“Ms. Everly’s niece,” he said.
“Really? The chick who came in here the other day with Maya’s mom?”
“Very same.” He plated the sides and eggs, and slid them under the warmer just as the timers on the waffle irons went off. Shelby, one of their two first-shift servers, swung by the counter just as they were ready. She grabbed the plates, but didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get them to their intended destinations.
“So, you really are married?” she said. “This is wild. Do we get to meet her?”
“You already met her on Tuesday. She had lunch with Bess.”
“Oh, I remember her. Gosh, she’s seemed so cool, and her hair? I know, I’m White, but I wish I had hair like that.”
“Your hair is plenty cool.” Shelby was currently rocking a style that was blue at the roots, then changed from purple to pink. The customers complimented her on it all the time.
“I know, but my hair is so flat. I would kill for those curls. Plus, she was, like, super pretty. I can’t believe you married her. Did you know her? Like, before?”
Mason nodded to the plates on her arm. “Those are looking for a home.”
Shelby rolled her eyes, then effortlessly glided across the diner. She was back before Mason could get another batch of eggs going. “Well, did you?”
“No, I didn’t, but Ms. Sable thought we’d be a good match and we decided why not.”
“That’s so… romantic,” Shelby sighed and her whole body sagged. When she spoke again, a familiar wobble returned to her voice. “I miss her.”
“I miss her too, Shelbs.”
“We should do something. Maybe ask Silas if we can get a little plaque for her table. It’s so strange not seeing her every day.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“So, are you guys gonna have a party or anything to celebrate? This is a big deal. You’re married!” Shelby said.
“Probably not. Just gonna enjoy married life,” he said with a smile. “You have some new friends at table four.”
“Oh.” Shelby glanced over her shoulder at the couple that joined the elder man who was almost finished his breakfast. She shook her head. “He said they weren’t coming. Excuse me.”
Mason laughed a bit, focusing back on his work. He knew he’d be explaining himself for months to come. He didn’t mind people knowing, but he wasn’t looking forward to the questions people were going to ask when she went back to California. A thirty-day marriage wasn’t the worst thing to happen in their small town and it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to Mason. So far, it was the opposite.
He and Xeni has agreed on a cordial, honest partnership and while he’d been attracted to her from the moment they’d met, he had no idea the night would end with her naked in his bed.
She wasn’t the only one who had been struggling with complex feelings of loss and loneliness. For as long as she was in town, Mason was willing to admit that he would take whatever comfort she could give him.
“So, what’s she like?”
“I’ll ask her to come by Cozy’s sometime if you guys stop asking me questions.” Mason usually met up with Ernesto and a few of the other guys in town at the bowling alley/bar now that Silas’s weekends were spent with his family. He knew Xeni would reply to that request with an enthusiastic no, but Ernesto didn’t need to know that.
“Done. I can’t believe you’re married. It’s crazy.”
The previous night and this morning flashed through his mind again.
He’d expected a little pushback when he woke Xeni up at four-fifteen so he could ask her for her keys. He’d wanted to let her sleep in as long as she could, but he didn’t want her to have to walk clear across the farm by herself to get her car. She’d reached for her bag and dug for the keys while her eyes were still closed. Before Mason could leave, she’d called him back to the bed and pulled the covers down, exposing her breasts.
“To remember me by,” she’d said, her voice raspy with sleep. Then she snuggled back into the covers like she hadn’t just flashed him. Mason didn’t know what to make of Xeni, but damn, he really liked the girl.
He fed two dozen more people before Tamara came in to take over. He ran upstairs to change and grab the relevant paperwork he needed, then headed out back to his SUV. He checked his phone as the air conditioning cranked up. Liz and Ginny had sent over a bunch of pictures and videos from the wedding, but his pulse jumped at the text alert from Xeni.
Hey hubby.
We moved the meeting to my aunt’s house.
