Page 8 of Faking the Shot

Zac’s neck heated. Something that he wasn’t proud of. Not now. Not now he was trying to live God’s way.

“Yeah? I haven’t seen him with a single chick this year.”

“Well, as you said before, he probably doesn’t hang out the same places as you seem to prefer,” Chris said.

This support was nice, but Zac did own a mouth. “I’ve been a little too busy this past year to go on many dates. You know, busy being focused on winning the Stanley Cup.”

Chris reached past Diana and fist-bumped him. “And all of Vancouver thanks you for that, brother.”

Just then the emcee announced they were about to begin, and Zac settled back in his chair, determined to ignore the man sitting sullenly two seats away. His determination to ignore the woman seated two tables away was less easy, as her every smile and movement seemed to draw his attention.

But what was the point? She had a boyfriend, and his name wasn’t Zac. And for all of Chris’s encouragement for Zac to trust God with his love life, it seemed weird when the first woman to pique his interest in years was already in a relationship. So clearly these feelings were wrong, and weren’t from God.Lord, You better take these feelings away if they’re not from You.

Chris might be right about a lot of things, but trusting that God might just have a woman for Zac at the White Night event tonight?

Clearly the man didn’t have a clue.

CHAPTER3

Catch of the Day!

Ainsley’s Hockey Hero.

The Heart Draws a Hunk.

No Mystery Man here.

Ainsley and Parotti the Hottie!

Ainsley winced at the headlines of the online articles. “I can’t believe it.”

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Her mom’s brow puckered. Her parents were here in Ainsley’s apartment for a late breakfast as they always were after every event. Mom wanted all the gossip. Benson, Ainsley’s stepdad, came for the muffins Mom brought which Ainsley never ate. Too many calories in those things.

She appreciated their support, support they’d shown for as long as she remembered, ever since Mom had married Benson after Ainsley’s real father left when she was six. Benson might be her stepfather, but he was more Dad than her real one had been.

Louie strutted past, the plume of his creamy-colored tail waving like he needed attention. But she couldn’t give her Persian the attention he craved. Not with the way these articles—these photos—had framed last night. All that effort to promote such an important issue, wasted. All those hours starving herself to look good lost in all the noise about how she’d been swept off her feet by one Zac Parotti, and the supposed tug of war between him and Jason Streetley. Ugh. It was enough to make her scream. “Going to the White Night with Jason was such a bad idea.”

“Why?” Mom asked.

Ainsley tapped her phone. “All they’re reporting is me and Zac, and there’s next to nothing about the whole point of the fundraiser.”

“It is unfortunate that people so often prefer to focus on the trivial rather than what’s important.”

Thanks, Mom.“I feel so bad about it all.” So bad that when she’d returned home after the event that she’d made another anonymous donation to the White Night shelter, and had checked the real estate listings for the umpteenth time.

“If it makes you feel any better, the video of you and your dress was amazing.”

Huh? Oh. Well, yes, it was. Even if some greenies had got upset about how she’d been wearing feathers, of all things. She didn’t know what was worse environmentally: wearing real feathers from birds which had been collected but which some people seemed to think went against “animal rights”, or using artificial ones? She was inclined to think the latter—hello, plastic—but opening her mouth on issues like that guaranteed a storm she didn’t need.

Not when the TV execs and Rosie, her agent-publicist, wanted Ainsley to maintain her nice, sweet persona, like she never had a thought about real issues, and only thought about rainbows and cupcakes and four-leaf clovers and saving small-town festivals, just like the characters she portrayed in her movies. At least her new Christmas mystery series would stretch her a little more. Even if it was still a thousand miles off the kind of gritty role she’d really like to sink her teeth into. Which would likely cause her bosses atAs The Heart Drawsto have kittens. Or scorpions, and kill off her role once and for all. Which, now she thought about it, may not be such a bad idea…

“Ainsley?”

“Oh, sorry Mom. What was the question?”

“You were saying about you and Jason attending the event yesterday and how it wasn’t a good idea.”

That’s right. “Because now everyone thinks we’re some kind of couple. And we’re not.”

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