Portrait of Love Read online

  Finally, after pondering it as long as he could without obsessing, he got up and headed to the kitchen. He’d kept his place neat, but since his mother was coming, it had to be better than that. He opened the refrigerator and started tossing stuff he knew he’d never finish—mostly leftovers from restaurants.

  ❧

  Mandy went to work the next morning with some trepidation. Now that she and Tony had opened up and said they loved each other, she worried that work might be awkward.

  As soon as she opened the door, her sister looked up from her notebook and greeted her with a smile. “I love this job!” Christina exclaimed.

  Mandy grinned. “What brought that on?”

  “Tony told me I’m doing really well, and he wants me to move on a fast track.”

  “Wow, Christina, that’s wonderful.” Mandy walked past her toward the spare office to put her purse down. She passed by Tony’s office and heard him talking on the phone. When she came back out, her sister was still busy reading the notebook. “When did he tell you this?”

  “First thing this morning. He was here when I got in. . .” She glanced at her watch before looking back at Mandy. “About half an hour ago.”

  “Why so early?”

  Christina’s cheeks flushed. “Brent offered me a ride to work, and since he had to get in early, I figured I could get ahead on my studying.”

  Mandy had never seen her sister so happy about a man or a job. She’d had more than her fair share of guys stumbling all over themselves when she was younger.

  “You really like Brent, don’t you?” Mandy asked.

  Christina nodded. “He’s the sweetest, smartest, and most caring guy I’ve ever dated.” She shrugged and added, “It doesn’t hurt that he’s cute, too.”

  Cuteness, like beauty, was definitely in the eye of the beholder, Mandy thought. Tony was cute. Brent was—well, simply okay.

  “Would you mind handing me the appointment book? I know we have several scheduled sessions today, but I don’t know the specific times.”

  Christina pulled out the book and passed it to Mandy. “Tony wants me to observe at least one of the sessions.”

  “That’s fine.” Mandy caught sight of Tony out of the corner of her eye as he appeared at the door. “Hi.” Suddenly, she felt awkward and didn’t know what to do with her hands.

  He smiled. “So do you mind working with Christina on the cameras a bit today?”

  “I’ll be glad to.” Mandy cleared her throat. “I can show her some camera basics between appointments, too.”

  “Perfect.” He glanced at Christina. “You can practice taking pictures of Mandy.”

  “No.” The word came out automatically. “I mean, I’m sure we can find something else to photograph—maybe a stuffed animal grouping.”

  Tony folded his arms, tilted his head, and looked at her with curiosity. “That’s nothing like having a real, live subject. Especially a reluctant subject. You know that, Mandy.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  Christina spoke up. “My sister has never liked having her picture taken. She’s been like that all her life.”

  Tony’s lips quirked into a smile. “I can’t imagine why, as pretty as she is.”

  “I know,” Christina said as she turned back to face Mandy, who wanted to crawl into a hole from way too much attention.

  “Okay, whatever,” Mandy said. “But now I need to get the props in place for the first appointment.”

  Tony walked around behind the counter. “Why don’t you help her, Christina? You need to know every aspect of how to run this place, since I hope to have you in charge soon.”

  On their way to the back part of the studio, Christina let out a faint squeal. “I have to pinch myself. I can’t believe how perfect this job is for me.”

  Mandy nodded. “You do catch on quickly.”

  Christina frowned as she stopped, grabbed Mandy’s arm, and turned her around. “You didn’t think I could do this, did you?”

  “I had no doubt you could do it,” Mandy said as she tried to think of the right words that wouldn’t upset her sister. “The only concern I had was how committed you were to the job. Your whole life, all you talked about was how much you wanted to be famous.” She held her breath until Christina smiled, then she let it out.

  “I think most girls want to be famous at some time or other. After I got to Hollywood, I saw that it wasn’t everything I thought it was. It’s a lot of hard work, and there’s always someone who wants to drag you down.”

  “I can imagine,” Mandy said.

  Christina shook her head. “Not to mention the faith issue. I can’t even begin to tell you how difficult it is to hold on to Jesus in the midst of all those distractions.”

  Mandy thought her heart would burst, she was so proud of her sister. “You were smart to come back.” She took a couple of steps toward the cameras then stopped again and turned back to Christina. “I have complete confidence in you, now that you’ve grown up and taken charge of your life.”

  Tears formed in Christina’s eyes as she pulled her lips between her teeth. Mandy hugged her then gave her a gentle push toward the cameras.

  “It’s time to learn the parts of the camera and how they work.”

  “I’m ready.” Christina rubbed her hands together. “So show me your stuff.”

  They spent the next half hour going over the different aspects of the camera—all things Christina needed to know before taking pictures. When the first appointment arrived, she stood beside Mandy and helped with the props. Mandy was delighted by how well her sister related to the children.

  Mandy showed Christina the card she kept with notes about the family. She pointed to the comment, “Treats allowed.” Christina nodded and picked up the basket filled with candy.

