The world wobbles and goes fuzzy around the edges. DogPerson and Amelia are the same person... “No fucking way. That can’t be right.”
Levi gets up and grabs my shoulders like he thinks I’m about to fall over. Maybe I am. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m really not.” My brain races over any chance I might have ever had to see Asher’s sister before. Maybe there’s still hope that they’re different people. “Wait. Was his sister at his race last year?”
Levi shrugs. “Probably. Do you remember her?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe.” I don’t remember seeing her. It doesn’t matter. There’s no way they aren’t the same person, but there’s no way in hell I’m admitting that to Levi. I step out of his reach, swallow hard, and force a smile. “It doesn’t matter. Do you think Sebastian would go for someone who’s already a part of the family?”
Levi eyes me like he’s not buying the shit I’m selling. “I don’t think that’s going to be the part he takes issue with, man. She’s an in-law. It’s not even in the neighborhood of incest.”
I pretend to be relieved, but I’m still freaking out. And not because I actually think hooking up with Amelia was any kind of incest. “Good. He’s looking for you, by the way. Wants to talk to you about the budget on the Kilpatrick build.”
Finally, Levi looks like the one off balance. “Cover for me or I’m going to tell him about your evil schemings to fix him up with his cousin-in-law.”
Wow, he really just went there. “Levi. Et tu?”
He packs his laptop into his bag and grabs his keys and wallet from the desk. “Where is he?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m not afraid of you, Levi, but Sebastian scares the shit out of me. You want me to cover for you, you’re going to have to do more than threaten me.”It’s never good to give in to one of my brother’s threats. It just encourages them to do it again.
Levi’s expression softens, and a hint of sadness creeps in. “I’m in love with Gentry Lendew, but I fucked up. I need to fix it now, or I’m going to have to move to California to avoid bumping into her and breaking my heart over and over again.”
Aw, my baby brother’s in love. “Why didn’t you say so? Of course, I’ll cover for you. I’ll help you serenade her or line her street with flower petals if you want.”
“Thanks, Deacon. You’re an asshole, but I love you.”
I slap his back. “Love you, too, dickhead. Sebastian is in the front room. I’ll distract him while you sneak out the back.”
I head back down the hall, intending to do exactly that, but by the time I turn the corner I forget all about Levi’s problem with Sebastian. Instead of taking the stairs, I head back into my room and close the door.
“Please tell me you found Levi,” Cash says. “Sebastian’s blowing up my phone now.”
“I found Levi.”
There must be something in my voice, because Cash looks up, brow creased. “Whoa. You okay?”
I slump onto my bed and drop my head into my hands. “DogPerson158 and Amelia are the same fucking person.”
Cash doesn’t say anything for a long moment, probably piecing together how I could possibly know that. “Levi knows Amelia?”
“She’s Asher’s sister. Clover’s sister-in-law.”
“Okay,” he says slowly. “But how did he connect her to DogPerson?”
“He got an email from her. Her email address is the same as her user id.”
“That could be a coincidence. I’m sure there are a lot of people who—”
I lift my head and glare at him, angry that he’s wrong. That he can’t make his version of events reality. “Amelia has a four-year-old she’s never told me about, unless there’s another Amelia Burns in Catalpa Creek. DogPerson has a four-year-old daughter. Amelia works for animal control. DogPerson works with animals.” More pieces start falling into place. “DogPerson talked about being social again like she might be going on a date the same night I took Amelia on a date.” And it hits me like a punch to the solar plexus. “DogPerson’s ex-husband is coming back to town, which means Amelia’s ex-husband is coming back to town.”
Cash frowns, tapping his fingers on his knees. “That’s pretty damning, but it could still be a major coincidence.”
I want to cling to that thread of hope, but I’m already spiraling. “Amelia’s hiding her four-year-old daughter from me. That’s definitely true. Which means she’s never had any intention of letting me into her life, not really.”
Cash grips my shoulders and squeezes. Hard. “Focus, Deacon. The first thing you need to do is make sure Amelia and DogPerson are the same person.”
He’s in my face, looking worried, but I don’t feel any calmer. The walls of the room are closing in on me. There’s not enough room to breathe.
