Bess agreed. Bess was a woman. Maybe he wasn’t wasting Nisa’s time by not marrying her off. Allah knew she hated it the first time.

Which raised a problem: he liked Bess (even if she seemed to look down two floors every time she met him in the eye), and he wouldn’t want Bess to miss one of her friends or her husband’s friends.

“She has impeccable tastes,” he said, glancing down to some of the necklaces on display, “and if fortune smiles upon us, I see no reason to not smile back upon it.”

Aside from the whole, well, hoping Nisa didn’t take out her rages on any of his friends and friendly acquaintances (and even most of the not so friendly ones).

Aslan smiled politely as she remarked on his gold knowledge. He hadn’t known that either, until he cashed in on a desperate mother’s wedding band.

“Not at all,” he answered. “Take your time.”

He probably should have checked if there was a customer-side chair before he said that.