Free The Wedding Circle by Ashton Lee

“I hope there’s nothing wrong with your spaghetti, Maura Beth. Did I go overboard with the cayenne pepper this morning? I’ve been in a spicy mood lately,” she said, her voice the epitome of Southern hospitality.
    Maura Beth looked embarrassed and thought on her feet. “Oh, no, Becca . . . it’s delicious as usual. I guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought I was. But don’t worry. I’ll pick up the pace.”
    Becca smiled brightly and then chimed her spoon on her water glass a moment later. “Well, ladies, if I recall my Alice in Wonderland correctly, the time has come to talk of other things. I always enjoy getting together with you, of course, but I had another purpose in mind today. I have an important announcement to make, and I trust you’ll all bear with me. This isn’t going to be a particularly easy thing for me to explain, but I want you to hear it from me and not on the street.”
    Maura Beth briefly shut her eyes and tried to calm herself. So Jeremy had been right all along! Becca was truly putting on a brave show for the benefit of her dearest friends, bless her heart.
    â€œYou four Cherry Cola Book Club members are the first to hear the news,” she began, having everyone’s undivided attention. “Well, other than my Stout Fella, my big, lovable Justin. I haven’t even told the WHYY station manager yet, and I don’t think he’s going to like me much when I’ve done the deed. But here it is, ladies. I’m quitting radio and shutting down The Becca Broccoli Show. I’m putting the old girl and her helpful hints to bed.”
    Expecting to hear something entirely different as a result of the dramatic buildup inside her head, Maura Beth was having significant trouble processing the information. Thus, her response was a genuine non sequitur. “But I saw you drinking a Bloody Mary, Becca!”
    The others exchanged bewildered glances, but it was Connie who managed to speak up. “What does that have to do with the show?”
    â€œWell . . . I . . . the alcohol . . . the pregnancy,” Maura Beth said, struggling to explain herself. Everything suddenly sounded foolish to her even as it was all coming out of her mouth. How in heaven’s name had she led herself down the garden path and been this far off in her thinking? She couldn’t blame it all on Jeremy. Was the unthinkable happening? Was she becoming the same sort of drama queen her mother had always been and continued to be? Heaven forbid!
    Becca’s riff of laughter immediately dissolved the confusion in the room. “Oh, I see what you were thinking. But mine was a Virgin Mary, sweetie. Some extra Tabasco was all the kick it had. I thought you all knew that. I wouldn’t dare touch even a drop of booze.”
    Maura Beth decided to save herself further embarrassment and change the subject quickly. “Oh, of course you wouldn’t. Don’t pay any attention to me. I seem to be rambling today. Anyhow, you were telling us about wrapping up The Becca Broccoli Show. But you haven’t told us why yet.”
    â€œYes, tell us,” Periwinkle said, still frowning at Maura Beth with a skeptical, sideways glance. “I’ve gotten some of my best food tips from listening to you, Becca. People all over Cherico swear by you. Hey, even The Twinkle’s menu swears by you, girl!”
    â€œI know I do,” Miss Voncille added. “Whenever I want to impress Locke with a new dish, I tune you in and get my pen and paper ready. He thinks I’m an absolute genius in the kitchen.”
    Becca surveyed her friends quickly and gave a delicate sigh of satisfaction. “Well, there are two reasons really. The first is the little one growing inside me. In just over five months I’ll be a mother with a precious baby to look after. As you all know, I’ve been wanting that for a long time, and now it’s finally going to happen.