I feel like I say this every month, but I can’t believe it’s already August. This has been the year of the slowest days and fastest months. Since I wasn’t sure which Deadly Force microstory to tell for August, I decided on something fun and simple. My recently released novel, IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, is about Allison Pinckney (a cultural anthropologist) who must turn to the one man she walked away from and has never forgotten in order to find a missing 17th century pirate treasure before an arms dealer kills her. And this man is a super-hot ex-Green Beret named Zack Tremaine.
Although most of the books in the Deadly Force series take place in Savannah, GA, this one spends a lot of time in Charleston, SC. And for this month’s microstory, I’ve decided to stay in Charleston for Allison’s surprise Bridal Tea Party put on by her best friend Maddie Ashton. Maddie (who is the heroine in the upcoming book A PROMISE AT MIDNIGHT) has invited all of Allison’s friends as well as the women who are married to/dating Zack’s buddies–the men (all ex-Green Berets) who run Iron Rack’s Gym in Savannah when they’re not out fighting their enemies. So all month we’ll be having tea with Allison and her girlfriends while they talk about everything from bridal dresses to midnight skinny dipping to what it’s like to be heroines in the Amazon bestselling fast-paced, romantic suspense Deadly Force novels.
Allison Pinckney ~ “At first I wasn’t sure what to think when I discovered balloons tied to my porch with a note attached from my best friend Maddie. She wanted me to come to her house, in Charleston’s Historic District, by two p.m., and I had to wear a dress. Since it was already one-fifteen p.m., and I’d been working in the garden, I had to hustle to shower and change and drive to her house. Maddie lives in Stoll’s Alley, a tiny alleyway not far from the Battery, and I had to hunt for a place to park. That meant I was fifteen minutes late.
After I walked down the desolate alley, and through the side garden, I was met on the front porch by Maddie’s almost-eight-year-old daughter Susan. She was carrying more pink balloons and wearing a pink fluffy dress and a party hat.
“Hey, Miss Allison!” Susan gave me a kiss and hands me the balloons. “My mom wants you to go inside, but wait in the foyer. She’ll get you when she’s ready.”
I followed Susan up the steps to the wide porch, so typical of the historic homes in Charleston. “What is this all about?”
Susan giggled and opened the heavy oak door. “It’s a secret!”
I entered the foyer and said a prayer of gratitude for the air conditioning. The summer humidity could choke an elephant. “Can’t you give me a clue?”
Susan shook her head and picked up her black cat, Mrs. Pickles, who was lounging on the settee in the foyer. “You wouldn’t want me to ruin the surprise.” When the cat hissed, Susan set her free and Mrs. Pickles ran down the hallway toward the kitchen. “You can sit down if you’d like. I’ll go tell my mom you’re here!”
When Susan disappeared, I sank onto the settee. I’d been rushing for over an hour and suddenly felt tired. Working in the vegetable patch, in the summer heat, could wear out the strongest gardener. Still holding the balloons, I sat back and closed my eyes. Even with the strong AC, I’m happy I wore my lightest linen dress.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Maddie said.
I opened my eyes to see Maddie coming out of the sitting room. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Your timing is perfect.” She took my hand and pulled me up. “Bring your balloons and follow me.”
“Alright.” I followed her through the sitting room into the summer dining room. Really, it was an octagonal conservatory with French doors built in the 17th century (which meant no AC!) that led out to the formal garden. During the summer’s hottest months, Maddie kept the doors open and the overhead fans on to catch the ocean breeze. “Maddie? Why is the table set with china and your grandmother’s tea service?”
Before Maddie could answer, I heard female laughter in the garden. Then I saw five women coming towards them. Samantha Barclay, Juliet Montfort, Sarah Walker, Charlotte Marun, and Emilie Tremaine.
“You’re here.” An older woman, Vivienne Beaumont, appeared from the sitting room, holding Susan’s hand. “I hope you’re surprised.”
“I think so.” I glanced at Maddie. “Should I be?”
Maddie smiled. “This is your surprise Bridal Tea.”
I handed my balloons to Susan and glanced at Vivienne, Zack’s godmother and only parent figure. Today she wore a couture pink silk cocktail suit. Vivienne was not only still beautiful she was also incredibly rich due to the fact she’d had many husbands and was a high-end madam. (A story unto itself!) “I am surprised,” I said to Maddie. “Shocked, actually.”
Susan tied the balloons to a chair and then hugged me. “I’m so glad! We were worried that Mr. Tremaine and his friends wouldn’t be able to keep a secret.”
I lifted an eyebrow at Maddie. “My fiancé and his buddies knew about this?”
Maddie nodded towards the women who were just coming into the house. “We asked all their wives and girlfriends, as well as Zack’s sister Emilie, so the men found out.”
“But,” Emilie said as she kissed me on the cheek, “We told them we’d beat them with shovels if they didn’t stay quiet.”
I laughed. Zack and his buddies were all ex-Green Berets who now ran a gym in Savannah when they weren’t fighting off their enemies–two powerful arms dealers. “I doubt any of us could lift a shovel over our heads without dropping it.”
