Page 118 of Summer Lessons

Mason blinked. That was not where he’d expected this to go. “That’s weird. I thought you’d have a year.”

“Well, I should have, but I asked for six months, and they gave it to me.”

Mason frowned. “Why’d you do that?”

Terry’s smile was all teeth. “’Cause I know this guy with this really big, nice house who could probably build a mother-in-law cottage to fit all my stuff.”

Slow blink. “You want to live on my property?”

“No, I just want to build the cottage with you. I want to live with you in your house, forever. Is that a problem?”

Mason felt this bolt of transcendence pierce him then. Joy. Happiness he’d dreamed not of.

“God, no. I can’t wait. Can you move in now? Like right now? Liketoday?”

“Next month,” Terry said smugly. “Just in time for Thanksgiving.”

“Wow,” Mason murmured. “We’re going to see the years unfold. We’re going to live together. It’s going to be amazing.”

“I reckon,” Terry said. “You think I learned enough this summer to make that work?”

“I think we both did.”

Terry chuckled lowly. “Did we learn enough to have one more quick one before we leave?”

Mason’s chuckle was just as evil. “I think we knew that already.”

“Yeah. Me too. Let’s practice, just in case.”

Practice was good. Mason would practice with him as often as he wanted. You learned more that way.