Mind Games

“Just so I could target my study area.”

“Cheating.”

“Is it, though? And later, I just wanted you to see if Nadine Peterson had a thing for me before I asked her to homecoming.”

“Intrusive.”

“Maybe, a little. But no guy likes getting rejected.”

“Rejection builds character.”

“Bullshit.” Laughing, he rubbed his knuckles over the top of her head. “I’d probably have gone wild with it. Can I get that girl I’m hot for naked? Swami says: Yes.”

“Swami?”

“I’d absolutely call myself Swami. Can I get a little look-see at the final for my Probability and Statistics class, which I deeply regret taking? Swami says: Bet your ass.”

“You wouldn’t, though. You wouldn’t because you like a challenge.”

“Probability and Statistics about busted my brain. The professor hasn’t posted the grade for the final yet, or the semester average.” He gave his sister a winning smile. “Maybe you could just take a quick look?”

“No.”

“So strict. Anyway, I’m going to text another prof—Business Law. See if he can give me some advice on drawing up the contract of sale and all that.”

“We’ve got lawyers, Rem.”

“Yeah, but I want to see if I can do it.”

“I know we need one, the contract, but I liked the handshake on it.”

“Me, too.” Taking her hand, he swung it as they walked. “And that’s one of the reasons we both want to be here. Let’s go tell Grammie we’re going to be neighbors forever.”

“And you’ll mooch dinner off her forever.”

“You forgot breakfast.”

As they turned toward the farm, the puppies came running.

“No, wait, give me eight or ten years, I’ll build my house and mooch breakfast off you.”

He got right down to wrestle with the dogs, and grinned up at her. “But I’ll babysit your three kids. It’s three I remember, once you marry Tyler Brennan.”

“You read my journal!” She gave him a kick in the ass.

“First, ow.” He rubbed two dog bellies at once. “Second, no. Not that I didn’t think about it, but I calculated the twin wraths of you and Grammie as not worth it. But I knew how to eavesdrop. You told Maddy all about it.”

“See, you are a jerk. And I was fifteen.”

“Or sixteen, maybe. If I remember right, Maddy was all into Jaden Smith.”

“You were hot for Buffy. Watched that in syndication and mooned over Buffy Summers.”

“What do you mean was hot for? Sexiest vampire slayer ever. I still catch a rerun now and then.”

Rising, he grabbed Thea’s hand with one damp from puppy licks.

“You know Buffy isn’t real.”