“Exactly.”
Lauren turned toward Paige.
Imani slipped one hand into the front pocket of her jeans.
The key fob was there.
She pulled it out.
Lauren did not notice immediately.
Imani pressed the button.
The Ferrari chirped.
Its lights flashed.
Both mirrors folded outward.
Paige slowly lowered her phone.
Lauren stopped moving.
Imani pressed the unlock button again.
Another sharp electronic chirp echoed beneath the hotel entrance.
Nobody laughed.
For perhaps three seconds, the only sound came from traffic beyond the hedges and the hotel fountain near the driveway.
Lauren looked at the Ferrari.
Then the key in Imani’s hand.
Then Imani.
“You own it?”
Imani tilted her head.
“You seemed very confident I didn’t.”
Lauren’s mouth opened.
No answer came.
Paige lowered the phone completely.
Sabrina looked away.
Several guests near the entrance had noticed the exchange, including Matthew Keene.
He began walking toward them.
Lauren recovered first.
“I never said you couldn’t own it.”
Imani smiled.
“No.”
“You just spent five minutes behaving like the possibility was ridiculous.”
“That’s not what happened.”
Imani pointed toward Paige’s phone.
“Good.”
Lauren looked toward it.
“You recorded everything.”
Paige’s face changed.
The evidence that had originally been intended to capture Imani’s reaction suddenly served another purpose.
Lauren stepped away from the Ferrari.
“I thought it was somebody else’s car.”
Imani nodded.
“That part is obvious.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you saw me and decided three different jobs made more sense than owner.”