Xeni Read online

  He reached for his phone and pulled it off his charger. It wasn’t late, but he wasn’t sure what her sleep schedule was like, especially after the last few days. He decided to text her instead of calling her.

  Me and my dreamy accent missed you at dinner, he typed. “Maybe a little much,” he said to himself before he hit send anyway. It was the truth. Why shouldn’t he tell her the truth? Something about her sparked something in him. A few women had expressed interest in him since he’d moved to New York, but for some reason he kept his distance. Now he was lying awake, trying to get to know a woman who had no interest in him, beyond a financial one.

  He didn’t take her comment about his accent to heart. He got a lot of comments about it. For the first year he was here, some customers would ask him to repeat some word or phrase for their amusement at least three times a week. One day he started to say no. It felt good, the simple refusal, but people still commented on the way he spoke and playfully mocked it from time to time. No one had ever called it dreamy, even if they were only joking.

  He clicked around his apps aimlessly, then went back to their conversation.

  Any luck finding what you were looking for?

  Xeni replied.

  * * *

  Oh that accent. *drool emoji*

  And not yet. I’ll keep looking for it

  after our super rocking wedding.

  Are you excited? A hot wife and one hundred grand.

  That’s quite a deal.

  Mason smiled at his phone and tried to think of a witty comeback. He failed and settled for a gif of that Jamie lad from Outlander telling some other Scotsman he was a lucky bastard. When Xeni responded with a crying laughing emoji, he knew he’d made the right choice.

  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 of Cujo, 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.”

  “I know you must be tired.”

  “Luckily he takes care of them, but it’s a lot of fucking dogs. Come on.” Xeni followed her out the back door and was struck breathless again when she glanced around the yard. They’d bought paper tablecloths and cute disposable flatware, but Xeni wasn’t expecting floral centerpieces and candles and more twinkling lights. She also didn’t expect the sight of Mason in full Scottish formal wear playing with a toddler and puppy to catch her so off guard. She grabbed the railing and pretended she was protecting the hem of her dress instead of stopping herself from falling down the stairs.

  “Miss Palila, can you come inside and help mommy get ready?” Liz asked her daughter. The little girl held a fist full of something Xeni couldn’t see to her chest.

  “Can Dirt come?” Palila asked.

  “No, Dirt can stay outside. Come on. Daddy will back soon. We gotta get ready.”

  “So Uncle Mason can get married.”

  “That’s right. Come on.”

  “Here,” she handed off whatever was in her hands to Mason, then shimmied past Xeni and made her way up the stairs.

  “It’s your lucky day, Dirt.” Mason bent over and fed the golden retriever puppy a handful of treats before he dusted off his palms and turned Xeni’s way.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She walked across the grass, which was enough to send the little dog scurrying away. “No Dirt, come back.”

  “He’s got a lot of work to do, that Dirt. I was trying to teach Palila a magic trick using the treats. Poor D
irt was sick of waiting for his reward.”

  “I take it Palila picked out that name.”

  Mason tapped the tip of his nose.

  “Love it.”

  “You’re a bit early. What brings you by the farm? You got plans here tonight?”

  “I got a little antsy tearing my aunt’s house apart looking for that thing, so I decided to get ready. Then by the time I was ready, I realized how much time I still had and got antsy again waiting, so I just came over.”

  “Well, you weren’t the only one who jumped the gun a little.” Mason motioned all the way down to his shiny black shoes and up to the socks wrapped around his large calves.

  “You look sharp.”

  “As do you. Thank you.”

  “Uh, so I know this isn’t for real real just for play play, but I thought maybe we should have, like, one conversation about us before we tie the knot.”

  “Not a bad idea. Someone should know about the illegitimate children I have scattered about this hemisphere.”

  “Too soon, bro,” Xeni responded automatically, even though part of her wasn’t bothered by the innocent joke.

  Mason’s expression blanked out. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

  “It’s fine. First things first. Let me see your hands.”

