The Secret Life of Daydreams (12 page)

“What? Why is Josh—”

“Xau, Margarida.”

She sat opposite Josh and placed the phone down on the coffee table.

“Did I interrupt your call?” Josh cast a glance at the phone.

“That was Margarida, I’ll call her back later.”

He nodded. “How have you been?”

Why was Josh in her apartment trying to make small talk? The hesitation before her reply was enough for him to notice.

“Everything all right?”

Sofia blew a breath. “My mother burned herself today trying to pour a cup of tea.” Why did she blurt that out? There went her self-restraint.

“How did that happen? Was she not being supervised?”

“Yes, of course she was. My neighbor was watching her but she said she had to go to the bathroom.”

“And you believe her?”

Sofia sat up tall. “Why wouldn’t I believe her?” The feelings inside her started to boil. “And why are you asking me these questions? Do you think I’m not caring well for my mother?” She stood, trying to put some distance between her and Josh.

Josh paused and then reached out a hand to her. “No, of course not. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.” He waited. “I know you’re doing the best you can for your mother.”

His apology mollified her but not enough to sit close to him as before.

“Have you considered placing her in a skilled nursing facility?”

Sofia sat down at the far chair. “It’s not as easy as it may look. I think I’ve told you before, the government-run facilities have a long waiting list, and the private ones are expensive.”

“Yes, you have. I’m sorry for asking again.” His expression was contrite. “What about proofing the apartment?”

“Proofing? What do you mean?” She was only familiar with baby proofing and she didn’t have any babies.

“It means to minimize the chances for her to get hurt, like securing the dressers and bookcases to the wall, installing sliding door locks so she can’t go on the balconies, and things like that.”

That was a good idea. If only she had the time and money to get it done. “Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll have to look into that.”

“Would you let me help?” His tone was cautious. “With the proofing.”

His offer caught her off guard and she didn’t know what to say for a minute.

Josh continued. “We had to do it for my grandma and I know what needs to be done.” He waited for her reply, then added, “It wouldn’t take very long, and I could do it while you’re in school, if you let your neighbor know I’m coming.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you.” It was too generous and she wouldn’t let her pride get in the way of accepting the help, not when it concerned Mother’s safety and when her budget was so tight. She’d have to think of a way to thank Josh. But for now it was probably better to change the subject. “What about you? Is everything all right?”

He nodded slowly. “Everything’s fine. I’d thought we could go to Citânia this week but I got a job offer and it’s too good to pass.” His eyes shone with the unmistakable sign of excitement.

“Are you going to tell me what it is or is it a secret?”

He smiled a little. “Not a secret. I’ll be shooting a destination wedding at the Terceira island.”

“In the Açores islands. Fancy.”

“Not sure how fancy it really is. All I know is that both the groom’s and the bride’s grandparents came from there. The couple lives in New Jersey, but opted to have the wedding in Terceira to celebrate their heritage.”

“I didn’t know that you photograph weddings.” The curiosity grew for Sofia. “Do you have a portfolio?”

“Not a lot of them, but I do shoot some on occasion, especially when the location is new and interesting to me.” Josh crossed his ankle at this knee. “When the couple is fun and up for trying new things, it makes it even better.” He paused, then added, “And I have a website under my name.”

Sofia thought about his words. What would it be like to have a job that excited her like that? The rewards of teaching seldom yielded immediate results, let alone the gratification or recognition from her ‘clients’. “Well, I wish you good luck and lots of success with it.”

Josh cleared his throat. “Actually, I just came to see if I could get a rain check on that trip to the Citânia de Briteiros.”

“Yes, of course. How long will you be gone?”

“I’m expecting three to four days, at the most. I’m leaving in the morning.” He stood.

Sofia rose from the chair and walked ahead of him to the foyer. “Well then, I hope everything goes well for you.”

Josh stopped in front of the door and turned to her. “Can I call you when I return? To make plans for the trip, I mean. And to proof the house,” he added.

Despite the placid expression and neutral smile, Josh fiddled with the keys in his pocket. Was he nervous? She didn’t know Josh well enough to read him yet. “Sim, podes ligar-me.”

Josh nodded and then reached for the door handle. When Sofia tried to intercept him, their hands brushed against each other. The contact of his skin on hers sent a tremor to her fingers and Sofia pulled them back. Her eyes turned up and met his, already looking at her. Her cheeks heated. What was it about this man that always had her feeling like a school-age girl?

After an uncomfortable pause of waiting to see who’d open the door, she pulled at the handle and swung it to let Josh pass. He was out of reach before she even had the chance to think about a farewell beijinho, and she was glad for it. Cheek-to-cheek contact, even with his beard in the way, would have been even worse to her nerves.

Josh pushed the elevator button and held a hand up to her. “I’ll see you soon then.”

Sofia waved back. “Have a good flight.”

* * *

As soon as the elevator door closed behind him, Josh shook his head. It was like he didn’t have any experience with girls and didn’t know how to talk to them, and awkward and lame were the words of the day. Why hadn’t he just sent her a text message? But no, he had to see her before he left, for whatever reason that he couldn’t even explain to himself. Sofia had gotten under his skin and, for the first time in a long while, he didn’t know what to do about it. For someone who prided himself in his tightly contained life, these new feelings threw him off course.

