A Summer Like No Other

Chapter 25 - Em

After an hour, Nick turns to me. "You're way too good at this game. Rob taught you how to beat me, didn't he?"

I stick out my tongue. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'll never tell." I laugh, but then sigh as I remember why I'm technically here. Even though the making-out session was more delicious than I could have ever imagined, even though playing video games with Nick is always fun, we need to look through the paperwork, we need to dig in his dad's office.

He stands up. "Come on, we don't have much time. His late afternoon meetings can last anywhere from a few hours to all night."

We shuffle downstairs and push the door to the office. It's locked. "He only locks it before a big case, but he doesn't have a big case right now." He pauses. "Let me ask Sarina if she can open it."

He hurries into the kitchen where Sarina—their maid—is finishing up her work day, and he comes back with a key. "He's going to know we're going into his office because he asked Sarina to tell him if I ever, ever asked for the key."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Even more now than before," he says and turns the key, opens the door. The office is clean—super clean, there are no papers anywhere, but Nick opens shelves and drawers, pulling files out, reading them carefully before putting them back.

"Take the right side, I'll take the left one," he says.

I drag my feet to where he points, feeling uncomfortable looking through his dad's paperwork. "Hey, he's got the picture you made for him in fifth grade." I pick up a drawing in a frame standing on a shelf.

"Probably to show off to whoever comes here that he's a good father," Nick replies.

"Don't be so tough on him. We don't know why he's hiding whatever he's hiding."

"I can't believe you're defending him."

"I'm not. It's just— He's your father, that's all."

"I know," Nick says and continues to storm through the paperwork. I, on the other hand, am very careful with everything I touch. I'm going to need ten hours to go through one drawer.

Nick suddenly screams, "I found it! Of course, he put the file with the personal files, not with the business files." But then he shakes his head as he pulls out some paperwork. "There are only a few pieces of paper. Wait." He focuses on one piece of paper. "There's a birth certificate."

"I have my birth certificate. Mom gave it to me when I started searching. Show me." I cross the room to where he is. I scan through it. It doesn't make any sense. "My birth certificate says my name is Jane Doe. It says I was born as Jane Doe."

Nick pats my arm, pulls me to him, until my head finds its spot in the crook of his neck. "Dad lied to me. He lied to me. My mom's not Jane Doe. She didn't abandon me like he said. My mom really is Claire Carter. And my name's Caroline Carter." Tears I didn't see coming fall down my cheek and I sob. "I don't feel like a Caroline. I'm not Caroline, I'm Emilia."

Nick hugs me tighter. "You are who you want to be. You're my Emilia."

I cry in his arms for what seems like forever. I talk to him for what seems like forever, but the time's ticking and I have to get home soon. "I don't want you to be alone," he says. And I almost hope he's going to tell me I can sleep over, but instead he pulls his cell out.

"Rob," he says after a second. "Can you come and pick Em up?" He pauses and frowns. "I haven't done anything. She needs you, man. She needs her brother." He kisses the top of my head and cradles me in his arms. "We're at my place. Okay, we're waiting for you."