Lush Read Online Free PDF Page B

mouth watered to taste
    21
    his skin right there.
    22
    Speaking of Gillian, her friend made her way over, hugging
    23
    Mary tight as the server escaped, most likely to warn the kitchen
    24
    she was on her way.
    25
    “You have that look, Mary Whaley. Who got in your kitchen
    26
    and mixed up the fl atware?” Gillian’s tease referred to a dinner
    27
    incident and some salad forks. That’s when the no-one-in-my-
    S28
    kitchen- but-my- chosen- assistant rule came about.
    N29
    • 25 •
    9780425256084_Lush_TX_p1-308.indd 25
    9780425256084_Lush_TX_p1-308.indd 25
    23/11/12 12:24 PM
    23/11/12 12:24 PM
    Lauren Dane
    01
    “I’m so sorry. The champagne is late.”
    02
    Gillian smiled, taking Mary’s hands, squeezing. “Are you
    03
    apologizing for something so silly? I see it’s all out now. Adrian
    04
    and I just got in here. So I’d say it was perfect timing. Now we
    05
    can all toast.”
    06
    “I want it to be perfect. You deserve it.”
    07
    Gillian paused, blinking away tears before leaning in to hug
    08
    her friend. “ You are perfect. You and Jules, Daisy, all of you 09
    have been so good to me. I’m so happy right now and you’re the
    10
    reason. This is amazing. I already had one of those salmon
    11
    things. Okay, so I had three, but that’ll be our secret.”
    12
    Adrian, Gillian’s brand- spanking- new husband, showed up,
    13
    putting an arm around Gillian’s waist and hugging her to his
    14
    side. Any time Gillian came into his view, his entire focus changed 15
    and there was nothing else in the world but her. Mary thought
    16
    that was an entirely appropriate way to look at her friend, as
    17
    Gillian happened to be awesome, gorgeous, smart, talented and
    18
    absolutely perfect in every way. Like Mary Poppins. Only, you
    19
    know, with a rock- star husband.
    20
    “Mary is trying to escape to go prod the kitchen staff.”
    21
    Damien had a drawl when he spoke to Adrian. Hm. It wasn’t
    22
    fake. Maybe just something he did around those he was totally
    23
    comfortable with?
    24
    “And I was telling her everything was totally perfect and to
    25
    have a lovely evening.”
    26
    Adrian kissed his wife’s temple. “I’m with Gillian on this.
    27
    Sit. We’re joining you.” He held a chair out for Gillian and their
    28S
    friends also made it into the tent.
    29N
    • 26 •
    9780425256084_Lush_TX_p1-308.indd 26
    9780425256084_Lush_TX_p1-308.indd 26
    23/11/12 12:24 PM
    23/11/12 12:24 PM
    Lush
    Soon the table was full of their close friends and family and
    01
    she’d been urged to leave the kitchen to the staff and enjoy
    02
    herself.
    03
    “A whole table of Delicious!” Jules grinned and held her glass
    04
    high.
    05
    “Delicious?” Damien looked to Adrian.
    06
    “It’s what these gorgeous women refer to themselves as. It’s
    07
    also the name of Mary’s supper club.” Adrian sipped the sangria
    08
    and nodded. “And I should add, what this sangria is.”
    09
    “Jules needs to make a toast. Now that we all have cham-
    10
    pagne and everything.” Cal winked at Mary and she rolled her
    11
    eyes.
    12
    “Me? Why not Brody? Brody is best man, that’s his job.”
    13
    Brody snorted and grabbed some of the stuffed dates. “I’ve
    14
    got some for later.”
    15
    Jules stood and there was tapping and clapping and whistling
    16
    until the room quieted down. “I’m told since I’m the maid of
    17
    honor I’m supposed to do a toast.”
    18
    Mary knew that Jules had not only prepared a toast, she most
    19
    likely prepared fi ve or seven and practiced them all. Mary was
    20
    organized. Jules was compulsively so. And this was about Gil-
    21
    lian, so it would have been incredibly important to Jules to get
    22
    every last detail totally correct and perfect.
    23
    “Fourteen years ago, this woman moved into our neighbor-
    24
    hood with her infant son. We went to check her out, as you do.
    25
    And it turns out that while she was totally beautiful and had a
    26
    great accent, she was sort of wary. Which