"You wanna go first?"
I nodded. "I was thinking that you might want to use the studio here. You know, that space above the guest house?"
To call it a space was a massive understatement. The studio was perfect, with an abundance of natural light and a breathtaking view of the water. I told Joel all about it and finished by saying, "But what wereyouthinking?"
He reached across the table and took my hand in his. "I was thinking you should keep the money."
I wasn't following. "What money?"
"The stipend or whatever you called it."
"But that's for you, to cover expenses."
"Hey, I've got plenty," he said. "Or at least, enough to get us through the year." He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "Maybe two if we don't get too crazy."
I gazed into his eyes.Us. We.Of all his words, those two were the sweetest.
Still, I had to say, "That money's for you. Not for me."
"Alright," Joel said. "We'll call it rent."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'll rent the studio and pay you for it."
"But you don'thaveto pay me," I said.
"Iwantto." He gave my hand another squeeze. "Now, say yes."
I considered all of the problems this would solve. I could replace the furnace, or at least have it repaired. And then, there were all those little things that I'd been putting off – like a new winter coat and more food in the pantry.
It would all be so nice.
And yet, it wouldn't be fair. I shook my head. "No way. That's for your own expenses, just like I said."
"Yeah. Expenses." Joel grinned. "Like a studio."
We went back and forth beyond the point of ridiculousness. In the end, we simply agreed that we'd work it out one way or another. But one thing we settled for certain. Tomorrow, we'd begin moving all of his painting supplies into the studio. And then, we'd move Joel into the guest house below.
The guest house was my idea. No one was living there, anyway. Even when Aunt Gina visited, she stayed in the main house with me, not out there by herself.
The way I saw it, the arrangement would be the perfect win-win. Joel would be living right there, below his studio, so he could paint whenever inspiration struck.
As for me, I'd have Joel within walking distance, or heck, hollering distance if the windows were open.
At last, everything was falling into place.
Later that same day, I finally heard back from Aunt Gina. We'd been playing telephone tag for the last few days, and I was eager to catch up.
Thirty seconds into the conversation, she blurted out, "Oh, my God, you had sex."
I almost dropped my phone. "What?"
"You did, didn't you?"
We'd barely said hello. How on Earth could she tell? I asked, "What makes you say that?"
"Aha!" she said. "I was right, wasn't I?"
