all his ladies (including Harri and Erinn) into attending the book club meeting in the tearoom. Eric took pity on the group and was able to get them a substantial discount on a bulk order, and the session came to order with each participant clutching her own new copy of Land’s End.
Fernando’s flirtation with the book club idea lasted less than one meeting. Instead of discussing Land’s End, the ladies wanted to discuss the more famous of Cunningham’s tomes, The Hours, a lovely book which was turned into a movie starring Nicole Kidman wearing a prosthetic nose.
“All the old bats wanted to talk about was how brave Nicole Kidman was to wear a big fat ugly nose,” Fernando said, as he reported the end to his book club. However, the ladies who attended the book club loved it and badgered Eric to keep things going. Now there were monthly meetings in the nook. Fernando alternately insisted on taking credit for the idea or used it as leverage that Eric had something exciting going on and he didn’t.
Suzanna’s cell phone rang, mercifully cutting off Fernando’s swing bid. She looked down at the screen, which was signaling that her friend Carla Caridi was calling from Napa. Suzanna furrowed her brow, hoping that it looked to Fernando like she had a very important business call to take. She indicated that she would take the call in the office and Fernando rolled his eyes. As Suzanna headed to the office, he called after her.
“Say hi to Carla for me.”
Rats!
Suzanna closed the office door as she clicked on the phone.
“Carla, hey!”
“Hey! How’s the beach?”
“Coastal.”
“As usual.”
Suzanna smiled. Carla always had a comeback—the story of their lives.
It always amazed Suzanna that people in Los Angeles seemed to change friends every ten minutes, and here she was, still tied to all three of her childhood cronies. Until high school, when Suzanna, Fernando—and sometimes Eric—became attached at the hip, Carla had been Suzanna’s constant childhood companion. Suzanna’s parents had moved to Napa from New York City when Erinn was nine, before Suzanna was born. Suzanna couldn’t remember a time without Carla. Carla was as much a part of her life as her own family. Good thing, too, or Suzanna would have dumped her a million times.
Suzanna and Carla’s relationship had had some pretty breathtaking ups and downs over the years, but since they really were almost family, they always managed to patch things up. Carla was always ready to jump in with an insightful insult any time Suzanna had had it with either of the boys.
“Boys treating you like the jewel you are?” Carla asked.
“More like cubic zirconium, but yeah, things are fine.”
The two women caught up on friends, family, and jobs. Carla might have stayed in Napa where her family owned a winery, but she had gone on to study architecture. She lived on the East Coast after college, got married, then divorced—and returned to Napa. She not only had become somewhat of a big muckety-muck in architectural design around the wine country, she also helped run her family’s winery with her father.
Carla always was an overachiever.
Luckily for Suzanna (and Erinn), Carla’s family’s winery was right next door to the Wolf residence. Carla made it a point to check on Suzanna’s mom every week, now that Suzanna’s father had passed away. This eased Suzanna’s guilt about not seeing more of her mother—and anything that eased guilt was a good thing.
Suzanna had resolved to tell no one about her big secret, but Carla’s voice, which was like a magic carpet ride back to the past, always broke down her defenses.
“I’m taking dance lessons.”
“Dance lessons. That sounds fun. We’ve had some dangerous frost up here . . . how’s the weather in L. A. ?”
“The weather is fine . . . like it always is . . . .” Suzanna said. “Aren’t you amazed that I’m going to take dance lessons?”
“Well, I’m sure Fernando is pretty coordinated . . . but I’m
Fernando’s flirtation with the book club idea lasted less than one meeting. Instead of discussing Land’s End, the ladies wanted to discuss the more famous of Cunningham’s tomes, The Hours, a lovely book which was turned into a movie starring Nicole Kidman wearing a prosthetic nose.
“All the old bats wanted to talk about was how brave Nicole Kidman was to wear a big fat ugly nose,” Fernando said, as he reported the end to his book club. However, the ladies who attended the book club loved it and badgered Eric to keep things going. Now there were monthly meetings in the nook. Fernando alternately insisted on taking credit for the idea or used it as leverage that Eric had something exciting going on and he didn’t.
Suzanna’s cell phone rang, mercifully cutting off Fernando’s swing bid. She looked down at the screen, which was signaling that her friend Carla Caridi was calling from Napa. Suzanna furrowed her brow, hoping that it looked to Fernando like she had a very important business call to take. She indicated that she would take the call in the office and Fernando rolled his eyes. As Suzanna headed to the office, he called after her.
“Say hi to Carla for me.”
Rats!
Suzanna closed the office door as she clicked on the phone.
“Carla, hey!”
“Hey! How’s the beach?”
“Coastal.”
“As usual.”
Suzanna smiled. Carla always had a comeback—the story of their lives.
It always amazed Suzanna that people in Los Angeles seemed to change friends every ten minutes, and here she was, still tied to all three of her childhood cronies. Until high school, when Suzanna, Fernando—and sometimes Eric—became attached at the hip, Carla had been Suzanna’s constant childhood companion. Suzanna’s parents had moved to Napa from New York City when Erinn was nine, before Suzanna was born. Suzanna couldn’t remember a time without Carla. Carla was as much a part of her life as her own family. Good thing, too, or Suzanna would have dumped her a million times.
Suzanna and Carla’s relationship had had some pretty breathtaking ups and downs over the years, but since they really were almost family, they always managed to patch things up. Carla was always ready to jump in with an insightful insult any time Suzanna had had it with either of the boys.
“Boys treating you like the jewel you are?” Carla asked.
“More like cubic zirconium, but yeah, things are fine.”
The two women caught up on friends, family, and jobs. Carla might have stayed in Napa where her family owned a winery, but she had gone on to study architecture. She lived on the East Coast after college, got married, then divorced—and returned to Napa. She not only had become somewhat of a big muckety-muck in architectural design around the wine country, she also helped run her family’s winery with her father.
Carla always was an overachiever.
Luckily for Suzanna (and Erinn), Carla’s family’s winery was right next door to the Wolf residence. Carla made it a point to check on Suzanna’s mom every week, now that Suzanna’s father had passed away. This eased Suzanna’s guilt about not seeing more of her mother—and anything that eased guilt was a good thing.
Suzanna had resolved to tell no one about her big secret, but Carla’s voice, which was like a magic carpet ride back to the past, always broke down her defenses.
“I’m taking dance lessons.”
“Dance lessons. That sounds fun. We’ve had some dangerous frost up here . . . how’s the weather in L. A. ?”
“The weather is fine . . . like it always is . . . .” Suzanna said. “Aren’t you amazed that I’m going to take dance lessons?”
“Well, I’m sure Fernando is pretty coordinated . . . but I’m
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