Fake Coral and Keys (Fake #2)

10. CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

DAISY

Now

T here’s something wrong with Blake.

Ever since yesterday, he’s been tense. He’s quiet and seems distant, his mood dark. He’s not been his usual sunny self. I’m hoping today he relaxes because it’s making me uneasy. Blakes’s done such a great job convincing my family he’s madly in love with me that my mother constantly smiles, and even my father seems pleased. Hell, even Kane was talking to him last night at dinner.

Whatever is going on, I hope snorkeling today and the resort party tonight will reset his mood. I hope. His strange demeanor freaks me out a little. I’m worried he’s having second thoughts about our arrangement. What if he doesn’t want to continue? The idea makes me all panicky because if he weren’t to go on future Gatherings and I had to tell my family we broke up, I’m pretty sure they’d fault me somehow. For sure, Erin would. Because if I can’t keep such a wonderful doting man who appears to love me like crazy, then I must be broken.

That’s what they’d think.

But how long can I expect him to carry on a pretend relationship? I can’t keep him playing this role forever.

“You ready?”

I look up from my phone to find Blake standing in the doorway leading to the patio. He’s in blue swim trunks with little stars all over them and a dark blue rash guard. He said something about needing to protect his tattoos from the sun, so wearing the UV protection in a shirt was easier. I hate it. Even though it outlines his muscles, and as he slides his hand to run it through his black hair, I spy his tone abs, I would much rather see him bare-chested. Maybe. The thought of Justine’s thirsty eyes all over him makes me glad I’m the only one to see his glorious body and the artwork inked into his skin.

We’ve had sex basically every chance we’ve been alone, and a sweet ache rests between my legs. The sight of him right now makes my belly feel all wiggly just thinking about this morning and the way he feels moving inside me with long strokes. How his arms tense, holding himself above me.

“Daisy?”

I glance up, not realizing my eyes have drifted back to the phone in my hand. While waiting for my family to get ready, I’ve been scrolling through Lily’s social media feeds. She’s posted several pictures of me, and the comments have left me shocked. There are so many saying how beautiful I am, some have little heart eye emojis, and some have a line of fire emojis. A few are quite rude, but overall, the comments are lovely, but the pictures are liked by so many I feel like there must be a mistake.

The bed dips as Blake sits next to me. He tugs at the bathing suit strap at my collarbone. “Another one of your sister’s?”

I look down at the coral-colored suit. It’s a two-piece with a thick strap that wraps around my middle. This bathing suit has more fabric, which seemed like a good idea for our snorkeling trip today .

“How does it feel having your picture liked by so many people?” Blake bumps my shoulder with his making me realize I’ve gone back to staring at the picture of me by the pool. I have to hand it to Erin. She really is good.

“It’s surreal,” I say, unable to tear my eyes off the image. “It doesn’t even look like me.”

Blake leans in close to study the image. “I’d say that looks exactly like you.”

“You know what I mean,” I say, flustered. “People don’t walk around looking like this.” I gesture to the phone. “I’m dressed up and posed. With perfect lighting and caught at my most flattering angle.”

“You’re being told how beautiful you are.” Blake points to the screen. “That’s exactly what a person looks like when people they love make them feel important.”

I glance up. His face seems softer now. Whatever weird tightness he’s had in his features has slid away. “It has been nice to be included in Lily’s shenanigans.”

“You do know that Lily should have always included you.”

Giving him a smile, I place a light kiss on his lips. I do know they should have included me this entire time. But I guess they didn’t realize they should have. “Erin and Lily said I was more sassy and confident. Maybe they didn’t include me because I didn’t have it before. Maybe that’s the spark I’ve been missing.”

Blake hooks a finger under my chin, so I look back at him instead of the phone. His expression looks almost pained. “Your spark’s always been there, Daisy. They’re just finally seeing it.”

***

“Not like that,” Erin snatches her phone from Kane. She lowers it, then tilts it upward slightly. “Hold it like this. See how it captures the ocean and the sky?”

“Yeah,” Kane says with a bored tone and takes the phone back from Erin. He adjusts himself in the seat to take a picture of Lily and Erin. The boat bobs up and down, and he sways side to side. He takes the picture, then drops his arms to his side. “Can we be done now?”

Erin makes this weird sound in her throat and grabs the phone from him. She looks to Lily. “Tell your fiancé that if he’d not left the tripod on the dock, he wouldn’t be taking pictures.”

Kane leans back on the white cushioned bench lining each side of the deck. “How is you leaving your tripod behind my fault?”

Erin glares at him. “Because I asked you to grab it before we left.”

