Do I like barbecue? I have no idea, but I’m about to find out.
Inside, the place looks like a herd of unicorns battled an army of cowboys and somehow they both won. Small statues of unicorns dressed in Western saddles and bridles are sprinkled throughout the place. There are even six-foot paintings of them. No lie.
I might buy one. Add it to my collection.
Wait. Do I have an art collection?
It seems like something I would have.
Dear God, I’m going crazy. This temporary forgetfulness should be over by now, but it isn’t. It’s staying with me.
Okay, Stone. Don’t panic. You are calm. You are cool. You are in control.
But I’m not, am I? There are no workers at the site. I’m destroying ley lines. The last thing I am is in control.
My heart shudders, and I breathe through it. No, I may not be in control, but that’s okay. Sometimes you gotta wing it.
“So what’s good here?” I ask as we sit.
“The barbecue.”
“I figured that.” I say it with a smirk and her lips slowly tip upward. “I mean, what should I order? Tell you what: You order for me. Get whatever you think I’ll love. You know me.”
She laughs nervously. “Sure. I’ll order.”
When the waitress walks up, Coco asks for two of the Unicorn Samplers and iced tea. Then I settle back in the booth and inhale the hickory smoke smell that permeates the place.
“I could never work here. I’d be hungry all day,” I confess.
“You think?” she asks, twisting her straw wrapper around her finger.
“I do.” I ball up my wrapper and drop it on the table. “All right, so the site. I’ve ruined the ley lines. What happened? Whoever I am ... why did I do that? And do I have to move the resort? I feel like that’s a bad idea. I’m not using my own money, am I?”
She takes a long sip of her tea, drinking for so long that she empties the glass and starts sucking in air. “I need more tea. Do you want some? Let me call the waitress back.”
She lifts her hand to call the waitress, and I grab it gently and tug her arm down. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not answering me on purpose?”
I’m still touching her. Her gaze falls to her arm, and I slowly unhook myself. As soon as my hand leaves her flesh, it feels like I’ve lost something.
Yeah, you’ve lost your memory, you big moron.
Coco rakes her bangs from her face. “Well, you didn’t know.”
I frown. “What do you mean, I didn’t know?”
She pulls out her phone. “About the materials. I’ve mentioned the limecrete, and steel beams can be replaced with cross-laminated timber. It’s called CLT for short. It’s already been used successfully in high-rises. See?”
She taps her phone, and a moment later she’s flashing a picture of a sleek, glass-front building. “This is in Milwaukee. You can use CLT to build the resort and it won’t harm the ley lines.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because it’s more naturally friendly, which is what the ley lines need.”
“Huh. And your research?”
“I’ve done some. I don’t have all the answers, but I know a little.”
“A little? Don’t diminish yourself. You know a hell of a lot more than me. I’m just the guy ruining everything. You’re the one fixing it.”
