diet cola”
“Diet cola?” Chance quirked the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t want to overdo it,” Roman said and paid for his meal.
Chance ordered a carne asada burrito. He and his brother waited at the counter for their lunch, then carried their trays to an out-of-the-way table. Chance turned a chair around and straddled it. He peeled down the paper wrapping and bit into his burrito.
The last time he’d ordered from Taco Paco’s, it had been at Zoe’s request when she’d just gotten out of the hospital. Previously, the woman who’d shuddered at the mention of fast food had dug into her breakfast burrito like it was her last meal. However, Destiny loved Taco Paco’s. She’d told him so during one of their many conversations.
Once identified, the unfathomable consumed him, and he studied Zoe when she wasn’t watching, cataloguing and notating her every action. He’d never heard her use that word. Had she always held her fork like that? When had she ever watched that TV show? And he couldn’t forget Laura’s reaction.
He no longer considered it a bizarre coincidence, but he couldn’t surmount the hurdle of disbelief that his ex-girlfriend had been transformed into her best friend. He’d always liked Destiny but now was developing deeper feelings for her.
Doubts dogged him. Did he read Destiny’s mannerisms into Zoe because they were there, or because he wanted them to be? Sometimes he feared his head would explode.
Roman dumped a packet of hot sauce onto each taco. “How’s Zoe these days?”
A totally new person . His brother would think he was nuts. “Fine.” He bit into his burrito.
“Recovered from the accident?” A quarter of the taco disappeared with one bite.
Chance finished chewing, using the time to consider his words. “The bruises are almost all gone.”
Roman lifted the taco to his mouth and paused. He arched his eyebrows. “But?”
“But she’s different.”
“Different good or different bad?” Another section of taco disappeared.
Chance rubbed the bridge of his nose. Zoe had been a good person. They’d had fun together but hadn’t loved each other the way he was starting to feel about her body double. The fates had screwed up. He’d become friends with a woman who should have been his lover and was a lover to the woman who should have been his friend. “It’s like a new person walked away from the accident.” Was this fate’s convoluted way of righting an error?
“How so?”
“A lot of little things,” he said and explained about the cooking, the singing, the diet changes.
“Weird. Do you think she sustained a more serious head injury than the doctor thought?”
I think Destiny Grable inhabits Zoe’s body . “Don’t laugh,” Chance said.
“About what?”
“I think Zoe died in the accident, and Destiny was reincarnated in her body.”
Roman laughed.
Chance took another bite of his burrito. Spoken aloud, it sounded even crazier than it had whispering in his head. But a weight lifted off his chest.
Roman stared. “Shit, you’re not serious?”
Chance chewed.
“Just because she cooks and snores a little?”
He swallowed, took a sip of his soda. “It’s not any one thing. It’s the sum of all the changes.” He sighed, knowing he would dig himself in deeper. Roman would think he’d lost it for sure. “I saw her. Destiny. We were having sex, and I tell you, I saw Destiny looking at me.”
“You wanted Destiny to look at you. You had a thing for her, and you’ve been trying to mark paid to your relationship with Zoe for months.”
“That’s not it.”
“Well, the only other ‘it’ is that you’re crazy.”
Roman finished off his taco, and Chance took another bite of his now tasteless burrito.
“Just for the sake of argument,” Roman said, waving his plastic fork, “let’s say Zoe is Destiny. Why is she with you? I assume she’s still living with you?”
“It’s only a month since the accident.”
“Exactly! Destiny
“Diet cola?” Chance quirked the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t want to overdo it,” Roman said and paid for his meal.
Chance ordered a carne asada burrito. He and his brother waited at the counter for their lunch, then carried their trays to an out-of-the-way table. Chance turned a chair around and straddled it. He peeled down the paper wrapping and bit into his burrito.
The last time he’d ordered from Taco Paco’s, it had been at Zoe’s request when she’d just gotten out of the hospital. Previously, the woman who’d shuddered at the mention of fast food had dug into her breakfast burrito like it was her last meal. However, Destiny loved Taco Paco’s. She’d told him so during one of their many conversations.
Once identified, the unfathomable consumed him, and he studied Zoe when she wasn’t watching, cataloguing and notating her every action. He’d never heard her use that word. Had she always held her fork like that? When had she ever watched that TV show? And he couldn’t forget Laura’s reaction.
He no longer considered it a bizarre coincidence, but he couldn’t surmount the hurdle of disbelief that his ex-girlfriend had been transformed into her best friend. He’d always liked Destiny but now was developing deeper feelings for her.
Doubts dogged him. Did he read Destiny’s mannerisms into Zoe because they were there, or because he wanted them to be? Sometimes he feared his head would explode.
Roman dumped a packet of hot sauce onto each taco. “How’s Zoe these days?”
A totally new person . His brother would think he was nuts. “Fine.” He bit into his burrito.
“Recovered from the accident?” A quarter of the taco disappeared with one bite.
Chance finished chewing, using the time to consider his words. “The bruises are almost all gone.”
Roman lifted the taco to his mouth and paused. He arched his eyebrows. “But?”
“But she’s different.”
“Different good or different bad?” Another section of taco disappeared.
Chance rubbed the bridge of his nose. Zoe had been a good person. They’d had fun together but hadn’t loved each other the way he was starting to feel about her body double. The fates had screwed up. He’d become friends with a woman who should have been his lover and was a lover to the woman who should have been his friend. “It’s like a new person walked away from the accident.” Was this fate’s convoluted way of righting an error?
“How so?”
“A lot of little things,” he said and explained about the cooking, the singing, the diet changes.
“Weird. Do you think she sustained a more serious head injury than the doctor thought?”
I think Destiny Grable inhabits Zoe’s body . “Don’t laugh,” Chance said.
“About what?”
“I think Zoe died in the accident, and Destiny was reincarnated in her body.”
Roman laughed.
Chance took another bite of his burrito. Spoken aloud, it sounded even crazier than it had whispering in his head. But a weight lifted off his chest.
Roman stared. “Shit, you’re not serious?”
Chance chewed.
“Just because she cooks and snores a little?”
He swallowed, took a sip of his soda. “It’s not any one thing. It’s the sum of all the changes.” He sighed, knowing he would dig himself in deeper. Roman would think he’d lost it for sure. “I saw her. Destiny. We were having sex, and I tell you, I saw Destiny looking at me.”
“You wanted Destiny to look at you. You had a thing for her, and you’ve been trying to mark paid to your relationship with Zoe for months.”
“That’s not it.”
“Well, the only other ‘it’ is that you’re crazy.”
Roman finished off his taco, and Chance took another bite of his now tasteless burrito.
“Just for the sake of argument,” Roman said, waving his plastic fork, “let’s say Zoe is Destiny. Why is she with you? I assume she’s still living with you?”
“It’s only a month since the accident.”
“Exactly! Destiny
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