She drags her teeth over her bottom lip in this absolutely adorable yet vulnerable gesture that makes my body harden.
She takes her phone back and taps again. “I can show you more. There are ley lines in a few other places in the world, and this is what they use to build, too.”
I hitch a brow. “Do they have unicorns?”
“No, they don’t. But they have ley lines.”
Coco gives me a pointed look. She’s earnest about this. I get the feeling, even though I’ve only just met her, that she wouldn’t lie.
“So what you’re saying is, I have to start over.”
“If you want to keep the ley lines healthy, then yeah. Look, I know it’s a big task, but it’s what the land needs if it’s to maintain and stay strong. Mystic Meadows just got its magic back, Stone. We can’t lose it again.”
No pressure.
But it’s not even a debate. As I mull over how to do this, our food arrives. My plate is gigantic, and food fills every square inch.
“Thank you,” I tell the waitress as she leaves to refill Coco’s glass. “Okay. You have to tell me what all of this is.”
“The yellow block is corn bread that they cook and then put on the griddle for a minute before serving. It’s amazing. Those are baked beans—they’re sweet, with bits of pork in them. Then there’s the actual pulled pork. There’s also macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and for dessert, banana pudding.”
“It’s a feast, and I’m starving.”
I take one bite of the corn bread and moan. “Oh my God. It’s so buttery and—”
A coughing fit overtakes me, and I swallow several gulps of tea to wash down the corn bread.
Coco grimaces. “I forgot to warn you. You’ve got to be careful with corn bread. It’s sometimes dry, which makes it easy to choke on.”
I tap a fist to my sternum. “Better late than never.”
For the next few minutes, I do nothing but eat gloriously amazing food and try to figure out a way to restart construction without killing the deadline, which I can’t remember but know exists.
Screw it, I decide. Protecting this land is more important than a deadline. I’ll take whatever heat someone throws at me. In the meantime, I’ve got to figure out how to get workers. Fingers crossed my memory returns by tomorrow.
As I dig into my second bite of pork, my phone rings. I pull it from my pocket and do a double take at the name flashing across the screen.
My stomach falls, but at the same time hope lifts within me.
“Do you know who it is?” Coco asks, peeking over to take a look.
“Yeah.” A slow smile spreads across my face. “It’s my brother.” I toss back my head and laugh. “I have a brother! I’m not alone!”
Chapter 15
Coco
My stomach plummets to the floor and explodes into a million pieces.
Pane has called Stone.
Stone knows he has a brother.
My ass is so cooked.
Lines etch across Stone’s brow as he studies the phone. His finger hovers over the screen briefly before he finally swipes and puts the device to his ear.
“Hey.” He shoots me a worried look that asks,Isheysomething I say to answer calls?
