Page 10 of Fake Coral and Keys

“Of course.” Blake grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers and brings them to his mouth, his dark eyes locking with mine. He brushes my knuckles over his lips.

Justine makes a sound in her throat as she watches Blake. “Daisy never even told her family about Jim,” she says, that sly smirk playing over her lips again. “I’m surprised she told you.”

Blake’s heated gaze melts slightly. He blinks but keeps his eyes on mine. A shadow of something—concern? confusion maybe? — passes over his face before he smiles large, teeth showing, and looks back at Justine.

“It’s nice that you can join us for this family Gathering,” he says. “I forget already what you said your relation to the family was?”

Her serpentine smile fades. “I join the family for every Conner Gathering.”

“Huh.” Blake’s brows scrunch in confusion. “I don’t remember anyone mentioning you when the family went to the lodge for Lily’s proposal announcement on Valentine’s Day.”

I bite my lip, not wanting to outright laugh in her face, even if she deserves it. Justine is definitely not family. Even though she is one of Lily’s friends, she’s not like Erin, who isas close to my parents and brother to the point she may as well be a blood relative.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend then,” Justine says, practically spitting fire at Blake now. “Too short notice.”

“Funny,” I say, a sweet smile on my lips. “I was pretty sure Erin said she’d forgotten to invite you.”

She gets a sugar-coated smirk and takes another sip of her drink but remains silent, making me regret my spiteful comment. My stomach sinks. Hopefully, that shuts her up, but I’m worried about what she’ll say or do later for revenge. Justine showed me that you pay the price when you get on her bad side. After everything with Jim, I’d thought she’d leave me alone. Maybe I shouldn’t test her. What I really need to do is play nice so that I can enjoy the next few days. My heart flitters in my chest, reminding me I have the next five days with Blake.

Five whole days on a private resort in the Keys. In our own room. Alone.

“I’m excited to see the hotel,” Lily suddenly says, making me worry that my thoughts show on my face. No one looks mortified, so maybe not. “Daddy said that we each have a private bungalow.”

“Thank god.” Forest’s voice carries toward us from the front of the jet, making Kane snicker.

“I’ve never been to this resort,” Blake tells Lily. His grip tightens on my hand.

“It’s gorgeous!” she exclaims and pulls her phone out, showing Blake a few pictures. “Each bungalow is just steps from the water. We have our own chef and private dining space for the Gathering.”

Erin gets up from her seat and squeezes in next to me, showing Blake more pictures of the resort and the snorkeling trip our father planned.

“Stop walking around the cabin,” Amber says breathlessly from her seat up front. She glances around the jet. “You’ll make us crash.”

“Calm down, Amber,” Erin says. “We are perfectly fine.”

“You’re supposed to stay seated,” Amber says, “It’s safer—”

“Oh hush,” Erin says, rolling her eyes. She turns to face me. “We have a great opportunity to boost our online presence and promote Lily’s new line.”

Now I roll my eyes, letting out a dramatic groan. “Please, let’s not ruin this vacation by forcing everyone to join in your marketing schemes.”

“I brought a bunch of new pieces,” Lily says. “A few dresses and new bathing suits for the upcoming mid-summer release.”

Erin pats my arm. “Some of them may even look good on you.”

Justine snorts out a laugh.

“I’m pretty sure anything Daisy wears will bring attention,” Blake says, again squeezing my hand. “She’s stunning.”

Justine chuckles. “Attention for sure.” A tight-lipped smile creates little creases around her eyes. “Well-padded figures are lovely and acceptable. We are all about body positivity.”

I hear Blake’s intake of air. I offer Justine another sweet smile. “I wasn’t aware that offering only up to size eight was body-positive,” I say, already exhausted from the trip. Just two more hours to go.

“It’s a young brand,” Lily says defensively. “Justine says the best way to attract younger, more influential clientele is to cater to the standard size. Later we can expand.”

“Justinesays?” I ask. “You are taking fashion advice from Justine?”

“Uh yeah,” Lily says. “She’s like a marketing director for an enormous company.”

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