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I catch movement from the corner of my eye, and when I glance at another table.
Someone has their phone out and is pointing it right at us.
Great.
I set my fork down, suddenly losing my appetite.
Cole frowns when he sees. “What’s wrong? Do you not like it??
“It’s good,” I say, trying to focus on my plate.
“Annie, what’s wrong?” Cole says, concerned.
“We’re beingphotographed.” I tilt my head to the side.
Cole looks in that direction, and to my surprise, he doesn’t seem the least bit surprised.
He exhales slowly, then reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He taps out a quick message—who he’s texting, I have no idea—before looking back up at me.
“How do you feel about getting out of here?”
I blink. “What?”
He leans forward slightly. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“But—” I glance down at my plate. “We’re not done eating.”
His smirk is knowing. “You can take it to go.”
I hesitate, but when I spot someone else with a phone camera facing us, I don’t think twice.
“Okay,” I say, setting my napkin down. “Let’s go.”
Cole flags down the server, arranges for our food to be packed up, and then, within minutes, he’s leading me toward the back of the restaurant.
Away from the paparazzi parked out front.
Away from prying eyes.
And I have no idea what he has planned next.
Chapter Forty Three
Cole
I lead Annie through the back exit of the restaurant, away from the flashing cameras and prying eyes.
She follows without question, though I can tell she’s curious. Her brows are drawn together slightly, her lips parted like she’s debating whether or not to ask what the hell we’re doing.
She waits until we’re in the car before she finally does. “Okay, I’ll bite. Where are we going?”
I glance at her as I pull away from the curb. “You’ll see.”
She huffs. “You love being cryptic, don’t you?”
I smirk. “It’s one of my many charms.”
She mutters something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like “arrogant ass.”