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 menman? 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 youhavea clue as to who he isandhow 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.”
