Page 58 of Fake it With Me

But maybe there was a way to make this work. To turn the fake arrangement into something real and lasting. It had started as a contract, but what had developed over the last week was genuine. The connection between us wasn’t something you could fabricate.

There had to be a way to have my cake and eat it too.

After Daisie ran off to play, significantly happier than she’d been five minutes ago, I asked the housekeeper to keep an eye on her while I went looking for Liza. I found her sitting out on the dock, her feet dangling over the edge, staring at the water.

She looked beautiful and sad. I had a feeling that was because of me.

I walked out onto the dock. She glanced back at me, then returned her gaze to the water.

“Can I sit?” I asked.

“It’s your dock.”

I sat beside her, close but not touching. For a moment, we just watched the water together. I could feel the tension.

“This is weird,” I said finally.

“What is?”

“This. Us. The way we’ve been avoiding each other for the past few days.” I turned to look at her. “I don’t like it, Liza. I like you more than I should, and I know we agreed to keep things professional, but things have gotten so weird between us, and I hate it.”

She didn’t respond immediately, just kept staring at the water.

“The home evaluation is tomorrow,” I continued. “And I need that to go perfectly. I need to focus on that. My only goal is making sure Daisie stays with me.”

“I know,” she said. “I want that for you as well. For Daisie. Tell me what you need me to do. I will walk through fire to make sure you keep your daughter, Darek. Nothing has changed in that department. I know you are who she should be with.”

“Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot.”

She smiled but wouldn’t look at me.

I took a breath. “Once it’s done, I want to take you out on a date. A real one. Not for the cameras or the custody case, but because I want to spend time with you. Because what happened on the boat wasn’t just physical for me, and I don’t think it was just physical for you either.”

She turned to look at me, her eyes wide and uncertain.

“Don’t answer now,” I said quickly. “Just think about it. If I’m totally wrong and there is no real connection between us and I’m just seeing what I want to see, I won’t hold it against you. We’ll finish out the contract as agreed and go our separate ways. But I needed to say this because you’ve been driving me crazy, and I can’t keep pretending I don’t feel something when I do.”

“Darek—”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just think about it. Please.”

“Okay.”

“I know I completely blindsided you,” I said with a small laugh. “I do that.”

“Keeps life interesting.”

“That it does.”

“The evaluation is tomorrow.”

“I know,” I said with a nod. “I was just going through everything.”

“We need to focus on that. Make sure it goes well.”

“Agreed.”

“After, we can talk. Really talk. About what this is and what we want it to be.”