Page 127 of Off Plan

“Jacob.”

Mr. Wynott nodded. “I do believe so, yes. The garden at the Original Homestead.”

“Wait,” Mason said. “Wait, wait. Does this mean Resolute and Jacob were…” He widened his eyes meaningfully, and I poked him gently.

“Mason.Words.”

“Gay,” he said finally.

I grinned. I kinda hoped they were, if only because Jessica the “shipper” would be so thrilled.

“Oh, hard to say,” Mr. Wynott said, waving a hand airily as he struggled to contain his dog, who desperately wanted to get down. “Men in those days spoke much more effusively than we do today, and that place may simply have called to Resolute as the place where he and Jacob haddreamedup their plans for the island. But I do admit there’s a certain romanticism in the idea of them together.” He nodded once, firmly. “Two imperfect men who found a unique way to spend the bulk of their lives together during a time when the world was less kind than it is now. If Jacob’s spirit ever did haunt this island, I like to think he’ll be at peace knowing another pair of star-crossed lovers have finally gotten together in their stead. Maybe that’s why he finally allowed you two to discover the—Oh, good heavens!Topaz! You leave that catalone!” he cried, running after the dog who was running after Marjorie.

“I don’t believe in any of this,” I told Mason, turning him to face me.

“Nope. Me neither.”

“Not ghosts. Not portents. Not mystical woo-woo…”

“Not fate, not destiny, not the Universe?”

I hesitated. “Well…”

Mason laughed. Then his phone chimed in his pocket, and his laughter turned to a groan.

“What?” I demanded. “Reporter?”

“No,worse. Apparently some reporter got my name and printed it.”

“Oh.” I stroked a hand down his back. “That was always gonna happen, babe. Is it a problem? Are you worried people will know about us?”

Mason gave me a look so full of love, I literally couldn’t have imagined it, in those fucked-up years after Texas Thad.

“Are you joking? I wanteveryoneto know about us. In fact, if Gerry keeps looking over at you, I’m gonna getProperty of Loaferstattooed on your forehead. But my brother made me promise I’d call him if I joined the mafia or ended up on the news.” He brandished the phone in my direction. “Guess who made the news and didn’t call?”

“Ohhhh.” I glanced down at the screenwhere there was a link to an article followed by his brother’s words.

Micah: An IMPOVERISHED island? A buried treasure? A BOYFRIEND?What the actual fuck, Mason? You haven’t been gone TWO MONTHS. I’m expecting A CALL.

“Oops?” I offered.

“No shit,” he said, sliding the phone away so he could loop both arms around my neck. “Constantine and Micah will be coming soon, if I know them. God, and so willToby.” He leaned up on his tiptoes to bite the tendon in the side of my neck, and I hissed. “Which is why we really,reallyshouldn’t waste any alone time now. As in, we should walk awayright this minute. Because it’s going to be a really busy summer around here, Fenn Reardon. Everyone’s gonna want to come to Whispering Key. We’ve got sunshine year-round.”

I laughed out loud and pulled him tighter. “It’s basically paradise,” I agreed.

And with Mason in my arms, that was the absolute truth.