Page 19 of Faking the Shot

“You came.”

“I said I would.” He gestured to the booth opposite.

She nodded, and he slipped into the seat across from her, his knees touching hers. She jerked her legs, her gaze, away, as her lungs tightened. This man was so big, this moment felt so overwhelming, like something of seismic proportions was occurring so air was hard to find, and she was struggling to breathe.

“Hey.”

She peeked up at him.

He wore a frown. “Are you okay?”

No. But she couldn’t appear any weaker than she was. This was her idea after all. And she had zero desire to appear any more desperate than she’d already made herself out to be. Pathetic woman, Ainsley was not. Besides, she could act the heck out of insecurity. After all, she’d been doing that most of her life.

So she internally braced, took in a steadying breath, and offered a small smile of her own. Not too wide, to avoid appearing crazed. Not too small, to avoid appearing smug. She was shooting for just right. “Thank you for coming.”

He nodded. “I’ve got to admit I was surprised you agreed to meet.”

He had a nice voice. Not too deep, but not high and whiny, either. And from all his interviews, she’d noticed he tended to articulate a lot better than some. Which was probably why he’d appeared in so many advertisements over the years. The man looked as good as he played, and spoke almost as well. He’d be perfect.Ifhe agreed. She straightened in her seat.

“I had to check with Cassie James, who is a friend of mine,” one of the trusted few, “as I needed to know if,”get it together, Ainsley,“if you were a Christian.”

“I am.”

Her heart flickered. “Good. I am too.”

“Good.” His mouth curved.

Stop it, silly heart.This was a business proposition. Nothing more. “I just wasn’t sure, because I hadn’t seen it ever mentioned in any interviews, or, uh, anything,” she finished lamely.

He inclined his head. “It’s still pretty new.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He glanced at her quickly. “I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, and it was only when I started hanging with Chris Thomas that I began to realize there was more to this world than chasing success and applause.”

She knew what he meant.

“I gotta admit that I was surprised to learn you were a Christian, too.”

Oh! Nonplussed was the correct word for this feeling. She didn’t tend to go overboard about admitting her faith—Rosie didn’t like that—but she’d thought she’d shone Jesus a little better than that. “Um, okay. Well, just confirming, you definitely don’t have a girlfriend, do you?”

“Nope.”

Phew. “I couldn’t tell from the articles.” And there were alot.

“I’ve had a few relationships in the past, but none for a while.” He crossed his arms. “I’ll admit I haven’t had time to read all of the articles about you—that’d probably take years,” his lips lifted, “but I did check out a few.”

Her nose wrinkled. No need to guess what he’d seen then. “Then I suspect you might have a clue about the reason for my agreeing to your invitation.”

He slouched in his seat a little, eyeing her seriously, all traces of his former good humor gone. “My invitation.”

She sucked in a breath, but before she could launch into the spiel she’d practiced a dozen times in her head, a waiter came and asked what they’d like.

“A chamomile tea,” she said.

“Your usual?”

She nodded. Honey, lemon, and chamomile tea was her standard “drop off to sleep” drink. Caffeine kept her awake at night, and an actress with leanings toward anxiety needed her sleep.

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