“Which is probably why,” Samantha said after giving Allison a hug, “Pete wants us all to take his self-defense class for women.”
Pete White Horse, Samantha’s boyfriend, was one of Zack’s best friends. Along with Nate Walker (Sarah’s husband) and Cain Marun (Charlotte’s husband). While Zack respected Juliet’s husband Rafe, there was some tension there from a past operation that had gone bad. “Once Zack and I move to Savannah, I’m definitely taking Pete’s class.”
“Great!” Juliet started pouring tea for everyone. “Right now it’s just me, Samantha, and Sarah in the class.” Juliet smiled at Charlotte. “You know you’ll have to do it eventually.”
“Ugh!” Charlotte waved a dismissive hand. “I just don’t like being at the gym. It stinks like feet.”
All the women laughed at that truth. Once everyone had tea and were seated at the round table set with white linens and bowls of white roses and trays of desserts, the women started talking at the same time. There was laughter and great stories about how the women had met their men, there were also hugs when they shared their deepest secrets. One would think we were drinking wine or margaritas instead of tea. Susan was the only girl there not talking but that’s because she’d moved to the floor to play with Mrs. Pickles. Suddenly, my eyes teared up.
Susan stood and handed her a napkin. “What’s wrong, Miss Allison?”
“I’m just happy, Susan.” I wiped my eyes and hid the napkin in my lap.
Susan reached for a plate and handed me something from a silver tray. A Raspberry Crumb Bar. “Then why are you crying?”
I took a few bites of the raspberry cookie and almost moaned because it was so good. Still warm, the raspberry filling was both sweet and tart. “Because for a long time I didn’t believe I’d ever be happy.”
“Nonsense!” Vivienne shook her head and the room went silent. Vivienne had a way about her–when she spoke, everyone listened. Including Susan and her cat. “You were grieving. And when people grieve, they don’t see things clearly. They blame themselves for events that aren’t their fault. They believe silly lies about their lives that aren’t true. I’ve always said that, after a serious loss, one shouldn’t make any major changes in their life for at least a year.”
I popped the last bit of raspberry bar into my mouth and exchanged a glance with Maddie. I got engaged to Zack only a few months after my first husband died. There were extenuating circumstance (all laid out in IN SEARCH OF TRUTH), but still… I didn’t wait a year. And I knew that Vivienne was well aware of that fact.
Vivienne lifted her teacup in my direction. “I’m not talking about your marriage to your first husband. That ended years ago.”
I didn’t know what to say to that–especially since it was the truth–and took another raspberry bar.
Thankfully, Juliet asked Vivienne about renovations going on in her own Charleston garden. While Juliet, a landscape architect, kept Vivienne busy, I had a chance to say to Maddie, “Thank you so much for hosting this party today. Things have been so crazy since Zack and I got engaged that I don’t even feel like a bride.”
Maddie just smiled and held out her arms so Susan and Mrs. Pickles could sit on her lap. “I’m thrilled to do this for you–but the afternoon has just begun. We have lots of other surprises in store for you.”
I looked around the room at all the women, most of whom I barely knew and two of whom would soon become my family, and smiled. It’d been so long time since I had a family, since I felt a part of something bigger, and I was truly grateful to Maddie. I knew she was going through her own troubles and I wished she could be as happy as I was right now.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I stood and clinked my tea cup. “I’d like to propose a tea toast. To new families and best friends–may we all find our happily ever after.”
Everyone cheered and drank, but eventually the conversation changed and we started talking about our men’s enemies. We were all worried about what the next attack would bring and whether we’d all make it (we’d had some close calls). To lighten the mood, Maddie brought out another tray of goodies. As I watched her, as well as my future sister-in-law Emilie, I realized that even though Zack and I found our HEA, the journeys of my closest friends are just beginning. And I’m praying we all survive.”
Raspberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 12-ounce bag of vanilla chips or 2 6-ounce bars white baking bars, chopped (Divided)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam seedless
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 325℉. Great and flour a 9" square pan.
-
To toast the almonds, bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in a 325℉ oven for 6-10 minutes, making sure to stir the almonds around during baking. Do not let them burn, just turn a light golden brown and there will be a nice fragrance.
-
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the vanilla chips. Let stand and DO NOT STIR.
-
In a large bowl, beat at the eggs until foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, using a high speed on the hand mixer, until the mixture is lemon-colored and frothy. Stir in the vanilla/butter mixture.
-
Lightly spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off. Add the flour, salt and almond extract to the egg/sugar mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Spread 1/2 of the batter in to the prepare baking dish.
-
Bake at 325℉for 15-20 minutes until the cake is a light brown. Meanwhile stir the rest of the vanilla chips in to the other 1/2 of the batter. Set aside.
-
Remove the pan from the oven and spread the jam over the warm, partially baked crust. Gently spoon the remaining dough, by tablespoons, on top of the jam. Lightly spread the dough around and the jam may peek through. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top. Bake for another 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
One Comment
Comments are closed.