“You deserve them. You’re incredibly talented. It’s a wonder that it’s taken people this long to notice it.”
Snow felt herself blushing again. The fact that a successful businesswoman like Amanda thought she was extremely talented warmed her from the inside. It gave her hope for the future of her work. Maybe this big break was all she needed to start making the kinds of sales she hoped to make one day.
“I’m hoping to get my own printer soon. It’ll be a good investment, I think.”
“It certainly will be. I’ve gotten endless use out of my printer. Have you decided on a brand yet?”
They chatted for almost an hour. Amanda gave Snow some good advice on which printer brands to get, and Snow found out some more about Amanda’s business history.
She certainly had a talent for business, judging by how well she seemed to be doing. Snow picked up several useful tips from her, and in turn gave Amanda advice on how to improve her photography skills.
Bluebell whined when they had to leave. “Just five more minutes…”
“I told Grandma that we’d join her for lunch. You wouldn’t want to miss her macaroni cheese, now would you?”
Bluebell brightened. “Macaroni cheese is the best!”
“I know it is, honey.” Snow turned to Amanda. “Thanks for this, Amanda. We—we could do it again sometime, if you’d like?”
“I’d love that. Can I Whatsapp you?”
“Absolutely.”
Snow was grinning widely all the way home.
11
Snow sent Amanda the photos the next day. Amanda was practically vibrating with excitement as she opened them.
They were even more spectacular than she had imagined, and she had set her expectations pretty high.
She, Snow and Bluebell looked like such a happy little family. It made Amanda wonder if she and Nicole had been wrong not to have children. They had both been so focused on their business that they had judged they wouldn’t have enough time to devote to a child.
Meeting Bluebell made Amanda wonder if she was too old to be a parent. She assumed she couldn’t get pregnant anymore, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t adopt, or have someone act as surrogate for her.
She wouldn’t want to do it alone, though. Amanda didn’t want to give up her business, which meant she would need a partner to help in childcare. She could get a nanny, of course, but that was no replacement for the care of a parent.
No, perhaps it was too late for her.
Amanda couldn’t wait to see Snow and Bluebell again.
Her thoughts drifted to Snow. She looked so beautiful in the photos. Amanda wished that she had kissed Snow again when she last saw her, but she hadn’t wanted to do so in front of Bluebell.
Amanda scrolled through the photos again, trying to pick her favorite one. It was a difficult choice.
Of course, this opened up a whole new world of possibilities. These photos would appeal to an LGBT audience, which would be amazing. Amanda had never geared her stuff specifically toward that community before, but now that the opportunity arose, she found that she liked the idea a lot.
She wondered if she might need to take some more photos with Snow. Maybe if these greeting cards sold well, she could justify another shoot. Amanda remembered how intimate it had felt posing with Snow, and how much she had wanted to properly kiss her.
Though she’d seen her only a day ago, Amanda already wanted another excuse to see Snow.
She couldn’t believe how much she liked Snow now, after hating her at first. Amanda felt ashamed of the way she had behaved toward Snow in the beginning, but judging by how things went yesterday, Snow didn’t hold it against her. Nicole would have taken that sort of grudge to her grave, but Snow wasn’t like that.
Amanda lost herself in her work, designing the perfect Christmas cards with the photos Snow had sent her. It wasn’t difficult. The photos were so good that the cards practically made themselves.
Once she was done, Amanda stepped away from her computer to get some fresh air. She always found that coming back to check her work after a little walk helped her pick up tiny mistakes she may have missed.
Amanda strolled through the fir trees, humming under her breath. She wandered over to the tree where she had first kissed Snow. They had both been angry then, but the kiss had been so hot that it had overwhelmed Amanda’s anger completely.