Chapter 11
LIZA
After Daisie finally fell asleep, Darek caught my eye across the bed. His expression was serious, almost stormy.
I had a feeling I was in trouble for interfering. I couldn’t help myself. I had been on my way to my suite when I heard the poor girl crying. I shouldn’t have butted in. I knew it but I did it anyway.
I was only here to pretend to be his girlfriend. There was nothing in the contract about playing stepmommy.
“We need to talk,” he said quietly.
Those four words were never good in my experience. Those words always preceded bad news. Whether it was getting dumped, fired, or lectured about screwing up an assignment, it always ended badly for the person being summoned to talk.
“Okay,” I said, following him out of Daisie’s room and down the stairs.
We ended up in the kitchen.
“Drink?” he asked.
I had a feeling I was going to need a drink to deal with whatever it was he was about to tell me. “Sure. Please.”
He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of bourbon, pouring us each a healthy measure. I took the glass and sat at the kitchen island, steadying myself for the worst.
He didn’t sit. Instead, he leaned against the counter across from me. I could see him considering his words. Another bad sign that I was about to kiss my future goodbye. Well, the money that would fund my future.
He took a long drink before speaking.
“What you did up there,” he started. “With Daisie. The way you talked to her about her feelings, about the whales and emotions. It was exactly what she needed.”
“But?” I could hear the unspoken word hanging between us.
“But I need to ask you not to do that.”
It was basically what I expected. I studied whale behavior but I was also pretty adept at reading humans as well. I took a drink to cover my reaction, the bourbon burning down my throat. “Oh.”
“Not because you did anything wrong,” he continued quickly. “You were perfect. That’s the problem. You were so perfect that Daisie is bonding with you. Really bonding with you. And in a few weeks, you’ll be gone, and she’ll be—”
“Heartbroken,” I finished. “Yeah. I know.”
He looked surprised. “You’ve been thinking about this too?”
“Of course I have. I’m not an idiot, Darek. I can see what’s happening.” I turned the glass in my hands, watching the amber liquid catch the light. “She’s starting to see me as… I don’t know, not a mother exactly, but someone maternal. Someone stable. And when I leave it will hurt her.”
“It’ll be like her mother leaving all over again.
” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body.
“I should have thought this through better. I should have established clearer boundaries from the start. But everything happened so fast, and you and Daisie clicked immediately. I don’t know what I was thinking. ”
“You thought we could keep it fake,” I said. “We both did.”
“Yeah.”
I took another sip of bourbon, feeling the warmth spread through my chest. I wasn’t a big drinker, mostly because it was an expense I couldn’t afford. I could feel the liquor flowing through my body and almost groaned with delight. It tasted good. Smooth. I knew it had to be expensive.
“For what it’s worth, I was thinking the same thing,” I said.
“About?” His eyes were locked on mine. I had to be careful. It was so easy to get lost in the pools of blue.
I looked away. “About needing to pull back. Create some distance. It’s just…” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “It doesn’t feel fake sometimes. It’s crazy.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” I said with a sigh. “This is completely new territory for me.”
“Working at Faux, you mean?”
“Working at Faux, living with other people, any of it. I just signed up a month or so ago. This is my first assignment.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really? You seem so natural at it.”
“Natural at pretending to be someone’s girlfriend?” I laughed. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“I meant natural at being here. With us. Like you fit.” He seemed to realize what he’d said and quickly added, “Which is good. For the arrangement. You’re doing a great job.”
“Thank you.”
“How am I doing?” he asked. “As far as being a client? I mean, you’re my first, uh, hire, so I have no frame of reference.”
“You’re actually a lot better than I imagined.”
“You had low expectations?”
“I had no idea what to expect. I really didn’t know what kind of man would hire a woman just to hang out. I was expecting old. Icky. I don’t know. Not you.”
He chuckled. “Thanks. I think.”
“I don’t get it,” I said. You’re a good—” I stopped myself from finishing that sentence.
I was going to say a good-looking man, but flirting with my boss was not a good idea.
Especially after the almost-whatever that happened in the closet.
“You just seem like you could get plenty of women to hang out with you for free. You’re successful, you’re clearly a good father, you have this amazing house. Why hire someone?”
He was quiet for a beat. I wondered if I had overstepped. I did that a lot. Always sticking my foot in my mouth. Janice said I spent too much time with the wrong kind of mammals and had zero social skills.
“The whole point of hiring you was to keep things simple and clean. When it comes time to go our separate ways, once I get past this custody issue, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Not Daisie, not me, not whoever I might have convinced to help me out.”
“And the contract protects everyone.”
“Exactly. The contract means we both know what this is and what it isn’t. There are clear boundaries, a defined timeline, no room for misunderstandings or hurt feelings.” He looked at me. “At least, that was the theory.”
