The Reading Circle (23 page)

They finally pulled away from each other, and somehow he found the perfect words as he gazed at her fondly. “Happy birthday again, Periwinkle. And here's to hope!”

M
aura Beth and Jeremy were standing in tall, swaying grass, shading their eyes from the late-morning sun as they gazed at the surface of Lake Cherico a scant few feet away. A fisherman in his bass boat out in the middle was casting his line leisurely into the brown water, and they watched the ritual for a while, finally growing bored when it produced no results.

“Your uncle Doug said that muddy little strip just ahead might be about where the library deck could be built overlooking the lake,” Maura Beth was saying. “That is, if such a deck got included in the plans. But even if it didn't, this will still be an incredibly spectacular view for all the patrons. I can see myself spending a lot of time just looking out the windows and not getting much work done. But, of course, that will be my little secret.”

Jeremy was scanning the shore from right to left. “This plot of land really is a beautiful ground zero, isn't it?”

“To say the least. There won't be too many libraries in the world with this kind of setting.”

They began heading back to the lodge, but they were in no hurry. “Out here you can breathe the fresh air off the lake and feel like you're actually a part of the world going on around you,” Maura Beth continued. “I've tried my best to keep that claustrophobic old warehouse of a library from getting to me these past six years, but it's been very hard on me. More times than you'll ever know, I was sorely tempted to hand in my resignation and call it quits. Councilman Sparks did his part in always making that an option for me, as you know. But something inside kept me fighting on. Of course, I'll still have another year or so of construction to endure while I go to work every morning to that dark, depressing office of mine; but just knowing that this kind of vista is waiting for me at the end should see me through. For all practical purposes, it will seem like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.”

Jeremy stopped and turned his head back toward the lake for a moment. “Believe me, I don't want to play devil's advocate, but you're sure that Councilman Sparks will follow through on all he promised?”

“Oh, I'm pretty sure,” she told him without hesitation. “There are some things I know that nobody else ever needs to know. I say this to you believing with all my heart that I'm on the side of the angels in this one.”

They resumed their walking. “I guess this little town of Greater Cherico, as they insist on calling it around here, is where we're going to be living and working for a while,” he said. “But we should definitely both be flexible about the future, don't you think?”

“You're not missing Nashville already, are you? You haven't even moved down here yet.”

Impulsively, he took her in his arms and kissed her with great feeling. “That should tell you how much I miss Nashville. I shouldn't have even said that about our future. What just happened between us is all that really counts. I've had a tendency to get ahead of myself too often in life. I've just got to learn to be patient and let things work out the way they're supposed to.”

“I've been guilty of that, too,” Maura Beth said, still enjoying the buzz from his kiss. “I look back on it all and see that I practically galloped out of library school, got this job without even half-trying, and thought nothing could possibly happen to stop me from setting the world on fire. Oh, I was a pistol, a real firecracker ready to explode. Then the reality of small-town politics kicked in at just about the same time it kicked me in the teeth.”

Jeremy's laugh was carefree and aimed up at the cloudless blue sky. “And the jackass who did it was one Councilman Sparks!”

She joined him in laughter, but then eventually grew quiet. “Have you thought any more about your Uncle Doug and Aunt Connie's invitation to host our wedding out here at the lodge? The more I've thought about it, the more I like the idea. I mean, here the town of Cherico will be building a fantastic new library with a view. Why not have a wedding with a view out here, too? If nothing else, it would be different and certainly memorable.”

He stopped again and looked into her eyes. “It's entirely up to you, Maurie. The bride and her family usually decide such things, and if it's going to cause you problems with your parents down in Covington, maybe you should just go along with having the ceremony down there in Louisiana and keep the peace. After all, you are their only daughter, and this will be their only chance to go all out for you. I definitely don't want them thinking this was my idea and get off on the wrong foot with the in-laws. You need to think this over carefully.”

Maura Beth looked decidedly distressed. “My mother in particular could be a problem. Both my parents have lobbied me insistently all these years to move back home and stop beating my head against the wall up here. But I was determined to make it on my own here in Cherico, and now I have, big time. At the moment, I'm leaning toward taking Connie and Doug up on their generous offer. I may be in for it, but I'm the sort of woman who intends to get married only once, and I think I'm entitled to have it the way I want.”

“You're very brave,” he said. “But that's probably the main reason I fell in love with you.”

“And what won me over to your side was that I saw clearly that you wanted the world to be so much better and so much smarter than it is. I like the fact that you're always aiming high,” she answered.

“So, do you think maybe marriage really is a good idea for us, after all?”

“I do. See, I just recited my part of the vows.”

He was pointing to the imposing lodge ahead of them where they had first met. “Then let's go in right now and tell Uncle Doug and Aunt Connie what we've decided about our wedding with a view.”

They held hands and walked ahead with the unshakeable confidence of two people in love. For them, August could not come soon enough.

Since reaction to our recipe section in the debut novel in this series—
The Cherry Cola Book Club
—was so enthusiastic, we've decided to return to Greater Cherico for more of the same. This time, we were able to obtain the cooperation of Ms. Periwinkle Lattimore and Mr. Parker Place, owner and pastry chef, respectively, at The Twinkle. Following are some of their favorite recipes—both on the café menu and for their personal enjoyment at home. We predict you'll find something to your liking for snacking, entertaining, and formal dining—in short, for every occasion year-round.

