Olivia pressed her hands together and closed her eyes tightly; she was also obviously very moved. “I think the names are perfect,” she purred, beaming.
“Welcome, Olivia and James,” said Doris with gusto, “newest members of the Rejected Writers’ Book Club.”
From behind the barbecue, someone tapped their glass. We all turned around to see Dan smiling. “This seems like a good time,” he said. “I, too, have something to announce. Flora, can you join me here?”
Flora moved swiftly to be by his side, and I noted a more distinct air about her. Normally, she would have hunched her shoulders and slunk forward, but as she joined him, she positively swished. As unpleasant as Marcy had been to her, I thought to myself, it was as if, in confronting her, Flora had acquired a new boldness that was all her own.
Dan gestured to Flora to make the announcement herself. She held out her left hand, and sparkling on her finger was an exquisite diamond cluster ring in a white gold Victorian-style setting. She declared with a confident air, “Dan and I are getting married.”
The cacophony of sound that followed this announcement started all the dogs barking in the barn and woke up poor little James in Stacy’s arms. He mewed plaintively as she rocked him gently on her shoulder.
As the crowd died down, Flora added a little more thoughtfully, “As most of you know, my parents died a few years ago, and since then, the thought of getting married was always something sad for me, without my mom to help me or my dad to give me away. But when I look around at all your faces, I feel as if I don’t have one but many moms. The Rejected Writers’ Book Club has been like a family to me.”
Her eyes started to brim with happy tears, so Dan picked up her thread. “Flora has decided that she would like a Christmas wedding, and she wants all of the Rejected Writers’ Book Club to help her with it.”
With that, the whole writers’ group cheered and crowded around Flora and Dan, enveloping them both in a group hug.
Doris was the first to pull away, saying, with her barbecue tongs still in her hand, “And we’ll make it the best dang wedding that Southlea Bay has ever seen.”
We all laughed and hugged again before Stacy and Chris left to take the babies home to our cottage.
Later that evening, Martin and I sat side by side in the warm environment of our cozy cottage. Up in our bedroom, Stacy was feeding the twins, and Chris was keeping her company. Martin and I had opted to sleep in the guest room to give them more space in our king-sized bed.
I snuggled up next to Martin, enjoying the pleasant ambience all around me. Stacy and Chris would stay another couple of days before heading back to San Francisco, as soon as they had the all-clear from the pediatrician.
We had waved good-bye to Annie early in the evening, and she had wept tears of joy as we left the farm. She had cried a lot of those tears most of the day. Just before we left, Doris had informed us all that, even though there was no dire financial need, she still intended on staging a production of The Merlin of Ooze to help Annie out with expenses while she was getting back on her feet.
I told Martin about this as he listened benevolently.
“If she thinks I’m going through all that again,” I said, “she has another think coming.”
Martin jumped to his feet and said, “Don’t worry. I have the very thing to deal with it.”
I watched him slip on his shoes and race out to his shed. I hadn’t the foggiest idea of what he had up his sleeve. Two minutes later, he returned with a small plastic bottle and handed it to me.
“What is this?” I asked, reaching for my reading glasses.
“The answer to all your problems,” he said, smirking.
“Is it anti-Doris cream?” I inquired, sarcastically.
“Almost. It’s leftover flash powder from the show. Now you can blow up Doris anytime you want to,” he stated dryly.
I punched him on the arm as I laughed heartily. “So it is anti-Doris cream. You’d better hide it from me. I don’t want to be too tempted.”
Just then, Chris crept down the stairs with a sleeping infant in his arms. Baby James was full and content from being fed, his little, downy head cradled in his father’s palm as he blew out milk bubbles from his sleeping lips.
“Stacy thought you might like to hold your grandson while she finishes up with Livy,” he said as he handed the tiny bundle to me.
I noticed that James was dressed neatly in all of Annie’s knitwear. I held the tiny boy to my chest and mused that he was hardly heavier than a little bird as Martin stroked his miniature hand. I rocked him gently back, placing my hand behind his head. I looked into James’s tiny face, and I realized that I had never been happier in my life.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the many people who helped make this book possible. First, my incredible team at Lake Union Publishing. To my editorial director, Danielle Marshall, and acquisitions editor, Miriam Juskowicz, thank you both for your encouragement and continued faith in my writing. Also a big thank you to my hardworking copy editors and development editors. To my wonderful agent, Andrea Hurst and Associates, for all your incredible support, advice, and wisdom and especially for your friendship. Thanks go to my personal cheering squad, my husband, Matthew, and my son, Christopher, who have to sit and listen to endless readings of scenes and still manage to laugh in all the right places. And lastly, to my sisters who have both encouraged me and to my mother, Anne Drummond, in England, who is a one-woman book marketing force of nature. Thank you for telling me I could do anything in life I wanted to. Unfortunately, I believed you.
BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
Is the book engaging? How interesting do you find the story?
Discuss the role of comedy in the story. Does it add to your enjoyment of the book? How so?
Have you, like Janet, ever found yourself in way over your head when trying to help a friend?
Who is your favorite character? Why?
How well-depicted do you find the characters? Are they believable?
Describe the dynamics between the characters.
Do any of the characters remind you of people you know?
What is your favorite part of the story?
Do you enjoy the small-town setting? How does it contribute to the story?
What kinds of themes does the story explore?
Is the ending satisfying to you? Why or why not?
Does this book inspire you to read other books by the same author?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2012 Jim Carroll
Suzanne Kelman is the author of the Southlea Bay series and an award-winning screenwriter. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, she now lives in Washington in her own version of Southlea Bay with her husband, Matthew; her son, Christopher; and a menagerie of rescued animals. She enjoys tap dancing, theater, and high teas, and she can sing the first verse of “Puff, the Magic Dragon” backward.
Rejected Writers Take the Stage Page 26