Fakecation

Chapter Nine

Amelia

As she got to the bottom of the cup, Amelia knew she would be ordering a macchiato from now on.

With the caffeine and her medication in her system, she felt wide awake. She thanked Daniel one more time before looking around to see if her mom was still lingering in the living room of the condo. Usually, on vacation, her mom wanted to adventure, even if they’d stayed on Folly Beach many times.

It wasn’t like her to stay in, but Amelia had seen it before when her mother’s mental health was on a downward trajectory.

“Is everything okay?” Daniel asked. She’d been staring at the door of her parents’ room, thinking of all the ways things could go wrong while he was here.

And apparently, he’d noticed.

She bit her lip, wondering what to say. The last time she’d told a significant other of her mom’s diagnosis of bipolar disorder, Andrew had thought her mom was . . . crazy.

And Amelia hated that word.

“Yeah, everything is good. Want to go swimming?”

Daniel blinked at the change of subject, but he didn’t call her out on it. “Sure.”

“All right, let’s get changed.”

As he walked away, Amelia realized what she’d offered. Swimming meant getting into her next-to-nothing two-piece swimsuit.

As much as she would love to be secure about her body, she found it hard not to look at herself and see things she wished were different. Her weight fluctuations had caused stretch marks on her belly. Her thighs rubbed when she walked. Her boobs were just a bit smaller than she’d like.

Amelia was well aware that she didn’t look anything like his ex. And sure, this was for show, but Andrew proclaimed that it wasn’t possible for men not to let it show when they were disgusted by a woman they didn’t like to look at. It was why she had dieted for so long before leaving him for good.

She walked to their room. Daniel came out of the bathroom wearing a T-shirt and his swim shorts. She tried not to let her emotions show on her face as she pulled out her swimsuit and went to the bathroom.

Her best bet would be not to overthink this, but that wasn’t something she was good at. Her brain operated like a well-oiled machine when it had something bad to spiral over, and once the spiral began, it often thought of too many things all at once. She tried her best to ignore the whispers of doubt as she pulled it on, but it didn’t work.

She cursed when she realized she didn’t have her cover-up. She waited a moment, content to braid her frizzy hair, hoping he would leave the room so she could run out and grab it. It was only delaying the inevitable, but she’d rather have his reaction be in public where, in theory, he’d school his expression.

Eventually, he did leave, and she ran out, throwing her cover-up on before following behind him.

He was applying sunscreen on his toned arms. This was a bad time for her to notice, but she couldn’t help it. As he lathered on the cream, she could see every curve of muscle on his arms. Where else was he toned?

And was she going to be able to keep it together long enough to see it?

Amelia tore her eyes away, determined not to make things weirder than they already were.

So what if he was hot? She knew that when she invited him. It was fine. She could easily make it through this trip without acting on it.

She busied herself with grabbing a bag for towels and sunscreen. By then, Daniel had finished his task, too.

“I’ll get the rest of my body down by the pool,” he said. “Ready?”

Amelia nodded, gesturing for him to lead the way.

It was a hot and sunny day. They found a free pool chair in the corner of the swimming area, where Daniel pulled off his shirt.

Amelia froze. He was even better shirtless. He had lightly defined muscles and a lithe build that she would be dreaming about.

Nope. Don’t do it.

She focused on what she needed to do. That was when she knew she couldn’t delay the inevitable.

Her cover-up came off and went into the bag. She could feel the sticky air hit her skin, and she purposefully didn’t look at Daniel as she rubbed her shoulders.

There was the sound of a whistling catcall, and Amelia’s eyes shot up. An old man was looking at her with a lecherous grin on his face.

“Seriously?” she muttered.

Daniel moved closer. “That’s unnecessary.”

Amelia looked over at him and saw he was glaring in the direction of the man. His body was angled toward her, sending a clear message that she wasn’t alone.

Was he being protective? Over her?

Why?

A thousand more thoughts fought for attention in her mind.

“Do you need me to get your back?” he asked, looking down at her.

Her mouth went dry at the idea of his hands on her, but she slowly nodded. They gently pressed into her skin, making long, sure strokes on her shoulders and middle back. Everything else around her slipped away, and all she could focus on was how good his hands felt on her body.

Questions came rolling into her mind as her focus snapped.

Could she get him to lotion other parts of her body? Was he this gentle with Lucinda? Would he be like this in other places?

But her thoughts vanished in a puff of smoke when his hands stopped on her shoulders. His grip tightened, and he pulled her close. She shivered, despite the heat in the air.

“Can I kiss your neck?” he asked in a low tone.

“Y-yes.” The words tumbled out of her. At that moment, he could kiss her anywhere.His lips traced her shoulder, and she closed her eyes, wishing she could memorize every second of the moment. He moved upward, his kiss landing right on the sensitive spot of her neck. She let out a surprised gasp.

He went higher, right until his lips were next to her ear. “There,” he whispered, “that should send the message.”

Her eyes popped open. Message?

Shit.The wolf-whistler. Daniel was sending a message to him.

