Fakecation

Chapter Six

Daniel

Daniel was no stranger to pretending; unfortunately, over the last many years, he’d become very good at it. Lucinda had shown him exactly how to do it by instructing him how to smile, how to act, how to move around her. He wasn’t allowed to be himself. He couldn’t stray from her side, much less tire or get a moment alone, lest she lash out at him.

It had been tough work following her instructions the best he could, and even though it had been months since their divorce, his tank was still near empty. And that worried him for the impending vacation with Amelia and her family.

Could he just be himself, or would she expect him to be and act a certain way? As he waited for her to pick him up the next morning, the panic set in—was this going to be relaxing at all? Amelia seemed far nicer than Lucinda, much less high-maintenance, but all of that could change the second the pressure to perform fell on them both.

She arrived a few minutes late. Daniel was waiting in the lobby of his building and watched her pull up in a gray Honda CR-V. She had on a tank top, looking more casual than he had ever seen her.

He had a hard time not staring at her exposed arms. Seeing her in anything other than her usual work attire made his stomach flip. This was a side to her no one else at work had seen.

Amelia smiled when she saw him. He put his suitcase in the rear cargo area right next to her smaller one and climbed into the front passenger seat. The AC was lightly blowing, and she had soft, melodic music playing. Her car was perfect for two people on a trip, much better than the Miata Lucinda had insisted he buy.

She yawned. “I didn’t get any sleep last night.”

“Why don’t we stop for coffee?” he offered.

“I don’t want to add too much time to the drive,” she replied.

“I’d rather you have what you need than be miserable driving. Go ahead and stop.”

“Thank you.” Her voice sounded relieved. “I was worried you’d be the kind of person that wants to drive straight there and never stop.”

When they got to the Starbucks drive-through, she ordered him a tea and paid for it without a second glance in his direction. Usually, Lucinda made a scene of making him pay for everything.

Amelia pulled out of the parking lot and merged onto the interstate. They rode in silence for a while, and Daniel wondered if he should do something to fill the void. Lucinda always nagged him about that.

“So . . .” Amelia started. “Are you excited for a vacation with a family you don’t know?”

“Uh . . . kind of,” he said. “I’m a little nervous, actually.”

“You don’t have to worry. My mom can be a lot, but she’s really nice, and my dad is too.”

“I don’t have a good track record with fathers.” He remembered how Lucinda’s dad had threatened him with a shotgun when they first started dating. Every time he saw him after that, her father glared at Daniel as if daring him to step out of line.

“My dad’s really relaxed,” Amelia said. “I don’t think you could do anything to upset him, except maybe murder someone.”

“In my experience, dads are really weird around their daughter’s boyfriends.”

She scoffed. “You mean the shovel talk thing? Oh no, he’d never. And if he does, let me know, and I’ll have a word with him.”

“What would you say?”

“That I’m capable of making my own life choices and handling the fallout if it comes to that. But I seriously doubt he’s going to say anything. He’s never before. My mom might ask questions, so we should probably agree on a story.”

“What will she ask?”

“Probably everything to know about us as a couple. She gets in these moods where she wants to fix things. She was in one the other day.”

“Then what is our story?” he asked.

“Something simple. I asked you out a few weeks ago and we’ve been dating ever since.”

“You asked me out?”

“Can’t a woman ask a guy out these days?”

“They can. I’ve just . . . My wife was old-fashioned.”

“Are you old-fashioned?”

“I don’t know what I am. I just went along with what she wanted.”

“That’s no way to fake date.” She took a sip of her coffee. “The best way is for both people to do a little of what they want. That way, they both have fun.”

“Seems simple,” he said. “What about your brother?”

“My brother’s name is John and he’s . . . I don’t really know how to describe him, actually.”

“Really?”

“He’s . . . different, but in a good way. He usually uses these trips to meet new people and go do his own thing. He’s also really relaxed.”

All of it sounded too perfect, as if no one was going to fight on the trip. In his world, something always went wrong on vacation. And usually, it ended with massive arguments.

“All you need to do is sit there and look hot and we should be good,” Amelia said. “We’re breaking up after a few weeks of this, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Daniel was a perfectionist at heart, so he knew this was going to be a challenge, no matter how simple it seemed. “Sit there and look hot. Got it.”

“I mean, also, maybe talk to them. Like, don’t just actually sit there and do nothing.”

“I figured I would talk too.”

Amelia chuckled, but it turned into a sigh. Her nervousness was obvious, and who could blame her? This thing they were attempting to do was incredibly outside the box.

They made small talk up until they were halfway into South Carolina, but she got quiet and seemed to focus more on the road. Daniel wasn’t offended. He’d rather her focus than get in a wreck, but he figured maybe she was tiring out. After all, she had been driving for hours. Maybe he needed to offer to take over for a bit.

He then saw brake lights ahead of them, and though Amelia’s eyes were on the road, the cars were stopping way too fast. So much so that he knew they were going to hit someone.

