A Season at the Grand by Wilson Johnson Sherri

Author:Wilson Johnson, Sherri
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wild Heart Books
Published: 2023-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Amelia exited the dining hall, still licking the maple syrup off her lips, although making sure no one saw her do it. What should she photograph today?

Some days, it seemed as though she’d already photographed everything she could and that a full summer here wasn’t necessary. Then the next day, an unfamiliar flower blossomed or the wind rustled through the Spanish moss in a different direction than the day before and gave the oaks to which it clung a fresh look. They begged for her to photograph them.

As guests who were once strangers became friends after several weeks at the resort, the photographs Amelia took of them held more life. Frolicking in the bay, sailing in sailboats, having picnics beneath the ancient oaks—these pals posed for Amelia with more vibrancy than when they’d first arrived. Many approached her requesting her services instead of her asking them.

Tomorrow, she might have to bring her camera to breakfast and request permission to capture the chefs while cooking. She’d been here more than a month, and not a day had gone by that something on the menu hadn’t surprised her. If only her camera could capture the vibrant colors the chefs brought into each dish. Whether it was the spices or the various fruits and vegetables, food here at the resort seemed almost too visibly pleasing to eat. But she didn’t let the beauty stop her from indulging.

The cakes and pastries weren’t as colorful as many of the ones Amelia had seen back home or in New York City, but the lead chef, Chef François Bougère from New Orleans, had told her that was because he refused to put any artificial or potentially toxic coloring in his foods.

“Only the best for the resort guests,” he’d said with a wink. While she’d photographed him, the dark-skinned man with wiry hair poking out from beneath his chef’s hat had shared with her how he’d come to the resort.

After losing his entire family to yellow fever two months earlier, he’d landed here for a new start. But he carried with him his mother’s love for cooking and said that was why the smile stayed on his face even though his heart still ached from his losses. Amelia couldn’t help but wonder if his glow came from his liberal use of cayenne pepper.

As she followed the path from the dining hall back to her quarters, her thoughts returned to one subject she’d still been unable to capture—and probably never would.

Titus.

He’d never scheduled his appointment for his portrait. Although the board of directors made sure all other staff had appeared before her camera, Titus hadn’t interacted with her since their morning on the boat together. And while Amelia understood that the connection they’d shared was fleeting and would never return, if only it didn’t have to be so. It was for the best, though, so Titus wouldn’t feel foolish.

She’d forfeit all her photographing opportunities for the rest of the summer just to have one session with the man

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.