The Perfect Husband by Lynn Dare
Harley
Sitting at my desk, I scrubbed my hands over my face. I was having a horrible time trying to concentrate. Ever since I woke up married, my life seemed so unsettled. It made sense that I was feeling this way. But also, how did I feel more alone than ever, even though I had a wife?
I glanced back at my dual computer monitors. On the one on my left was my email and the original request for the shoot I did. The client wanted something special. Something that would make the photo for their ad pop. Not blend in like every other advertisement out there.
On the right monitor was the album of the photos I shot of the model. She was stunning in a white, one-piece bathing suit. Some would say a bikini would have been sexier, and given that this was for a sunscreen ad, maybe they were right. But there was something about this woman in this bathing suit that was hotter than any string bikini I’d photographed in the past.
She didn’t look like she was trying to sell sex. Well, she wasn’t, but sometimes companies put scantily clad women in ads to sell a product that had nothing to do with the woman. Not this company. This company was founded and run by a woman. She wanted someone strong and beautiful in her ad. And this woman in my photos, she was the company’s founder and owner. She not only sold the product, but she used it and stood fully behind it.
I worked through the photos until I narrowed it down to the top ten. Then, I spent time tweaking them just so, to get the best photos I could. Granted, I didn’t need to do a lot to make them perfect.
Once I was happy with them, I flipped through them one last time. Elisa was a breast cancer survivor. She was in her late forties and had three kids. Her husband was her biggest supporter. They had the kind of love I could only dream of. They weren’t just husband and wife; they were best friends. Their connection shone through with every interaction I had with them. He was there when I took the photos of his wife.
It was just the three of us. No need for a big crew. And when they weren’t looking, I shot photos of them together as well.
After uploading the photos to a shared cloud folder, I typed an email letting Elisa know I included something extra in there at no cost and sent it. I hoped she liked the candid photos.
Leaning back in my chair, I stretched and gave myself a moment to really appreciate how lucky I was. I worked hard to get where I was professionally. There was no doubt about that. But it was more than that. I got to work from home part of the time. The other part, I traveled all over. I got to see places I wouldn’t normally get to with other careers. And I made damn good money doing it.
So what if I liked to splurge on nice clothes and other things? No, I wasn’t materialistic. I bought those things for myself, not to show off. I worked hard and wanted things that made me feel good. My car and my Harley, well, those were my babies.
My computer pinged, letting me know I had a new email. I clicked and saw it was from Elisa.
Harley -
From the first time I met you, I knew you were someone special. What you sent me today only proves that.
Working with you has been a dream. The photos you took for our ads are perfect. I’ve never felt so beautiful. But the ones you sent of me and Kameron… I will cherish them forever.
If you ever need a referral, not that you need it, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll also be contacting you in the future to do more work for us.
Thank you for everything,
Elisa
I smiled at her kind words. She was one of the better clients I’d had. Unfortunately, I’d seen both good and bad when it came to the people who hired me. I’d prefer to work for Elisa any day over the demanding, know-it-all clients.
A noise from the street pulled me from my work. I glanced to my left out the window, which overlooked Main Street. I’d thought about putting my desk under it, but then I worried I’d constantly be looking out, wondering what everyone outside was doing.
This place was much smaller than my condo, but I didn’t mind. It wasn’t like there were a lot of places to choose from to rent in Cape Kismet. I had money saved and could buy something if I chose to settle down here for the long haul. Until then, I was happy to live near my brother and best friend. That was invaluable to me.
On the street below was a couple holding hands. They stopped in front of the bookstore and were standing near the edge of the street, talking to one another. They looked happy and smiled as they spoke.
There was an ache in my chest where Ken used to be. It wasn’t exclusive to her, though. I didn’t love her like I used to. My feelings for her were like family, like a sister, a best friend now. I was truly happy for her and Hadden, but that didn’t mean I didn’t miss having someone of my own. The kind of close connection I’d get from a lover.
You’re married, dumbass.
Right. Like I could forget that or the wife I had who threw me out. That was fun. Hadn’t been married a day before we were arguing and I was told to leave.
I stood from my chair and pushed it back toward my desk. Going into the kitchen, I opened the fridge to see if I had anything to snack on. There were lots of things in there, just nothing I could eat right now. I had ingredients to make meals, not snacks.
Shutting it, I grabbed my phone and keys off the counter and headed down to the bookstore. Lovern had a new food cart inside, and holy biscotti, was it good. They had everything from cookies to muffins to biscotti, of course. I was a sucker for their baked goods.
I came in the back door, per Lovern’s explicit instructions. She said since I lived upstairs, I could come and go in here as I pleased and could even pull up a beanbag to work among the bookshelves. While I knew how much Ken loved to surround herself with books, it wasn’t my thing, though I appreciated Lovern making the offer.
“Noelle,” I called with a smile as I walked over.
Dark purple hair fell around a small, heart-shaped face as a blush rose up Noelle’s cheeks. She was adorable. Not my type but so damn sweet. “Harley, hi,” she said and offered me a shy smile.
On the outside, Noelle appeared badass. She was petite and slender. With her colorful hair, tattoos on one hand and wrist, jeans ripped at the knees, and a black T-shirt, she looked fierce. Once I got to know her, the shy, reserved woman appeared. Such a juxtaposition.
“What do you have good for me today?” I asked.
That got her out of her shell a little. If I got her talking about her baked goods, she came alive. It was a passion of hers, and I’d heard her tell Lovern how grateful she was for the opportunity to sell in the bookstore.