“Shit!” Amelia slammed on the brakes. She was as fast as she possibly could have been, but there was no way a human could have stopped in time. The CR-V nosedived, and at the last second, she managed to pull to the shoulder to avoid hitting them.

The car that had been behind theirs slammed into the one that had stopped so suddenly, and the bumper of the car that had been behind them flew off.

Silence enveloped the interior of the car and Daniel looked at Amelia. Her lips were pressed together in a fine line, and she gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.

She climbed out without a word. Daniel grabbed the keys and climbed out too. He could hear the people involved in the crash yelling about who caused the accident, but he couldn’t care less about that. He followed Amelia, who had gone far into the grass of the nearby field.

“Are you okay?” he asked, the words sounding inadequate after what had happened.

“I’m fine,” she said, but her voice shook.

“That was a smart move, pulling over to the shoulder like that.”

“I should have seen it sooner. We haven’t even made it to the beach, and I’ve already caused a problem.”

“What problem did you cause?” he asked.

She gestured around them.

“Amelia, that really wasn’t your fault.”

“You’re probably right, but I’m just so . . .” She ran her hands through her hair, shutting her eyes tightly. “I’m fine. I’m totally fine.”

Daniel wasn’t so sure. “What if I drove for a bit?”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“I’m offering. You’re shaken up after that, and rightfully so.”

“But . . .”

“I really don’t mind.”

“I’m an adult,” she snapped. “I should be able to drive for a few hours.”

“You’re not a bad driver, and this wasn’t your fault. I only want to help.”

Her shoulders sank. She looked back at the car and sighed. “Fine. You can drive. I hate driving anyway.”

“You hate driving?” he asked. “And you drove this far?”

“It makes me so nervous. For this reason exactly.” She gestured to the accident again. Police had arrived and were taking statements. Both drivers were still yelling at each other.

“You saved us from being involved in that,” he said. “Let’s tell the police what we saw and then get back on the road.”

“Okay. Let me give you my keys.” Her hands brushed over her pockets, but they didn’t find anything. “Wha—where did I . . .”

“I have them.”

“Did I leave them in the car?” She groaned. “I hate it when shit like this happens. I start making so many stupid mistakes when I’m flustered.”

“It’s fine,” Daniel assured her, and when her eyes turned to him, he could see that she didn’t believe him. “It really is. Now, let’s go tell the police what we saw.”

After they gave their statements, they were free to go. Daniel climbed into the driver’s seat of the car. Amelia was quiet when she got in. They pulled back onto the road, and he focused on ensuring they were far enough away from other people.

But only a few minutes into the drive, he heard her stomach rumble. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

“What? No. I’m fine.”

“Do we need to stop?”

“No, I’m good! I can skip lunch.”

“So you are hungry.”

“I don’t want to keep stopping for something so small.”

Amelia’s hunger wasn’t small to him, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to convince her of that. She was stubborn, but not in the ways he was used to. It seemed she was insistent on not taking care of herself, not inconveniencing others.

“Would it help if I said I was hungry too?”

“Maybe. Are you?”

“I am. How about we just get something really quick?”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “That works for me.”

Daniel found a Taco Bell and pulled into a parking spot. This time, he paid for their food, even as she tried to hand him her card.

“You got the coffee. I got the food.”

Amelia huffed and put away her card. “Fine. If you insist.”

They found a table in the corner and sat to eat. Amelia tore into her food much like she had at the diner. She must have been starving. She was finished far before he was, but most of his time was spent figuring out how not to make a mess of the burrito he’d ordered.

“Okay,” she admitted, the stress gone from her voice. “Maybe I was hungry.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“I always wind up at Taco Bell when I’m on vacation.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. One time, John had a meltdown in the car, and I mean a crying, screaming meltdown. We had to stop and get food because he’s such a baby when he’s hungry. It was this exact one, actually.”

“My sister’s like that.”

“Luckily, I don’t do all of those things, but I just get anxious. And sometimes cranky. Sorry you had to see that.”

“If that’s what you’re like when you almost get into a car crash while hungry, then I’d say you have a pretty level head.”

“I promise I usually don’t let myself get that hungry. Or into car crashes. I can usually stick to a routine, but vacations always mess me up.”

“I’ll remind you to eat,” he said. “That way, you don’t have to worry about it too much.”

“And maybe I won’t inhale it. I know it’s not the most ladylike thing ever.”

He shrugged. Her eating style didn’t bother him. “I figured you were hungry.”

“I’m also just a fast eater. I used to race my dad when I was a kid.”

Daniel couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like she had the kind of father she could do those things with. He only wished he did too.

He made quick work of his burrito, not wanting to keep her waiting for too long. By the time he was done, she was standing and ready to go.

“Are you still okay with driving?”

“Yeah,” he said, relieved he could help in some way. “I really don’t mind.”

“Thank God. The last thing I want to do is be behind the wheel right now.”