Baked Alaska Read Online Free PDF Page B

with her wedding all of her life. This trip was supposed to be their opportunity to plan Breanna’s special day. Sadie had known Liam’s mother would have a part in it—like Breanna had said, Liam was an only child and the heir to an earldom—but Sadie had still expected that as the mother of the bride, she’d be on the front lines.
    “Pretty much,” Breanna said with a nod. “And while I’ve accepted that Liam comes with a lot of...trappings, this kind of thing throws me back into those old concerns about maybe not being ready for this. I moved to London to be closer to Liam and to get more comfortable with his lifestyle, but I’ve kept my independence. I’ve paid my own way, worked, and created a life for myself. It’s made me think that when Liam and I get married, I’ll still be able to have some power, you know, but here I am losing control of my own wedding day. What will my marriage be like if I can’t have a say in the beginning of it?”
    “Are you reconsidering?” Sadie asked with her heart in her throat.
    Breanna looked at the floor and tucked her hands underneath her thighs. “Why can’t I just have Liam?” she said quietly. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”
    “I could talk to Liam’s mother for you, if you want. Maybe if I said I wanted to be involved, it would help soften her.”
    “Maybe Liam and I should run off to Monaco and get married on a beach.”
    Sadie’s heart stopped for a split second, and she gripped Breanna’s hand. “So help me, Bre, if you get married without me there, I’m not sure I’ll survive it.”
    And that’s when Breanna started to cry. Sadie’s comment was supposed to be a joke, or at least a teasing truth, but it opened the floodgates instead. Over the next twenty minutes, Sadie came to realize just how stressed out her daughter really was—not only because of Liam’s mother and her expectations, but because of Sadie’s expectations too, and the difficulty of having to merge lives taking place on two different continents. By the end, Sadie was practically begging Breanna to elope if it meant she’d be happy.
    “I need to go to bed,” Breanna finally said when the tears subsided. “I’m such a mess right now. Thanks for letting me vent.”
    “Of course,” Sadie said. Even with her swollen eyes and red nose, Breanna was lovely. “Tomorrow we can put together a plan. I’ll back you up any way you need me to.”
    “Okay. Thanks, Mom,” she said with a nod. “Go to the show. I’ll be fine, I promise. I’m going to take a shower to wash the day off and then go to bed. Maybe I’m still jet-lagged and that’s making me overreact. I’m sure things will look better in the morning.”
    Only after Breanna was in the shower did Sadie let herself out of her room. She felt overwhelmed by the weight of her children’s problems. Knowing what Breanna was facing made her wonder whether or not she wanted to know what Shawn was dealing with after all. She wondered when her respect for his boundaries would lead him to open up to her, and she worried that when the moment arrived she might not be as much help as she wanted to be.
Sausage Wontons
     
1 pound sage-flavored sausage (lean works best; hamburger can also be used)
     
1 egg, beaten
     
1 (4.5-ounce) can tiny shrimp
     
1 (4-ounce) can water chestnuts, finely chopped (or 1/2 of an 8-ounce can)
     
1 celery rib, finely chopped
     
3 green onions, finely chopped
     
2 (12- to 16-ounce) packages wonton skins
     
Vegetable oil, for frying
     
In a medium-sized skillet, brown sausage, breaking clumps into small pieces as it cooks; drain fat. Add beaten egg, shrimp, water chestnuts, and onions. In a frying pan over medium heat, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil.
     
Put rounded teaspoonfuls of sausage mixture in the center of each wonton skin. (To keep skins from drying out, keep them covered with a damp cloth while working with them.) Dip finger in water and moisten edges of wonton skin. Fold wonton