Amelia’s heart sank, and she stepped away from him. Of course. This fake relationship was exactly that.

Fake.

Maybe she should have brought her vibrator or something. Then she could take care of these thoughts that refused to leave. But then again, when would she even have time?

“Good idea,” she said. “You put on a good show.”

His eyes lingered on her face, and she realized he was breathing hard.Had he been affected by that too?

“Sorry if it was too far. I just didn’t like the idea of you getting hit on like that.” His eyes left her, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s fine.” More than fine, even. He could easily do it again and she wouldn’t complain. “Do you want to get into the pool now? I doubt anyone else will try anything.”

Daniel nodded. Amelia wasted no time jumping straight in. She needed the cold rush after what had just happened.

“Refreshing,” she said when she spotted Daniel with only his feet in.

“I don’t think I can handle cold water like you can.”

“Not many people can.”

He nodded, and Amelia’s brain started to go back to what had just happened by the chairs, but she shook it off.

Instead, she decided to enjoy the water to quiet her brain. She loved swimming, and the feeling of moving in water always calmed her down. She did a few backstrokes, enjoying that the pool wasn’t too crowded as she swam around.

When Amelia was finally done, Daniel was still watching her.

“You could get in, you know,” she said as she swam over to him. “You adjust to the water over time.”

“I will. I was just noticing how relaxed you look. You don’t look like that at work.”

“Vacation life agrees with me. There’s something about being in water that does good things for my brain.”

You and your weird brain.

Andrew. That had been Andrew.

“You already looked stressed again,” Daniel noted. “Thinking about work?”

Nope. Just my asshole ex that ruined my faith in humanity.

“Things slip in sometimes,” she said. “I’m going to do a few more laps to get back into vacation mode.”

She swam off before anything else could pop in. The water did its job, and by the time she stopped, she felt the last bits of her sadness vanish.

Daniel had gotten all the way in but didn’t look happy about it.

“Now I see why all the adults stay in the hot tub,” he muttered.

“What? Can’t handle the cold?”

“I usually stay warm. This is odd for me.”

“It would be a shame if someone . . . splashed you.”

“Don’t you dare.”

It was too late. Spurred on by her own impulsiveness, Amelia threw water on him. He nearly jumped. At first, he attempted to get away from her, but when that didn’t work, he tried a different tactic.

His muscled arms wrapped around her, their skin pressing together. He quickly warmed, possibly because of the head-to-toe blush that Amelia could feel crawling up her own body.

“Now you can’t splash anymore.”

“This is cheating,” she protested. “Foul play.”

“The only foul play was what you just did. Now, if I let you go, will you be good?”

“What do I get for being good?”

“A pat on the head. Maybe some words of affirmation, like me calling you my good girl. Or my well-behaved . . .”

The rest of his sentence faded away. My good girl. She liked that term. Did he talk like that in bed? Was that what he would whisper to her when they—

Nope. Abort thought.

“Not good enough,” she said and jumped, plunging them both into the water. Really, it was for the best. The only way for her to wipe their last exchange from her memory was to throw herself under the cold surface.

“I should have seen that coming,” Daniel said, pushing his hair out of his face.

“You’re used to the water now, though, right?”

“I suppose I am. But I’m not taking that lying down.”

“Technically, you were standing until I knocked you over.”

He gave her a flat look.

Anxiety poked at her. Maybe she was taking it too far. Maybe she needed to tone it down and be normal for a second.

But then Daniel smiled. “You’ll regret this snark when I come up with a way to get you back.”

Her heart lifted. “I don’t get the vibe that you’re a vengeful man.”

“When it comes to how cold this water is? I very much am.”

She laughed, wondering what he could possibly come up with. She didn’t get long to ponder on it because she saw John walking to the beach.

He was dressed to the nines. He had a drink in his hand and a pink, flowy cover-up that didn’t do much covering up.

John always stood out in the small town. Most people here welcomed him with open arms.

“John!” Daniel called, his eyes on her brother. Amelia’s heart stuttered in her chest.

John came over, letting his designer sunglasses slide down his nose.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Your tag is showing. You might want to tuck it in.”

“Oh.” John reached behind him for the offending item. “You’re a lifesaver. There’s a bartender here I want to impress and he would definitely have seen that.”

“Happy to help,” Daniel replied.

John winked at him before waltzing to the nearby bar.

Amelia let out a sigh of relief.

“You okay?” Daniel asked.

“Me? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just, you know, my family is . . . not everyone’s cup of tea.”

“They’re great people,” he said. “Real people. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I agree. It’s just . . . my ex didn’t.”

“The infamous ex?”

“Yep. He and John didn’t get along.”

“That’s a shame. Be honest. Was he jealous that John dressed better than him?”

She laughed. “John dresses better than all of us. I bet that cover-up he was wearing was worth more than half my clothes.”

“It was designer.”

“You know designer?”

“Not me, but Lucinda does.”

“Did she leave anything behind? John might take it. He’s on a somewhat-tight budget and I bet she’d hate having her things given away.”

