Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A bby lay the magazine across her desk, pleased with how the photos had turned out. The designers who paid big money to have their clothes featured in Finesse's Sapphire Island shoot would be blown away with the results.

Usually, seeing the finished product of a shoot that she'd had major input in gave her a boost, not to mention a sense of satisfaction, but not this time.

As she stared at the pictures of Tara modelling the stunning summer outfits, and tried not to dwell on the incredible bridal shots of her and Judd, pain wound its fingers around her heart and squeezed hard.

Even now, a week later, she couldn't forget the look in his eyes when she'd walked out of his office, his pain a mirror image of hers.

Yet it had to be done, and now she'd given her final answer to Mark, she needed to move on and concentrate on her career.

A career without Finesse's lucrative offer.

She couldn't spend countless hours working side by side with the guy she loved, trying to maintain a professional fa?ade. It would be hard enough catching up socially as friends considering the gulf that had opened between them and sadly. she knew they'd never recapture the old Calloway/Weiss magic.

"Ready to go?" Tara stuck her head around the door, looking way too bright and bubbly for Abby's glum mood.

Nodding, Abby picked up her bag and pointed at the latest copy of Finesse on her desk. "Have you seen the spread yet?"

Tara nodded. "Sure have. It's sensational. But then I'd expect nothing less from working with a couple of pros like you and the dream-boat."

Abby muttered a non-committal answer, grabbed her keys and headed for the door.

"Don't worry about keys. I'll drive," Tara said.

"Since when do you drive when scouting locations?"

"Since now." Tara poked her tongue out and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Come on. It'll do you good to sit back and relax, take in some of the scenery. You're looking like a misery guts these days and I can't stand it."

"Don't look then," Abby said, hating that Tara was right. She couldn't stand her reflection in the mirror most mornings, considering her eyes were dull, her hair lacklustre, and her skin pasty.

Not a good look for a fashion stylist, and considering she'd turned Mark down, she needed to get her butt into gear before her business went down the tubes along with her love life.

While Tara hummed, Abby made a conscious decision to stop wallowing. She needed to get back in the game and focussing on work was a sure-fire way to do it.

"Speaking of the dream-boat, he's the photographer on this shoot."

"What?" Abby stopped dead in her tracks and grabbed Tara's arm. "But he works for Finesse full-time. How can he be doing this one?"

Tara tapped the side of her nose and winked. "Special assignment, apparently."

"Just freaking great," Abby muttered, releasing her grip and giving Tara an apologetic rub when the model winced.

"Thought you should know, as he'll probably be checking out the location too."

Her heart sinking, Abby mustered a smile despite her misgivings. "Thanks for the heads up. It shouldn't be a problem. We're both professionals."

Now all she had to do was act like it.