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LAUREN AND I SAT across from our two best friends at Nicholas’s kitchen table over gingerbread French toast, a prenuptial agreement between us.

“We think these terms fairly represent both parties,” I said. “Nick, it protects your assets in the event of a divorce but stipulates that the contract is void if there’s domestic violence or infidelity on your part.” I looked at Noel. “You’ll receive an annual salary for every year that you might be unemployed as a result of the marriage and relocation, to be deposited into a separate bank account that Nick has no access to.”

Noel looked back and forth between us. “You guys came up with this together?”

“Yes,” Lauren said.

“And this would make you feel better?” Nicholas asked.

“It would,” I said. “In fact, I have to insist on it.”

Noel shook her head. “It feels weird him paying me to be his wife,” she said, looking up at her fiancé.

“He’s not paying you to be his wife,” I said. “He’s compensating you for lost wages. I’d recommend this to any client giving up an income to be a stay-at-home partner. What you’ll do in the home has monetary value and long-term financial repercussions by taking you out of the workforce.”

Nicholas took her hand. “I don’t mind. If it makes you feel more secure—”

“And she gets the hot chocolate shop,” Lauren said.

I eyed her. “We didn’t discuss that,” I whispered.

“It’s on the verge of bankruptcy and it’s a rounding error on his taxes, remember?” she whispered back. “I’m assuming he owns the building? He owns everything on Candy Cane Way?” She put the street name in finger quotes. “Noel said she wants to save it and if she does, she should own the business. He’ll still own the building, so he’ll make rent if she succeeds. And if it fails, it was going to fail anyway. It’s a win-win.”

I bobbed my head. “I could be agreeable to that.”

She gave me a little smile. I smiled back.

We’d been up until 2:00 a.m. hashing this out. It was the most fun I’d ever had at a negotiation.

I liked her. It actually made me like Noel more knowing that Lauren was her person. She was funny and beautiful and smart—and she was wearing my hoodie.

Apparently she hadn’t packed very well in her rush to get here and she didn’t have anything to wear to sleep.

She looked good in it.

I cleared my throat and looked back up. “And she gets the hot chocolate shop.”

Our best friends looked at each other. “It sounds fair to me,” Nicholas said.

Noel turned back to us. “If we agree to this, you two will support the marriage?”

“Yes,” we both said in unison.

They looked at each other again. Nicholas shrugged. “Okay.”

“Sure,” Noel said.

I made the hot chocolate shop amendment to the document, then called Sal, who was also the town notary, to come and notarize it. When it was done, Noel clapped her hands happily. “Finally, we can get to the fun part.”

She took out her phone and keyed something in. Our cells vibrated at the same time.

“I’ve just sent you the itinerary for the next three days,” she said. “We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

We read it over at the same time.

“Engagement party tonight,” Lauren said. “Rehearsal dinner tomorrow, wedding the day after—I need to get my clothes,” she said, looking up.

“I need another suit,” I said.