Page 34 of Blame It on the Bikini (Ocean Shores #4)

She might have to wait for his decision on the sale of the building.

But she didn't have to wait to hear whether or not he wanted to have a relationship with her.

She had her own work to do, and she had never waited to make her own plans because of a guy.

She'd learned that was a bad idea when she was sixteen years old and she had waited until eight o'clock on a Saturday night for Christian Parker to ask her to meet him at a party.

But he didn't call, and she didn't go anywhere.

Later, she'd found out he was making out with someone else at the party he hadn't invited her to.

She'd vowed then and there she would never wait again, and she'd mostly kept that promise to herself.

But now, she was doing that with Grayson, and it was time to stop.

By the time she got back to her apartment, she'd worked up a lot of angry energy, and when she walked into her dining room and looked at her wall of inspiration, she realized just how long she'd been putting off her real career.

She ripped down the inspiration photos one by one.

It felt oddly satisfying to erase her wall of insecurity.

She didn't need the work of others to inspire her; she needed to inspire herself.

Once all the old photos were down, she started taping some of her extra prints up. She'd made two copies of the photos she would use in the show, and as she created her own wall of inspiration, she started to realize just how good she was.

There were still blank spaces, but what she had now was so much better than what she'd had on the wall before, because it was her work, and she was proud of what she'd done so far. But this was only the beginning.

Her phone rang, and she jumped. She'd been so caught up in what she was doing, she'd lost track of time and everything else. It was Sienna from the Art Nest.

"I'm so glad I caught you, Lexie," Sienna said.

"I have an interesting offer for you. A friend of mine works for New Frontiers magazine.

She buys photos from freelancers, and I showed her the digital copies that you sent me for your show, and she would love to acquire the photos you took at Joshua Tree. "

"Really? That's amazing."

"There's more. She had a commissioned shoot set up in Morocco, but her photographer bailed, and she needs a replacement fast. She can pay airfare and hotel for a five-day trip, plus whatever you negotiate for the photos.

But the shoot is in a week. You would have to commit soon, like today or tomorrow, or else she'll keep looking. "

"Wow. That's a lot to take in. Did you say Morocco?" she asked.

"Yes. I think you should do it, Lexie. You're so good.

And whatever photos you don't sell to her will probably work great in your collection.

This could be a great way to get into the magazine as well.

They don't hire staffers, but if you can become one of their preferred freelancers, you can sometimes get commissions, like this one.

Plus, you'll have time to shoot other things while you're there. "

"My head is spinning."

"I know," Sienna said with an understanding laugh. "She wanted to call you directly, but I thought it would be better if I warmed you up first. I gave her your number, and if you're interested, she'll call you at five today. Just say the word."

"Yes. I'm definitely interested."

"Then I'll have her call you at five, and you two figure out the rest. Good luck, Lexie."

"Thanks again, Sienna. This is amazing."

"I'm happy to help someone as talented as you."

As she set down the phone, she let out a breath, still amazed by the opportunity that had just landed in her lap.

She couldn't believe what was happening.

A job in Morocco? How could she turn that down?

She opened her calendar app. She didn't have any weddings scheduled for the next two weeks, which was good, because those contracts were impossible to break.

Her other jobs could probably be rearranged or postponed.

A knock came at her door, and she wondered if the day was going to get even better if Grayson had decided to stop avoiding her. But it wasn't Grayson; it was her aunt.

"Aunt Josie," she said with a short smile. "Come in."

"I'm guessing I'm not the one you were hoping to see," Josie said with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

"I wasn't hoping to see anyone," she lied.

"I brought you the book I was telling you about." She held it up in her hand. "I finally finished it, and I think you'll love it."

She took the book as her aunt stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind her. "Thank you, but I don't think I'll have time for reading for a while."

As she set the book down on her dining room table, her aunt said, "Well, this is different. You changed the wall to your photographs."

"I thought it was time to look to myself for inspiration, instead of someone else."

"Good for you." Josie moved closer to the wall. "These are gorgeous. They'll sell in an instant when they go up in the gallery. Sienna is going to be delighted with all of this and more. I'm sure you're not done yet."

"I'm not done. I just got a crazy good invitation from Sienna. Her friend who works for New Frontiers magazine wants to buy my Joshua Tree photos, and she's also interested in hiring me for a shoot in Morocco."

"What? That is wonderful."

"The woman is going to call me at five today with the details, but I'd have to leave in about a week." She looked at her watch. "I have two hours to figure out how I can manage that."

"What's to figure out? You'll go to Morocco, shoot photos, and have the time of your life."

"But I have responsibilities. I have jobs I'll have to reschedule. Some of those clients might get angry. And I won't be able to help you as much."

"I can get by without your help, not that I don't appreciate it. But I would never stand in the way of you doing what you were meant to do."

"Maybe I'm not good enough." The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Josie gave her a firm look. "Not a chance. Look at the wall, Lexie."

Her gaze flickered to the wall, then back to her aunt. "You're right. I'm just scared, but I'm also excited. I haven't traveled much and certainly not to a place like Morocco."

"This could be the beginning of a new chapter in your life."

"I'm just not sure I'm done with this chapter. I could be gone when Grayson makes his decision. If the building is going to be sold, there will be a lot to do in a short time. How can I not be here to help you through that?"

"If Grayson decides to sell, we'll have time to get organized and figure out our next move. I don't want you to make decisions based on that, because we don't know what's going to happen."

Despite her aunt's words, she didn't seem as unconcerned as she'd once been. "Do you know something?" she asked. "Because you're the one who has had faith this is all going to work out since the beginning. Now, you don't seem as certain."

"I still have hope that it will," Josie said. "But I did see Grayson put a suitcase into his car a short while ago before he drove away. Maybe it's just a short business trip, and he'll be back."

"Or maybe he's never coming back," she said heavily.

"Oh, honey, don't look so sad. We'll survive whatever is coming."

"I know we will. I just wish things were different. I wish Grayson wasn't hell-bent on selling our home. I thought once he was here, he would see how great it is."

"And you thought he would see how great you are, and he wouldn't be able to hurt you."

"Maybe," she conceded. "I know he doesn't want to hurt me.

He's just very determined to make money for his father's business so that when he takes over officially, his father will believe it's in good hands.

I'm also aware that this building sits on very valuable land.

I'm sure he could make a fortune by selling it.

I just don't want him to take away the place that I love. "

"I understand. And you're not just unhappy about the possibility of losing this building; you're sad about Grayson. You're in love with him."

"No. It's not love. It's not that serious."

"Is that true or just what you're telling yourself?"

"Maybe a little of both," she admitted. "But whatever it is, I'll get over it, right?"

"Perhaps in Morocco," her aunt suggested.

She gave her a somewhat sad smile. "Perhaps so."