* * *

After thinking about Josh’s photography work all day at school, Sofia waited until Mother was in bed and sat on the sofa with her laptop. She’d been surprised to know that he did weddings. What else did he photograph? She entered his name in the search engine. The wait for results was short as a page of links came up almost immediately.

Josh had a website for his work as well as a Facebook page. He’d posted some photos of Braga recently, and not just landscapes. There were people and stories and details about the city even she didn’t know about. She clicked ‘like’ on it and became his newest follower.

On the website she looked under the tab marked ‘weddings’. The galleries were arranged by couple, with the wedding date and where it took place. His style was elegant and timeless, and the black-and-white photos had a classic feel to them. The rest of his work was more journalistic in nature, with a bold, honest element and vivid colors.

His talent shone in every one of his photographs, and Sofia read the notes and editorials for each one. He’d started the Minho travel series on his blog with an introduction to Braga as the capital for the district. And there was a page with a map to all the places he’d been, cities and small towns, countryside and mountains, the deserts and forests alike, all linking to the blog posts and images for each job and location. His traveling portfolio was impressive.

But it was in the way he captured the emotion in the faces of his subjects, suspending moments in time, and creating a connection with the viewer, that Sofia admired his talent. His work was a candid study of everyday reality and the beauty of things and people, no matter the conditions.

Josh was an artist.

Something swelled in Sofia’s chest. This other side of Josh was a revelation about his character and personality. How could she separate what she’d come to know of him with what she saw in his work? She couldn’t. It was all connected: who he was and what he did were two facets of the same being, and even if he tried to hide himself behind the normalcy he presented to others, looking through the galleries of his website had given Sofia a glimpse of his true self that she couldn’t forget.

He hadn’t completely lost his spirituality.

* * *

When Josh entered his extended-stay room in Braga three days later, he dumped his bags on the floor and dropped on to the bed, slipping his shoes off slowly. It was the closest thing to home right now, and the relief to be back was a welcomed one.

From his position, the early evening city lights entered through the open curtains on the door to the balcony, stretching the shadows across the floor. He raised an arm to cover his eyes and stayed motionless for a moment, scenes from the last few days darting through his mind.

During the intense, fast-paced schedule that was normal to most weddings, he had met the bride and groom and their families and friends, had become acquainted with the venue and the catering staff, and had shot before, during, and after the wedding, covering everything the bride had requested, plus his trademark shots.

The island of Terceira was beautiful, green and lush and with flowers everywhere, and he was looking forward to downloading all the images and getting started with the digital editing. It had been one of the best and most fun jobs to date, and it would make a good addition to his website galleries. Weddings were time consuming and tiring but he liked to make room on his schedule for a few every year, especially the destination ones.

His cell phone pinged and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a message from the mother of the bride thanking him for the sneak-peek photo he’d posted on Facebook. He usually posted one image that captured the bride and groom in a tender moment, and then tagged them both so all their friends could see it. The clients were always happy with that and it made for good marketing. The comments and likes had begun already. Another job well done.

His notifications alerted him to a few new fans and at the top of the list was a familiar face. Ana Sofia Marques Monteiro. He smiled at the cute picture of her, with the hair held back by a headband, and the right hand cradling her cheek. So she’d found his photography Facebook page and probably his website as well. What did she think of his work?

Before he changed his mind, he sent her a friend request. And to make sure she didn’t think he was stalking her, he sent a message as well.

Thanks for liking my page, Sofia.

Maybe he should add something more.

This is my business page for my clients etc. I sent you a friend request from my personal page.

Well, Captain Obvious was his new name. Such an eloquent way to make an impression on her.

Another notification, this time saying his friend request had been accepted. Sofia was online. Josh sat up in bed. He quickly turned to his personal page and sent a message from there instead.

Olá, Sofia.

Olá, Josh. Are you still in the islands?

Just arrived a little while ago. It’s good to be back in Braga.
For more than one reason, as much as he didn’t want to admit it.

Tired?

Yeah, busy wedding. But very fun too.

I saw the picture you posted on your page. So beautiful.

She liked it. Score one.
Thank you. I have more weddings on my website.

I’ve seen them, and the rest too. Your work is amazing.

A wide smile stretched Josh’s face.
Thanks again. I’m glad to know you like my images.

You’re very talented.

As much as he liked to know what she thought of his work, maybe it was best to change the subject.
Everything well with you?

Sim, está tudo bem.

Josh wanted to ask Sofia about her mother but after the way he’d bungled the last conversation about it, he didn’t wish to raise any kind of contention between them. Before he had the chance to reply, she sent another message.

I better go. I’ve got a couple of meetings before school tomorrow.

Sorry to keep you up.

Don’t be. It was fun talking to you.

You too. Boa noite, Sofia.

Boa noite, Josh.

Josh put down the phone on the bedside table. He got up and drew the curtains aside and opened the window to let the night air in, fresh and pungent with the smell of blooming fruit trees.

The sleepiness and fatigue of before were gone. Talking to Sofia, even just on Facebook, had awakened his feelings to possibilities he’d long thought lost. The hope he’d been suppressing effectively for the past six years kept tugging at him more and more until he began questioning himself.

Why did he feel this connection to Sofia? And why couldn’t he make a decision about it?