  Mason was clearly confused, but that didn’t stop him from stepping closer and presenting Xeni with his upturned palms. She took his right hand in both of hers and turned it over. She looked closely at his neat and clean fingernails, and had to stop herself from running her fingers over his unexpectedly soft skin.

  “Do they pass inspection?”

  “Yeah… yes. Sorry, I have a thing with hands.” That was an understatement. She had a downright hand fetish. This whole arrangement was strictly business, but that didn’t stop her from imagining what it would be like to have Mason’s hands on her body or between her legs. That wasn’t going to happen though. Fingerbanging wasn’t part of the deal. She turned his hand to the side and saw a line of puckered skin that stretched halfway up his pinkie.

  “What’s the scar from?”

  “Waffle iron. Forty leaf peepers came through town and I was determined to get them all fed and out the door so they could stay on schedule. I paid the price.”

  “Honorable. I like it.” She dropped his hand and then took a step back, putting her arms behind her back so she wouldn’t be tempted to inspect any other part of him. She went on with her twenty questions. “Uh, what’s your pet peeve?”

  “Erm, let’s see. Rude people. There’s no need for it.”

  “Oh, hard same. Biggest mistake you’ve ever made?” she asked.

  “Agreeing to get married the first time,” Mason replied. A hint of red spread up his neck as he said the words, even though the kindness remained in his eyes.

  “Okay, I know it’s not my business—well, maybe it is. But you gotta tell me what happened there.” Whatever it was had really hurt him.

  “Tomorrow. You said we had tonight.”

  “Yeah, right, I did. But tomorrow. I really want to know.”

  “I’ll tell you everything. What’s your biggest mistake?”

  “Trusting my family?” Xeni said with a mirthless laugh. Her heart thudded at the way he smiled in response. Obviously he wasn’t in the same bind, but it was kind of nice having him on the inside of all of this bullshit with her. As unexpected as it was, she felt like she could draw a little strength from the fact that he knew just how betrayed she was feeling. She cleared her throat and tried again to be more honest.

  “I’m not sure what regrets I have. I’ve made some mistakes, but I tried to learn from them. When all of this is… I want to make sure things are good with my step-dad. I was kinda mean to him on the phone the other day, but I know he was just doing what my mom asked him to do. But still,” she said with a little shrug. “Okay, last thing. What’s one thing you absolutely want me to know before we do this? I want you to know that I’m actually kind of glad we’re doing this. You’re kinda sweet and a little funny. I’d be really pissed if my aunt picked out a total asshole for me.”

  Mason’s smile reappeared, wider and brighter than before. “I’ll do my best to never be an asshole.”

  “I’m stubborn too. Like, really stubborn, but I’m working on it. Sort of. Also, I’m a witch.” Xeni couldn’t remember the exact moment she’d embraced energy work and her relationship with the moon, but as she got older, both had grown stronger. She didn’t talk about it much, and definitely not with strangers, but her close friends and her mom knew. Aunt Sable had known too.

  The letter her aunt had left her flashed through her mind. If you ever feel lost, trust the moon.

  Xeni shook off those words and focused back on her groom-to-be as his eyebrows shot up. “A good witch, I hope. I’m trying to get myself out of trouble. I don’t need some stubborn woman cursing me because I was late with her supper.”

  “Good, and don’t worry. You won’t have time to cook for me. I have to be out of here in, like, nine days. Sadly there probably won’t be time to put dinners with my husband on the schedule.”

  “Well good. I’ve always said, ‘when you do get married, Mason, make sure you avoid your wife at all cost.’ You’re doing the lion’s share of the work for me and it’s greatly appreciated.”

  Xeni snorted. “Tell me your thing.”

  Mason straightened his back a bit and Xeni braced herself for the worst. Whatever it is, let it be something punishable by a simple fine, she thought to herself.

  “I’m bisexual,” Mason said. “In theory and in practice. I want to be more open with people about that so they know the real me. All of me.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me. And you should know that’s something we have in common.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Bisexual witch at your service.”

