The Groom Wanted Seconds: A Novella by Shirley Jump Read Free Book Online Page B

just that—a job.
    Time for a new goal. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a long color photo strip, one of those silly things people did at the mall. Step into a booth, pull the curtain and immortalize four moments for two bucks.
    In the photos, Rebecca laughed and mugged for the camera, and he sat beside her, as stone-faced as Mt. Rushmore. Except for the last picture. Rebecca had turned just before the camera snapped, and planted a big, noisy kiss on his cheek. A big, goofy grin had spread across his face, and the camera had frozen that moment, that smile, forever. He used to hate that picture, the way he looked so…silly.
    Now he looked again and saw a man who had spent three-fourths of his time afraid to risk goofiness. Afraid to be the fool. Afraid to say the words that could change his future.
    I just decided I was tired of losing out on what mattered to me.
    Jeremy reached in his desk, pulled out a pushpin, then pressed it into the top of the photo strip and hung it on the cloth covered wall of his cubicle. The photo hung over the spreadsheets, the goal lists, the deadline reminders. He needed only one reminder now—picture number four.
    Goofy grin and all.

 
     
    2 teaspoons butter
    1 cup sliced celery
    1 cup chopped carrot
    1/2 cup chopped onion
    1 teaspoon thyme
    1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
    4 cups chicken broth
    4 ounces egg noodles or star-shaped pasta
    2 cups cooked chicken
    Parsley
    Salt and pepper to taste
     
    You gotta master the basics before you move on to the master course, and chicken soup is as basic as they get. So master this classic and you’ll have a way to cure the common cold, and keep your man at home where the fire’s already burning. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots and onion, then add the thyme and poultry seasoning. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until the vegetables are as soft as your heart.
     
    Add the broth (add more if you want your soup more broth-y), then add the pasta and bring to a boil, then cook until pasta is done. Turn down soup to a simmer, add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is warmed through, and serve to the man you most want to keep in your life.

C HAPTER 7
     
     
    The package caught her by surprise.
    Rebecca was heading out the door, off to a meeting with Candace and Maria to work on the twenty-gift basket order, when the delivery driver pulled into the driveway. “More Beanie Babies,” she called over her shoulder to her mother.
    “Not for me. This one must be for you.” Gloria came to stand by the door, and watched as the driver handed Rebecca a slim package and had her sign the form on his clipboard. “Who’s it from?”
    “Jeremy,” she said.
    “Are you going to open it?” her mother asked.
    She fingered the flap. “I’ll wait.” Coward. “I gotta go, Ma. Bye.” She kissed her mom on the cheek, then headed outside, tossing the white envelope onto the passenger’s seat of her car.
    She drove over to Candace’s Dorchester duplex, and pulled into the driveway. Candace’s grandma, who lied about her age and still lived like she was twenty-five, gave Rebecca a wave. Today, Grandma Woodrow had on bright pink stretch pants and an oversize white T, making her look like the Flashdance dancer—in retirement.
    “Here to take the first step on your corporate takeover of the gift basket world?” Grandma Woodrow asked.
    Rebecca laughed, then came around to the passenger’s side of her car to grab the pile of supplies she’d brought. “I don’t know about taking over the world, but we can at least grab a spot in our corner.”
    Grandma Woodrow waved a hand. “You’ll never get anywhere sitting in a corner. Let your star shine, Rebecca.” She gave a little pirouette in the driveway. “That’s what I’m off to do. Heading down to the senior center for some Tae-Bo. I keep trying to get them to fly in the real Billy Blanks, but so far, no go. If anything