Daughters Of The Bride (32 page)

She wiped her face. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I want to be strong and brave. I want to be like my sisters and my mom. I know this isn’t the right time, but I really hope you’ll give me another chance. To prove myself to you. Please.”

Quinn looked at her for a long time. She had no idea what he was thinking. He handed Neil the bible, walked over to her and pulled her close. “You don’t have anything to prove to me, Courtney. I love you. That’s not going to change.”

“Good, because I love you, too.”

Around them everyone sighed.

Quinn drew back and winked at her. “Later,” he whispered. “I’m hearing really good things about the linen closet.”

She laughed, and her whole world righted itself.

Quinn walked back to the front and took the bible from Neil. “Where were we?”

Sienna nudged Courtney and smiled at Quinn. “You were marrying them.”

“That I was.”

* * *

Several hours later, after the wedding and the dinner, Courtney found herself in Quinn’s arms as they danced to a Tadeo song about love lasting forever.

“He’ll be happy to know he’s made the wedding mix,” Quinn said.

“I don’t know. They haven’t played any Prince, and you know that’s who he wants to be.”

“It’s a phase. He’s better being himself.”

She smiled at him. “I’m happy being with you.”

“I’m glad. I meant what I said. I love you, Courtney.”

“I love you, too. I’m sorry I freaked. I’ve been thinking about it. There were other guys, but no real relationship. You’re actually my first boyfriend.” She winced. “Can I call you that? Is it too much?”

“You still don’t get it. You’re the one, Courtney. There’s no one else. I want to marry you.” He shook his head. “That wasn’t a proposal. I figure you need a little time before I go down on one knee. Let’s just call it a statement of intent. So you can get used to the idea.”

Marriage. Her? She thought for a second, then nodded. “I can see that. Will Wayne and the band live with us?”

“I hope not.”

“But they’ll probably drop by.”

“Yes, so we need a big house.”

“Plus, there will be babies and pets.” She narrowed her gaze. “You’d better want children.”

“I do. And I want you. So about that linen closet...”

She laughed. “How about we go back to your place?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

Sienna sipped her champagne. Despite being dateless, she felt pretty good. Her mother was blissfully married to a wonderful man. Judging by how Rachel and Greg were making out on the dance floor, their reconciliation was going well. Josh was thrilled his parents were back together and already asking if his dad could move back tonight.

As for Courtney and Quinn, well, they had just disappeared. Sienna had the feeling they wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

There was the problem of getting home, she thought, not actually worried about that. If push came to shove, she could crash in her sister’s room. It wasn’t likely that Courtney would be back before morning.

“Is this seat taken?”

She looked up and saw Jimmy standing by the chair next to her. She smiled. “Not at all.”

He sat down. “You look especially lovely tonight.”

“Thank you. So do you.”

“This old thing?”

She laughed. “So no actual date?”

“I am tragically single,” he told her. “I keep trying to find the right one, but so far it hasn’t happened. What about you? Where’s the fiancé?”

She showed him her bare left hand. “We broke up.”

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “How do we feel about that?”

“Relieved. He was a mistake. I should have recognized that fact sooner.”

“Better late than never.” He rose and held out his hand. “Dance with me.”

“I’d love to.”

She stepped into his arms and found that his embrace felt surprisingly right. They didn’t speak for a long time, and when the next song came on, they stayed on the dance floor.

A server came by with yet more glasses of champagne. They each took one. She held out hers and said, “To old friends. They’re the best kind.”

His dark gaze lingered on her face. “To us.”

The toast was a surprise, but it was nice. They’d known each other forever. Been lovers, been friends, been...

She blinked as she realized just how much Jimmy had always been in her life. It was as if, well, as if they belonged together. She touched her glass to his. “To us, Jimmy.”

“Took you long enough,” he said. And then he kissed her.

* * * * *

Daughters of the Bride

Book Club Discussion Questions and Menu Suggestions

Visit
DaughtersoftheBride.com
 
for information on how to set up a phone call
or a Skype chat with Susan Mallery and your book club!

1. Perhaps the strongest theme in
   Daughters of the Bride
   was that of being brave. How did each of the story lines illustrate this theme? Did you recognize any other themes in the book?
   
2. Which character experienced the greatest transformation? What were the turning points that led to this transformation?
   
