This time, the entire table turned in surprise, looking to see where the voice had come from. They all turned except one. The second he’d heard the name, Dylan had gone very still.
A man walking towards them paused deferentially, but then continued to come closer—a look of sheer astonishment splashed all over his face. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but...it’s you, isn’t it? Logan Chase of Skylight Resorts? The corporate billionaire from Miami?”
“What? You must’ve made a mistake.”
The man snapped a picture. “I don’t think so. And I think you’re busted. How much did you pay that guy to take your place in Florida? Are you hiding a secret girlfriend? Or a secret wife? And why are you meeting up with a PI in Cleveland? What secret are you hiding?”
“Who are you?” Lacy asked.
“I work for TMZ.”
“A tabloid?”
“A celebrity news website. And our assignment is Evan here. I knew that clown back in Florida wasn’t Evan. And when he dropped his driver’s license, I snapped a pic. I came here and followed Evan from that exact address.”
A few more photographers surrounded the table shouting questions. Flashes blinded her and she held up her hands.
Lacy stared at the man in shock, before turning slowly back to Dylan...
...only to have her worst nightmare suddenly confirmed. He couldn’t be Dylan, the construction worker.
Over the last few days, she’d seen him repeatedly fail to react when his own name was called. Whether she was trying to wake him, or a neighbor was getting his attention, or a friend was flagging them down at the movie theater. He never once reacted to the name Dylan, but the second this man said Logan, his entire face had frozen perfectly still.
The manager kicked out all the photographers and threatened to call the police. Logan followed them outside and had a talk with all of them. She was sure he was paying them off to keep quiet. When he came back inside, her eyes widened.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” She knew the answer, before she even asked the question. “Logan Chase...that’s your real name?”
Just like that, Dylan disappeared forever, as Logan came forward to take his place.
A look of fear flashed across his face, but it was paired almost instantly with a depressed sort of resignation—like he knew there was no way to deny it. The man who’d exposed him was still standing there, holding out pen and a napkin for an autograph, but a second later, he skittered away under the force of Logan’s gaze. The waitress was soon to follow.
“Yes,” he said softly, unable to meet her eyes. “That’s my name.”
She blinked. Stared down at the table. Then blinked again.
This can’t be happening! How is this possibly fucking happening?!
“But...no.” She shook her head sharply, unable to make the pieces fit. “I followed Dylan Stone for a long time with my job. Looked into his background, his job, his picture.” Her eyes filled with tears as she glared up at him, refusing to believe it was true. “I know what he looks like. I know what you look like. This...Logan? This can’t be real. A twin brother never showed up on my report.”
Logan stared at her for a second longer, his lovely face tightening with an unspeakable kind of sadness. Then he bowed his head with a quiet sigh.
“Dylan Stone is my twin brother. It was a secret adoption that the public doesn’t know about. We were both adopted at birth—sent to live in different households at opposite ends of the country. We didn’t know about each other. We only found out a few days ago when we met in Cleveland.”
He spoke in a low, practiced monotone—as if he had already played out this moment many times in his head. For her part, Lacy was absolutely speechless. What he was saying was impossible, and yet, her gut was telling her that every word was true.
“We decided...we decided to switch places. Just for two weeks.” He looked up slowly, hoping to gauge her reaction. “My business in Florida...it’s very successful. Dylan wanted to see what it would be like to live that kind of life.”
A flat, chilling silence rang out over the table. Leaving them both cold in its wake. Lacy opened her mouth several times to speak, but on each occasion, the words stuck in her throat.
“And you?” she finally managed, glaring straight into those lovely eyes. “Why did you come to Cleveland? What is it you were hoping to find?”
A look of sheer devastation flashed across his face, but he forced himself to speak.
“I was hoping to find you.”
There was a beat of silence. Then Lacy leaned all the way back in her chair.
“...what?”