With a shake of his head, Kane picks up his phone and makes a show of ignoring her.

“There isn’t enough room on the boat to set up a tripod anyway,” Lily interjects. “It isn’t as big as I thought it would be.”

“That’s what she said,” Erin snickers, glancing at the Captain navigating the charter boat.

“How much longer until we’re at the reefs?” Justine asks. She’s sprawled out on the white seat, taking up too much room and shoving anyone who slides too close away with a foot. “If I don’t get in the water soon, I will die of a heat stroke.”

Lily leans back in the seat next to Kane, but I can imagine her eye roll behind her dark sunglasses. “So dramatic.”

“It’s hot,” Justine whines, and I can’t help rolling my eyes.

Blake mumbles next to me, but all I catch is something about melting. Witches melting? I chuckle at the reference, wishing I could add something about flying monkeys without consequences, and shoot him a smirk. The secretive mirth in my glance falls when I see his face. He looks miserable. He’s been pretty quiet since we left the resort, only offering a faint smile and a nod now and then. Lily and Erin have been so wrapped up in trying to capture perfect shots that I’ve barely paid much attention to him. Looking at him now, he seems a little green, a thin sheen of sweat covering his forehead.

“Are you okay?” I lightly run a hand up and down his back. He’s leaned over slightly, his forearms propped on his knees. He gives a barely discernable nod. “You look a little green.”

Blake shifts so I can see his face. His eyes look glassy, but he manages a weak smile. “I’ve not spent much time on a boat.” His features pinch. “A boat this size.”

“The smaller the boat, the rougher the ride,” Erin says. “You’d think it would be the opposite.”

This time Lily snickers.

I shift closer to Blake so that our legs touch. The second our flesh meets, the skin turns slick with sweat. I dig the small bottle of motion sickness medicine from the day bag I brought, then grab cold water out of the cooler near my feet.

“Take this,” I tell him. “It will help.”

He gives me an appreciative smile, pops the pill in his mouth, and drinks water .

I glance back at the Captain navigating the boat, blissfully unaware of his passengers. Part of me wants to ask him to slow down a tad, but the faster we get there, the faster Blake will feel better.

Draping an arm over the side of the charter boat, I turn to see if I can spot the rest of my family. A few yards behind us, the bright blue of the boat bobs in the light waves. My parents reserved two boats for the day. Each only seats six, so we had to split our group into two. Blake, Erin, Justine, Lily, Kane, and I piled into boat one. The rest joined another older couple on boat two, and we set off just after breakfast.

“We’re headed to Alligator Reef?” Justine asks the Captain.

“No.” He shakes his head. His shaggy, sandy-blonde hair spills out under his floppy hat, curling somewhat around his ears. The mirrored aviators hiding his eyes turn to look at Justine, who’s slid up close to the Captain as we’ve sped along, then move back to look in front of him. “We are going to Hen’s and Chicken Reef.”

Justine laughs. “I thought we were going snorkeling.”

“You are,” the Captain says. “We are lucky today. The visibility should be spectacular. The water is clear thanks to such beautiful weather. ”

“Are there sharks?” Kane asks.

“Nurse sharks.” The Captain waves a hand, like sharks swimming around is no big deal. “They rarely bother people.”

“Rarely?” Lily asks, touching her throat.

The Captain nods. “Don’t mess with them. They won’t mess with you.”

Kane lets out a loud cackle. “I’m used to swimming with sharks.” He nudges Lily’s side. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“Money sharks and bitey sharks are two different things, Kane,” Justine says. She leans forward and pats Lily on the knee. “We’ll be fine.”

After a while, the boat slows, and the Captain shuts off the engine and hits a few buttons, answering Justine’s many questions as he anchors the boat. We all take the snorkeling equipment he offers as he explains the delicate ecosystem. He reminds us not to touch the coral, not to break the coral, and not to disrupt the marine life.

The Captain lowers his sunglasses and levels us each with an intense stare. “Snorkeling is about observing. Not invading.”

Lily and Kane are first down to the swim platform. They don their flippers and mask, jumping in without hesitation. Justine and Erin follow with a shriek and a loud splash. Blake positions his mask on his head and holds the flippers in his hand, eyeing the water.

I move down the steps to the swim platform, keeping an eye on Blake. Now that we aren’t speeding along, he seems better. “Ready?”

Blake follows me down the few steps and joins me on the small platform. He moves slowly, each step careful.

He slides his mask over his head. I notice that his movements seem uncertain. “Have you been snorkeling before?”

He pauses and gives me a half smile. “No.”