“I have triple chocolate muffins, pistachio biscotti dipped in chocolate, salted caramel chocolate chip cookies, and I’m trying out a mint hot chocolate.”
“I’m sensing a theme,” I observed.
She shrugged. “Chocolate is a staple. What can I get you?”
“Hmmm…” I glanced at the deliciousness she mentioned, as well as the things she always had like coffee cake, cinnamon buns, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.
“You know what you’re going to have,” Kennedy’s voice rang out behind me. “I don’t know why you’re debating it.”
I peered over my shoulder and smiled. “Don’t you have books to put on shelves?”
She shoved my shoulder and came up beside me. I loved teasing her. Ken enjoyed working here. She said it got her out of the apartment, instead of staying wrapped up in the book she was currently writing. She socialized with those who lived in the Cape, as well as the tourists who passed through.
“He’ll have a large hot coffee with cream and three sugars and a brownie,” Ken told Noelle, who went to work getting my order.
“Do you want anything?” Noelle asked Ken.
“I think the three cookies you brought me this morning to taste test were enough. I’m going to have to exercise with Had later.”
I scrunched my face. “Ew, I don’t need to know what you do with my brother.”
Ken rolled her eyes. “Get your head out of the gutter. We’ve started jogging on the beach at sunset.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “How long did we live on the beach? Not once did you go for a jog with me.”
“Shut up. I’m trying to get fit.”
I snorted. “You just like staring at my brother shirtless.”
“I’m not denying it’s a perk.”
Noelle chuckled and handed over my order as I paid her and put a tip in the large coffee mug she had for just that.
I didn’t bother stepping to the side before the brownie was in my mouth and the rich chocolatey goodness hit my tongue. I moaned at the taste.
Ken chuckled beside me. “Told ya he likes brownies. The gooier, the better.” She smiled at me before going back to work.
Not embarrassed in the least by my love of brownies, I winked at Noelle and thanked her before stepping outside to sit on the bench in front of the store. It was a nice day. The sun was out, and it was comfortable.
There weren’t too many people out since it was Tuesday mid-morning. I wondered what my wife was doing. I didn’t even know what she did for a living. She could be an exotic dancer or a lion tamer for all I knew. Wow, talk about jumping from one extreme to the other.
I shook my head then took another bite of the brownie. It was one of the best I’d ever had.
Someone sat down next to me. It took me a few seconds to swallow what I had in my mouth and take a sip of coffee. When I looked over to see who my new friend was, I almost jumped. Why the hell was there a cop sitting next to me?
She had blonde hair in a pixie cut. I could tell she was fit by the way her uniform pulled over her arms. Not overly muscular, but I wouldn’t want to mess with her. I couldn’t see her eyes behind her dark sunglasses, so she could be glaring at me.
She smiled. “Hello, little Hardwick.”
I scowled. “Don’t call me that.”
My brother had taken the day off. Something about helping Grey with a project. I didn’t know if that was code for something or he was really helping Grey at his house.
“How are you liking Cape Kismet?” she asked.
Okay, small talk I could handle. As long as she didn’t get too personal and ask me about my love life. I felt like I was holding in the biggest secret in the world.
“My family is here. Well, part of it. So, I like it just fine. Big change from Clearwater.”
“Hadden said you’re not around a lot.”
I shrugged. “Depends on the job. I travel when and where I need to. Sometimes, I can go for months without going anywhere, and others, I’m gone for weeks. It pays the bills.”
“You do photography?”
“Yeah, mostly for print and online ads.”
“You must get to work with gorgeous models.”
I smiled. “Not a bad part of the job, but I don’t look at them like that. I try to find the perfect lighting, background, and angle. It’s about making everything come together for the shot that will sell whatever the product is. I like having things as natural as possible, rather than using software to manipulate it. The more organic, the better.”
“That’s cool.”
“What about you? Do you like being a cop?”
“I do, but it also gets me out of the house. I have a three-year-old son, so you can imagine the kind of insanity I experience on a daily basis. I love my kid, but some days, work feels like a vacation.”
“Even with all this crime?” I said sarcastically as I motioned to the quiet street in front of us.
“I’ll take a calm day over a chaotic one any time.”
I ducked my head. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” My mind immediately went to when Hadden had gone into a burning barn and I had to wait to hear if he was okay. I’d never felt so helpless.
Cape Kismet was a small town. From all Hadden had told me, crime was exceptionally low. That didn’t mean stuff didn’t happen here. The men and women who were the first responders were vital to the community.
She held out her hand. “I’m Teagan, by the way.”
I shook it. “Harley, but you knew that.”
“I did.” She grinned. “Well, I should get back to work. I saw you sitting here and wanted to come say hi. Hadden loves having you here. Whenever I see him, he’s always talking about you or Kennedy.” It warmed me that Had spoke of me to his friends. Maybe I could have a great group of people to call my friends like he did.
Teagan stood and started to walk away, but I called her back. I wanted to make friends. I wanted people to know me.
“If you ever need something to use against my brother, ask him about the time he got his head stuck in the railing at our house growing up. We had to lather him in butter to get him free.”
She started laughing. “Oh, I like you. You have the good dirt.”
“Tip of the iceberg.” I chuckled as she walked back to her cruiser.
Sure, I was new in town and married to someone I didn’t even know, but I was making a life for myself here. One I hoped wouldn’t come crumbling down once everyone knew what I did one night when I was beyond drunk.