Thanks for the kind reviews and all the views for chapters one and two! Disclaimer: I don't own MDBC, Heather Vogel Frederick owns it and all its characters.
Emma's POV
I adjust my bracelet and smile over at Stewart. We're busy playing Firsts and Lasts, a game Jess introduced to us. The topic (right now, at least) is after-marriage gifts.
Stewart looks back at me, and volunteers to go first for the husbands. Of course, I already know what his first after-marriage gift was. It was a copy of four of my books, the Stinkerbelle series (so far), which I now write for a living. I had all the pages laminated, even the dedication and the table of contents. It's kind of our thing to write little notes to each other in expo marker and erase them later.
Darcy swoons dramatically, even using his (poor) British accent to sound like a teenage girl, and I swat him, while Jess gives him a swift smirk. Darcy turns to Jess and quickly kisses her on the cheek. Now it's my turn to swoon. I'm just joking, though. Jess and my brother fit together just like twin puzzle pieces.
Stewart crosses his arms and gives his best Ebenezer Scrooge impression at this lack of attention between brother and sister-in-laws. I roll my eyes and he flicks his over at me, smiling. Goodness, I love his eyes. They're one of his best qualities.
Everyone else isn't paying attention to the four of us, which I'm kind of grateful for. Tristan says his first post-marriage gift from Cass was an antique Christmas ornament, just like Cassidy's dad used to give to her mom. I wish he could've met Tristan and Chloe and Stanley and, of course, the whole book club. I think that Cassidy's dad would've loved to meet us.
While the wives are debating over whether Zach, Simon, Tristan, or Darcy should go next, I spy a tall, blonde figure standing behind the door. It's Cassidy's older sister Courtney, hand in hand with her husband Grant. Becca notices and tries to avert attention away from the door, while Courtney and Grant frantically try to hide under the door. It's really funny since Courtney's extremely tall, just like her sister and mother, and Grant's even taller.
Tristan distracts Cassidy by asking her to help him with his jacket zipper; meanwhile, Courtney and Grant slip from the front door and onto the couch. We all crowd around the two, like moths to a light.
Cassidy reenters with Tristan, and they're both too busy arguing about the zipper situation (apparently Tristan's a terrible liar when it comes to thinking on his feet, since his jacket is Velcro) to notice us. She eyes us critically. "Why are you all crowded around the couch?" A suspicious tone is clear in her voice, along with confusion.
Darcy cocks an eyebrow. "No reason, just a change of pace from sitting on the couch. We feel that this lovely, uplifting sofa deserves some time to itself, you know?" He says sarcastically. Jess and I give each other a glance at the same time, and I smile.
I see Megan counting down on her manicured fingers, and we part on three like clockwork. Courtney and Grant are revealed, but they're just perched on it, sitting naturally, like characters in an everyday movie.
"Oh, hey, Cass. What's up?" Courtney asks, with a bored look on her face and a yawn escaping from her mouth. Grant gives a feeble, dull wave, and goes back to talking with Courtney.
"What's up? What's up? Courtney! Grant! What are you doing here? Leo is at home! You guys have work! H-h-how?!" Cassidy shrieks. (Leo Bell is Courtney and Grant's two-year-old son).
Grant puts his hand on his hip and glares at her jokingly. "Well, Cassidy Ann Sloane, if you're so eager to drive us away, I guess we'll just go back to California." He then pretends to leave, complete with a dramatic door slam. Courtney rolls her eyes.
She lets Grant back in, and they explain that Leo is with Stanley and Clementine, and that they had extra frequent-flyer miles and thought they'd pay Concord a visit. Cassidy laughs and hugs Courtney and Grant. We all do the same. I invite Courtney and Grant to play Firsts and Lasts with us.
Since all the wives except Courtney have already gone, she goes before Grant. Her first after-marriage gift was her wedding ring, which belonged to Grant's great-grandmother. It's antique, with a band of diamonds stretched across like a parabola. Grant's first gift was a tennis racket signed by his favorite tennis player, which was even used in one of his games. Grant's favorite tennis player, not Grant himself. Courtney says he treats that racket better than he treats her.
