Page 45 of Fake it With Me

“It’s a surprise,” I said, the same answer I’d given the first two times.

“I love surprises,” she said from the chair next to mine. “But I also hate not knowing things. My scientist brain needs data, details, coordinates.”

“You’ll have all of those soon enough.”

“How soon is soon?”

“Another twenty minutes or so.”

She groaned dramatically, and I couldn’t help but smile. Daisie had gone below deck with one of the crew members to get snacks, leaving Liza and me alone on the lower deck. The ocean was calm enough that the yacht barely rocked.

It was perfect. Exactly the conditions I’d been hoping for.

“Just trust me,” I said.

“I’m trying. But patience isn’t really my strong suit.”

“I’ve noticed.”

She swatted my arm playfully. The casual touch sent electricity through me. We’d been dancing around each other since the boathouse, maintaining a careful distance, being so damn professional it hurt. But moments like this made me wonder why we were trying so hard to keep things fake.

I pushed that thought aside and focused on the navigation. We were getting close now. I had a feeling she would figure out what we were doing soon enough. At least she would if she was as serious about whale migration as she said she was. It was mid-May, which meant the whales should be making their way back north after spending winter in warmer waters.

Should be. There were no guarantees with wild animals.

I had done everything I could to stack the odds in our favor. Found the most likely corridor, checked the weather, timed our departure to coincide with optimal feeding conditions. If there were whales to be seen, we had positioned ourselves to see them.

If not? Well, at least Liza would know I tried. And we got to spend a nice day out on the water and far from prying eyes. The stupid paparazzi thing had spooked her.

The yacht started to slow and I knew we must be close. Liza noticed immediately. I watched her face, waiting for the moment of recognition. Anticipating her reaction.

Her eyes widened. “Wait. Hey, I know where we are.” She looked at me, pieces clicking into place. “Are we doing what I think we’re doing?”

“That depends on what you think we’re doing.”

Daisie came bounding back onto the deck clutching a juice box. “What are we doing? Are we there? Can I swim yet?”

“Not quite swimming weather,” I said. “But, Liza, why don’t you tell Daisie where we are?”

Liza turned to my daughter, and her face was radiant with excitement. “This is a known corridor for whale migration. At this time of year, they should be coming back from their winter vacation down south—from the Caribbean and places like that where they go to have their babies.”

“We’re gonna see whales?” Daisie’s eyes went huge.

“Well, there’s no guarantee,” Liza said quickly, tempering expectations like the responsible adult she was. “Whales don’t follow exact schedules. It’s too wet underwater for them to keep calendars. But we’re in the right place at the right time, and your dad has done a very nice thing for us by bringing us here.”

She looked at me when she said it. The gratitude in her eyes made my chest feel tight.

The engine was cut off and I heard the anchor being lowered. The sudden quiet was profound, just the sound of water against the hull.

“So we just wait?” Daisie asked with her nose scrunched up.

“We wait and watch,” Liza confirmed. “Sometimes you have to be patient when you’re looking for wildlife. But that’s part of the adventure.”

I was happy. Genuinely, purely happy in a way I hadn’t been in a long time. Not because I thought we’d necessarily see whales—though I hoped we would—but because Liza was happy. I had managed to give her something good after the nightmare of last night’s paparazzi ambush.

I hated seeing her so shaken and afraid of being associated with me. I couldn’t undo that fear. And unfortunately, I couldn’t promise that photographers wouldn’t show up again. But I could give her this. It was a reminder that there was more to our arrangement than yacht club politics and custody battles. I had to remind her that there was a reason she was pretending to be my girlfriend.

Liza went to grab her camera and rushed back onto deck. She stood at the railing with it ready, scanning the water.