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Chapter

Fourteen

K elby awoke, enveloped in West’s warmth cocooned around her. For a moment, she still thought she might be dreaming, the most wonderful dream she’d ever had. Then she realized everything that had happened was no dream. It had been a reality.

And West was all hers.

She wanted to chastise herself for having ever dated Bax, much less marrying his sorry ass, but she knew that the years away from West had taught her much about herself.

She had gone through experiences which she wouldn’t wish upon anyone else, but they had made her into the strong, confident woman she was today.

She might not be West’s financial equal, but Kelby felt assured in who she was and the business she was building from scratch.

His hand began to move, his palm slowly rubbing circles against her belly. Need immediately sprang within her. Yes, everything was new and shiny between them now. She knew that newness would eventually fade, but she couldn’t see her desire for this man ever ebbing.

They made love quickly, frenzied in their need for one another. When her orgasm tore through her, she wondered how she had ever lived without West’s touch.

They got ready quickly, Kelby dressing in the athleisurewear which Carol and Elaine had gifted to her. Thankfully, she still had coffee pods and brewed coffee for them, giving them each an energy bar as she collected her camera and lists. They headed for West’s truck.

“Sorry I had to throw out the sour milk,” she apologized. “It had been sitting in the fridge ever since I left in a hurry to go to the hospital in Decatur. At least the creamer was still good.”

“You don’t have to apologize for a thing, Kelby.” West laced his fingers through hers as he pulled out of the parking lot. “And you look mighty fine in what you have on.”

“Thank you. This is from the line I’ll be helping Elaine and Carol to sell. I thought what better way to get to know it than to wear it today during this photo shoot.”

They arrived at a locally owned coffee shop, their designated meetup.

She went inside and had the two owners of Motion Mates and their spouses come back outside, not wanting to cause a commotion with West’s appearance in the establishment.

Although it was just after seven on a Saturday morning, the coffee shop was already about a third full, with a long line waiting to order.

Fortunately, Kelby had checked her email before they left her apartment and had seen the list of people available today to use as models. It included Elaine’s two sisters and cousin, along with Carol’s mahjongg partner and her next-door neighbor.

They reached West’s truck. He leaned against it, and Carol let out some garbled noise, clearly recognizing him. Elaine simply stood there mute, looking starstruck. Their two husbands, however, had no problem moving toward West for quick handshakes and introductions.

When Kelby introduced the two entrepreneurs to West, Carol blurted out, “We can’t afford you, Mr. Sutherland.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Carol,” he said easily. “I’m just doing a favor for a friend of a friend by being here today.”

They had talked it over on the way to the coffee shop, and Kelby had asked West not to mention anything about their upcoming wedding plans.

She wanted that to stay private for as long as possible.

It would be hurtful if their family and friends heard about it from social media before they had a chance to sit down and talk with everyone.

West smiled affably and asked, “What am I supposed to wear today?”

“I’ll get it,” said Elaine’s husband, hurrying over to a truck parked three places away.

He returned and handed over a couple of shirts and pairs of pants, and West ducked into his truck, peeling off the T-shirt and cargo shorts he wore, and replacing them with Motion Mates apparel.

Kelby consulted the list she had printed out and said, “I don’t want to stay in any location too long.

I want your campaign to be a surprise. Having West along will make that a little more difficult, which is why we need to keep on the move.

Let’s start with you four in the coffee shop.

I’ll do a few individual photos, a couple of you as husband and wife, and a few of your group seated at a table together.

Then a few more bringing out your coffees. ”

She then told Elaine, who was in charge of the list of models, to text everyone else to meet at the next location in half an hour so that Kelby could see who she had to work with, their ages, and what they wore.

West emerged from his truck, and Kelby couldn’t help but see Elaine and Carol almost drool over him, wearing their apparel.

“This really fits like a snug glove, which I like,” he commented. “I’ve never liked baggy workout clothes. This set feels comfortable, too. I think I’m going to have to recommend your line to a few of my friends.”

