Chapter 17 Stone
Stone
We spend the next day going over building ideas. Blueprints are spread across the table like a puzzle I’m trying to solve. Coco hovers nearby, offering suggestions that are brilliant, by the way. Her ideas for materials knock me off-kilter. She knows her stuff.
But the real surprise is, she doesn’t feel like a stranger. Even though I can’t remember her, there’s something familiar about her, like I’ve known her forever.
When she leans in to point at the plans, her hand brushes my shoulder. It’s warm. Intimate. Like this isn’t the first time we’ve touched.
Like we’ve done this before.
A hundred times before.
“All right, guys, we’re changing the plan.”
Ron and Isaac stare at me blankly.
“You got the go-ahead from the city?” Isaac asks.
My head swivels until my gaze lands on Coco, who stands a few feet away in a patch of grass with Hercules. The lambicorn ignores the grass completely and nibbles on Coco’s skirt.
Can’t say I blame him. That woman’s got legs that go on for days.
Cool it, Stone. You don’t even know if there’s anything going on between you.
If there isn’t, someone needs to tell the undercurrent of electricity that flows whenever I look at her. It feels like we’re both light switches dying to be flipped.
On. Not off. Don’t misunderstand me.
But our relationship is professional. I mean, isn’t it? Coco hasn’t said otherwise, and I can’t remember what I had for dinner a week ago, much less pick apart the past details of my life.
Plus, I still can’t get into my phone or computer. I tried again this morning, but the passwords didn’t come to me.
And what’s weird is, I don’t care. It feels like I should, but I don’t.
Which makes me wonder—what if I used to be the guy who got it all wrong because he didn’t stop to look, to think? What if I was the guy who hurt people and didn’t care?
What if I’m good at this now—plans, execution, details—because I have a clean slate I didn’t ask for?
And it’s an ache. Knowing I’m missing part of myself and acknowledging that it hurts.
It feels like there’s a hole in me that can never be filled.
But at the same time that hole gnaws away at me, there’s also an indescribable freedom, like I’ve been given a second chance and I better not screw it up.
Living. It feels like I’m really living.
Which begs the question: What was I doing before?
“Boss?”
Isaac blinks at me expectantly.
I drag my gaze from the clipboard I’m holding. “Yeah?”
“The city,” he reminds me. “You get the go-ahead?”
“Right, about that.”
Coco steps up, Hercules attached to her skirt. She bends to shoo him off, but the lamb jumps away before she can touch him.
“The city’s given the all clear, Isaac,” she explains.
He scrunches his face in confusion. “But I thought things were on hold.”
“We’re going with new plans, new supplies. I ordered the concrete to be busted up,” I explain. “We’re starting over with different materials.”
Ron and Isaac exchange a charged look. It’s Ron who speaks. “New plans?”
“Well, mostly the same plans with tweaks, but we’re changing materials. The others were, um, affecting the health of the town.”
Coco suggested not mentioning that I can see ley lines. With everything else that’s happened, keeping one more secret doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.
“So we’re to bust all this up?” Isaac asks, sounding worried.
“Yep. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish and can get the new structure in place. I’ve got shipments arriving starting tomorrow.”
Ron stares at the bones of the resort like a man facing death. “It’s a lot of work.”
I clap his shoulder. Is that something I would do? Feels right. I’m going with it. “That’s why we’re gonna need more men, more bodies capable of doing this right. You know some workers?”
When they stall, I say, “What about the guy I asked you to let go?” I snap my fingers, trying to appear as if his name is on the tip of my tongue. “Who was that, again?”
Isaac’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. “You mean Antoine? The one with the bricks?”
“That’s the one. Why don’t you see if he can come back? Tell him I made a mistake.”
Ron and Isaac exchange another look. Isaac peers at me quizzically. “You feeling okay?”
“Never better.”
The guys look from me to Coco and then back to me. Realization washes over their faces. They’re wrong in their thinking, obviously. I’m not sleeping with Coco.
Right?
We’re not, are we?
Should we be?
“All right.” I clap my hands—discussion over. “Let’s get back to work. Today, we bulldoze. Tomorrow, we start fresh, when the limecrete crew arrives. Got it?”
Isaac gives a little salute. “Got it.”
“Yeah, I got it,” Ron says.
Their spirits seem low, so I add, “Guys, I know this looks crazy, but trust me. The end result will be better all around. Okay?”
“Sure thing.” Isaac rubs his chin. “And I’ll call Antoine.”
“Thanks, man.” Do I say that? Call other men man? Again, I’m going with it.
Once the guys walk off, I ask Coco, “What was all that about the city signing off on the building?”
She absently twirls a strand of hair around her finger. “Just some red tape I had to defuse.”
I’m about to ask her what kind of red tape when my phone buzzes in my back pocket. I pull it out and my jaw tightens.
“It’s my brother,” I tell her. “I need to take it.”
She gives me an encouraging nod, even though her eyes are full of worry.
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “Maybe this will help jog my memory.”
Coco cocks her head. “Let’s hope so.”
I shoot her a grin before stepping away to take the call.
Okay, Stone.
You can do this. You can talk to your brother and convince him you have a clue as to who he is and how the two of you interact.
Easy peasy.
I exhale a deep breath and swipe the screen. “Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“Couldn’t be better,” he says, sounding happy. This is good. I can work with this. “The drinks are iced, the beaches are beautiful, and we’re having a great time.”
Major clue. My brother is not alone.
“That’s great.”
There’s background static for half a second as it sounds like he’s adjusting the phone. “How’re things there? We on schedule?”
“We are on fire.”
