The warmth in his eyes. The heat of his touch. It all hits me hard, and I laugh, a small, startled sound, like someone who’s never been picked first finally being seen.
Stone laughs, too, and the sound makes my lungs squeeze.
“Sorry. Got carried away,” he explains, slowly lowering me to the ground. He stares down at me, and I find myself wanting to keep looking into his eyes. This strange man who I couldn’t stand yesterday is someone new today.
A man who doesn’t know who he is, I remind myself.
I clear my throat and step out of his arms. “It’s okay.”
“You know, I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Coco Higginbotham.”
“Higginbotham. That’s a mouthful.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s what you said when we first met.”
“See? I’m in here. Somewhere.” He winks playfully, and I nearly pass out from the utter and complete change in him. “Come on. Let’s take a look at these plans and see if they jog my memory.”
Stone taps the page. “Why would I design the resort like this? It makes no sense. It’s all flow but no essence.”
The blueprints are a series of lines with tiny writing. It’s like trying to read a foreign language. I cock my head to see if a different angle will help.
Nope. Doesn’t do a thing.
“Like right here.” He runs a finger across the map-sized sheet of paper. “The finishes are sleek, but there’s no personality. It’s cold, sterile. This isn’t something I did. This needs to be changed. Immediately. Where’s my phone?”
My body goes numb. His phone? Stone’s phone will have contacts. People who know him. People who will freak out about his amnesia.
Or they could help him remember.
I spot the phone on top of a filing cabinet. There’s a brief tug in my core. Give it to him? Don’t give it to him?
Coco,the imaginary angel sitting on my shoulder whispers,he needs to remember who he is.
“It’s right here.” I slide the phone from the surface and hold it like a peace offering. “Maybe you can get some answers.”
He scowls. Here it comes. The old Stone is back. It was good knowing you, New Stone. I nearly mutter to Hercules,Get ready to return to being hated.
Stone takes the device and pauses briefly.
My stomach curls into a giant pretzel. He’ll open his contacts. Call his brother. Discover I’m a horrible human being. The resort will be built. My town will be destroyed.
“I don’t remember the passcode,” he says after a beat.
“Maybe it’s your face.”
He shakes his head. “No. It would never be that simple. I need more security than a face or a thumbprint. Don’t ask me how I know that, but I do.”
“Well, see if any numbers come to mind.”Why am I signing my own death warrant?
Very slowly, Stone enters a series of numbers. The screen quivers. It instantly locks him out.
My pretzeled stomach unknots a tiny bit. “It’ll come to you. I’m sure it will.”
“Yeah,” he says uneasily. “I hope so.” Then he levels a lopsided grin at me that’s so warm it’s disorienting. “I can’t believe I signed off on this design. Whoever I need to talk to about changing it, I will.”
“Here’s a fun fact,” I say, smoothing a hand over the blueprints. “You’re the boss, so you don’t actually have to talk to anyone. You can do whatever you want.”
