Here is the next excerpt from Juliet Capel’s Bridal Luncheon where Cook is serving Key Lime Cake...
“It’s been a wonderful afternoon! My friends and I have talked about the wonders of marriage, the benefits of sandals versus stilettos, and all of our loved ones who we miss terribly. Charlotte tells a racy joke that sends Miss Nell into fits of laughter, while Samantha tries to explain the benefits of eating cookies for breakfast. Maddie, who has a young daughter, shares the trials and tribulations of raising a precocious eight-year old by herself–including hilarious stories of her time as a Brownie leader.
But the best surprise of the day? Cook has made Key Lime Cake. Not just one of my favorite desserts that’s covered with a lime buttercream frosting, but it’s one of the few recipes I have from my paternal grandmother. We used another of my grandmother’s recipe, a butter-yogurt poundcake, for our wedding cake. Four recipes and my silver hair combs were all that I salvaged from the manor before . . . well, you know the rest.
We move to the patio overlooking Calum’s garden–one of the most beautiful in the city. The sun is still out, but thunder rumbles in the distance and the rising scents of ozone and gardenias fill the air. Lights are woven through the nearby trees. Ivers serves coffee, and we brave Savannah’s humidity to enjoy the day’s lingering heat. A radio plays one of my favorite love songs which I’ve added below. Although I didn’t have a bridal shower–or time to even plan my wedding–I’m so happy to have had a traditional bridal lunch even if it’s after the fact and in a non-traditional way.
As I sip my coffee and finish my dessert (because I always finish my dessert), I can’t help but think about how blessed I am. About how close Rafe and I came to not having our Happily Ever After. And it’s the women here today who helped remind me of who I needed to become when all I could focus on was the sadness of the past.
But that’s over now . . . and it’s almost time to tell another story.
I’m torn–it’s been a beautiful day and I don’t want it to end, but . . . I miss my husband. He has to work tonight at the club and I’m hoping, before he leaves, that we can spend some together. Alone. 
” ~ Juliet Capel, EVERY DEEP DESIRE
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