“Shhh!” Madison said. “The best part is coming up!”
On the screen, Madison sat in George’s leather recliner with a glass of whiskey in her hand as a fire roared in the background.
“Yes, in case you’re wondering, Mads did build a fire when it was ninety degrees outside,” Claire interrupted.
“I just wanted George to take his shirt off,” she said with a wink.
“Oh gross!” Claire said, laughing and hitting her cousin on the butt as she lay next to her. The girls turned their attention back to the screen as Madison began talking.
“Sweet Gabby. Congrats on your big day! You’re going to make a beautiful bride, and Tony’s a lucky man to be able to call you his wife. As someone who has been married for only five months with a break in the middle, I know what you’re thinking—what do I know about marriage? Well, I’m not going to bore you with details of my and George’s relationship.” She leaned into the camera and whispered, “Even though it’s awesome!” She leaned back in the chair. “Instead, I’m going to tell you what I know based on the purest marital love I’ve ever witnessed: my parents’.”
Gabby put her hand on her heart. “I love this so much.”
“Shhh, I’m still talking!” Madison joked, pointing to the TV.
“My dad once told me the secret to their marriage was, quote, ‘workin’ as a team just like the Saints or the Tigers would.’ He went on to give all these football analogies, and I’m probably gonna mess ’em up, but let me see if I can remember them. . . .” She swirled her glass in her hand. “One: you have to have good on-field communication to make sure you’re making the right plays together. Two: you have to defend yourselves against outside forces working against you. Three: your relationship needs cheering on—find people in your life who will support it, not bring it down. And, my favorite: have victory dances as often as possible.” She tilted her head to the side. “You can interpret that however you want.”
Gabby laughed. That reminded her of the old man’s advice at the Cajun dancing restaurant back in the fall. She was looking forward to dancing with Tony for the rest of her life . . . in the living room . . . in the kitchen . . . in the bedroom.
“Good luck, my sweet friend. I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines the whole game.”
As the scene faded to black, Gabby put her hand on her heart, wondering how she was so lucky to have such amazing friends. “I love you girls so much,” she said.
“Welcome to the Young Wives Club,” Claire said, raising her glass. “We know you’ll be able to give us advice later on, too. And just know we’ll be here for you throughout your adventure.”
“Cheers!”
Gabby looked around the room and smiled, confident that whatever happened with Tony, these girls would be by her side through it all.
epilogue
TWO THOUSAND, ONE hundred and fifty-four people live in my town. Each of them with their own hopes, dreams, and story. The streets may not be bustlin’ with crowds and the buildings may be more run-down shacks than skyscrapers, but we’ve got a community, and it’s stronger than any on the Upper East Side or in Beverly Hills. Everyone here’s still got their troubles, don’t get me wrong. We cry just like the rest of ’em—only we don’t pat our tears dry with an Hermès handkerchief. We use our friends’ shoulders, and I’ll tell you, it’s the most luxurious feeling in the world. Because in my little corner of Louisiana, your friends are your life. Love may come and go, but they’ll be there for you ’til the day you die.
acknowledgments
A PROPER THANK-YOU is in order to all those who helped me during the process of this book. Sticking with my southern upbringing, I’ll make sure you all receive handwritten notes as well.
Thank you to my editors, Eliza Swift and Lanie Davis, for your brilliant ideas and hard work, and to my publisher, Emily Bestler, and your wonderful team, including Lara Jones, Tory Lowy, and Hillary Tisman, for helping me share my words with the world. Thank you, Les Morgenstein, Josh Bank, Sara Shandler, and Joelle Hobeika for believing in this project and giving me this opportunity, and to the entire Alloy Entertainment team for all your work, support, and friendship through the years.
Albert Tang and Laywan Kwan, thank you for designing a gorgeous cover delicious enough to eat.
To my mom, Sandy Boot, thank you for being my biggest cheerleader. This book would not have happened without your constant encouragement. I love you, your positivity, and your use of exclamation marks!!
Thank you to my husband, Christopher Pennell, for allowing me to talk about this book nonstop and supporting me throughout this adventure. I’m so lucky to have said “I do” to you.
A big shout-out to my sister, Jill Dressel, for all of the hilarious moments we’ve had together through the years, which may or may not have inspired some of the funnier anecdotes in the book.
Thank you to my dad, Richard Miller, for teaching me how to be a Cajun girl and buying me my first computer, which inspired me to begin writing; Ryan Schlenger, for teaching me about football; Amy Seder, for your photography skills; Kathie Rowell and the staff of the Shreveport Times, for giving me a column—and subsequently a voice—when I was fourteen; the Louisiana Tech journalism department, for teaching me how to bring my writing to life and the importance of showing, not telling; and Atoosa Rubenstein, for mentoring a nerdy girl with a dream.
To the clique—you know who you are—thanks for being a great example of a close-knit group of girls. The strong bond and relationship of these characters wouldn’t have been nearly as deep without you in my life.
And thank you to everyone who picked up this book and read it—I am filled with gratitude.
about the author
© AMY SEDER
Julie Pennell grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she ate her weight in crawfish, used the word “y’all” a lot, and wrote a weekly “Teen Scene” column for the local paper. After graduating with a degree in journalism from Louisiana Tech University, she moved to New York City to work at Seventeen magazine and later at Alloy Entertainment as a digital editor. She lives in New York City with her husband and is a regular online contributor to Teen Vogue, TODAY, and the Nest, among other publications. The Young Wives Club is her first novel. You can connect with Julie on Twitter and Instagram @juliepens or at juliepennell.com.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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ISBN 978-1-5011-3646-7
ISBN 978-1-5011-3648-1 (ebook)
The Young Wives Club Page 31