“Stone’s getting me one.”
“Stone Maddox,” she says, flipping her long brown braid over one shoulder. “What are the chances two local girls would snatch up the Maddox brothers?”
My stomach turns queasy. “Yeah, what are the chances?”
“Mmm.” She watches him before glancing back at me. “From what the guys say, Stone’s changed in the past weeks. He’s acting like a whole new man. If you ask me, it’s like he’s under some kind of—”
She laughs before finishing the word, but my spine locks anyway.
I laugh weakly. “You never know.”
Stone talks with Isaac and Ron, who hasn’t stopped chatting since Stone grabbed our drinks. He looks over and shoots me a tender look. The ice in my stomach is quickly replaced with butterflies that lift into the sky.
Jennifer pats my arm. “I’d better save your fiancé before Ron talks him to death. If you’ll excuse me.”
As soon as she enters the conversation, Isaac leaves and approaches me.
“I figure I’ve got about one minute to do this,” he says, eyeing the crowd.
“Do what?”
“Find out what the hell is going on.” He looks at me hard, suspicion spilling from his eyes. “Two weeks ago you and Stone couldn’t stand each other. Now you’re engaged, and he’s acting funny—like, really funny. Changing plans, rebuilding a resort. So what’s the deal, Coco?”
Wow. I really wish I had that drink right about now so I could bury my face in it. “Why don’t you ask Stone?”
“Because I’m asking you.” Isaac smooths a hand down his braids and his tone softens. “Look, we’ve known each other long time, and I trust you. But something strange is happening. What is it?”
Ihaveknown Isaac a long time, and if I attempt to say it’s nothing, he won’t believe me. Might as well fess up.
“The day I came to inspect the ley lines, I saw the resort was weakening them. I tried to tell Stone, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Sounds about right.”
I frown. This is the part when he’s supposed to say,You can see ley lines? You’re a hideous beast! Leave our village before we destroy you.
When he doesn’t, I slowly continue. “So I did something to help him see them.”
Isaac lifts an eyebrow. “You drugged him?”
“No! Kind of? Not like that. I gave him a potion.” I drop my voice. “It was supposed to help, not reset his entire personality.”
“And the engagement?”
“He found a ring I’d had sized. And before I could stop him, he told Rhett we were getting married. I didn’t plan this, Isaac. I swear. I’m not trying to take advantage of a Maddox.”
Isaac tips his head like he’s contemplating either forgiving me or locking me in cell for the rest of my life. After a length of time so painful I’d rather endure a root canal than wait another second, he says, “I do like this Stone better.”
My bones liquify into a happy pile of mush. “I like this Stone, too. That’s the problem. I wasn’t supposed to.”
Soon as he changes back, I’ll become enemy number one and the blackmail scenario will be on. I exhale a hard sigh just thinking about how callous he was before.
Isaac shoots me a sympathetic look. “Well, the guy has compassion. The other Stone, he was hurt by his family and he was sitting in it bad.”
“What do you mean?”
“Apparently, his mother kept him away from his dad for most of his life, told him and Pane that the man didn’t want to have anything to do with them.”
My jaw falls. “What?”
