Dark Room (Pete 'Monty' Montgomery 2)

Lane felt a wave of compassion for Jonah. The uncertain look in his eyes, the nervous pumping of his leg—they only served to remind Lane that his assistant was just an insecure teenager trying to prove himself. And finding himself in the middle of all the personal drama surrounding Arthur Shore couldn’t be easy.

“You didn’t blow anything,” he assured Jonah. “Elyse Shore might be sensitive about certain issues surrounding her husband, but she’s a nice lady. She’s actually pretty laid-back and upbeat. She’s not going to throw a monkey wrench in your work or at you—not unless you outright insulted her. Did you?”

“Uh-uh.” Jonah shook his head. “I didn’t even answer her. I was too tongue-tied. I just stood there. The good part is, I don’t think she noticed. She turned and walked out right after she saw her husband hanging out with Heidi.”

“Then I’d say you’re safe.”

“I hope so.” Jonah shuffled in his seat. “It’s hard to imagine Mrs. Shore as laid-back. She was pretty uptight when she told me to change perspectives. And the way she looked when she left was anything but upbeat. She looked beaten up. I don’t mean physically—”

“I know what you mean,” Lane interrupted. “And you did the right thing by staying out of it. Here’s some advice, for both work and play: never get in the middle of a relationship. You’re the one who’ll end up beaten up.”

“I hear you.” Jonah looked relieved. “Anyway, I shifted gears after that. Just some random shots of the congressman at work. They have less eye appeal, but they’re a lot safer.”

Lane chuckled. “Let me take a look.” He opened the envelope, slid out the prints Jonah had made. The kid had definite talent. In a couple of rolls, he’d captured the essence of “Congressman Shore wins his district’s faith, support, and hearts.”

“These are exceptional,” Lane informed his assistant. “You’ve got real talent, Jonah. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Thanks.” Jonah released the breath he’d been holding, pride and pleasure lighting his eyes. “Coming from you, that means a lot.”

“It also means you’ll be doing more on this project—if you want to.”

“If I want to? Are you kidding? Just tell me what you need and it’s done.”

“I like your enthusiasm. Plus, I think it would be good for you to spread your wings. Photography’s a big field. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point that out to you. There’s a ton of different career paths you can take. Photojournalism’s just one, especially given the other talents you bring to the table. Your technical aptitudes are off the charts, not only behind the lens but on the computer, in the lab. Explore every avenue.”

Rather than puffing up at the compliment, Jonah grimaced. “You’re not talking about taking more courses, are you?”

“No,” Lane answered thoughtfully. “I wasn’t thinking of more classroom training. You’re on the right track in that area. But speaking of school, what’s your schedule this week? Brooklyn Tech is on break for the holidays, isn’t it?” He waited for Jonah’s nod. “Good. Because that matters for what I have in mind. How’d you feel about joining me on the road, as they say? Or in this case, in the air—to Colorado and the Poconos?”

Jonah nearly leaped to his feet. “Say when and I’m packed.”

“Tomorrow. Of course, I’ll need permission from your folks. It’ll only be for a couple of days, and you’ll be under my supervision at all times. And before you ask, no, you don’t get to jump out of planes or go heli-skiing. You just get to take ground and aerial shots of the congressman and me doing that.”

“I can live with that.” Jonah paused, his excitement suspended as a thought struck. “I hope my parents will be okay with this. We’ve got some heavy stuff going on at home right now.”

“Really.” Lane’s brows rose. It was the first time Jonah had offered up anything personal about his home life. Lane knew that the Vaughns lived in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, that Jonah’s father worked as a mechanic and his mother as a hospital aide. He’d never met either of them, except by phone, and that was a perfunctory call when Jonah started working for him. They’d seemed like a normal, caring set of parents, asking questions and expressing pride in their son.

Clearly, whatever “stuff” was going on was bugging Jonah. Lane didn’t want to pry, but he didn’t want to give Jonah the impression he didn’t care, either.

“Anything you want to talk about?” he asked carefully.

Rather than shutting down, Jonah seemed torn, like he wanted to open up but wasn’t quite ready to. “Maybe later.” His response confirmed Lane’s assessment. “Right now, I’m still trying to sort it out.” Abruptly, his head came up. “I’m not in any trouble, if that’s what’s worrying you.”

“It’s not. If you want the truth, what’s worrying me is that it might be financial. If so, I’d like to help.”

“Thanks, Lane, that’s really cool of you. But, no, it’s not about money. It’s about me, who I am. I’ve got issues to come to terms with. So do my parents.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But, man, I really want to go on these trips with you. And a couple of days won’t change anything anyway.”

Lane processed that, studying his assistant. Whatever identity crisis Jonah was going through, he needed something solid and real to lean on. And in his case, photography was it.

“How about if I call your folks?” Lane suggested. “I’ll tell them about the opportunity, and the fact that a credit in Time could clinch a scholarship for you. Do you think that would help?”

“Yeah.” Jonah blew out a relieved breath. “Yeah, I think that would help a lot. In fact, I’m pretty sure it would give me the green light.”

“Consider it done, then.” Lane glanced at his watch. “Damn. It’s eleven o’clock. You’ve got to get home, and I’ve got to get back to work. I’ve got a mound of work to accomplish before I take off for Colorado. So I’ll call your parents first thing in the morning.”

“My dad goes into the shop at seven,” Jonah quickly supplied. “My mom’s at the hospital by eight. The whole house is awake at six.”

“Got it. I’ll call at six-thirty. That’ll give your parents time to open their eyes. And it’ll give you plenty of time to pack. We’re not leaving till ten.”