Fake Coral and Keys (Fake #2)

4. CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

DAISY

Now

“ I s he coming?”

I don’t look at Lily, nor do I bother answering. This is the third time she’s asked in fifteen minutes. I keep my eyes trained on the tarmac just outside the small hangar, distractedly sliding the tinkling charm bracelet around my wrist. Feeling the small heart charm gives me hope he wasn’t lying when he said he’d be here.

“Well?” she asks again, this time with a slight snarl in her words. Lily doesn’t like being ignored.

“He’s coming,” I say a bit too sharply.

Is Blake coming? I don’t know.

“We’re taking off soon,” Erin says, looping her arm with mine like we are best friends. I glance over at her, trying to keep the surprised expression off my face. Her smile flashes white, teeth gleaming in the morning light flooding into the hangar. Her bleached hair looks just as artificial and straight as her teeth. Erin is perfect in that slightly plastic, surreal way. She’s beautiful. I wish I was half as put together as her. She squeezes my arm tightly. “He better hurry if he wants to go with us to the Keys.”

“He’ll be here.” There’s more assurance in my voice than I feel. I pull my arm away from Erin. I’d rather stand over the mouth of an erupting volcano than next to Erin as she pretends she isn’t a nasty-mouthed snake.

Ever since her insults at the last Conner Gathering, the thought of being near her sends shivers of repulsion through me. Actually, being near Lily has become more of a chore than usual after that weekend getaway. Thanks to the trip to the mountains, I realize how horribly toxic my family can be. They insulted me, laughed at me, and not a single one of them stood up for me .

Except for Blake.

Blake was the only good thing to come out of that weekend.

My heart flutters, sending little crackles of electricity down to my belly.

Blake was perfect. So perfect that I couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing him again. Even though we had agreed that he’d pose as my boyfriend for the weekend, then we’d part ways, it didn’t work out that way. Then again, the plan may have worked if I had upheld my protests of no sex. Maybe if I’d stuck to my guns, I wouldn’t have asked him to pose as my boyfriend for future family Gatherings. Probably not. Blake exudes something intoxicating. He’s entirely too handsome with his devastating smile and the slightly unkempt hair that’s so black it seems almost blue. The near-black color of his eyes. His full lips and how they moved over my body, as if he was memorizing me in a frenzied rush.

My belly flips at the thought. I’ve fantasized about Blake’s mouth on me, kissing my most sensitive parts, for five entire months. I can hardly wait to see what this weekend will bring.

If he shows .

No . Don’t think like that. I can’t think about what I’ll do or how I’ll feel if Blake doesn’t show.

It’s been so long since the last family trip that it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he didn’t show up today. A lot can happen in five months. He could have changed his mind. He could have had plans he couldn’t break. There is an endless list of things that could keep him from coming today and I would never know because I’ve not talked to him these past few months.

That was the deal. The stupid, stupid deal I made Blake agree to.

No contact.

“Can you call him?” Erin asks like she’s reading my mind. “He should be here by now.”

“I told you he was in a meeting, so I can’t call him,” I bald-faced lie. I can’t exactly tell my sister’s best friend I don’t have my boyfriend’s number because we agreed not to see each other until the next Gathering. A decision I am regretting right now.

At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea. I didn’t need the distraction of Blake. He was busy. I was busy. We had a good time, sure. Okay, we had brain-shattering, life-altering sex, and I wanted more, but I didn’t want to be in a relationship. I didn’t want to tie myself to another man that could and probably would end up hurting me.

My During-Jim lessons still sting after all these years.

The idea of having a fake boyfriend on call who could deliver great orgasms, then disappear when no longer needed, seemed like the perfect solution to my single-woman status at the Gatherings, but I didn’t realize how difficult it would be. Not seeing Blake again proved to be harder than I thought. I nearly lost my mind when the family canceled the Memorial Day Gathering. When they refused my suggestion to hold a weekend Gathering at the family lake house, it was like fate was blocking me from every chance I could have seen him. My father was busy with work. Lily got sick. My mother booked a TV interview for her yoga program, which was suddenly growing thanks to her TikTok posts, and had to fly out of state. The reasons my family couldn’t get together were endless, and the longer it went on, the less likely I’d ever see Blake again. Then two days ago, just when I had resigned myself to the idea that we had one fun weekend together, and that was it, my father announced a trip to the Keys.

That afternoon I went to Blake’s office, just like we agreed, hoping to catch him. When my knock went unanswered, I decided to wait. I’d sat in the small waiting area for over thirty minutes, scrolling through social media to pass the time. The office in the adjoining hall housed a physiatrist, and I sat for a good fifteen minutes with a woman who, in between crying jags, folded and refolded a snotty napkin in her lap. I wanted to grab the damn thing and throw the filthy cloth in the garbage. After sitting there for almost an hour after the woman left, I gave up and slid a note under his office door with the details.

Saturday at 8am. Silver Air Charters. The Keys for five days. Sorry for the short notice. Hope you can make it.

“Earth to Daisy,” Erin yells, waving a hand in my face.

Jolted back to the present, I turn to find Lily and Erin staring at me. “What?” I ask like I hadn’t just been lost in thoughts of Blake.

“You’re a Conner, Daisy.” Lily gestures to the worn-looking luggage at my feet. “Conner’s don’t buy used.”

I glance down at my bags, then back at Lily. She is unbelievable. I want to tell her they are vintage, and I found them at an estate sale last month, but there is no point. If it’s not shiny and new and branded by someone famous, Lily thinks it’s hideous. Instead of answering, I return my gaze back to the hangar door and hope this is when Blake walks in.

