Page 114 of Fake it With Me

Daisie grinned, chocolate smeared on the corner of her mouth. “Good. Because you’re part of our family now. And families stick together.”

“Yes, they do,” I agreed.

39

LIZA

Iclimbed out of the Mercedes S-Class Darek insisted on buying me. He claimed I needed a reliable, safe car to get around town, and since I would be doing school pickups, he wanted a car that had the best safety standards.

We both knew there were other far less expensive cars he could have bought, but he liked to spoil me. And not going to lie, the car was amazing. It was so comfortable. It felt like sitting on a cloud with a steering wheel.

I smoothed down my dress, catching it before the skirt could blow up in a real Marilyn Monroe moment. I had spent an embarrassing amount of time picking out an outfit. I finally settled on a light blue dress that was elegant without being too formal. I felt a flutter of nerves as I looked around the parking lot at the other expensive cars. The last party I had been to here was that disastrous cocktail party where I crashed into a waiter and drenched poor Mrs. Cavendish with champagne. It hadn’t been my finest moment.

But as I walked toward the entrance, I realized how different everything looked.

The whole place felt transformed. Soft lighting illuminated the pathways, warm wood tones had replaced the stark white everywhere, and lanterns were strung along the dock, casting a gentle glow over the water. It was less pretentious somehow. More welcoming. Like an actual place where people would want to gather rather than just a status symbol.

Darek had bought the club from Grant Waverly as part of the settlement agreement, one of many ways Grant was paying for his fraud. And in just a few months, Darek had changed it. He put his style on things and I might have been a little biased, but it was so much better than before.

I was still taking it all in when Darek appeared at the entrance. He was wearing a blazer and blue shirt with khakis, all of it tailored to perfection. He looked good. Relaxed, confident, and happy. That was my man. He was the same Darek from four months ago, but so different. He looked like a man on top of the world and he was damn happy about it.

He walked toward me with that easy stride, and when he reached me, he offered his hand with a soft smile. “Welcome to our club.”

Those words—our club—melted me completely.

“Our club?” I repeated, taking his hand.

“Well, I own it. But you’re the reason I have it. So yes. Ours.” He pulled me close and kissed me softly.

He led me inside. I stopped in the doorway, overwhelmed by the scene in front of me.

The main room was full of people. His ship builders from the company, the crew from his yacht, members of the club. But these weren’t the stuffy, pretentious people I remembered from that first party. Or maybe they were the same people, just in a different atmosphere. Either way, the whole vibe was warm and celebratory.

“There she is!” someone called out. I recognized Darek’s head of design. “Our favorite whale scientist!”

People turned to look at me, smiling and raising glasses. I felt my face heat with embarrassment and pleasure. Scientists weren’t used to getting recognition and flattery. We were the people with our noses in books or highlighted blue by our computer screens.

“Come on, let’s get you a drink,” Darek said.

As we made our way through the crowd, people kept stopping us. The lawyers were already on what looked like their third round, based on their slightly glassy expressions. They each pulled me into hugs and told me they’d never had a more satisfying case to work on.

Mrs. Cavendish was there too, looking elegant in a silk dress, and she caught my eye and waved me over.

“Ms. Jefferies,” she said warmly. “Or should I call you Dr. Jefferies now?”

“Still working on the dissertation,” I said. “Not a doctor yet.”

“I’m happy to report that my dress from that first party finally came clean. Only took three professional cleanings to get all the champagne out.”

I cringed. “I’m so sorry about that. I promise I will stay far away from you tonight.”

“Don’t be. It was the most entertaining party I’ve attended in years.” She patted my hand. “And look how well things turned out. You’re here, Darek’s happy, Daisie has her family. A little spilled champagne was worth it.”

Everywhere I looked, there were people who had become part of my life over these past few months. I had been so worried I wouldn’t fit in with all the wealthy elite, but most of them were pretty nice. I had gotten to know a few and had actually joined one of their book clubs.

And then I saw Sasha.

She was across the room with Daisie, the two of them arranging what looked like hors d’oeuvres on a serving tray. Daisie was clearly in charge, pointing and directing while Sasha was following her daughter’s instructions with a patience I never would have expected from the woman.