“Thank you.” Xeni turned to Mason and pointed toward the hallway. “Follow me this way. Just for a second.”
“Excuse us.” He shot Deborah a polite smile and then motioned for Xeni to lead the way. They waited for a woman and a small child to squeeze by toward the exit. Then Xeni stepped into a doorway marked MAINTENANCE. She appreciated that Mason ducked his head so he could hear her whisper. She ignored the heat that came with their sudden closeness.
“Is it just me or does this feel like we’re a part of some elaborate prank?” she said quietly.
“No, that sounds about right.”
“I’m kinda over it. So here’s what I’m thinking.”
“Mmmhmm, tell me.”
“We own this. We have to get married if we want this money. So let’s get fucking married. You’re a cook right? And I saw a whole bakery over at the farm. We pull together some good eats, some low-quality booze. Ask your cousin to donate some apples for some party games. You invite your friends, ’cause we need witnesses. I’ll invite Bess, the only person I know in this town. Maybe we invite Deborah, she seems fun. We have a fucking wedding.”
“You might be onto something. I almost did this whole bride and groom thing once before, but it didn’t quite go off the way I’d planned,” he said, like he’d finally found someone to dump this hot goss on.
Xeni felt her eyebrows go up. “Oh really?”
“A tale for another time. Nothing sinister. All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t hate another crack at doing it properly, on my terms. I’ll get the refreshments and you—you get a dress.”
“Yesss,” Xeni lightly slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand. She actually smiled when she heard his throaty laugh. “We’ll do this part of it our way. At least we’ll enjoy ourselves for a few hours and then we’ll go back to getting jerked around by my aunt from beyond the grave.”
“Let’s go back in there and have a chat with Deborah.”
Back in the office, it only took a few minutes to get their paperwork in order.
“You can come pick this up before five. We’ll have everything ready for you and then you just have to wait twenty-four hours before you can perform the ceremony. License is good for ninety days if you decide to wait.”
“I can come back this afternoon,” Xeni suggested. “You probably have to get back to work.”
“I do have a wedding to plan.” Mason’s enthusiasm reassured her a bit. When she made up her mind about something, she committed and often that lead to her going it alone. It felt nice to have at least one person on her side in what was starting to feel like a never-ending shit show. There was nothing else Deborah needed from them, but Xeni needed to ask about something that Deborah said when they first arrived.
“Deborah, question. What else did my aunt say to you, exactly?” Deb didn’t seem to be keeping any secrets. If she knew about the money, Xeni was confident that she would have made a comment about it already, but Deborah was definitely more in the know than Xeni had expected the Kinderack town clerk to be. If her aunt had shared more than the contents of that letter, Xeni wanted to know.
“Well, we talked about a lot of things. We had a real good poker game going down at the Senior Center. None of us are ready to pick it up without her.” A cloud of emotion passed over Deborah’s face and Xeni was quickly reminded that Sable Everly had lived in this small town for over twenty years. She’d had a very specific list for her memorial, but she was an Everly and if one thing is true about Everly women, they knew how to make friends wherever they went. Sure, she and Deborah may not have been super tight, but they spent enough time together for Sable to share her plans.
“She said there was a complicated situation with her sisters and with you. The long and short of it was basically that she was finally getting some of the say she was owed in your life. She said she missed everything. The least she could do was pick out a good husband for you.”
“I’m not sure if that’s sweet or deranged,” Xeni said.
“A little of both, maybe. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or deathly frightened. Elaborate prank or century-old curse. Only time will tell.” Mason tacked on a wink for added effect.
“My husband and I go to McInroy’s every Saturday for lunch. So at least you know he can cook,” Deborah said, nodding toward Mason.
“Mmm, I guess that’s a plus.”
Deborah tapped her knuckles on the counter. She was done with this conversation. “Four o’clock.”
“Thanks.” They headed back toward the main entrance.
“You alright?” Mason asked as he held open the door. Xeni must have checked out again as they were walking through the building.
“Yeah. Do you have to get back to work?”
“I don’t have to. I can hang around a bit, if you need me.”
“And, what? Let you see my wedding dress before the big day?”
“Yeah, let’s keep as much bad luck as possible at bay. You have my number.”
