Page 111 of Faking the Shot

She was tempted to do so for a moment, then shook her head. She couldn’t expose her shameful weakness to him. Then he’d always have something to hold over her, just like Baden did.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “Whatever it is, God is still in control.”

How did he keep doing that? It was like he and Glenda were on the same wavelength. Or they talked to the same God, at least.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

“I just had somebody else today tell me something very similar.”

“Must be something God wants you to hear.”

Maybe.

He waited a moment, like he wasn’t sure whether she was going to spill the beans, then finally nodded. “Okay, come on. Let’s eat.”

He held her hands, prayed, and they dug in.

He’d brought a selection of what he’d called healthier Chinese options, and she had to admit that they tasted pretty good. He also insisted on her leaving her phone aside, and watching something mindless on TV. She was tempted to ask if he’d ever watched any of her go-to comfort movies or TV shows, but figured a big, tough hockey player probably wasn’t ever going to want to watchPride and PrejudiceorEscape to the Country. Instead, when he asked for her preference, she suggested Lincoln Cash’s new detective show. It was set in New York, though filmed in Toronto, and it was fun to watch it with Zac, their socked feet on the coffee table, sharing a blanket, with Louie prancing between them, like he was a feline chaperone.

The pilot episode turned into two more, and it was getting pretty late by the time she caught him smothering a yawn.

“Thank you for this. It was just what I needed.”

He nodded to the TV. “That wasn’t bad. I don’t mind me some justice.”

His words spun her mind back to the injustice she’d faced earlier, the images, the scandal, her career. He seemed to sense her fears as he drew a little closer. “You’ll be fine.”

“But everyone will think that’s me,” she whispered.

“Only the blind ones.” A beat passed. Then his cheeks pinked. “Wait, I, um, I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”

So if he wasn’t talking about her lack of a triple E-sized chest, then, “What did you mean?”

His eyes stayed on hers. “I mean, it was obviously the same picture as from the White Night.”

“How could you tell?”

Zac stared at her. “I could never forget.”

Her breath hitched. Then hitched some more as he held her hand. But he possessed it gently, reverently, like she was precious to him. Which was clearly taking the fake boyfriendness to levels she could never repay. She didn’t deserve him.

Ainsley’s phone buzzed. She needed to silence all notifications. Or allow for only certain people’s messages to come through. Like Mom’s. Mack’s. Diana’s. And Zac’s.

“I wonder…”

“Wonder what?”

“Have you heard from your agent about what to do next?”

She groaned. “She’s tried to call a bunch of times, but I’d run out of energy to talk to anyone. She was talking about contacting a lawyer, contacting the police, all kinds of things, it was so overwhelming. Last I heard she was talking to Mal, who is the director ofAs The Heart Draws. He wasnothappy.”

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault,” he said.

“It was my decision to go to the strip club to begin with.”

“To be a blessing to those women,” he reminded her.

“Yes, but—”

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