It was childish to feel jealous of my teenaged assistant, but I did. Low was in, and I was out; we had effectively traded places. It was Low who gave Freya what she needed now, who answered to her beck and call. Had Freya asked Low to help her with a birthing plan? To hold her hand and coach her through delivery? Would Low be there with her camera, taking photos of that precious moment?

With a heavy lump in my chest, I closed up the store and drove home.

Chapter 38

38

low

Jamie’s reaction proved what I had suspected: she and Freya were no longer friends. This should have delighted me. Other than Max, who floated on the periphery of our world like a spirit, I had Freya all to myself. But that damn baby was still on its way, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

What had Jamie done to make Freya angry enough to banish her? It didn’t take much, that I knew. I almost felt sorry for my employer, but Jamie was pretty, outgoing, charming. She’d move on, find another friend. For me, there was only ever Freya. And I was not going to screw up again. I was going to be everything that Jamie had ever been to her, and more. I’d make Freya need me, rely on me; I would become essential. Freya would never be able to cut me out of her life again.

The object of my devotion was waiting for me, wearing one of Max’s flannel shirts and nothing else. The outfit was her idea, but I had to admit it fit perfectly with the milieu. Freya would stand on the deck, the setting sun and a blur of cedar trees behind her. A sexy, pregnant lumberjack. Freya came up with the witty captions, but I might suggest it.

“Hurry,” she instructed, without so much as a hello. “We’re losing the light.”

I followed her out to the deck, where she positioned herself at the railing and struck a pose: back arched, pregnant belly exposed, thigh bent to conceal her privates. Angling myself so the sun’s rays were just out of frame, I took a number of shots. With her fair hair and tanned skin glowing in the natural light, she looked like an angel. No, something fiercer and sexier. A fire goddess.

“Why don’t we get Max to join you for a few shots?” I asked.

I hadn’t seen Max in a while. He always seemed to be out on the water, out for a run, or away dealing with business matters. His presence still made me feel strangely feminine, but I was wearing my photographer’s hat. This was about getting a beautiful photo of the parents to be.