Sara's Promise (5 page)

From then on she was shuffled between her father's brother and two sisters. They all had families of their own, and none of them wanted her. That time was just a blur to her now, a mixture of faces, houses, tears, and lost years. She learned then that love was a scarce commodity, passed on only to those more deserving than she. But that was fine with Annie. She saw what love had done to her father, how it had destroyed his life, and she knew she never wanted to love anyone that deeply. It was too painful to lose the one you loved.

As soon as Annie graduated high school, she went out on her own. She attended the University of Minnesota on a full scholarship, majoring in the arts, finding photography to be her one true love. For a child who didn't own many photos of her youth, she now took pictures of everything, preserving time with her camera for others to enjoy. After college, she interned for a landscape and architectural magazine based in St. Paul and landed a permanent position there. A few years later, when they sent her on a special assignment to Portland, she instantly fell in love with the area, especially the town of Seaside. The first time she saw the small beach town, she felt like she'd finally come home. It drew her in so completely with its quaint shops and friendly, casual atmosphere, so unaffected by big city life. She decided at once that she had to live there and immediately landed a job with a Portland-based architectural magazine. But after a year of being tied down to one workplace, she decided to go out on her own and freelance. Her work had become well-known, and she was always busy with several assignments lined up in advance. She loved her work, where she lived, and everything about her life. For her, it was perfect.

Annie worked on her computer, sorting photos from other assignments she had completed. She'd done an expansive spread on Victorian homes in the Portland area for a Portland-based magazine and had also shot some photos over the bridge in Vancouver, Washington, of new homes built by a well-known architect. But no assignment she’d had so far was as exciting as the one with William. His homes were truly works of art, a photographer's dream. She couldn't wait to see the other homes today. Excitedly, Annie dressed and drove the hour into Beaverton. Today, she would not be late.

Annie entered the offices of Grafton & Hanover with ten minutes to spare. Behind the secretary's desk stood a young woman with long, strawberry blonde hair, her back to Annie. In her ears were earbuds attached to an iPod clipped to her belt. She hummed along with the music as she filed papers into drawers. This was definitely a different secretary from the middle-aged woman who'd greeted Annie just yesterday.

The door to William's office was ajar, but Annie didn't see movement in there. Before Annie was able to get the woman's attention, she turned, as if suddenly aware now that she was not alone in the room. The woman was young and had a beautiful face of classic features and soft blue eyes, but she wore too much makeup, and her purple lipstick was atrocious. But what caught Annie's attention most were the girl's piercings—nose, eyebrow and several up each ear.

The secretary popped the earbuds out. "You must be the photographer."

Annie nodded. Loud music thumped through the earbuds.

"You're early," the young woman said, turning off the iPod. The way she said it made Annie wonder if William had said she might be late. Annie was about to introduce herself but was interrupted by the young woman.

"Dad's upstairs, talking to his accountant. He should be back in a few minutes."

Annie's brows rose. Dad? She nodded again, both in acknowledgment and understanding. This was William's daughter. The girl continued to stare at her as Annie tried to think of what to say next. But again, before Annie could speak, the girl beat her to it.

"You have green eyes," William's daughter said, continuing to study her. "Blue-green actually. My mother had eyes the same color."

There it was again. Annie wondered about a family that was obsessed with eye color.

"Yes, your father told me," Annie said, finally finding her voice. She extended her hand in greeting. "I'm Annie Paxton. Nice to meet you."

The girl hesitated a moment before raising her own hand. Their hands clasped, and so did their gazes. For a brief second, Annie thought she saw confusion flutter through the girl's blue eyes.

"I'm Sandra. Sandy," she said, taking her hand back, as she continued watching Annie. It was as if she couldn't look away.

Annie ignored the girl's stare.

"Do you work for your father often?" she asked, interested in this young woman who wore too much makeup, a mini-skirt, and a nose ring. She looked to be about twenty, and her choice of dress seemed to confirm that age. She was quite the opposite of what Annie would have expected William's daughter to be. She would have figured her to be preppy and conservative. In other words, not have a multitude of piercings.

"I only work for him on Fridays to give Ellen an extra day off," Sandy said. "Sometimes I come in and help out when I'm on break. I can always use the extra spending money."

"You go to school then?" Annie asked, having picked up on the word 'break'.

Sandy nodded. "I'm an art major at Portland State University. I live on campus all week and come home on the weekends. I usually try to keep Fridays clear so I can work."

Annie nodded, trying to pay attention but unable to keep her eyes off the small hoop earring on the side of Sandy's nose. She wondered why anyone would want an earring on their nose.

Sandy cocked her head and peered at Annie mischievously. "Shocks you, doesn't it? The fact that straight-laced William Grafton's daughter has a nose ring?"

Annie tried to look unconcerned as she stared Sandy straight in the eyes. "No, not really. Why? Is that why you have one? To shock people?" She hadn't meant for her tone to sound so superior—like someone's mother. It just came out that way.

Sandy only stared back at her with a wrinkled brow. She looked confused, or upset by her question. Before she could come up with a reply, William entered the office.

"So, this time I'm late," he said, chuckling a little as he looked at his watch. "Sorry. I was discussing some things with my accountant and time slipped away. Have you met my daughter?"

Annie turned and smiled up at him, aware of Sandy still watching her. He looked fresh and handsome in a sand-colored suit.

"Yes, we've met," she answered. "She was telling me about college."

William nodded and smiled back at her. She was wearing a blue, silk tee today with cream-colored trousers. The color of her shirt reflected the blue in her eyes. Her hair was down again, simply tucked behind her small ears. He liked it that way, casual and free.

Sandy noticed her dad staring at Annie longer than necessary. Was he interested in her? That would be a change. She rolled her eyes and returned to her filing, placing the earbuds back into her ears.

