gaze flicked to Adele and then back. “Um, I don’t really drink,” she answered, then hid behind her glass as she sipped. “Besides, lemonade is perfect.”
He took a seat and chatted to Adele for a few minutes, catching up, but in the back of his brain he remembered the wedding and the fact that Harper had indulged in more than one glass of champagne.
Something felt off.
“So what brings you to Banff? It can’t only be a visit with Dan.”
He smiled at his new sister-in-law, thinking of a way to divert the conversation. “To see you, too, you know. You’re a package deal now. How are the newlyweds?”
Adele’s smile was huge, and her gaze flicked to Harper for a moment before shifting back to him. “Oh, we’re wonderful. Dan likes his new job a lot, and I’m...” Her smile was radiant. “Well, I’m blissfully happy.”
“I’m glad.”
“You didn’t answer my question, though. What else brings you here?”
He considered for a moment and decided to be honest but downplay his interest. “I’m thinking about opening a store up here, and doing a little recon.”
“And you can spend some time with your brother at the same time,” Harper added softly.
He met her gaze, felt the jolt right to his toes. She was so pretty. So...artless. At the wedding weekend he’d learned she was a photographer. He remembered seeing her photos and realizing they were as simple and stunning as she was.
“Family’s important,” he said simply. “I haven’t seen mine as much as I might have wanted to over the past few years.”
“Dan says you two have always been close.”
Harper had been smiling at him, but he dragged his gaze away to look at Adele again. “I’m the baby of the family, but I was the first to leave the Brimicombe family fold. I’d like to be around more, you know?” And look for opportunities. He was always keeping his eyes open. Being sharp was what kept him at the top of his game.
He turned his gaze to Harper. “What about you, Harper? Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Their wedding banter hadn’t covered much in the way of personal subjects.
She smiled a little and shook her head. “An only child, I’m afraid. My parents live in Caicos.”
“Caicos? Wow. What’s in Caicos?”
She grinned. “An air charter service. My dad’s a pilot.”
“It’s a beautiful island.”
“You’ve been?”
He nodded. He’d traveled extensively and didn’t have any plans of stopping. Stay in one place too long and he got itchy feet. Luckily, Aspen Outfitters had done well and he could indulge his wanderlust.
Adele’s cell rang and she excused herself, leaving Drew and Harper alone. He looked over at her and wondered what was different. Granted, at the wedding she’d been dressed in lovely clothes with her hair and makeup done to perfection, understated but incredibly lovely. Now she was in shorts and a T-shirt with her hair in a simple reddish-brown tail. It was more than what she was wearing, though. There was something about her that drew him in and her skin glowed like she was lit from the inside. And it wasn’t the summer heat. The air-conditioning made sure of that.
“You look good,” he said, then realized how awful that must sound. “I mean, well.”
She laughed a little. “Thanks. I think. I’ve been busy, but trying to take a little time off for me. It’s wedding season, though. I’m booked every weekend from now until Thanksgiving.”
“No summer vacations for you then, huh.”
“Not really. Weddings really take up an entire weekend, with the rehearsal on the Friday and sometimes a family event on the day following the ceremony. And sometimes couples want engagement pictures, or have an engagement party, bridal shower...”
“They hire photographers for that?”
She waggled her delicate brows a little. “If there’s money? Oh, yeah.”
“Do you only do weddings?”
She unfolded her legs. “No. I mean, I do things like special occasions, engagement parties, graduations, anniversaries, that sort of thing. I even had a few gigs as prom photographer for a few different schools.”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “It doesn’t leave a lot of time for your nature stuff, does it?”
She shook her head, the tips of her ponytail touching her shoulders. “Not as much as I’d like. I try to get out of the studio a few times a week and take landscapes and candids.”
“Like your mama and cubs photo.”
She smiled then, a genuine, happy smile that lit up her eyes. “You remember that piece.”
“Of course I do. How you got such clarity with the sun coming up and the little bit of mist on the grass... I don’t know how you did it.”
She took a sip of her lemonade, then nodded. “The scenery here is so beautiful, and I like experimenting with different filters and lenses. I sell some of my prints, but it’s not enough to make a living and pay the rent on the studio. Weddings help me keep the lights on. But that means I don’t have as much time as I’d like to explore the other stuff.”
Her eyes lit up when she talked about her work. He could relate. There was nothing he enjoyed more than setting up a new store from the ground up. “But as you said, weddings are on weekends. Surely you have time during the week? More than a day or two?”
She laughed, a sound as light as sunbeams. “You mean when I’m not looking after the business side of things, and editing photos? You wouldn’t believe how long editing takes.”
“I never thought of that.”
She smiled. “I try to get out as much as I can, but lately I...”
Her words trailed off and her eyes widened, as if she’d been caught saying something she shouldn’t.
“Lately what?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, it’s nothing. So you’re looking at opening a new store. That sounds exciting.”
It was a deliberate evasion and he knew it, but he wasn’t going to push for information she didn’t want to give. She was a relative stranger, after all, and Adele’s best friend. There was no need to be rude or prying. Though he couldn’t help but wonder if her glow and now her evasion had anything to do with a new relationship. It shouldn’t matter, because she’d already made her feelings clear. But it did. What kind of man could capture the heart of a woman like her? He’d have to be someone special. Drew had definitely gotten the impression that Harper wasn’t the type to settle for just anyone.
“It is,” he replied,