Lily lowers her voice and looks around like random people are hiding in the empty hangar who may overhear what she has to say. “Daddy said they fired you from your job. Are you okay?”

I tear my eyes away from the doors to look at Lily. Is she serious? Did my self-absorbed, verging on narcissistic sister just ask me if I needed help? Was that concern?

She eyes my luggage. “Do you need money?” She roots around in her purse and pulls out a credit card. “If you need help, I can loan you some from my trust.”

I turn away, my face heating with embarrassment. This flush isn’t because Lily thinks I’m broke. It’s because I was stupid enough to believe my sister was genuinely concerned about my mental and emotional state instead of the amount in my bank account.

“I didn’t get fired,” I tell her, keeping my voice even. “I quit teaching to pursue other avenues. There’s still plenty of money in my bank account.”

She sags and pats my arm after tucking her card back into her purse. “I’m glad you didn’t burn through your trust that fast. It would have been very uncharacteristic of you. ”

“Don’t fret, Lily.” I turn away from her. My trust is none of her business. “We wouldn’t want you marring that smooth brow with frown lines.”

“You know, if you’re struggling, daddy will help you.”

“I don’t need help,” I snap. I’ve lived my entire adult life, barely touching the trust our father has set up for each of his children. We each received a lump sum after earning a college degree, then another after reaching our twenty-fifth birthday. The rest isn’t available until after we turn thirty. To think that Lily thought I’d burned through all that money makes me want to strangle her. She’s the one who needed a loan from our father to start her clothing line last year.

Lily glances at Erin, who I forgot was standing inches away, listening to our conversation. “But you’re having to buy used luggage, Daisy.”

Irritation bubbles up. “I don’t need help, and I don’t need daddy to pay for everything, Lily. I’m a big girl.”

Lily makes a sound in her throat and backs away. “You don’t have to be so snappy.”

Erin gives me a lip-curled, disgusted look, then hooks her arm with Lily’s. “Come on, Lil. Daisy is obviously stressed because her boyfriend stood her up. ”

To keep from taking the bait, I clench my teeth. Erin is just trying to needle me, and every time I react, it lets her know it’s working. With a sigh, I grab my phone from my purse and unlock the screen, checking for missed calls, texts, emails, something, like somehow, magically, Blake will have contacted me to say he was on his way. As much as I knew that having his number would have been a bad idea, I wish I had it right now.

Damn stupid, responsible me. What was I thinking? With my mind instead of between my legs because I was trying to avoid falling into old habits. If I had his number, I’d have wanted to see him. I’d have texted him or called with some excuse just to hear his voice. I’d have made up any reason to see him again and would have obsessed over him every day. If we hadn’t agreed to no contact, I wouldn’t have focused on what was important.

My writing.

If I had any contact with Blake, I’d never have spent the last two months finding a literary agent and querying letters to publishers. I wouldn’t have resigned from my teaching position and pursued my dream of being a published author. If I’d been able to see Blake, there is no way I would have sat down and rewrote various parts of the manuscripts I have completed, trying to perfect them just in case I got accepted. I’d have spent too much time obsessing over Blake because that’s what I do. The second a man enters my life, I dedicate my time and energy to them rather than myself.

That’s what I did with Jim. After Jim, I vowed I’d never do that again.

“We’re ready, Daisy!” my father calls. My chest constricts, making my heart feel like it’s being crushed. He said he would be here.

“Daisy!” My mother’s sharp tone pulls me back to the present.

I jerk to face her and force a smile on my face. “Yes, mother.”

“The plane is boarding.” She runs her hand over my upper back, soothing me, but she eyes me intensely. My mother has called me nearly every day, wanting Blake and me to come for dinner or meet for lunch. I’ve avoided it, but I think she’s becoming suspicious, especially since Blake appears to be a no-show.

“I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” I say. My eyes burn, but I refuse to let them see me get upset that Blake isn’t here. It will just make my mother ask even more questions.

“Are you two having problems?” my mother asks, trying to guide me toward the jet. My father hates delaying flights, especially when he’s trying to write them off as a business expense. “You seemed so happy when you left the lodge.”

“No problems.” I force a smile. How could I possibly have problems with a boyfriend that isn’t really my boyfriend, who I haven’t talked to or seen in almost five months?

She pats my back. What will I do if Blake doesn’t show? The thought of spending so many days with my family in the Keys is excruciating. Lily has been unbearable since her engagement. Every other word out of her mouth is wedding this and wedding that, flashing her ring and posting pictures of her scouting for a dress designer or wedding venue with Erin. Even Amber has caught wedding fever, following Lily and Erin around like a starving puppy. Now, with Blake not showing up, the trip will be a nightmare.

Forest peels away from Amber’s side and jogs over to me. My brother wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes me close. “Maybe he got hung up in traffic?”

I remain silent because anything I say will sound like me making excuses for my boyfriend, who didn’t have the courtesy to tell me he was late or not coming. At least, that’s how it must look to my family. I knew the second the word left his mouth, I never should have believed him.

Promise .

He promised me he’d be at the next Gathering. He’d promised he’d show up, no matter how short a notice. Blake had promised to pose as my boyfriend again that day I left him outside the coffee shop.

And I was stupid enough to believe him.

Forest nudges my shoulder, a toothy grin plastered on his face. “On a positive note, if Blake can’t make it, I won’t have to hear you guys going at it every night.”

“Forest, stop,” my mother says and pulls him away from me. “We got them a room away from everyone else.”

Forest lets out a loud cackle, and even I chuckle.

My mother smiles, her eyes growing soft with sympathy. “He’ll be here.”

I nod and watch them walk toward the jet.

Blake will be here.

No broken promises.