  After they had all the pictures organized on the computer, Mandy let Christina help the family choose the shots they wanted. At first, she disagreed with the parents, saying their choices weren’t the best, but Mandy pulled her aside and explained that the ultimate choice wasn’t hers. The parents were delighted with the pictures. They left smiling.

  “Now let’s go back and practice,” Mandy said. “If I’d known I was having my picture taken today, I would have worn more makeup.”

  Christina made a face and waved off her comment. “You’ve always been gorgeous without a speck of makeup. I’m the one who had to cake it on.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Mandy laughed. “You were always the pretty one, and I was the smart one.”

  “Well, I just happen to think we’re both pretty and smart. I think a better way of putting it would be: I’m the confident one, and you’re the one who needs a better self-image.”

  Mandy couldn’t argue with her there. “Whatever.”

  “So show me what to do again,” Christina said as she inspected the camera. “I turn this little thingy, then I press this?”

  She might not have grasped the terminology, but she quickly caught on. Over the next half hour, Christina had taken dozens of pictures of Mandy.

  By the time they finished putting everything away and got back to the front counter, Tony already had Mandy’s pictures up on the computer screen. “Nice,” he said in a low, appreciative tone. “Very nice.” He grinned at Mandy. “You’re an excellent trainer.”

  Mandy felt her cheeks flame as Christina joined him and started talking about how good she looked. “Look at the skin tone in this one. She looks like a professional model.”

  “Better,” he argued. “I’ve never seen a professional model with such great proportions.”

  “Hey, you two,” Mandy said from the back of the counter. “I’m right here.”

  “Come look at this.” Christina gestured her over. “If you don’t mind my saying so, I’m an excellent photographer.”

  Mandy took a chance and glanced at the photos. Her eyes widened. “Is that me?”

  Christina did a double take before laughing. “Yes, who did you think it was? The Cookie
Monster?”

  Tony cast a silly look at Mandy. “The Cookie Monster wishes. Seriously, these are some great shots. Mandy, you did a great job of showing Christina how to take good pictures.”

  As Mandy studied the shots, she realized that Christina really did have a natural eye for photography. Not everyone knew when to snap the picture. Obviously, Christina did. After Tony clicked onto the next page, and the shots got even better, she nodded.

  “Good job, sis.” She was still embarrassed about being the subject, and she didn’t know what else to do, so she rolled her eyes.

  Tony backed away from the counter. “I think I’ll go to my office now and let the two of you discuss photography.”

  As soon as he was out of hearing range, Christina planted her fists on her hips. “What is going on?”

  Leaning against the counter, Mandy slowly shook her head from side to side. “Things are so different now. They’re happening so fast. I’m not sure how to deal with them. I have no idea what to do.”

  “Wanna discuss it later?”

  ❧

  After seeing the amazing pictures Christina took of Mandy, two important thoughts hit him hard. Christina could wind up being as good a photographer as her sister with the training she was getting, and the photographs had captured the inner beauty he’d seen in Mandy since he first met her. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and the slight tilt of her head showed a playful side that not everyone could see. Her smile could brighten the darkest of rooms.

  Tony called his mother to find out what time she was arriving at his apartment on Friday. She said she was coming to the studio first, and she’d go to the apartment with him.

  He had a good idea why she wanted to come straight to the studio. “That’s fine,” he said.

  “Don’t worry about cleaning for me,” she said. “I can do that while I’m there.”

  “Don’t be silly, Mom. I’m a grown man, and I can clean my own apartment.”

  She laughed. “You might be grown to the rest of the world, but you’ll always be my sweet boy, Anthony.”

  “Ssh. Don’t say that again.” He lowered his voice. “Someone might hear you.”

  “Oh, trust me, Tony, I won’t tell Mandy that.”

  “I didn’t say anything about Mandy.”

  “No, but I can’t wait to meet her.” She paused before asking, “She will be there Friday when I arrive, right?”

  His suspicion had been confirmed. “Yes, she’ll be here. Uncle Ed is meeting with her, remember?”

  “Good.” He could practically hear his mother grinning over the phone.

  He hung up and went back out to the front desk, where Christina was studying her books. She glanced up and gestured for him.

  “Need something?” he asked.

  She nodded. “What if someone either doesn’t order pictures, or they want to add to their package later? Can they come back and order them later?”

  “Yes, we try to get them to place an order, but we don’t like to pressure people.”

  “Okay, good. I’m thinking that someone might start out wanting the special then change their mind and want a bigger package after they see how cute their kids are.”

  “Happens all the time,” he said. “We keep the pictures in the system for at least a year.”

  A woman stepped out of the studio and approached the desk. “Are you Christina?” she asked.

  Christina nodded. “May I help you with something?”

  “Mandy wants to see you.”

  Tony nodded toward the back. “Go see what she wants. I’ll watch the desk.”

  As soon as Christina left, Tony glanced down at the notebook page Christina and saw the copious notes she’d jotted in the margins. He smiled at how thorough she was and how seriously she seemed to be taking this job.

  ❧

  Mandy stepped away from the camera and motioned for the children to be still. Their mother stood to the side, smiling.

  “Christina, would you like to give me a hand?”

