Page 63 of Fake it With Me

His smile had my body responding like he had just proposed sex. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Anywhere. I don’t care where, as long as it’s with you.”

“I can do that.” He was still smiling. “I have some ideas actually.”

“I’m sure you do.”

22

DAREK

The boat building facility was housed in what used to be an old shipyard warehouse. It was a massive structure on the waterfront that I had renovated five years ago. It was the nautical version of a small airport complete with the equivalent of hangars. We had three right now, but I would like to open a second location one day. It would allow us to work on more orders. The facility was where the magic happened. My designs went from blueprints to actual vessels that would carry people across oceans.

I walked through the main floor, past three different projects in various stages of completion. A sixty-footer for a client in Florida and a custom sailboat for some tech billionaire. In another warehouse was a small yacht. It filled the space and was one of our most expensive custom orders ever. I was keeping a close eye on the progress. We couldn’t afford to let any detail go unnoticed.

“Mr. Sullivan,” Mike, one of my project managers, called out. “Can you take a look at this hull section? We’re having some concerns about the finish.”

I followed him over to inspect the work. Normally, I would have spent an hour examining every detail, making sure it met my exacting standards. Today, I gave it a cursory look, noted it was fine, and moved on.

“You sure?” he asked, clearly surprised by my quick assessment.

“It’s good work. You know what you’re doing.”

I made my way through the rest of the facility, checking in with each team, asking about timelines and challenges. But my mind wasn’t fully here. For the first time in my professional life, I was clock-watching, counting the minutes until I could leave.

Tonight was my first real date with Liza.

“Darek, you okay?” My friend and head of design, James, caught up with me as I was heading to my office. “You seem distracted.”

“I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind.”

“The custody thing?”

“That, and other things.”

James grinned knowingly. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that gorgeous woman you brought to the yacht club, would it?”

“Maybe.”

“About time you started dating again. You’ve been in monk mode since Sasha left.”

I had known James for fifteen years. We were boat enthusiasts and I knew he was the guy I needed to work for me. With me, really. He was one of the few people I trusted enough to talk about personal things. And even then I kept things light.

“It’s still new,” I said.

“But you’re excited about it,” James finished. “Good for you, man. You deserve to be happy.”

It had been a long time since I had felt excited about trying a relationship again. Years, really. After Sasha, I had convinced myself that part of my life was over. I had been determined to focus on Daisie and the business and that had been enough.

But Liza had changed that. She walked into my life and made me remember what it felt like to want something beyond just getting through each day. It had been too long since I felt that spark of anticipation and nervous energy before a date.

It was nice to know Sasha and her terrible betrayal hadn’t totally killed that part of me. I could still get excited about the prospect of spending time with a woman for more than just sex. My capacity for hope and connection hadn’t been permanently damaged.

I left work early—something I almost never did—and drove home with my mind already on the evening ahead. Melody was coming at six. She was a college sophomore studying education, great with kids, and Daisie adored her. They would spend the evening making crafts and watching movies and eating more junk food than I probably should allow, but Daisie would have a fun night.

At home, I went straight to my room to get ready. I had made reservations at Pelican, one of the best restaurants in Cloudhaven. Not the yacht club. Too many people knew me there, which meant too many potential interruptions. I wanted Liza to myself for the evening.

I showered and shaved and actually spent a few minutes deciding what I would wear. I went with black slacks and a charcoal gray dress shirt but left off the tie. This was a date, not a business meeting. I wanted to look good without looking like I was trying too hard.