Carol made another squawking noise, and West merely took it in stride.

“Stay in the truck, Sutherland,” Kelby told him. “When we’re ready to leave the coffee shop, I’ll snap a few pictures of you then.”

She brought the two couples inside again, putting them in line and taking a couple of pictures.

She asked to see the manager, and a tall, capable-looking brunette came to speak with her.

Quickly, Kelby explained why they were there and asked if the manager wanted the store’s named blurred in the background and whether they wanted to be tagged on social media.

The manager, who turned out to also be the owner, readily agreed to having her shop visible in the photos and was ecstatic to be tagged on social media.

“Being an independent coffee shop pitted against the big dogs as my competition can be hard,” the owner admitted. “Any leg up I can get would be nice.”

Kelby handed the woman one of her new cards. “If you’d like to consider using me, I’m a social media consultant and can handle all that for you, including your branding, ads, and website needs.”

The woman bit her lip as she studied the card. “I’m pretty small potatoes. I’m not certain I could afford your services, Miss Blackstone, but I’ll keep you in mind.”

“Check out my website. I think you’ll find my prices reasonable. There’s an a la carte menu and then several packages that bundle various services. If you have any questions, give me a call, and we can talk.”

By then, the two couples had their ordered coffees in hand, so she placed the women at one table and the men at another, photographing both separately. Then she got several shots of all four together, and they left the coffeehouse.

“One of you give West your coffee as a prop,” she said.

West accepted it and followed Kelby inside the coffee shop. He took a seat and pretended to scroll through his phone while he sipped his coffee.

They quickly left as the buzz rippled across the coffeehouse, getting out before anyone approached West for a selfie. She went out the door first and made certain she photographed him with the name of the coffee shop in the background as he exited it.

They met the other models for the day in the parking lot of a grocery store.

Kelby made mental notes of who wore what colors and was pleased that all the women had different hair and skin coloring.

It was a nice surprise to see Carol’s neighbor looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties because Kelby wanted to market the Motion Mates line to women of any age or lifestyle.

Elaine opened the tailgate of the SUV she was driving and showed Kelby some of the other pieces the women and men could change into, as well as what was in her husband’s truck.

Quickly, Kelby formulated a plan, distributing different outfits to certain people.

She created a schedule and over the next several hours, captured photos with this group participating in different activities.

Grocery shopping. At a hardware store. Checking out library books. Picking up dry cleaning. At an ATM.

At each location, she only took a handful of pictures of West, not certain how much she truly wanted to use him. She didn’t want this campaign to be all about him, especially since the menswear line was limited at this time.

Close to noon, the entire group had been told to rendezvous at a local park, bringing their children along.

Carol and Elaine’s husbands had gone and picked up their own children, and now Kelby did group shots of the parents playing with their kids.

Pushing them on swings. Watching them as they went down slides.

Standing nearby as one boy skillfully climbed a small rock wall and another traipsed back and forth across a moveable bridge.

“I think I have everything I need,” she said.

“I can think of one more thing,” Elaine’s husband said. “If you look over there, it looks like a Little League game will start soon. So many parents go to their children’s activities, from sports to ballet to gymnastics competitions. We should try to snag a few photos over there, maybe as a group.”

Kelby agreed, and everyone but West made their way over to the bleachers.

She sent Carol’s neighbor to buy a few boxes of popcorn and soft drinks, giving her a twenty to do so.

The food and drink made for excellent props as she got several shots of a larger group pretending to watch a game which had yet to start, cheering an imaginary home run being scored.

They returned to the parking lot, where Kelby thanked everyone for participating. West, who had been waiting in his truck so he wouldn’t be a distraction in the bleachers, got out and joined her.

“I know you were all unpaid for this gig and are doing it because you love Elaine and Carol and want to support them. I really think you’ve contributed to the success of Motion Mates today. Thank you for spending part of your Saturday with me.”