“Hey, Stone,” pops in a female voice. “How’s my town holding up?”
“Hey . . .” I have no idea who I’m talking to. “The town is doing great. I haven’t burned it to the ground yet.”
She laughs. “Good to know. Here’s your other half back. I just wanted to say hi.”
My other half? What does she mean by that. Wait.
We’re twins! Pane is my twin! It’s coming back to me. Thank God.
Pane returns to the line. “Rowe wanted to break in.”
Her name is Rowe.
“Tell you what, getting married is worth it for the honeymoon alone.”
He’s on his honeymoon. I’m so glad I didn’t say anything stupid. “When are you coming back, again?”
“Not for another month. We’re taking our time. Might as well enjoy it, right?”
“Absolutely. If I was on my honeymoon, I wouldn’t work for an entire year.”
Pane laughs. “Right.”
Which suggests I’m a workaholic. Got it.
“Anyway, don’t get too comfortable. Rhett’ll be visiting soon.”
“Rhett,” I murmur, hoping the name rings at least one bell. It doesn’t. There’s not even a hum purring in the back of my mind.
Pane continues, “You know how our cousin is—wants to make sure he’s getting his money’s worth.”
“Oh yeah. Rhett.” Understood. Rhett is checking on his investment. Which means I should convince my brother everything is in line. “We’re looking good here.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because you don’t sound like yourself.”
I scoff. “Maybe because I’ve been busy overseeing a resort.”
“I take it back. You sound exactly like yourself.”
I exhale the breath I’ve been holding. I’m still not telling him about the amnesia. Why do that when it’ll be gone soon anyway?
The longer this drags on, the more questions I’ll have—about my life, who’s important to me, who isn’t.
My gaze lands on Coco.
Her. She’s the only person allowed to know the truth, because for some reason it doesn’t feel like a weakness around her.
It feels like I’m opening up, like I’m sharing part of myself.
Which suggests I don’t do this often. I’ve tucked myself away, and that feels more wrong than having lost my memory.
“As long as you’ve got everything under control, I’ll let you go,” Pane tells me.
I ache to ask him more. To find out about other things—like our sister. And our mom!
Our mom.
We have a mom.
Once again, that subtle hole widens inside me—a gap desperately needing to be filled, but one I want to fill naturally, without pushing, without begging for someone to explain my life to me.
“So, um”—Keep it cool, Stone, don’t raise any red flags—“how’s, um, Mom?”
There’s a long pause, which makes me think he’s hung up.
“Pane? You there?”
“Yeah, I’m here—but nothing’s changed on my end. Why? Has it changed for you?”
“No, of course not.”
He sighs in a way that sounds weighted. “What she did to us, I’ll never forgive her for.” My mind works to unpack the mystery, but all I draw is a blank slate. “But,” Pane continues, “she did let Natalie move close by for school.”
Natalie, our sister.
“Which reminds me, you need to pick her up on my usual weekend.”
“Of . . . course. I’ll be there. There’s just one thing: I can’t remember where it is. Can you text me the directions? But not to this phone. I got another one that’s for personal use.”
He pauses. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, just really busy. There’s so much going on. Oh no. I think someone cut off their arm. Here’s the number.”
“Can’t I text it to this one—”
“No time!”
I rattle off the digits, ensure he’s got it, and make muffled screaming sounds in the background. “It’s worse than I thought. Gotta go!”
Then I hang up and exhale.
Holy shit.
I forgot to find out the day.
Later. I’ll find out later. I take a moment and rake my hair from my eyes, recapping everything I know. My cousin will visit soon. I’ve got to pick up my sister from school?
I’m overloaded.
The project is weeks behind schedule, but if I hire extra labor, maybe we can pull this off before Rhett shows up.
My gaze tracks the ley lines where they throb slowly, quietly, undulating like they’re struggling for breath.
Ron approaches. “You okay, boss?”
“Let me ask you a question.”
“Sure thing.”
Maybe one tiny little mention won’t hurt. “Do you see some strange lines running on the ground?”
“What?”
I point. “Out there, something maybe sort of milky. Do you see them?”
He shoots me a worried look. “No, and if you see them, keep it to yourself.”
“Why’s that?”
He drops his voice. “We talked about this.”
We did? “Maybe you could remind me.”
Ron looks around as if to make sure no one can hear.
He has a pretty jovial face—round, friendly, open.
I like him immediately. Not sure if old me liked him, but new me does.
“Once again—and don’t forget this time, boss—there are some things this town will tolerate: unicorns, piggycorns, even lambicorns. ”
“Hercules,” I correct.
“It’s a fitting name,” he corroborates. “But people with magic are trouble. I’m not saying they are. But if I were you, I’d keep the whole thing to myself.”
With that, he walks off, and for a moment, I’m knocked back. Ron didn’t seem to judge me, but—
Coco.
She’s with Hercules, throwing the ball for him to fetch. Hercules runs past the ball and begins chewing grass. Coco sees me and waves. I wave back.
She can see ley lines, which means she may have ma— Wait. If she has the M word, then she’s not safe.
From out of nowhere, a protective instinct uncoils in my gut, taking over my body. The thought of people turning their backs on her, hurting her, angers me.
There’s no way I’ll let that happen to Coco.
I know. I know I’ve got amnesia and that I don’t remember our history.
But we have a history. I feel it. Every bone in my body tells me so.
She’s a good person, someone who cares about others, who wouldn’t harm anyone.
I’m not sure what this is—instinct, memory, fate—but I won’t let anyone hurt her.
A chill skates down my spine. If she is magic and they find out, would they treat her like a unicorn?
Or like a monster?