Page 91 of Fake it With Me

“Yep.” I smiled and nodded. “Let’s find somewhere to sit before your dad eats all the good stuff.”

I steered her toward one of the patio tables, successfully distracting her from the whale questions. The last thing I wanted was to explain the custody hearing to a seven-year-old. That was Darek’s job, whenever he decided she was ready to hear about it. Or maybe he’d never tell her. Either way, it wasn’t my place.

Darek spotted us and immediately came over, his own plate piled high. “Room for one more?”

“Always,” I said, scooting over on the bench.

He sat down beside me, close enough that our thighs touched. Daisie sat across from us, swinging her legs under the table as she munched on a strawberry.

“This is fun,” she announced through a mouthful of fruit.

“I’m glad you’re happy, kiddo,” Darek said.

“Are you happy, Daddy?”

“The happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

“What about you, Liza? Are you happy?”

“Oh yes,” I said. “Very.”

The party wound down eventually, the legal team heading home with promises to send final paperwork and options for going after Grant. The staff cleared the food, and suddenly it was just the three of us.

“Can we go down to the water?” Daisie asked. “I want to see if there are any whales.”

“It’s getting dark, kiddo,” Darek said. “And the whales are probably too far out to see from shore anyway.”

“Please? Just for a little bit?”

He looked at me. I shrugged. “I could use the fresh air.”

We walked down to the beach with the sun already on its way out for the day. The water was calm, reflecting the orange and pink sky. The sound of waves was soothing after the intensity of the day.

Daisie ran ahead, her earlier dress now replaced with comfortable clothes. She looked happy and free and exactly like a kid should look, unburdened by adult concerns.

“Thank you,” Darek said quietly as we walked. “I know I keep saying it, but I mean it.”

“You really do keep saying it.”

“I need you to understand. What you did today, standing up in that courtroom, using your knowledge to prove that photo was fake? You saved my family. You saved me.”

“I still can’t believe I stood up in court and interrupted things,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m pretty sure that’s contempt or something. The judge looked like she wanted to throw me out. I’ve never done anything like that before. I’m always the wallflower. I go out of my way to go unnoticed. I think if I would have had two seconds to consider what I was doing, I wouldn’t have done it. I absolutely would have chickened out.”

“But you did it anyway. You risked contempt of court and getting thrown out and looking foolish because you knew you were right.”

“I knew the whales were wrong. That’s different.”

“You’re brave.”

“I don’t know about brave. Impulsive, maybe. Reckless, definitely.”

“Brave,” he insisted. “And brilliant.”

Daisie came running back, her hands cupped around something. “Look! I found a shell!”

We crouched down together, the three of us examining the shell in Daisie’s hands.

After walking until the sun was nearly set, we made our way back to the path that led to the house.