Page 90 of The Fake Out

By the time we were to begin the photo session, I’d been poked, plucked, and pinched to within an inch of my life. But when I looked in the mirror, even I had to admit I looked good. The dress was the perfect shade of green for my hair and skin color. Long and flowy, it cinched at the waist and fell to almost the ground where it touched a pair of simple gold sandals. Sergio was right; I did sort of feel like a seductive wood nymph.

I hoped Chris liked the dress and the hair and the whole package. It was foolish, but it mattered what he thought. I wanted him to like me. In a purely fake way.

Yeah, I know, I was even lying to myself.

With a deep breath, I went in search of the Sterns. All the sisters were in the kitchen. We spent several minutes gushing over each other. As one does. Luke Sterns arrived next, dressed in khakis and a yellow button-down shirt that complemented his blue eyes and graying hair. He made his rounds, telling all his daughters (and me) how nice we looked, but when Margot arrived, he only had eyes for her.

She did a twirl and smiled at him. “Do you like it?”

“It suits you,” he said, his eyes warm.

“Love you.” Margot planted a kiss on his cheek.

It suits you. Chris said that, often even. I guess I knew where he’d gotten it from. Although it was clear it meant something much deeper when Mr. Sterns said it to Mrs. Sterns. But Luke and Margot were in a class all their own. If happily ever afters really existed, they seemed to have found the closest thing to one.

A petite woman dressed all in black and a harried expression entered the kitchen. “I’m Louisa, Charles’s assistant. He’s ready to begin now. Some rules first. Follow all instructions. Don’t look directly at the camera. No rabbit ears of any kind; they make him angry. Understood?”

We all nodded.

“You with the glasses.” She pointed at me. “Those must come off. Charles doesn’t allow glasses.”

“I can barely see without them.”

She snapped her fingers. “Off. Now. Let’s go.”

Reluctantly, I slid them off and tucked them in a pocket. The world grew blurry around the edges, like a filter on a photo. Everything felt a little surreal. Maybe this was the best way to get through this whole experience.

“Where’s Chris?” I asked Aggie as we walked into the backyard.

Oak trees framed the open grassy area. Back here was also surrounded by the white picket fence. A flower garden took up a quarter of the yard and right now, colorful tulips and daffodils danced happily in the breeze.

“Right there,” she said. I squinted until I could make out a tall blue and khaki shape standing at the far end of the yard. I waved; I think he waved back.

Charles Thackery had a large camera and a stern expression. We learned quickly that he didn’t talk to us directly but used Louisa as his spokesperson. As such, she was never more than two feet away from him, shouting orders out.

The Sterns took family photos first and I waited on the edge of the lawn until I was summoned. I slipped my glasses on once or twice when Louisa wasn’t looking and admired how they all looked together.

“You.” Louisa pointed at me. “Come. We’ll start on the pictures of the two of you now.”

Nervous energy zipped down my arms and I shook it away.

This was not real. This was not real. This was not real. So why did it feel so real?

I set my resolve as I walked toward the blurry figure of Chris. I’d get through this the way I did everything else. With whatever it took.

He frowned. “Where are your glasses?”

I squinted up at him. “Charles doesn’t do glasses.”

“Really?” Without any explanation, Chris turned and stalked over to Charles. The two men had a conversation that involved a lot of hand motions from the photographer and a lot of glaring on Chris’s part.

A full minute later, Chris returned. “You can wear your glasses.”

I hesitated. “I don’t mind not wearing them. Whatever gets us through this whole thing the fastest.”

“I mind. I’m not letting anyone take another picture of me unless you have on your glasses.”

“Oh, good grief. Don’t go all weird alpha male on me now.” I pulled the glasses from my pocket and slid them on. “Better?”