3. How did the sisters’ relationship with each other, and with their mother, change? What events led to these changes?
   
4. The first time Maggie got married, she didn’t get the wedding of her dreams because her mother made all the decisions. This time around, Maggie is determined to get the wedding she dreamed of when she was a teenager. What choices would you have made if you were planning the wedding of your teenage dreams?
   
5. Who were the point-of-view characters in this book? Why do you think Mallery chose to tell the story through those characters? Were there any other characters through whose eyes you’d like to have seen parts of the story?
   
6. What did you think about the way that Courtney dealt with the mean girl at Quinn’s party? Have you ever had to deal with a mean girl? Or have you ever been a mean girl yourself?
   
7. Rachel is trying to do it all alone—like a lot of mothers. Do you find it hard to ask for help? Did asking for help make Rachel weaker or stronger? Why?
   
8. Why do you think Sienna accepted David’s proposal in the first place?
   
9. Quinn didn’t just accept Courtney for who she was—he desired her and admired her for it. How do you think this changed how Courtney viewed herself? And how did Courtney’s view of herself impact the way her sisters and her mom saw her?
   
10. Rachel and Greg’s happy ending took place in the linen closet at the Los Lobos Hotel. (Yes, a “happy ending” in both senses of the phrase.) Where is the most unusual place where you’ve made love?
    

Menu Suggestions

R
OASTED
A
CORN
S
QUASH
B
ISQUE
H
ONEY
-L
IME
S
ALMON
S
TEAMED
G
REEN
B
EANS
D
RUNKEN
H
ONEYBEE
C
UPCAKES

Recipes

In honor of the Drunken Red-nosed Honeybee
that played a pivotal role in Daughters of the Bride,
Susan Mallery presents three delicious recipes using honey.
For downloadable recipes including full-color photographs,
visit
DaughtersoftheBride.com
.

R
OASTED
A
CORN
S
QUASH
B
ISQUE

1 acorn squash

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup diced onion

2 carrots, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)

¼ cup honey

4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Halve the acorn squash. Scoop out and set aside the seeds. Place the cut sides of the squash down in a 13 x 9–inch pan with about one inch of water. Roast until the skin is pierced easily with a fork, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove the skin and roughly chop the squash.
   
2. While the squash is roasting, rinse the seeds and get rid of the excess squashy bits. Pat dry with paper towels. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Stir to coat all of the seeds. After you take the squash out of the oven, let the oven cool to 325°F. Roast the seeds until golden brown, stirring every 5–10 minutes. Set aside.
   
3. Melt the butter in a soup pot over low heat. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for about five minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté another 30 seconds. Add the honey, broth, salt and squash. Raise to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend the bisque in a blender or in the pot with an immersion blender.
   
4. Serve warm, sprinkled with a few of the roasted squash seeds.
   

H
ONEY-
L
IME
S
ALMON

1½–2 lbs center-cut salmon fillet, cut into individual portions

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Hot pepper sauce to taste (4 drops for a tiny kick)

1. Mix together the marinade ingredients. About an hour before you plan to eat, brush each salmon portion with marinade and return to the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 425°F. Bake salmon in an oven-safe dish until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
   

D
RUNKEN
R
ED-
N
OSED
H
ONEYBEE
C
UPCAKES WITH
B
OURBON-
H
ONEY
C
REAM
C
HEESE
F
ROSTING

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

1 egg, plus 2 yolks, room temperature

½ cup buttermilk

¾ cup honey

1 teaspoon bourbon or vanilla

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners.
   
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolks one at a time.
   
3. Mix in the buttermilk, honey and bourbon.
   
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Stir by hand until there are no large lumps.
   
5. Divide the dough evenly among the 12 cupcake liners, about ⅔ full. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes, turning the pan once. Toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
   

B
OURBON-
H
ONEY
C
REAM
C
HEESE
F
ROSTING

½ cup butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese,
softened

¼ cup honey

3 tablespoons bourbon

4–5 cups powdered sugar

Yellow food coloring

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add honey and bourbon, mix well. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and food coloring 1–2 drops at a time until the frosting is bright yellow and the consistency of creamy peanut butter.
   
2. Put the frosting into a Ziploc freezer bag (they’re sturdier than the sandwich bags) and cut off one corner in a small quarter-circle shape. Start very small, test it out and make the cut larger if necessary. Spin the cupcake to pipe the frosting in concentric circles, building up into the shape of a beehive. Top with a marzipan honeybee.