Page 14 of Fake it With Me

“That’s so cool,” Daisie breathed, and just like that, some invisible barrier between us cracked.

We finished the tour and eventually ended up back near my suite. Daisie was still keeping her distance, but she wasn’t hiding anymore. Progress.

“I’ll let you get settled,” Darek said. “Dinner is at six. Nothing fancy, just pasta and salad. Does that work for you?”

“That works perfectly.”

“Okay. We’ll see you then.” He put his hand on Daisie’s shoulder, gently steering her away. “Come on, kid. Let’s let Liza have some time to herself.”

They started down the hallway, and I stood there watching them go and felt a sudden surge of panic. What was I doing? How was I supposed to do this? I didn’t know how to talk to kids or what they found interesting or how to connect with someone who was dealing with abandonment issues that I couldn’t begin to understand.

“Wait,” I called out.

I hurried into my room and grabbed the stuffed whale. When I came back out, they were both watching me with curious expressions.

I held out the whale to Daisie, suddenly feeling foolish. “I got you this. I saw it when I was shopping and I thought you might like it. Since your dad builds boats and you like watching the water. It’s a humpback whale. They’re one of my favorites.”

Daisie stared at the stuffed animal, then slowly reached out and took it from my hands.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, and then she smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

She hugged the whale to her chest.

Maybe this month wouldn’t be a total disaster.

“That was thoughtful,” Darek said. “Thank you.”

“I like whales,” I said, feeling the need to explain. “It seemed appropriate.”

“Let’s go,” Darek said.

“See you at dinner,” I replied.

“See you at dinner,” Daisie echoed, and then she and Darek headed down the hallway again.

I went back into my suite and closed the door, leaning against it.

One day down. Twenty-nine to go.

I could do this. I had to do this.

6

DAREK

Iwoke up at five thirty, the way I always did, my internal clock refusing to acknowledge that I’d given myself permission to sleep in. I didn’t have any phone calls with clients overseas that required me to wake up early. The day was relatively light.

But I couldn’t sleep.

I lay there for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the woman sleeping in the guest suite.

Liza had been here less than twenty-four hours, and already the house felt different. Not better, necessarily, just different.

I got up, showered, and dressed in slacks and a plain white tee. My dress shirt in the closet, I would put on after breakfast. Then I headed downstairs to make breakfast.

I pulled out eggs, bacon, and bread. Set a pan on the stove and turned on the heat. There was something meditative about cooking breakfast. It centered me in a way that even working on boats sometimes didn’t. The smell of bacon and coffee quickly filled the kitchen. I poured myself a cup, held it in one hand, and flipped the bacon with the other.