Page 117 of I Heart Mason Cartwright
“Oh,” he teases. “Lover boy said he loved you. How adorbs.”
“Shut up.”
“Back to the task at hand. You sending Daddy Warbucks an invite or not?”
“They won’t come, right?”
“Definitely not.”
“This just shows I’m the bigger person.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, what the heck. Yes, let’s send them one.”
He adds them to the list, and we move on to the menu. Mason will be smoking a few different meats and the girls are making salads. Mason’s mom is bringing homemade cookies and brownies. Her boyfriend, Abe, is bringing an assortment of coffees in big to-go containers. It’s funny, I always thought the host provided everything at a party, but these guys do things a little differently. I like their way better.
Mason decided to build an outdoor kitchen after he got the smoker and made everything look built-in. I love how he did it. Designed in a u-shape with raised bar seating on one side and food prep on the other. He decked it out with a small fridge, sink, and dishwasher. Then built a pergola over it for shade and protection from the elements. He calls it his kitchen. I have the one inside, and he has outside. And he uses it a lot. He likes to cook. Correction, grill. He likes to grill.
“I might bring someone, is that okay?” Zach asks.
“What? Of course! Who is someone and why didn’t you tell me you were seeing anyone?”
“I’m kind of not. At least not yet. We’ve been talking online. So, I’m not sure of anything yet. But so far I really like him.”
“Oh, yay! Thank you for finally telling me.”
“I didn’t want to rain on your little perfection parade.”
“Oh stop. That wouldn’t be raining, it would be adding another float.”
“Oh, good one. I like it.”
“Thanks.”
Zach leaves a short time later. I’d asked him to stay for dinner, but he declined. He hasn’t been around as much since Mason moved in. He swears there’s no connection there, that he’s just trying to give us some time to settle into things as a couple, so I hope that’s true.
Mason gets home soon after that. And, like most nights, we sit outside for twenty minutes or so and watch the sound, talking about whatever comes to mind before going in to make dinner. It’s my favorite part of the day. No distractions, just him and me talking, connecting, making sure we know everything there is to about the other. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
