The Wedding Circle (21 page)

“Wally was living in Memphis, then in Collierville after his recent divorce,” Nora added, hanging on to his arm tightly. “He's staying in the Milners' guesthouse until he can find a place.” She wagged her brows. “He's playing it by ear for now. Oh, and guess what—he's a long-time library user! Another patron for you, Maura Beth. And a new member of The Cherry Cola Book Club, too. Isn't that all just too exciting for words?!”

Maura Beth was just about to answer when Jeremy came up and hooked his arm through hers. “Excuse me, folks, but it's family picture time. All the McShays and all the Mayhews in the same frame, if it can be managed. It's all about the wedding album, you know. Or the video or whatever's in vogue these days.”

“Don't forget to say cheese!” Nora called out as the bride and groom hurried away.

 

So the day's festivities had now boiled down to this: Maura Beth at the top of the stairs getting ready to throw the bouquet to the bevy of clamoring females below. Among the candidates were Terra Munrow, Renette Posey, and Nora Duddney, and Maura Beth would have been thrilled to have had any one of them catch it. Not surprisingly, Elise McShay was standing on the far edge of the action with her arms folded and a look of supreme disinterest.

“I'll just sit this one out, if you don't mind,” she had even told Maura Beth as the group gathered.

But deep down, Maura Beth hoped Nora would be the one to out-jump and out-hustle the others. Both Terra and Renette were young—so very young—and would likely have many chances to get lucky in love. Now that Nora had introduced her Wally Denver around, however, Maura Beth's intuition told her that the two of them might just be a match. And though catching a wedding bouquet actually had nothing to do with the rightness or wrongness of that perception, Nora winning out just seemed like it would put an exclamation point on the day's activities.

“Get ready, ladies. Up on your toes, now!” Maura Beth called out, turning her back to them.

There was an outburst of high-pitched, squealing noises from down below, and then Maura Beth shut her eyes and tossed the bouquet over the balcony. By the time she had turned around, she saw that the impossible had happened: She was so off the mark with her fast and furious throw that the bouquet had landed in Elise's hands.

“How did that happen?” she asked Jeremy, who was standing beside her, rolling his eyes.

“Actually, you almost hit Leesie in the face with it. Did you by any chance play fast-pitch softball? She practically caught it in self-defense.”

“You have to have a do-over!” Elise cried out, brandishing the flowers as if she were handling a skunk. “I don't want this!”

“Nah, Leesie. No do-overs,” Jeremy told her, leaning over the balcony. “Just go ahead and toss it over your shoulder. That'll work just as well!”

Elise quickly did just that, and this time in all the confusion and jockeying for position, Nora did manage to catch it, much to Maura Beth's great pleasure. The others applauded amidst scattered cries of “Brava!” “Way to go!” and “We'll be sure and save the date!”

“I guess I don't know my own strength,” Maura Beth said, turning to Jeremy while the commotion continued below.

“Well, Leesie was right, you know. You
are
a very strong woman. And I want to thank you again for writing that letter to her. She'd never let on, of course, but I bet she's having a good time down there in spite of herself. After all, she got to make another of her political statements by refusing the bouquet.”

Maura Beth couldn't help but ask. “Do you think she'll ever fall in love the way we did?”

Jeremy gave her a conspiratorial wink and leaned in. “When she least expects it. That's the way it happened to us, you know.”

“Yep, we kinda became an instant item.”

It was then that Cara Lynn and Susan emerged from the guest room, both pointing to their watches. “All right, you two—enough of this cozy chitchat. Time to change and catch that flight. I'm pretty certain they're not going to hold that plane for you,” Cara Lynn said, pointing to different ends of the hallway. “Off to your separate corners right now!”

Maura Beth and Jeremy quickly blew each other kisses, knowing that the next time they saw each other, their subtropical honeymoon would officially have begun.

 

“Do you really think you'll get that much writing done when we get to Key West?” Maura Beth was asking her new husband once the plane had reached cruising altitude and the lights had been dimmed. The cabin had a surreal, cocoon-like quality to it at the moment. “I'm thinking maybe I'll be a little disappointed if you don't get creative mostly with me.”

He laughed good-naturedly and sipped his tiny, way-too-expensive cocktail. “And I'm thinking maybe I could end up building an entire novel around our honeymoon. It could be that fantastic, you know. They say the best writing always comes from life experience.”

She leaned over and kissed him lightly. “That's what I wanted to hear from you, of course.”

“The way I see it, I can fully pay my respects to Hemingway and my wife without any problem or conflict. I envision them as two entirely different forms of special adoration.”

“Oh, you do know just what to say to a girl.”

They sat back for a while, listening to the steady roar of the engines. Finally, Maura Beth said, “I hope our first year together is all we think it'll be. I do have this undeniable thing for Cherico, as you know. But it amazes me how often that crazy town finds ways to disappoint me just when I think everything is going my way. Do you think all those years of dealing with Councilman Sparks have made me paranoid? Say something soothing and reassuring to me. I've been put through the wringer when you come right down to it.”

Jeremy gave her an amused yet skeptical frown. “I think the worst just has to be over, Maurie. What could possibly go wrong now?”

“I have no earthly idea,” she told him, gently resting her head on his shoulder. “But when we get back from the honeymoon, let's don't let our guard down for an instant. I mean not for anyone or anything.”

He put his drink down on his tray table and took her hand gently into his. “No way we do that. I've got some young high-school minds to educate, and you'll soon have a wonderful new library to move into. You'll have the thrill of watching it take shape week by week and month by month. I'll be building my way, and you'll be building yours.”

Maura Beth smiled as she mentally pictured the finished facility on the shores of Lake Cherico. She imagined herself walking hand in hand on the deck with Jeremy as they took it all in. The rippling water. The willows bending in the breeze. The towering pines and hardwoods nearby. Whoever was out fishing or swimming or skiing that day. Of course, that unforgettable setting sun that had adorned their wedding vows with such vibrant colors. All of those things would be a part of the new rhythm of their lives.

More Treats from The Twinkle

O
ur third recipe installment from Cherico, Mississippi, features a few more goodies from the menu of The Twinkle Twinkle Café, affectionately known as The Twinkle to all Greater Chericoans. This time, you'll find everything from a dip perfect for cocktail parties to a scrumptious, elaborate cake, ready-made for an outside-the-box wedding. In between, there's a treasured family recipe for chicken salad and two versions of Caprese salad. Little did my relatives know they would one day be working for an imaginary café in an imaginary town and having their recipes find their way into the homes of readers all over the country. Such is the universe created by fiction!

 

 

The suggested questions are included to enhance
your group's reading of Ashton Lee's
The Wedding Circle
!