Off to bed, but don’t hesitate
to call me if you need anything.
I won’t. Good night.
Night.
Mason set down his phone, feeling better that he’d gotten to talk to her one more time before he called it a night. He went to double check that the door to his studio apartment was locked before he turned the AC unit down to low, then shut off the light and climbed under his sheets. He stared up into the darkness, thinking of the small glimpse of Xeni’s smile he’d caught earlier that morning. He knew that even if she stayed in town for a few weeks, he wouldn’t see much more of her. That didn’t stop him from wondering what it would take to make her smile that way again.
7
Xeni followed Liz’s directions just past the public entrance to McInroy Farm and pulled down a long road paved with loose gravel. The two-story white farmhouse with its gorgeous wraparound porch came into view and Xeni couldn’t help but be a little charmed. The sun was still up and little white Christmas lights already glowed from the porch roof. It was quite the romantic setting. Definitely a perfect place to get married with nearly no notice.
As she pulled closer, she could hear the sound of barking. Sure enough, as she pulled up next to a red McInroy Farm pick-up truck parked out front, a black and white pit bull and some kind of cattle dog mix came bolting around the side of the house. The dogs stopped just short of the front of her car, barking and pacing.
Xeni loved dogs, but this wasn’t how she wanted to die. While she was mentally casting the small boy who would play her son in this remake ofCujo,Liz stepped out on the porch and waved. A golden retriever and another dog with red fur pushed past her and stopped on the stairs.
Xeni cracked open the driver’s side window. “Are they friendly?”
“Yes, just loud. Morty! Hank! Come here!” Loud and well trained apparently. Both dogs snapped to attention and ran back up the porch to join Liz. Xeni climbed out of the car and carefully made her way across the lawn, holding up the hem of her dress. The golden retriever ran down the porch and licked her hand.
“Hi buddy,” Xeni cooed.
“That’s Gala. The pit is Morty. Hank is the mutt and this is Honeycrisp.” She watched as Liz scratched the red dog behind the ear. “She’s my constant companion.”
“Your familiar?”
Liz chuckled a little. “Exactly. You look amazing.”
Xeni glanced down at the pink and blue flowers that covered the bright yellow dress. It went all the way to the floor. The loose short sleeves and deep open collar that showed off her ample cleavage were perfect for the summer that didn’t want to end. She’d pulled her hair back in two rope twists and topped it off with the cute flower rhinestone crown she and Liz had found at Target. She felt light and a little sexy, if she was being honest.
“Thank you.”
“Come on in.” She followed Liz inside and only the red dog followed them. “You ready?” Liz asked as they walked through the large house.
“Yes. Just had a long day.”
“Anything we can help with?”
“No, just family stuff. Word is going around that I’m getting more than my fair share of my aunt’s inheritance. Got a few calls and texts from my cousins. I’ll deal with it over the weekend.”
Her cousin Rosia had left a voicemail, trying to give Xeni a heads up. Her Aunt Dianna had spread the rumor that Sable may have had more money than she was letting on. Her cousin Kellen had taken particular offense to that and vowed to reach out to Xeni to make sure he wasn’t missing out on more cash. And sure enough, he did. Xeni had no problem sharing more money with her cousins, but she had bigger problems to deal with, like her mom.
Xeni still wanted answers, lots of answers, but today was supposed to be a good day for her and for Mason. She’d save the next inevitable screaming match with her mother for the weekend. For now, it was her damn wedding day.
When they stepped into the kitchen, Xeni saw the gorgeous wedding cake sitting on the counter and she forgot all about her fucked up family.
“Holy crap. This is beautiful.” The two-tiered masterpiece looked rustic but elegant with “naked style” butter cream and an assortment of wildflowers. Xeni hadn’t gotten around to pinning what she wanted for her real wedding, but this cake would definitely make the cut. She stopped herself before she ran her fingertips through the frosting.
“When you do what you love,” Liz said.
“I can’t wait to taste it. Mason here?”
“Yeah, he’s out back with Palila and her puppy.”
“More dogs?”
Liz rolled her eyes. “Silas lived out here alone for a while, so it made sense at first, but he just really likes dogs.”
