18
It took all of fifteen minutes to sign the post-nuptial agreement that Mr. Barber had prepared for them, including the time it took for Mr. Barber to answer their questions.
“Glad we took care of that,” Xeni said when they stepped back outside.
“I’ll have to concoct another elaborate scheme to rob you blind. Here, do you want to put that in my car?” Mason asked, reaching for the box. She happily handed it off to him.
“I was hoping I could keep walking around with a box full of dicks. Uh, do you still want to use all that fun stuff with me?” She knew they’d come to a truce and even slapped a declaration of like on top of it. Even so, she wanted to know if he still wanted her in all the ways she wanted him.
“I didn’t regret getting a full night’s sleep—”
“At least one of us got some rest.”
“It wasn’t by choice, love. I was staring at my phone, trying to decide whether or not to text you, and the next thing I knew, my alarm was going off. I needed that sleep, but I regret not coming to you. I don’t want to think about going back to not having you in my arms.”
“You’re trying to make me fall in love with you. It’s not gonna work, McInroy.”
“Mmmhmm. Does that mean you don’t want to join me at the jewelry store?” He nodded over Xeni’s shoulder. She turned and looked down the street at the wooden sign for Ghent Street Jewelers.
“No. I mean, I wanna go.”
“I had a feeling that might be the case. Let me just set this in my car.”
Xeni followed him back to his SUV, then took his hand as they continued their short walk down the street.
When they walked into the jewelry store, they were greeted by a gray-haired White woman in a petal-collared blouse and short-sleeved sweater.
“Welcome! How are you folks doing today?” Xeni was shocked by her thick Southern accent.
“My wife and I are looking for some wedding bands. I’m sure I need to be sized for one.”
“Oh, I love that accent,” she said matter of factly, before she leaned closer to the counter. “I’m from out of town too, if you couldn’t tell.”
“Me three,” Xeni laughed.
“What brings you here to Ghent?”
“Family. The both of us, separately. I mean we both came here for different family reasons, but we met here.”
“I’m here for family too. My mama’s from here, but she moved down to Atlanta to open another location and never looked back. But now I’m back and I feel like I’m just the person to help you. Julie-Pam Christie.”
“I’m Xeni and this is my husband, Mason. We—”
“Oh, I heard about you two! Little, arranged kinda shotgun thing?”
“Um, sort of,” Xeni laughed. Julie-Pam’s bright mood was pretty infectious. “Who told you?”
“Mrs. Chen over at the Chinese restaurant. I’ve been eating lunch there every day and she’s been catching me up on the goings on in town. She was wondering if you two would stop by and here you are.”
“Julie-Pam, how long would we have to wait for my ring to come?” Mason asked. Xeni knew what he was thinking. They both hoped she at least got to see the ring on his finger before she left town on Sunday night.
“No time at all. My daddy is a big man like you, so I told my aunt it’s a good idea just to keep a few larger rings in stock. Our customers come in all shapes and sizes. Give me one sec.”
Julie-Pam disappeared into the back with a little extra spring in her step.
“We should have invited her to our wedding,” Mason said quietly.
“She would have been a much better guest than Deborah,” Xeni said.
