Page 10 of Stone Coast

"I must be the shit because that's dedication."

He laughed. "You kind of are. Not to stroke your ego."

"I don't have an ego. I'm a blank slate, remember?"

He smiled. "It's good to have you back. And look at the bright side. How many guys get to meet the woman of their dreams twice in one lifetime? We’ll get to start over and build our relationship. But this time, I'll have an advantage. I'll know all of your likes and dislikes, all of your little quirks and nuances, all of your annoying little habits."

I arched a sassy eyebrow. "Annoying?"

"In an adorable way."

I smirked. "Adorable is satisfactory. I approve of the term."

"Ego already."

Okay, maybe he was a little charming. I was willing to see where this would go.

"What if I've changed?"

Momentary panic tensed his face.

"It's possible,” I said. “I could be a totally different person. You might not even like me anymore."

"I doubt that."

"You never know. My brain could have completely rewired. I might have different tastes, different personalities, different goals and ambitions."

I was just playing devil’s advocate, but I think this line of speculation made him uncomfortable.

"How different could you be?"

I shrugged. "Haven't you ever met identical twins that are totally opposite in personality?”

"Oh, so you're the evil twin of your former self?”

I smirked. "I could be."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I guess that's a risk I'm willing to take."

There was a long moment as we stared at each other.

"You don't have to stay here anymore,” I said. “Why don’tyou go home and get a good night’s sleep? I'm sure you could use it.”

He couldn't really disagree, but he tried. "I don't mind. I’m used to catching cat naps here and there when I can. It's been a hectic time.”

"Go home. I'm fine. Who knows? When you come back tomorrow, I could be my old self again."

He smiled. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

I finally convinced him to go home for the evening. I think I wanted a little time to myself to sort things out. Get in touch withme. See if I could find myself.

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and said goodbye. He smelled good.

After Grayson left, I looked through my photos again, but nothing sparked. There was something odd about it. It was like looking through someone else's life. I didn't recognize that girl in the photo any more than I recognized my friends.

I scrolled through my contact list. Name after name of people I didn't remember. Some contacts had descriptors with them.Tom Handyman. Jim Plummer. Terrance AC Guy.

I found Ross Jenkins’s contact among the list.