“Yes, but what happens if the lawn gnomes are part of a birdbath or fountain?”
His forehead creased. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Well, you can have a birdbath or a fountain. You can’t have both, which I find weird, but there are no restrictions on the designs.”
Amusement had the corners of his lips turning up. “You have a plan.”
“I believe I already told you that.”
“Yes, but I thought you were exaggerating. You really do have a plan.”
“Yup, and it’s going to be glorious.” I pulled the key for my cart out of my pocket and twirled it around my finger. “Are you ready?”
“No.” He shook his head. “If I go home now, I’ll run into… them.”
“You mean Sylfus?”
Genuine bafflement took over his features. “Um… what?”
“That’s their ship name. You know, when you mash two romantic characters’ names together. Like Bennifer, Brangelina, and TomKat.”
“I have no idea what any of that means.”
I had to hold back a sigh. This was hardly surprising. He wasn’t a ship kind of guy. “Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are Bennifer. It’s what happens when you mash their names together.”
“Oh.” His mouth went tight. “That’s freaky. You’re calling our parents Sylfus?”
“I considered calling them syphilis because it was so close, but I know myself. I will slip up if I go that route.”
He burst out laughing, and I realized how much I liked the sound.
“That’s crazy, but now I can never unhear it,” he said when he’d settled.
“That’s just the way my mind works.”
“I like it.” Brody was looking away from me, and I couldn’t tell if he even realized what he’d said.
“If you don’t want to go home, we have to figure out something to do,” I said. “Any ideas? I mean, somehow, I don’t think the Landings has a happening nightlife that doesn’t revolve around the bars, and I’m not in the mood to drink.”
I expected him to say no, so when he looked over at me again, this time smiling, I was thrown.
“Oh, see, that’s an evil look.” I wagged a finger. “What are you plotting?”
“I’m not plotting anything. There’s just one thing at this place I’ve always wanted to check out and never have. You seem like the perfect person to do it with.”
I was instantly suspicious. “Is there a brothel here or something?”
“A brothel?”
“They probably call it a house of ill repute, don’t they?”
He laughed again. Man, I really loved that sound.
“It’s not a brothel,” he assured me. “If there is a brothel here, they failed to inform me of it.”
“Would that be disappointing?”
He scratched his cheek. “From a literary perspective, yes. Who doesn’t want to see a brothel so they can write about it correctly in a book?”
