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“She said I didn’t remember her. I freaked out and left.”
“Because you did remember her?”
“I might have not recognized her, but of course, I remembered her. She was the only bit of hope in my life.” I hold Dane’s stare. “I could never forget Pip.”
He sighs, taking another sip and draining his glass. “I don’t think it’s just about that, man. She was bothered that you didn’t realize that she was Pip.”
I blink several times, allowing what he’s just said to sink in.
“She was around twelve when I last saw her. How could I have known?”
He shrugs. “You need to talk to her. She’s back in your life, and for the first time since I’ve known you, you’ve looked happy when she’s around. Are you really willing to throw that away?”
“Fuck. I don’t know.”
He waves down the bartender and asks for the bill. I try to put my card down, but he brushes me off. “I’ll take care of this. You need to go talk to her.”
I swallow down a lump. “Yeah, I do.”
But first, I need to see how this happened. How did this slip past everyone?
I stand to leave, and Dane nods at me, not saying anything. What else is there to say? We both know where I’m going.
First, I need to make a call. There’s only one person who could have known or should’ve known.
I’m out the door, heading home, but find myself heading in a different direction first. As I walk, I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial his number.
Mike will have the answers I need.
“What’s up? Everything okay?” His voice sounds edgy, like he’s anticipating something. “Your mom off your back?”
“This isn’t about her. It’s about Cass.”
He sighs. “She finally came clean?”
“So you knew?” I snap.
There’s no hiding the anger in my voice.
“Calm down, man, I only just realized. I gave her an ultimatum.”
This just pisses me off more. How long has he known? What ultimatum?
“Explain.”
“I found out right before the gala.” He breathes heavily down the line, and for a moment, I think he isn’t going to elaborate. “I spoke to my contact. The one who knows the girl we’d set up to meet with you. He mentioned how he saw his favorite girl and that she had apologized for bailing on me.”
“She never showed,” I say, mostly to myself.
That had been a question circulating for me. Had Cassidy somehow arranged the switch? Did she know when she got there that she was to have sex with me?
“She asked him not to use it against her in the future,” Mike continues. “He relayed the message. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together that Cassidy wasn’t the girl I sent to you.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me immediately? You’re my agent, Mike.”
“Listen, Aiden…you were doing so good. I just wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.” He grunts. “I wasn’t about to take the chance of telling you in the middle of a room full of people to have you freak out and cause a damn scene.”
I blow out a harsh breath, understanding that decision.
