“I’m trying to think of things that would explain why two separate people would have the same birth certificate,” Britt said.
“Me too.”
“I can’t come up with anything, but I wish I could.”
“So do I. I’m trying to process the fact that Frank may have taken a child’s identity.... That he may not have been who he said he was.”
“He was so genuine. He seemed to me like an open book. It’s hard to imagine him needing to change his identity—let alone him actually doing it, then keeping it a secret.”
Groaning, Zander bent forward. His feet thumped onto the floor as he pressed the heels of his hands against his forehead. “How am I going to tell this to Carolyn?”
“You’ll find a way.”
“She told me that she can’t handle surprises right now.”
“She also told you that she needed to know Frank’s story, right?”
“Right.”
“It sounds like this identity thing might be part of Frank’s story. If so, then the truth is the truth. This surprise isn’t your fault, and you can’t change it.”
He drew in a heavy inhale. “I told Carolyn I’d find answers for her. I’d hoped the answers would make things better. What if they make things worse? What if I uncover something disturbing or depressing?”
“That would stink, but again: The truth is the truth.”
“What if I uncover something dangerous?”
“Then knowledge is power. If Carolyn’s in danger, then it would be better to be informed than ignorant.”
Taking his time, he sat up fully. “Happy, law-abiding people don’t change their identities. Only people who are in trouble or who want to escape from something change their identities.”
“You have a point.”
Zander worked the situation in his mind. “Let’s assume Nora’s right, that my uncle isn’t the real Frank Pierce. If so, then how can we find out who he really is—was?”
“I have no idea.”
She looked gorgeous and eager to help him.Do you want to help me, Britt? Then love me. Love me back.
Here’s the thing, though: He knew his predicament wasn’t Britt’s fault.
He’d have nothing to complain about if he could adjust hisfeelings for her to the level of her feelings for him. He’d tried for years to care about her in the same way that she cared about him.
Zander wanted to fall in love and get married and have kids and maybe write books from an office with a view of the water. He wanted all that, but he couldn’t have any of it until he could find a way to change the way he felt about her. He knew this.
The last time he’d seen his brother, Daniel had made Zander promise that he’d do everything he could to let Britt go.
Zander had promised.
Yet, sitting two feet from her, he was powerless to stop the longing from roaring through his bloodstream. If he kissed her, he could prove his longtime theory that kissing her would taste like chocolate.
“Let’s brainstorm ways to confirm Frank’s identity,” she said.
“Fingerprints?” he suggested. “Do you think the medical examiner would have taken Frank’s fingerprints during the autopsy?”
A spark illuminated her face. “If so, we can ask Detective Shaw to run his prints.”
“Which might be in the system if Frank committed a crime in his younger years.”
