Page 42 of Faking the Shot

“I thought you didn’t want to eat.”

“But you do, right?”

Movement across the street stole her gaze, to see a bunch of photographers rush over. Whoa. She hadn’t expected—

“Uh, do you want a photo now?” he asked.

“No. Can you please drive?”

“Sure.” He gunned the engine and the Porsche sped away, Zac just making it through the traffic lights before they turned red.

“Nice move.”

“Power move.” He tapped the top of the Porsche’s dashboard. “Thanks, Gerta.”

“Gerta? You’ve named your car?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

She snickered. “Well, that was a little piece of whimsy I wasn’t expecting from you.”

“Whimsy?” He cut her a look. “Plenty of people give their cars a name.”

“But Gerta?”

“It’s German. Like a Porsche.”

“Oh. I thought they were made in Italy.”

“That’s it. We can’t be friends. Not if you’re gonna say stuff like that.”

She caught his smile, then laughed. “Is that what we are?”

“Friends?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

She supposed. Except it felt funny to be friends with this man who was unlike any other friend she’d had before. Most people she knew were happy to keep the peace and didn’t notice things like whether she ate, let alone dare to make comments about it. And that this man did, and yet was willing to play by her rules in this fictitious game, intrigued her. He hadn’t put a foot wrong tonight, apart from that one comment when he suggested he was a huge fan of hers. For a moment she’d thought he meant he was a huge fan in something other than a movie fan way. There’d been a certain softness in his expression, that had disappeared as soon as she reminded him. Which again made this time together feel a little murky.

“Ainsley?”

“Oh, sorry. Yes, friends. I suppose that’s what we are.”

“Mmm.”

The moment felt too tangled with unspoken questions. “So, um, where are we going?”

“I don’t know. You wanted to be away from the photographers so I’ve taken you away.”

“I promised you dinner though, so I suppose you should just go somewhere where you want to eat and I’ll pay for your meal.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m pretty sure I earn more money than you.”

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