Neither William nor Annie noticed Sandy's dismissal of them.

"Well, we can be off," he said, walking into his office to grab his briefcase. "Today, we're heading west. There's a place just outside of Beaverton you need to see, then we're off to Seaside for the other homes."

Annie looked surprised.

"Oh, then I should drive my car, too. I live in Seaside." She tried to hide her disappointment. She'd actually been looking forward to riding with him.

William pondered this a moment. "I didn't know that. I could have met you there. We live in Seaside, too."

Annie nodded. She knew that from the notes the magazine had given her with the article about him, and the homes he designed. She'd also known it the moment she'd recognized him yesterday, but she didn't mention it.

"Why don't you follow me to the first house," William suggested. "Then we can drop your car off at your place. No sense in us both driving around separately."

Annie agreed, and they set off.

The house just outside of Beaverton sat on a five acre lot and was just as remarkable as the previous day’s homes. It was a ranch-style home with vaulted ceilings, oak floors and moldings, and expansive decks. She took several shots outside, because the landscaping around the exterior was just as impressive as the house itself. Annie made a mental note to suggest this home for a garden layout to one of the magazines she worked with.

"I can give you the name of the landscaping firm," William offered, when she mentioned this to him. He agreed it would make a nice photo layout.

William followed her in his Explorer to her condo. She parked her car and slipped into his. Her equipment was already in the back.

"Mind if we stop by my house a minute?" he asked. "I don't live too far from here. I'd like to change out of this suit."

Annie didn't mind. The afternoon had warmed up considerably, and she knew he'd be more comfortable in casual clothes. Besides, after viewing so much of his work, she was eager to see inside his home.

Within five minutes, they pulled into his driveway. It was secluded from the road by trees and bushes, but closer to the house, the foliage cleared, and the sun shone brightly on the blue-gray colored home. The brick driveway curved to a stop in front of the attached double-car garage, then the brick continued as a smaller curved path to the front door. Shrubs and flowers lined the path and filled up the area under the windows of the house. Crocuses and tulips had come up in bright patches of color that nestled nicely beside the manicured lawn.

William led her through double, carved oak doors into the foyer, and Annie looked around in wonder. The foyer was two stories high with tall windows, allowing full sunlight. Ahead was a sunken living room, and beyond that, through the patio doors and across the deck, she could see the bright blue ocean.

"This is beautiful," she said, walking ahead of him, down into the living room. She walked across the cream carpet to admire the ocean view.

William followed her. "Come look at this." He slid open the glass door and they stepped out onto the deck. Her eyes followed the direction his finger was pointing. In the distance two people were kite surfing in the cove. Automatically, without a thought about it, Annie lifted the camera that hung around her neck and snapped pictures.

"How did you ever find such a great piece of property?" Annie asked, amazed by the beach-front property. She came to this strip of beach often to walk along the water's edge and relax, always bringing along her camera to snap pictures. She'd often wondered about the houses along this strip, and the people who lived in them. How were they so lucky to live here? Who were they, and what were their stories?

Of all the homes she saw when she walked the beach, this was the house she'd picked out as her favorite. The huge windows and massive decks had stood out, yet it had seemed like a cozy place to her. A real home, she'd imagined, filled with loving people. A family home. She didn't dare mention this now though, as William, pleased by her interest, answered her question.

"Actually, I was very lucky. I stumbled upon this land through a friend. He knew the elderly lady whose family had owned this property for years. They'd never developed it. She sold it to me for a good price. Sara fell in love with it the minute she saw it. She said it was fate." His eyes were bright as he spoke, his face almost boyish.

Annie couldn't resist snapping a few shots of him as he leaned against the railing with the ocean behind him.

He didn't resist her taking his picture, he only laughed. "Do you ever stop taking pictures?"

 It was her turn to laugh. "Not if I can help it. I love looking at the world through my viewfinder."

She followed him back into the house. The afternoon sun shone into the living room, bathing it in perfect light.

Instinctively, she lifted her camera to her eye, then stopped to ask permission this time. "Do you mind?"

William shook his head. "No, I don't, as long as they aren't published. My house is for me and my family only."

Annie nodded and began snapping pictures of the living room as she slowly turned in a circle. The camera caught a glimpse of the dining room and kitchen, the foyer, and the hallway. At a half-circle, she stopped snapping pictures. In the frame of her viewfinder was a flagstone fireplace with an oak mantel holding framed photos and a watercolor painting hanging above. It was the painting that caught her attention. Slowly, she lowered the camera from her face and walked toward the fireplace, her eyes transfixed on the canvas.

"What a lovely painting," she exclaimed as she neared it. It was of a house off a beach, the colors blended so perfectly it looked real. And it seemed so oddly familiar to Annie, so familiar that a slight chill ran down her spine as she stared, mesmerized by it.

William came up behind her and spoke softly. "My wife painted it. She loved this house so much that she wanted to capture it on canvas."

Of course, Annie thought, as she continued to stare at the painting. That was why it was so familiar. It was a beach view of his house, the same exact view that she had also admired from a distance. The same view she'd captured more than once on camera.

"It's absolutely beautiful," she told him softly.

"Thank you," William nearly whispered. He, too, was staring at the painting, drawn into it as much as Annie was.

Dropping her eyes, Annie studied the photos on the mantel. All were in black and white, giving them a professional look. There was one of a young teen boy standing proudly at a golf course with club in hand, the flag on the hole displaying the number eighteen. Another was of William, his daughter and his son clowning around on a blanket on the beach. The last was of a lovely looking woman, her arms draped casually around a boy and girl, with the ocean swelling behind them. She was tall and lean with long, light hair and a warm smile.