“Theory is always cleaner than reality.”
“Isn’t it, though?” He refilled his glass, offered to top mine off. I shook my head. “I haven’t dated much since the divorce. Haven’t had time, really. I’ve been trying to be the best dad I can be while growing the business. Every spare hour went to either Daisie or Sullivan Yachts.”
“And now?”
“Now with this custody stuff, I’m actually working less.
It killed me at first. I’m a control freak about the business, always have been.
But I hired some managers to run things at the office, delegated more of the administrative work.
It gives me more time to actually build boats, which is what I love, and more time to be with Daisie. ”
“That’s a big sacrifice.”
“It’s not a sacrifice if it’s for her. She’s the most important thing in my life. Everything else is just stuff.” One side of his mouth tilted up. “Besides, it turns out the business runs fine without me micromanaging every detail. Who knew?”
I laughed. “Revolutionary concept.”
“Apparently.” He studied me over his glass. “What about you? I think I saw on your bio you’re from Oregon.”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Portland?” He took a drink and laughed. “Sorry, I know the state is far larger than Portland, but I’ve only heard of that one city.”
“You’re not far off,” I said. “I’m from an itty-bitty town on the coast. Not too far from Portland.”
“Your family still there?”
I sighed and nodded. “Yes and that’s one of the reasons I choose to live on this side of the country.”
He laughed again. “I take it you’re not close.”
“We are. Were. It’s not like I don’t like them. It’s just they’re kind of obnoxious.”
“I think that’s a requirement for parents.”
“No, no. My parents got divorced two years ago. After twenty-five years of marriage, they decided they were done. Which, fine, if you’re unhappy, get divorced. I support that. But then they both immediately started dating new people and acting like teenagers about it.”
“Acting like teenagers how?”
“My dad started dating this woman who’s barely older than me.
She convinced him to buy a motorcycle and get an earring.
An earring. The man is fifty-three years old.
” I shook my head. “He told me he had an earring when he met my mom. And I’m sure in the nineties it was cool, but ugh.
And my mom is dating some yoga instructor who’s helping her ‘find her authentic self’ or whatever.
They post couple photos on Instagram with captions about twin flames and spiritual journeys. ”
He tried not to laugh. Failed. “That sounds exhausting.”
“It’s mortifying. And they’re both so petty about it.
My dad bought the motorcycle to make my mom jealous.
My mom started the Instagram to show my dad how happy she is without him.
They’re like children.” I took another sip of bourbon.
“So I fled to the opposite coast. Grad school was a convenient excuse, but honestly, I just wanted to be anywhere they weren’t. ”
“I don’t blame you. That sounds like a lot of unnecessary drama.”
“Right? Life is complicated enough without adding that kind of bullshit to it.” I met his eyes. “I spent my whole childhood watching them fight and make up and fight again, and I promised myself I’d never be like that. Never be with someone who made everything so damn complicated.”
“Hence the appeal of a simple, contractual arrangement.”
“Yep. No drama, no mess, just a clean transaction with a defined end date.”
“How’s that working out for us?”
I laughed. “Not great, if we’re being honest.”
“Not great,” he echoed, and there was something in his voice that made me look up.
I felt that pull I’d been trying to ignore since the almost-kiss in my closet.
We actually vibed. That was the problem. This wasn’t just physical attraction, though god knows there was plenty of that. We understood each other. Both of us were running from messy situations while trying to protect ourselves from getting hurt.
“I should go to bed,” I said, but I didn’t move.
He nodded. But he didn’t move either.
I could feel the energy in the room. It sizzled. Crackled. I watched his eyes drop to my mouth and I nearly melted in my seat. I gulped down the rest of the liquor in my glass.
I didn’t know what was happening, but it was very clear we were drawn to one another.
Maybe it was just the close proximity. He said he didn’t date much and I believed him.
It was clear he was a devoted single father.
And I obviously hadn’t been out with anyone in way too long.
I wasn’t even sure I remembered the last time I had sex.
That was all this was. We were in his house alone and drinking after spending an awesome day together. We were basically the same age. It was just human nature. I was a scientist. I understood the complexities of sexual connection.
“Goodnight, Darek.” I slid off the stool and walked out of the kitchen before I could do something stupid.
I had to get away from him before I could cross back to him and kiss him and ruin everything. I made it to my room and closed the door, leaning against it and pressing my palms to my flushed cheeks. This was so bad. I was catching feelings for my client.
I needed to get my head straight. Remember why I was here, what this was. A job. A means to an end. A way to pay off my student loans and afford to live while I finish my dissertation.
I wasn’t here to find a family. Or a relationship. Or a future.
Just a month. I could keep it together for a month.
I had to.