Page 39 of Faking the Shot

See, a good reminder, after those comments about him looking good before. She only thought of him only in a brotherly way. “Your brother?”

She nodded. “Mack. Works in theater design.”

“Huh. I’ll have to meet him one day. I bet he’s got plenty of interesting stories to tell.”

“Oh, he does.” They reached the entrance, and she turned to him and murmured, “We’re going for subtle, yes? We’re only friends who are hanging out, right?”

Only friends.Remember?Even if that near-kiss moment the other day hadn’t felt like something friends would do. “We’re just hanging out.”

She nodded, her smile broadening as she was waved to.

“Ainsley!”

“Excuse me,” she murmured, leaving him in the line.

He watched as she moved to a young family, with two little girls and a baby, and caught how her expression changed into something more tender, as she stroked the newborn’s head. Huh. Maybe she wanted to be a mom. Which seemed tricky for someone who played characters who were always falling in love yet never experiencing romance beyond a movie-ending kiss. But that was a conversation best saved for a few months’ time. If they made it that long.

“Zac Parotti?”

He turned and made small talk with a fan, which quickly turned into small talk with several fans, none of whom asked about Ainsley. Maybe they’d get away with no lies tonight. Especially after her “hanging out” instructions from before.

She rejoined him, her eyes aglow, and it was all he could do not to hug her. He clenched his fingers. Relaxed them.

“Are you okay?” Her forehead was puckered.

“Yep.” He nodded to the fans behind. “Had a nice chat about how the Canucks are travelling this season.”

“How are they travelling? In a plane?”

“Well, look whose jokes are as bad as mine.”

She smirked.

He angled closer. “But just a heads-up, you’re gonna have to do better than that and pretend you know something about hockey at least.”

“I do know something.”

“What?”

“That you’re an excellent player.”

Gratification filled his chest. “You’ve seen a game?”

“A time or two. On TV.”

“Hmm. You might need to actually come to one to convince anyone that you’re my girlfriend.”

“Shh, not so loud.”

“Come on.” He bent his lips near her ear. “You’re going to have to do something to prove that we’re more than friends.”

She shivered. “Fine.”

“Here.” He shrugged from his jacket and wrapped it around her.

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him, that same smile that grasped him around the heart and squeezed.

This pretending business was so much harder than he’d thought.

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