Page 22 of What Started In Deception

“It is a date.” He popped a fry into his mouth.

“But it’s not. This is an exercise in becoming familiar with one another so we can pull off an illusion.”

He shook his head as he wiped his fingers on one of the paper napkins. “Mutual respect and friendship aren’t an illusion.”

“So, that’s what we’re aiming for, then? Friendship?”

He nodded as he grabbed another fry. “It’ll certainly make things easier for both of us.”

She held his gaze, trying to figure out how all of this left him so unaffected. “You make it seem like this is so easy. Like what we’re doing is normal. It’s anything but. We’re strangers who are supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend.”

He picked up his shake, then set it back down without taking a drink. “If I’m being honest, I’ve never done an op quite like this one before. The whole relationship piece is pretty different.”

“So, you’ve never fake-dated anyone before?”

He shook his head as he chuckled. “This is definitely a first.”

She couldn’t help but grin. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

Chuckling again, he shook his head as he shrugged. “I’ve asked myself that more than a few times. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a playbook for our current scenario. They definitely didn’t teach me anything about this in undercover school.”

She smiled again.

He picked up his shake, taking a drink this time. “I guess we’ll have to navigate our way through all of this together. Figure it out as we go.”

Somehow, the idea made her feel a little better—like she and Ty were on a somewhat level playing field. Or at least when it came to this fake relationship business. “I guess so.”

He took another bite of his burger, then set it back down, chewing and swallowing. “I know we’re making this up as we go, but I really think we need to make sure we’re spending time together just about every day.”

She winced as she thought back to the disaster in her classroom. Introducing Ty to Camille hadn’t gone well. “This morning wasn’t great. I sort of froze.”

He nodded. “All of this is still new. We’ll find our rhythm.”

“I hope so.”

“We will.”

She nodded, needing to believe him, even when she wasn’t so sure.

“Do you want to grab dinner later?”

She wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. “I don’t want to eat out again.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“But you could—you could come over if you want. We can make something at my house.” She didn’t love the idea even as she said it, but she’d made a mess of things earlier today. The last thing she wanted was for Ty and the FBI to change their minds and find a different way to investigate Uncle James and Will. She couldn’t protect her family if she wasn’t included. She needed Ty to understand that she was trying to cooperate—that she was truly all in.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”

He shook his head. “I’m pretty easy to feed. I’m not into chicken feet or anything weird like that, but otherwise, I’m not picky.”

She laughed. “You’re safe with the chicken feet.”

He grinned as he grabbed another fry. “What time do you want me to head over?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure because I don’t have a lot in the fridge. I usually grocery shop on Saturdays.”