“She would. I’ll check when I get back.”

Amelia went to say something else, but a rowdy kid jumped into the pool right in front of them, splashing her in the face.

She sputtered while Daniel laughed.

“That’s what you get for splashing me,” he said. “Karma.”

“Let’s go down to the ocean,” she suggested. “Maybe there will be less splashing.”

“I thought you loved splashing.”

“I only love splashing you. Get it right.”

She hauled herself out of the pool, excited to feel the sand between her toes. The beach was busy, but there were only so many people this tiny island could hold. She’d heard Myrtle Beach was worse.

Amelia made a beeline for the water, eager to feel the push and pull of waves. When she got in, a larger one crashed over her, nearly knocking her over.

“Is that . . . fun?” Daniel called from the shore.

“Why don’t you come here and find out?”

His eyes narrowed at the challenge and he cautiously waded into the water.

“The key here is,” she said, “to never turn away from the waves. You don’t want to get caught looking at the shore when a wave hits you. But when a wave is coming, jump up and then turn.”

“You just said never to turn.”

“If you’re staring right at it when it crashes, you get saltwater in your eyes and mouth. It’s disgusting.”

“So, always watch the waves, jump, and then turn. That’s . . . somewhat clear.”

“Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

Another large wave hit them, but this one dumped water on her head. The salt stung her eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. This is great.”

“So can I laugh now?”

“Absolutely,” she said, finally opening her eyes. “That’s half the fun. We’re both going to look ridiculous.”

And she was right. Amelia’s braid fell out in the first hour they were in the water. She could taste salt in her mouth, but all she could do was laugh at either herself or Daniel as they tried to jump over the waves.

Daniel didn’t fare much better than she did. His hair curled wildly, all product washed out of it, giving her the sight of a man who belonged on a swimsuit magazine cover. Amelia felt like a mess, but he somehow looked perfect while soaked.

“Maybe we should head in to get some food and water,” Daniel said after their second hour.

“We have plenty of water here.”

“I mean drinkable water,” he said, rolling his eyes. She would have wondered if she’d offended him, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

She briefly considered staying to enjoy the ocean even longer. But then she took stock of how she was feeling. Her throat was dry and her stomach was begging for food. She felt a little like an unmaintained car with all its dash lights on.

They went back up to the room and gulped down three glasses of water before she looked for nearby restaurants on her phone. While she browsed options, Daniel showered.

Amelia needed to as well, but all she could think about was food.

Before she could pick out a place, John walked into the condo.

“Do you have food options?” Amelia asked.

“Hello to you too.”

“Sorry, I’m starving.”

“And I’m dejected,” John said. “The bartender is not single anymore.”

“Oh no. That really sucks.” She did feel for her brother, but she also saw a listing for pizza that made her mouth water.

“Give me good news. Something to make me happy.”

“Do you want Daniel’s ex-wife’s designer clothes?”

John blinked. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I understood that sentence. Daniel’s who and what?”

“Daniel was married. They’re divorced and it’s finalized now, but he might still have some of her stuff. She was . . . not the greatest person”—her nose scrunched as she thought about her—“and I bet she’d hate to have her clothes given away. She had really nice stuff.”

“First off, I would love to ruin a snooty woman’s life by taking her clothes, and second, I love how jealous you got when mentioning her.”

“What? I didn’t get jealous.”

“You made a face.”

“Well yeah, because she sucks.”

“And he’s your man now.”

Her heart raced at the idea. “Okay, maybe. But she also ignored boundaries and came into work to embarrass him, which is not okay.”

“That’s right. Defend your man. By the way, I approve. He’s a major improvement from the trash you dated before.”

“You like Daniel? You barely know him.”

“Right, but I know you. And you have that giddy, new-love aura around you. Plus, he’s been nice to me,which Andrew never was.”

“You’re right about him being nice. But not the other thing. I’m perfectly normal.”

John gave her a doubtful look. “You have never been normal. It’s what we love about you, but you stare at him. It’s like he’s your whole world. Just seeing you two makes me wish I hadn’t sworn off long-term romance for life.”

She could have agonized over his words, but her stomach growled. “As much as I love these life talks with you, I think I will die if I don’t eat food.”

“You’re always hangry when you come back from the ocean. What are you wanting?”

“Pizza.”

Just as she said it, Daniel came out of their room.

“Pizza sounds good,” he said. His hair was wet and a little less styled than usual. Like in the water, she could see his beautiful curls. Food be damned, maybe she could eat him instead.

“I thought you were starving,” John said.

Amelia blinked. “I am.”

“Then let’s go,” Daniel said. “No need to waste time.”

Thank God he hadn’t noticed how she had been looking at him, but John had.

“Down bad,” he mouthed and then made kissy faces at her when Daniel’s back was turned. She flipped him off.

“Come on,” Daniel urged, gently putting a hand on her back. “Food calls.”

Amelia went willingly, but she couldn’t help but notice they’d gotten much more comfortable with each other.

And she was doing a lot less pretending than she expected.