  “Sure, what do you need?”

  Mandy waved her hand toward the camera. “You can take their pictures.”

  Christina’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean, like, for real?”

  Both Mandy and the children’s mother cracked up laughing. “Yes, for real. I’ve already discussed it with Mrs. Martin, and she’s more than happy to let you work with her kids.”

  “That’s right,” the woman said. “We’re regular customers, so you’ll be seeing us again in a few months.”

  “Oh, okay.” Christina tentatively stepped behind the camera and made a couple of adjustments. She was tentative at first, and she asked for Mandy’s help.

  “You’ll do just fine as long as you do what I taught you,” Mandy assured her as she took a step back. “If you mess up, we’ll just do them over.”

  Within minutes, Christina had taken several pictures and adjusted the children’s positions for more shots.

  “She’s very good with them,” Mrs. Martin whispered. “Where did you find her?”

  Mandy grinned at her favorite customer. “She’s my sister.”

  “All done,” Christina said. She grabbed the goodie basket and passed out stickers and candy. “Y’all were great! Have two—” She glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. Martin, who nodded before she pulled more candy from the basket.

  After Christina finished with the children, they joined their mother and Mandy. Christina was right behind them.

  “Your sister, huh?” Mrs. Martin said.

  Christina took a couple of steps toward Mandy until they were side by side. “I’m the baby.”

  Mrs. Martin laughed, tilted her head, and looked back and forth between Mandy and Christina, then slowly nodded. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I can definitely see the resemblance. It’s nice that you work together so well.”

  “She taught me everything I know,” Christina said as she put her arm around Mandy and squeezed. “I still have a lot to learn.”

  “Don’t we all?” Mrs. Martin said as she walked toward the reception area. “I’ll take the kids to the sandwich shop while you get the pictures ready.”

  The second the Martin family left, Tony lifted a finger. “I need to talk to both of you before you work on the pictures.”

  “Okay,” Mandy said. “One at a time or together?”

  She watched as he made his decision. “Why don’t I talk to you first, and Christina can watch the counter. You know how to pull the proofs up, right?”

  Christina nodded. “Sure. I’ll get them arranged how I think they should be while y’all talk.”

  Mandy followed Tony into his office. He went around behind his desk and told her to close the door.

  “You know my uncle’s coming, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I have everything ready to discuss my new position.”

  “Good.” He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “My mother will be with him.”

  “Your mother?” Mandy asked. “I didn’t know she worked for the company.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t. She just wants to spend time with me and—well, to meet you.”

  eighteen

  Mandy gulped and forced a smile, hoping Tony wouldn’t see her distress. “I’m looking forward to meeting her, too.”

  Tony laughed. “She’s not too bad.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “She doesn’t bite.” A grin remained on his face as he shook his head. “My mom is one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met. Very capable, too. In fact, she reminds me of you.”

  Mandy pursed her lips before retorting, “So you like me because I remind you of your mother?”

  “Maybe some.” The corners of his lips twitched.

  “At least you admit it.”

  Tony reached out and gently glided his hand across her cheek, sending shivers throughout her body. “You’re both Christian women who are capable of doing anything you want to do. However, your goals are completely different from hers.” />
  Mandy folded her arms and tilted her head. “How so?”

  “She’s always been perfectly happy staying home, baking, and telling us kids what to do. You, on the other hand, are career focused.”

  “I like what I do,” she said. “The kids are great.”

  With a chuckle, Tony backed away. “Maybe you and my mother are alike on that point, too. She loves children with every fiber of her being.”

  “Mandy, I need your help!”

  The sound of Christina’s voice burst the invisible bubble that had formed around Mandy and Tony. “I’ll be right there.”

  As Mandy helped Christina set up for the next photography session, she thought about the conversation with Tony. He’d always been open—even in the beginning when they’d first met—and he let it be known he didn’t even want to be in Wheeling. And as he gradually accepted his position, he admitted how he’d misjudged everything.

  As the next few days passed, Christina grew more and more competent with the camera. Mandy and Tony were both impressed.

  “Do you really think she’ll be ready to manage the studio soon?” Mandy asked.

  He rubbed his chin as he thought it over. “She could probably do it now, if we let her.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “You’re her sister. At some point, you need to let go and allow her to make some mistakes.”

  Mandy nodded. “True. I certainly made my share of them.”

  “You’ve done a good job of training her.”

  “Thank you.”

  Tony licked his lips and stared at her for a moment before doing an about-face. As he walked away, Mandy wondered what he’d been thinking.

  ❧

  Friday morning, Mandy stood at the counter going over the day’s schedule. She was about to tell Christina that Tony’s aunt, uncle, and mother would be in, but before she had a chance, her sister’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes widened.

  Mandy glanced over her shoulder to see what her sister was looking at. Through the glass window, she spotted a couple of women standing on the sidewalk beside a shiny red convertible. One woman was smoothing down her hair, while the other was looking up and down the street as if trying to find something. Edward joined them on the sidewalk. As he guided the women toward the front door, Mandy felt her mouth grow dry and her stomach flutter.