“Except it does,” Kimmy corrects. “Most of the tagged photos he’s in show blonde model types. All of these photos are at clubs. The only serious relationship it looks like he’s had is with this Blair person. That tells me a lot. One, he’s used to having shallow connections; not really a commitment kind of guy. Socially, he likes going out, sure, but he’s also private. There’s nothing about his life outside of the clubs or who his other friends are other than those he parties with. Last, he did find someone special, but that clearly didn’t work out. Which means he’s probably had some issues after that. I’m guessing it might not have ended well, especially since the girl literally left the country. That’s never a good sign.”
“She could have just had an opportunity over there, and that’s why they broke up,” I suggested. “It doesn’t mean it ended badly.”
“Except she didn’t go over there for work. There’s nothing on her profile about a job overseas. All of her photos are very…vacation-y.” Kimmy clicks her phone off. “Trust me. With two parents working as detectives, it’s hard not to pick up on a few things.”
I chew my bottom lip. “So if I want more information…?”
“This girl is back in town. I say we go find her.”
“Hold up.” Sadie glances between us. “Isn’t that a little stalkery? Looking Killian up online is one thing. But to track down his ex and try to get information from her is entirely different.”
Kimmy just shrugs. “How else is Cara supposed to find out more about him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe ask him?”
“I tried that.” I sigh. “I asked him to dinner last night to try and get to know him, but he just fucked around like it was all a joke.”
“That’s why you need to go undercover,” Kimmy says, grinning. She leans closer, propping her elbows on the table. “Find Blair, casually bump into her, ask her about Killian with the excuse that he’s been chatting you up and you’re not sure about him, and see what she says.”
“That’s easier said than done,” I reply. “We know she must go to The Salamander a lot, but I can’t just go there every night looking for her.”
“Okay, the thing you have to realize is that she likes to party. Which means her usual go-to night will be the most popular night to go out. The Salamander is always lit on a Saturday. So that’s your best bet.” Kimmy sits back, looking pleased with herself.
“Today is Saturday,” I shoot her a pointed look.
“Then I guess we’re going out tonight,” Kimmy sings, nudging Sadie. Sadie begrudgingly smiles into her coffee, though she’s trying to hide it.
I lean forward, rubbing my temples. “I’ll have to see if I can tonight. My father might need me.”
“Oh, come on, Cara!” Kimmy whines. “This will be fun. Plus, you’re curious about this guy. The best way to find out about anyone is through their exes.”
“Not exactly,” Sadie cuts in. “They’re extremely biased. Especially if it ended badly.”
“But the truth will lie somewhere in the middle. She can get Blair’s side of the story, and then she can get Killian’s side before making her own decision.” Kimmy makes it sound so simple as if she’s done this a hundred times before. Which, now that I think about it, she probably has.
I think about the plan for a second, trying to see if there’d be any downside to this. The only complication I can think of is if this Blair girl refuses to tell me anything. Hell, if Killian was the one to break up with her, she might go running to him and tell him some girl’s been digging up dirt on him, and that would definitely end badly for me. Was I really willing to risk that?
If I was going to learn anything about my soon-to-be husband, I might just have to. My hands curl on top of the table, nails digging into my palms. “Alright, I’m in. What time should we go?”
Kimmy smirks. “That’s our girl.” Sadie just shifts in her seat, knowing she’d go along with us even if she didn’t entirely agree with our methods.
I might regret this later, but right now, I can’t bring myself to care. I tried getting to know Killian the normal way. I tried to talk to him, and he’d practically turned me into a joke and stole my underwear. There’s no way he’s going to willingly tell me anything about himself. Blair might be my only chance at really learning what he’s like. Who he is.
Kimmy watches me closely over her sunglasses, a dark gleam in her eye. “You’re doing the right thing. You need to know the truth about this guy.”
I know she’s right. I just hope this doesn’t come around to bite me in the ass later.
It didn’t hit me until we’d left the cafe that there were some serious flaws in our plan. First, we didn’t know the location of The Salamander. It often changed, making it more exclusive just by that factor alone. Second, as great as I am dealing with business partners and government officials for my father, dealing with girls like Blair is in a league of its own. I can be as charming as I wanted to with those my family needed to secure deals with, but facing exes was one thing I had no idea how to actually navigate. That’s Kimmy’s area of expertise.
This is exactly why I’m glad I’m not alone in this. I feel less stupid with my friends by my side, even if one of them didn’t necessarily think this was the best idea. Having them with me makes me feel a bit less stalkerish. And they’re right. I should know the truth about the man I’m supposed to be marrying.
“I’m finding out where The Salamander’s gonna be tonight, now,” Kimmy tells us, fingers flying across the screen. “I have a few contacts who might know.”
“So, I’ll drop you two off now and pick you guys up later tonight around nine?” Sadie asks.
I nod absently, my mind still trying to figure out how I would even approach Blair. Should I just walk up and ask about Killian outright? Should I try to get to know her first? Buy her a drink. Hang out with her all night and pop the questions before she gets too drunk to respond. There were too many ways I could play this.
“Cara? Hello?” Kimmy leans forward, elbows resting on the back of our seats.