Her Heart's Divide by Kathleen Dienne

had to be open near to where I was in both worlds, and then both of…me, I guess you have to call it, have to step through at the exact same time because we can’t both be in one world at the same time.”
    “You know this is insane.”
    “But there’s Jack, completely confused and wondering why he’s not married to you.”
    “Yes. There’s that. If you’re the one going back and forth, how’d he get here?” I jumped up and went over to the deck doors, looking out at Ryan and Jack sitting on the dock.
    Allison sighed. “The ceremony involves burning a piece of clothing with some of your essence on it—skin oil, sweat, hair, whatever. It’s supposed to draw you and the other you close. My guess is that when the ceremony went wrong, it went really wrong. I swapped with my counterpart, and Jack swapped with his. I guess he’d used the bandanna I brought for the ceremony to wipe his face or something before I packed it. But I don’t know.”
    I turned back to face her. “This is unbelievable. Literally.”
    “Yeah? Has he been seeing orange flashes of light, with loud banging noises? Holy crap, Lila, don’t pass out on me!”
    “How did you…?” I gasped.
    “That’s the window. The people in Sedona have been trying to open the window so the two Jacks can get into their proper places. The Jack who belongs here already knows to expect it, because we, uh, got in touch while I was figuring things out, but the Jack who belongs in the world where you married him…doesn’t.”
    I tried not to yell. “So you’ve been trying to get him on the Coller Road, because almost no one drives it regularly but him.”
    She clapped her hands. “Right. It isn’t safe to build the window around a lot of people. They would have questions.”
    “It’s not safe, period. Ryan almost died in the truck wreck that happened when your stupid window scared Jack off the road.”
    Allison looked horrified, but before she could say anything else, we heard the back door slam. Ryan called out, “You girls decent?”
    “Never!” shouted Allison.
    We heard the men laugh, but the amusement died away when they got to the top of the stairs. The four of us stared at each other awkwardly.
    “Allison,” began Jack.
    “Forget it,” I muttered. “She knows.”
    Jack’s face reflected his confusion and relief, and I couldn’t help but smile as Allison started her explanation over from the beginning.

Chapter Nine
    I relaxed with my husband, our bodies fitting together in repose as if we’d been made for each other. Allison had gone home. She’d told Jack to stay the night on our futon and drive the Coller Road home in the morning. If he took it slow, she said, he should see the window open in time to stop the car. At that point, he could get out and trade places. And it would all be over.
    I snuggled in closer and heaved a sigh.
    “What are you thinking, Mrs. Crosse?” His voice rumbled in my ear.
    “Mainly thinking what a crazy few weeks this has been. And I’m also kind of wondering what Allison meant by something she said when she was taking off.”
    “Which was?”
    “She said ‘Vows apply one world at a time,’ and then she winked at me.”
    “Oh, she did, now.”
    Something in his tone made me sit up. “Did she say anything to you?”
    “Nope.”
    I was suspicious, but he gazed back at me with a look of perfect innocence.
    The door to the deck slid open, and Jack stepped through. “Hey, you guys. It’s gorgeous outside tonight. You should come out here.”
    “I don’t think I can get my foot propped up right, sitting on a deck chair. Think we can wrestle the futon outside?” said Ryan, getting to his feet.
    Jack snickered. “This accident’s made you the laziest guy in the valley. You know that, right?” He hauled the mattress off the frame and dragged it onto the deck.
    “I’m not that lazy, man. I’m going to carry out the wineglasses,” Ryan called after our friend.
    “Wine?”
    He smiled. “Why not,