I look back at the Captain. I’m pretty sure he had asked everyone before we even boarded the charter if we had snorkeled before. Now that I think about it, I don’t remember Blake answering. Shielding my eyes from the bright sun, I watch the rest of our group swim away, then turn to Blake. “The water is shallow. We can cover the basics once we’re in.”

Blake nods and eyes the water, then me.

I step in close so that the Captain doesn’t overhear. “You know how to swim, right?”

Blake gives me another nod and a tight smile, then slides the flippers on. I step off the swim deck and fall into the water. Blake follows me with an ungraceful splash .

Once he’s next to me, I adjust his face mask like an anxious mother, giving him an encouraging smile. “You’re basically floating on the surface.”

Blake smiles back and sinks into the water. “I think I’ll be able to figure it out.”

We take a few minutes until he floats on the surface, diving under and clearing his snorkel. After we’ve swum a few feet away from the boat, Blake grabs my hand, and we set a lazy pace. Bright fish swim underneath us, and each time one comes close, Blake tugs at my hand. Every time I catch a glimpse of his face, he’s grinning so widely that he keeps having to clear the water from his snorkel. He’s like a giant kid, pointing to vibrant orange coral below and the small Blue Tang that darts between the rocks as we swim over them.

When the water becomes too deep, we circle back. When we reach a shallow spot and can stand, I pull the mask down, looking for the rest of our group. I don’t spot my parents, but I see Kane and Lily swimming near the metal tower.

Blake pulls the snorkel from his mouth, and sputters out a laugh. “That was amazing.” He grins ear to ear, making my heart seize in my chest. He looks so ecstatic that he’s barely recognizable.

I gaze out at the crystal-clear water. “It’s beautiful here. ”

Blake slides up close to me. “I’m really glad you asked me to join you.”

“Me too,” I say. “I’m glad I got to experience your first snorkeling adventure. With you.”

Blake grins. “And boat ride, and trip to the Keys.”

“You’ve never been on a boat?” I ask.

Blake blinks and looks back at the charter boat.

“I thought you just hadn’t been on a small boat.”

“Yeah,” he says, moving away slightly. “That’s what I meant.”

“You haven’t visited the Keys?” I thought he’d said he’d just never visited this resort. Maybe I heard him wrong or just assumed he’d been here.

“We didn’t travel much,” Blake says. “My dad wasn’t exactly the traveling type.”

“No?” A weird sensation pricks the back of my neck. But, wait? Didn’t he say his father often traveled for business and was rarely around?

Blake catches my eye and his brows knit. “I mean for vacation.”

I nod absently, digesting his words. Something doesn’t sit right with me. But what do I know? The only real things I know about Blake are physical. He’s got an amazing body. He hacks computers that protect investors’ money. He has amazing lips and knows exactly what to do in the bedroom. He’s sweet and hints at being slightly obsessed with me, which I refuse to admit I like. A lot. Other than the surface stuff, I know nothing about him and he knows quite a bit about me.

What does that say about me?

It says I don’t want to know him. It’s safer that way. No attachment, no feelings, right? Even though I don’t like to admit I’m using Blake, that’s all I’m doing. But I made that perfectly clear, didn’t I? Sex. A fake relationship. No strings and no commitment.

That wobbly feeling in my belly gets stronger as a tinge of guilt washes over me for not knowing anything about his family. Heck, for not even asking. I’ve been so selfish, focusing on what Blake can offer me, that I haven’t bothered to ask much about him. What a self-centered jerk I’ve been.

“What about your mother?” I ask, the real me, and not this superficial, fake version I’ve been for the last few days, taking charge. “You have never mentioned her.”

Blake glances away. “My parents divorced early. My mother wasn’t in my life.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, not liking how the happiness evaporates from his expression .

Blake plasters a smile on his face. “It’s okay. I survived.”

“Any other siblings?”

He shakes his head, glancing back at the boat. “Just me.”

“Did your father ever remarry?”

His back stiffens, and he blinks a few times. “No,” he says, still looking at the boat. “Should we head back? We’ve been out here for a while.”

His demeanor has shifted so radically that the guilt I felt a few seconds ago has turned uncomfortable. I guess Blake doesn’t like my prying. “Sure.”

I turn and start a lazy swim back to the boat, floating on my back, kicking my feet on the surface, and watching Blake swimming behind me. He grins, and my belly flutters. He’s given me that same grin before he’s pressed me to the bed and had his way with me. Right when I open my mouth to tell him that I can’t wait to return to our room, needles of sharp pain wrap around my ankle and radiate up my leg. A throaty, shocked scream tears out as I reach down to swipe at my ankle. Pain shoots through my fingertips, and I cry out again.

