“Not at all. I’m fascinated by what you see with your camera. Trailing after Xander has taught me to appreciate a photographer’s viewpoint. It’s interesting.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and rocked back on my heels. “And believe it or not, I like you.”

“Well I am pretty fun, what with my adventurous streak and all.”

She laughed, and the sound warmed me from the inside.

“I should probably stay very far away from you, as just being near you makes me think about how you taste, but,” I licked my bottom lip, “I like you.”

Yeah, wow. Being friends with me was going to be complicated. Especially if I kept saying things like that to her.

A light flush stained her cheeks. “I'm honestly almost done. I just want some shots of Brixton Gold, and then I'm going to head out.”

I grinned. “How would you like an insider's tour?”

“I wasn't aware they gave tours.”

“Well, not for the public, but I have an inside source that can get you in, if you're interested.”

Her dark eyes rounded. “If you can get me in, I'd love to see it and take a couple of shots.”

Thirty minutes later, she was beaming as we left the studio. “Holy cow, I can’t believe I got to sit in there and listen to some of the old tracks and talk with actual music producers. I mean, how cool is that?”

I couldn’t help but grin. She looked so happy. The tiny voice in the back of my mind reminded me of Gemma and our arrangement. I owed it to Gemma to not get caught up in this girl. If I did, everything we'd worked together on would be shattered.

When we got to the tube station, Abbie turned to me and grinned. “Thank you so much. I could never have had that kind of access if it weren’t for you. I mean this assignment is pretty crucial, and I think I've blown it out of the water, thanks to you.” She ducked her head and fiddled with her camera in a gesture I'd now started to recognize as nerves. Over what? Over me? Could she sense what I was thinking about?

“You're welcome. It was well worth owing Charlie to see that smile on your face.”

She shook her head. “Why are you bending over backward to help me?”

“Because in a different life, you would be someone I would want to get to know better.”

She nodded as if understanding. “Same here.”

I rocked back on my heels. “So, what now?”

She shrugged. “Friends, I guess. Like you said. We’ll forget last night happened.”