  “It’s a shame you’re not sticking around. We could get a van and go on husband and wife supernatural adventures.”

  “No, no. I don’t fuck with ghosts. You start talking to them and then they want to be friends or they want to use you as a vessel. No one needs that.”

  “Is this a problem you’ve had before?”

  “No, it’s just common knowledge. You don’t fuck with ghosts.”

  “I can’t argue you that. I do have one question for you.”

  “Yeah, of course. Shoot.”

  “Are we kissing at the end of this? Am I laying one on your cheek? Perhaps a peck across the back of your hand.”

  “Uh…” Xeni leaned back and considered Mason for a moment. He did have some nice full lips. They seemed moisturized enough. Like he wasn’t afraid of a plain stick of ChapStick lip balm. A little voice in her brain said it didn’t matter.

  The kiss wasn’t necessary. All they had to do was agree to be husband and wife. A friendly handshake would probably be the best move. Too bad another louder, hornier-due-to-lack-of-physical-contact-with-a-man-for-almost-five-whole-years voice screamed KISS HIM! HELL, FUCK HIM! YOU LIKE HIS HANDS! Xeni swallowed as if that would stop her from blurting the words out.

  “No, I think we should kiss,” she said. Her voice was a little too high, but Mason didn’t seem to notice.

  “We’ll kiss then.”

  “Okay then.” Xeni suddenly felt hot all over, Which was just silly. Her light sundress was perfectly breezy. “Um, I—I’m gonna go powder my nose. I’ll see you soon, at the end of the aisle.”

  Mason turned and pointed to a large oak tree beyond the porch. “I’ll be right there waiting with our good friend Deborah.”

  “Can’t wait.” Xeni turned and casually walked back up the stairs into the house. She managed not to turn back to see if Mason was watching her. Why would she? She didn’t care about Mason McInroy at all. Sure didn’t. Not at all.

  Deborah arrived at five-thirty on the dot. They were still waiting on Bess and Lucy Pummel to arrive and Maya was closing things up at the cannery, but Deborah had no time for their lol
ly-gagging.

  “Let’s get on with this and then you kids can party into the night. I can’t stick around. No one goes to weddings for the vows anyway. They come for the booze.”

  Xeni wanted to tell her to give them fifteen more minutes, but had a feeling Deborah would leave if they didn’t get on with it. They needed her to work her legally binding magic.

  “We’ll record it so my grandma and Maya can see what they missed,” Maya’s niece Sydney suggested. She’d popped up fresh from volleyball practice.

  “Alright. I guess we should tell Mason we’re ready,” Xeni said to Liz.

  Deborah chimed in before Liz could respond. “Tell him yourself. Come on, you look great. Let’s go.” She turned around and marched out of the back door and right down the back steps.

  Suddenly, Xeni felt like calling on Deborah may have been a mistake.

  “Right this way, I guess,” Liz said, pointing toward the Deborah-shaped cloud of dust. Xeni grabbed her bouquet of wildflowers off the dining room table and followed Liz and Sydney. Mason was waiting right were he said he would be with Palila and Liz’s husband, Silas. A few of the farm hands who’d stopped by to see if the rumors of the wedding were true were sitting at the tables, chatting, waiting for the festivities to begin. Mason straightened up as soon as he saw her. Xeni wasn’t sure how she felt about skipping a ceremonial walk down the aisle, but at this point, getting rid of Deborah seemed like the best way to preserve whatever mood they’d intended for the night. She followed their cranky officiant right to her husband-to-be.

  “This is a perfect spot. Wanna do it right here?” Deborah said.

  “Uh…” Mason looked between them.

  “We’re getting married right now,” Xeni replied. “Deborah has to be somewhere.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “Go stand next to the girl,” Deborah said, flicking her hand in Xeni’s direction. There was an awkward shuffle and just as everyone rearranged themselves, Lucy, Bess, Maya and a White woman Xeni didn’t know came around the side of the house. Deborah ignored them and kicked things off.