The Other Game (The Perfect Game 4)
Jack pulled into the shopping center parking lot we’d been directed to and stopped for a moment to look around. Once he spotted the store he was looking for, he made a beeline toward a parking space in front of it. I hadn’t realized that specialty camera stores even existed anymore. It seemed like everyone bought their digital cameras from megastores or online.
He hopped out of the truck without saying anything, and I knew better than to stay put. Jack was on a mission, and I was his partner in crime. I walked inside the overly air-conditioned store and was amazed at all the camera equipment that surrounded me. There were cameras of all types, tripods, cases, and lenses of all sizes. A store like this was probably something Cassie dreamed about nightly.
“How can I help you gentlemen today?” An older man stood behind the counter, his pants held up by striped suspenders.
“I need to get a camera for my girlfriend. Hers got stolen.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” the man said.
“Yeah, well, she had a . . .” He paused.
When Jack looked at me for help, I said, “Canon Rebel?”
The man stood up a little straighter, his eyes lighting up with recognition. “We have that in the newest model if you’d like to see,” he said with a smile, but Jack shook his head.
“No. What’s the next best thing? If you wanted to be a professional photographer and you were really, really good at it. What kind of camera would you want that would be good enough for now and for your future?”
Jack had clearly thought this out, and I was impressed. Cassie was going to blow a gasket.
“Most people upgrade from the Rebel to the Mark III. It’s a significantly better camera that gives you more options.”
“Perfect. I’ll take it.”
“Do you need just the body, or would you like a kit?” he asked Jack, and I stood there staring at him like he’d just spoken a foreign language.
“What’s the difference?” Jack asked, unfazed.
The man chuckled. “Oh. Sorry. The body is just the camera, but no lens. And the kit would include a lens.”
Jack shifted his weight. “Considering both her camera body and her lens got stolen, I guess I need the kit,” he said with a nod.
I laughed as the man disappeared into a back room. “Cassie’s gonna flip.” I patted him on the back, proud of what he was doing for her.
“I hope she likes it.” He suddenly looked nervous as the man returned, holding a large box.
“All right.” The man punched some numbers into his computer and read Jack the total, and I braced against the counter for support.
“Wow.” I let out a little whistle of surprise but Jack ignored me, handing over his credit card without hesitation.
“She’s worth it,” he said to me in a low voice. “And she deserves it. That money’s nothing in the grand scheme of things, okay?”
He was referring to his signing bonus. Granted, he hadn’t gotten it yet, but it would definitely be a hell of a lot more than three thousand dollars.
“I had no idea they could be that expensive, was all,” I said, trying to backpedal a little.
“It’s like buying a computer,” the man said as he handed Jack the receipt. “And the return you can make on this investment is well worth it.”
“Yeah, Dean. It’s well worth it,” Jack said to me with a little attitude before taking the box off the counter.
“Thanks for the business,” the man called out as we exited the store.
When we walked outside, it was like le
aving an icebox and stepping into a sauna. The heat hit us and I groaned, not knowing which temperature I preferred.
“She’ll love it, right?” Jack asked, seeming suddenly unsure of his grand purchase.
“What’s not to love? It’s amazing, Jack. Really thoughtful.”