He scratches his head. “Can you tell me who I am? I can’t seem to remember.”
Chapter 12
Coco
Is Stone joking? He’s joking, right? Got to be. I search his face for signs that he’s pulling my leg, or arm, or entire body.
“You ... don’t know who you are?”
He scratches the scruff on his cheek. “It’s the strangest thing. One moment I was—well, I can’t remember what I was doing. And the next ...” He shakes his head. “Did I hit my head?”
Quick, Coco, lie.Ugh, how far I’ve fallen. Since I can’t exactly reveal that I spelled him, it’s the next best explanation. “Yes, you hit your head.”
He looks around. “On what?”
My gaze lands on the thing closest to me. “A hard hat. Yep. You hit your head on a hard hat. Wow. They are making those things way too ...hardnowadays.”
I grab his hat from off the desk and knock my fist against the top of it to demonstrate.
He scrunches his face in curiosity. “How did I do that?”
“It fell. From the ceiling. I don’t know how it got up there. But it dropped right on your head.” I reach for Stone, but stop short of actually touching him. “Does it hurt?”
He rubs his head and frowns. “It’s fine. I probably needed to shake something loose anyway. Man. Must be a really hard hat. I mean, I can’t remembera thing.”
Wow. He bought it. He bought my lie.
Part of me regrets saying it, but another part of me knows this is called self-preservation, and I need to be preserving as much of myself as possible.
Stone shoots me a lopsided grin that highlights how handsome he is. My stomach flips, traitorous and ridiculous, because now is not the time for that. “My memory’ll come back soon. I’m not a quitter. At least, I don’t think so.”
God, please don’t let him ask me if he’s a quitter. And he’s right: Maybe his memory will launch right on back into his brain in a few minutes.
He starts to rise and I push him down so hard he shoots me a shocked look. “Maybe you should stay put for a second.”
“I’m fine. Don’t make a big deal about it. What’re you going to have me do next, take a nap?”
Maybe?
His eyes suddenly flare in surprise, and I think,He’s remembered who he is and will have me arrested for trying to poison him.
But this isn’t what he says. Instead, awe fills his voice. “Is that alambicorn?”
I blink. It’s worse than poisoning. I’ve completely wrecked his brain.
“Itisa lambicorn.” Stone frowns in distaste, which makes rows of lines cut across his forehead. “What’s it doing?”
I rub my forehead as the lambicorn sniffs the floor. “It’s checking out the carpet.”
“It looks hungry.”
“Yeah, it probably is.”Because you haven’t fed it.
Stone opens his arms and says tenderly, “Come here, little guy.”
What’s happening?
Isn’t he supposed to kick the lambicorn? Ignore it? Attempt to give it to me?
