the soft golden haze around the top of Cody’s head. “Is this dawn or sunset?”
“Sunset. We took Cody to a local dog park so I could photograph him having fun in the outdoors, where he’s happiest.”
“It shows.” Jennifer tucked some of her curls behind one ear as she turned to look at her. “You have a real knack for this.”
In the foyer, male voices rumbled. Stephanie thought she detected Danny’s along with a couple of others. Music filtered in behind them, the door to the house left open so that the sounds of the party came in.