Page 103 of Fake it With Me

When I finally stopped talking, Janice was quiet for a moment.

“Holy shit,” she said finally. “That’s a lot.”

“I know.”

“So let me get this straight. You saved his custody case with your whale knowledge, he made love to you all night, and then the next morning he went through your phone and accused you of already lining up your next fake boyfriend?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“What an asshole.”

“He was hurt. Scared. I get it.”

“Don’t defend him, Liza. He went through your phone without permission and jumped to conclusions. He kicked you out without even giving you a chance to explain. That’s textbook asshole behavior.”

“But I should have told Della I was done with the agency. He was right about that. I was keeping my options open, even if I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

“Bullshit. You weren’t keeping your options open. You were just distracted by falling in love with the guy and his kid. That’s not the same thing as planning your escape route.”

I leaned back against the deck railing. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s over.”

“Is it? Because you’re still in Maine. You could have gotten on a plane and come home, but you didn’t. You’re sitting in some beach shack pining for this guy instead.”

“I’m not pining. I’m regrouping.”

“You’re pining. And honestly? I think you should take some time before you come back to New York.”

That surprised me. “Really? I thought you’d tell me to get my ass on a plane immediately.”

“Under normal circumstances, yeah. But you sound exhausted. Not just physically but emotionally. You’ve been running on fumes for months. The dissertation and your financial worries were bad enough. And then he added all this bullshit. It’s not cool. You need to rest and heal before you jump back into the chaos of New York.”

“I can’t just hide out here forever.”

“I’m not saying forever. I’m saying take another week or two. Stay in your little beach shack. Breathe the ocean air. Work on your dissertation. Reset.”

I knew she was right. And there was nothing waiting for me at home except a tiny apartment.

“Okay,” I murmured. “You’re right. I will. Just another week.”

“Good. You rest and relax and I’ll conjure up some spells to exact revenge on the asshole.”

I laughed. “I’m fine. It was the experience of a lifetime. I’m just going to appreciate what I got to have for a short time. I think I’m going to spend a few days looking for research jobs. I’ll go anywhere. Antarctica. The Caribbean. Wherever. I’m so ready.”

“I won’t cast the spell just yet. I’ll wait for you to get home and then we’ll do it together.”

We ended the call and I felt somewhat better. I supposed I needed her to tell me it was okay to just hide for a while. That was what I was going to do.

I grabbed my sunglasses and walked outside. The beach was beautiful this time of year. It was warm but not hot, the water still too cold for most tourists. I had it mostly to myself, just me and the seabirds and occasionally someone walking their dog.

I looked out at the water and thought about the day Darek had taken us out on his yacht to see the whales. We had all been so happy. It had felt like we were a family.

And then it was just gone. All of that happiness and joy had been stolen away.

No matter how many times I replayed that morning in the boathouse, I couldn’t understand how he had jumped to that conclusion. Yes, Della had sent me messages about another job. But I wasn’t even considering doing another job. I had been planning to tell her I was done with Faux. I fantasized about telling her that I found something real and I wasn’t interested in fake relationships anymore.

But I hesitated and that hesitation had cost me everything.

I pulled out my phone and made the call. I was done hesitating. It didn’t matter that my relationship with Darek was over before it began. I learned a hard lesson. I was not cut out to be a hired date. I didn’t have the emotional ability to keep things separate. I didn’t think I would fall for another client, but I didn’t want to risk it.