Blake bolts up from the water, his eyes wide, then grips my arm, pulling me towards him. “What’s wrong?” he asks, trying to get me to stand.

“Something has stung me!” I shriek, the pain getting worse by the second. I lose balance and sink low in the water. Fighting the tears, I resist touching my ankle again and hold my now stinging fingers up above my head.

“Stung?” Blake’s brows knit in confusion, then his face clears and he wraps an arm around my waist, looking down at the water around us.

“I think it’s a jellyfish,” I cry. “Be careful.”

Blake looks around us, pulling me up and lifting me from the water in both arms. I drape my arm around his shoulders, holding on tight and trying not to touch him with my injured hand. I’m suddenly glad he’s wearing that damn rash guard I cursed this morning. Leathery blue tendrils float nearby, and Blake splashes them away and moves us back.

He looks at me, his face a mask of concern. “Are you okay?”

I nod, clenching my teeth at the fire burning around my ankle and crawling up my leg. I lift my leg out of the water and see a long red streak across my ankle. “It hurts.”

He glances at my leg, then kisses the top of my head. “Keep your legs and arms out of the water, so you don’t get stung again.”

In the time it’s taken Blake to carry me to the boat and place me on the swim deck, small red blisters popped up along the red line on my ankle.

“Something has stung her!” Blake calls out to the Captain.

“How bad?” The Captain rushes to a compartment on the side of the boat and grabs a first aid kit. He moves down to the swim deck and kneels beside me. I show him my ankle with a pathetic whimper. He grimaces and glances at Blake. “Call the others back.”

Blake sucks in a deep breath and stands, cupping a hand to his mouth, calling to the others. He drops back to his knees at my side and wipes the hair from my face. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head, trying and failing to hold back the tears.

“There was something blue in the water,” Blake tells the Captain. “Like string.”The Captain makes a sound in his throat as he rummages through the first aid kit. “It’s a Man o’ war sting. The worst we have out here.”

Blake wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me to him. I sink into his warm, sun heated chest and breathe in the salty, sweaty scent of him, gasping at the pain. “It’s okay, sweet girl,” he says into the top of my head .

“It hurts really fucking bad.” I wince, trying to collect myself. The pain seems to be getting worse, not better.

The Captain rests my foot on his thigh and inspects my ankle. “Looks like the tentacle got you pretty good.” He splashes a warm, vinegar-smelling liquid over the wound, and I offer him my hand, even though the sting is mild.

The boat rocks as Justine, Erin, Lily, and finally Kane climb back aboard.

Lily sees my tear-streaked face and rushes forward. “What happened?”

“She’s been stung,” Blake tells her, kissing the top of my head again.

I raise my leg to show everyone, and Erin gasps at the sight.

“Oh, no!” Lily drops to the deck next to Blake. She grabs my uninjured hand and kisses my knuckles. “Do you need me to pee on it?”

“Isn’t it supposed to be boy pee?” Erin asks.

“Yeah,” Kane says. “Fewer hormones or something.”

“Why would hormones affect a jellyfish sting?” Justine asks, her tone incredulous .

“Nobody is peeing on her,” Blake snaps. He inspects the red mark and looks to the Captain, who’s busy wrapping a cloth around his hand.

“It’s a Portuguese Man o’ war sting,” the Captain tells the group. He glances at me and gives me a weak smile. “I have to make sure there are no remaining stingers.” He grips my ankle. “The vinegar deactivates the stingers, but some may be left in your skin.”

I clutch at Blake, my fingers slipping over his damp shirt. “It’s going to hurt?” I don’t know why I ask. It hurts like hell right now.

The Captain nods and grips my leg in one hand. “Try to be still.”

I tense, biting my lip when he drags the cloth over my skin. Gritting my teeth to keep from crying out, I clutch at Blake and feel his arms wrap around me tighter.

“The Portuguese Man o’ war has one of the most painful stings,” the Captain says. “And most people call it a jellyfish, but it’s actually a species of siphonophore, which means it a colony of zooids.”

“Who’s?” Kane asks.

The Captain ignores his question and lowers his head to make sure he’s got my attention. “It’s a nasty sting, but I got the stingers out. When we get back to shore, put a hot compress on this for about an hour.”

I feel Blake nod. His arms crush me to his chest. “I’ll take care of her.”

The Captain stands and looks down at me, cuddled in Blake’s lap. He shakes his head. “I’ve charted this boat for five years, and you’re the first person to get stung.”