Page 25 of Fake it With Me

The friendship bracelets were fifty tickets each.

“Perfect,” I declared. “We can each get two and match!”

We quickly put them on.

“Now we match,” she said happily.

My throat felt tight. “Now we match.”

I watched as Daisie ran to her father to show him. He squatted down and gave her his full attention. It wasn’t fair. The man was already attractive enough without adding “devoted father” to the list of his qualities.

We ended up at the arcade’s food counter, ordering corn dogs and fries and onion rings. It was all the fried, greasy food that nutritionists probably had nightmares about. We sat at a sticky table near the windows and did a little people watching while we ate.

Things were going very well. Better than well. It felt way too easy and natural. I was falling in love with Daisie. She was smart and funny and sweet, and every time she smiled at me or grabbed my hand or asked me a question about whales, I felt my heart expand a little more.

And her father wasn’t half bad either.

I watched Darek steal an onion ring from Daisie’s basket. Daisie started giggling and attempted to steal one back. He was good at being a dad and making his daughter feel loved and secure.

Sasha was a stupid bitch if she thought he wasn’t a good father. I suddenly felt very protective over both of them.

I knew this was fake. I knew I was here because of a contract, but it was getting really easy to pretend when I was with them. It was too easy to forget that this had an expiration date. In a few weeks I would pack up my suitcase and go back to my real life.

I needed to be careful. I needed to keep the boundaries clear in my head and in my heart.

In a month, I would be back in New York. But with the money I made from this job, I was thinking about moving somewhere on the coast to write my dissertation. I could move to a place on the beach where I could actually afford to eat while I finished my research.

Either way, I would leave. I would leave them and never see them again, so I couldn’t let myself get too attached to them.

“Liza?” Daisie’s voice pulled me back to the present. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sweetie. Just thinking.”

“About whales?”

“Always about whales,” I lied.

We finished our food and headed back into the chaos.

We ended up at a racing game with two seats side by side. Darek lifted Daisie into one seat while I stood behind them, ready to be the world’s most enthusiastic cheerleader.

“You’re going down, Dad,” Daisie announced, gripping the plastic steering wheel with determination.

“Big talk for someone who can barely reach the pedals,” Darek shot back, but he was grinning.

The countdown started on the screen. Three. Two. One. Go.

They both slammed on their gas pedals. I immediately started shouting.

“Go, Daisie! You’ve got this!”

“Hey,” Darek protested. “What about me?”

“You’re a grown man. With a driver’s license. You don’t need my encouragement.”

Daisie giggled, her little car swerving back and forth. She corrected quickly and hit the gas.

“Take the inside turn!” I called out. “Inside, inside!”