"Looks like you have some competition coming, don't you?" says Cassidy, with a sassy smirk pleated on her face while she looks at Grant. "Looks like Grant's more interested in his tennis court than he is in his wife Court." She's just joking, though. Courtney and Grant adore each other, and their wedding was wonderful. Just like mine, which was shared with all the other book club couples.
"Oh, definitely." Courtney says dramatically, while nodding. Everybody finishes hugging and laughing, so we pull up two chairs and let Courtney and Grant sit down. Megs chooses Simon to go next.
Simon's gift from Megan was a romantic night at the local movie theater, just like way back when she gave him a movie certificate for his birthday party. The book club starts reliving happy memories from the party. Cassidy laughs at Tristan when they remember how he refused to play Sorry with them that night.
"Sorry, but I just didn't want to play Sorry that night!" Tristan protests. Cassidy shoots him a dull, do-you-really-think-I'd-believe-that look quickly. "Besides, she's the one that poked fun at me and made me the laughing spectacle of Fashionista Jane." Tristan shrugs a shoulder over to Megs and crosses his arms.
Becca volunteers her husband to go next. I think about elementary school and how I liked Zach all those years. I don't even know why. He's popular and athletic and reckless, and I'm quiet and artistic and poetic, I guess. Just like Stewart, who's shy but hilarious, and loves writing. Stewart's a much better match for me than Zach Norton would ever be.
Zach goes on and on about his gift from Becca, which were front-row tickets to go see his favorite baseball team, the Red Sox. I see Zach flick his firm blue eyes to Cassidy for a moment, and I recall that they dated back in high school and she dumped him for Tris. Does he still love her? After all, we all know that Zach kissed Cassidy way back when they were crazy for each other. They spent a lot of time together, and I'm pretty sure that he was devastated when she left him.
Then I see Zach smile and put his arms around Becca, and I know that everything's all well in the Cassidy-Zach-Tristan complicated love maze. Cass and Zach just don't seem compatible, other than the fact that they both love sports. I know Tristan loves Cassidy.
The last gift, from my brother to Jess, goes quickly. I already know what she got him, of course. That's just the kind of thing that a best friend is supposed to know. Plus, Darcy's my older brother. From Jess, Darcy got hockey tickets to go see the Bruins. Stanley helped them out, since he's an accountant and does their taxes, even now. They had a great time at the game, and even got to go on the Kiss Cam.
I know because Jess called me afterward and told me that she was embarrassed, but not Waldo or Rupert Loomis's kiss kind of embarrassment. More like happy humiliation, if you can call it that. Like when Cassidy was caught wearing sneakers under her dress as Jo March, in our very first year of book club.
Laughing with the rest of the book club couples when Jess talks about the Kiss Cam, I try to think of the next topic. Coincidentally, everyone else puts in their two cents. We choose many random topics. Your couple song, when your anniversary is, first kiss, first date, favorite book we read, least favorite mother (everyone looks over at Becca when Cassidy says this), dream job, dream date, alma mater, birthdays, favorite subject in school, etc.
We also think of some what if's. What if you married someone else, who would it be? If you could switch lives with someone here, who would it be? If you wrote a sequel or a new addition to a series that we read, what would it be? No one can decide, and voices clash like ringing bells. I can't choose any other place I'd rather be, though, or any other people to be with. Book club is perfect.
Grant decides that we'll vote on our top five favorite, and we'll eliminate the rest. As he makes up cover our eyes and lower our heads, I feel a sense of déjà vu. It's like everybody is back in middle school all over again. I see Jess squint her eyes at Darcy and he stifles a laugh. Quickly, he joins her.
I think back to real middle school. We haven't met the Berkeleys or the Fairfaxes. I barely know Stewart, and Zach is what makes my heart throb when I wake up. Becca Chadwick is still the meanest girl in the sixth grade, and Megan and I haven't reconciled since that awful summer of fourth grade. Jess likes Darcy, but he's clueless. Times have certainly changed since then.
If you look up Heather's blog, you see that she's on hiatus. Because she's writing MDBC book 7! Thanks for all the kind reviews if you want, help me choose what the next topic will be for Firsts and Lasts. Thanks!