Mr. Parker Place's
Egg Custard Pie

 

 

Ingredients you will need

 

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1½ cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon almond extract
1 whole nutmeg grated
1 deep-dish pie shell
1 tablespoon butter

 

Beat eggs well. Slowly add sugar while beating with mixer. Add half-and-half, vanilla and almond extracts, and grated nutmeg. Beat on medium speed for 1½minutes; pour into pie shell (may be raw or slightly baked). Slice butter and lay super-thin slivers all over top of pie; place on cookie sheet with a deep lip. Add water under pie and bake in 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour or till brown crust has formed over pie. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Best if made a day ahead.

 

—Courtesy Abigail Jenkins Healy, Natchez, Mississippi

 

 

 

Periwinkle Lattimore's
Easy Banana / Cranberry Bread

 

 

Ingredients you will need

 

2 very ripe bananas
1 cup Stevia sweetener
1 box Chiquita Banana Bread mix
cup water
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries

 

Mash bananas well. Add Stevia, banana bread mix, water, egg, and cranberries. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray; then pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, allow to cool, then turn out onto paper towel. May be stored in refrigerator or breadbox. Good cold or toasted with jelly.

—Courtesy Abigail Jenkins Healy, Natchez, Mississippi

 

 

 

Mr. Parker Place's
Clam Canapés

 

 

Ingredients you will need

 

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 small can minced clams, drained
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced green onions
Salt to taste
Dash of red pepper
Paprika (optional)
Parsley (optional)

 

Whip the cream cheese with a fork. Add clams and mix well; add other ingredients and whip well. Place in refrigerator in covered dish until ready to bake. Spread on plain Saltines and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika or parsley and serve.

 

—Courtesy Helen Byrnes Jenkins, Natchez, Mississippi

 

 

 

Periwinkle Lattimore's
Cashew Cheese Log

 

 

Ingredients you will need

 

1 pound yellow cheese
2–3 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup cashew nuts, salted or unsalted
2 cloves minced garlic
Paprika

 

Put yellow cheese through meat grinder or in blender. Whip softened cream cheese. Put cashew nuts through grinder or in blender. Mix all ingredients except paprika; shape into log about 1½ inches in diameter; then roll in lots of paprika. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate. To serve, slice very thin and place on round crackers; log may be frozen for later use.

—Courtesy Helen Byrnes Jenkins, Natchez, Mississippi

 

 

 

Mr. Parker Place's
Chicken Gumbo

 

 

Ingredients you will need

 

1 whole chicken, boiled, deboned, and chopped
2 large bags of frozen baby okra
1 cup of any cooking oil
3 onions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 large cans of chopped tomatoes
2 cups flour
3 large bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste

 

Boil, debone, and chop chicken meat; refrigerate meat and strained cooking stock. Grind the frozen okra. Cook ground okra in oil slowly until okra is bright green; add all vegetables and cook slowly for about 2 hours. Add in silted flour a little at a time and mix; add more oil if needed; cook about 40 minutes or until everything is well-mixed and smooth. Add the stock from the chicken a small amount at a time; add chopped chicken (or seafood such as shrimp, oysters, or crawfish, if you prefer). Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Serve as is or over rice.

—Courtesy Mrs. Rose Williams Turner, Natchez, Mississippi

 

 

 

Periwinkle Lattimore's
Hot Fruit

 

 

Ingredients you will need

 

1 orange
1 lemon
2–3 tablespoons light brown sugar
8-ounce can of apricots
8-ounce can of pineapple pieces
8-ounce can of sliced peaches
8-ounce can of pitted Bing cherries
Nutmeg to taste
1 container of sour cream

 

Grate the orange and lemon rind; add the zest into the brown sugar. Cut the orange and lemon pulp into thin slices, removing seeds and as much of the white membrane as possible; mix these slices in with the rest of the fruit pieces and make a bottom layer of it in a baking dish; sprinkle in zest and sugar mixture and a dash of nutmeg. Repeat layers until all has been used up. Heat in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. Top with cold sour cream before serving.

—Courtesy Helen Byrnes Jenkins, Natchez, Mississippi

 

Bon appétit!

THE READING CIRCLE

 

 

Ashton Lee

 

 

 

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

 

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

1. Revisit the book club argument between Maura Beth and Jeremy early in the novel. Pick a side and tell why you support it.
   
2. Have you changed your opinion positively or negatively about a character or characters after reading this second novel in the series?
   
3. What was the biggest surprise for you in this plot?
   
4. What is your favorite sequence?
   
5. Would you like to live in Cherico? If so, why? If not, why not?
   
6. Do you think Maura Beth is making/can make a difference in Cherico?
   
7. Of all the couples in the series, who do you think has the most realistic, well-adjusted relationship?
   
8. Which character touches you the most?
   
9. Which character annoys you the most?
   
10. How do you view Maura Beth's notion that the book club is an “alternative family” of sorts?