Love's Encore Series (Books One and Two) by Miranda MacLeod

Author:Miranda MacLeod [MacLeod, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Apple Blossom Press
Published: 2017-01-13T00:00:00+00:00

Cecily looked up from her plate, her eyes sweeping around the table to take in the guests surrounding her table. It was a full house. Tyler and Chet were there, of course, and her parents, and her in-laws. Her brother and his wife had managed at the last minute to fly up from DC where her brother, a newly-elected congressman, had been house hunting. Several of Chet's cousins had joined them, and a dozen politicians and business owners who were friends of her father-in-law. In some ways it was a powder keg of differing political and religious ideas just waiting to explode. On the other hand, the caterers had outdone themselves on dinner, and so far her guests were more interested in eating than in engaging in the Thanksgiving tradition of discussing taboo subjects over the table.

“So, Tyler,” Cecily's brother, Dan, spoke from the opposite end of the table. “Have you gotten your acceptance letter to Yale yet?”

Spoken too soon. Tyler fidgeted in his chair, and Cecily groaned inwardly at the sudden awkwardness. Her brother had a talent for stumbling into just the wrong thing to say, which, she reflected, could be a real problem in his line of work. They weren't very close. Her brother had stayed in Louisiana after she'd married Chet and moved away, and she didn't see him often. Mostly they kept in touch on social media. Or by talking to their mother, according to whom her brother could do no wrong. It struck her now how inept her older brother was as a politician. Had he really wanted to do that, or had he been railroaded into what Mother wanted, just like her?

“Actually, Dan, Tyler's looking into all his options. In fact, his mother's planning to take him out to California next month to look at some schools there.”

At the sound of Chet's voice, Cecily's head swiveled in shock to look at him. This was a topic she hadn't expected to discuss tonight. She heard surprised murmuring from some of their guests, and felt a nervous twinge in her gut, but as soon as she saw the look on her son's face, she no longer cared. Tyler was beaming from ear to ear. He raised his eyebrows in an exaggerated way, as if to ask if it were really true, and Cecily grinned in response.

She was still basking in the happy glow of that moment when she heard her mother's voice.

“Jackie,” her mother said, turning to her mother-in-law, “do you see any possibility for a religious freedom law to gain traction in Connecticut?”

“How do you mean?”

“Oh, you know, the bills that make it so bakers who don't want to bake a gay wedding cake can say no because of their religion. They're hugely popular with the conservative voters in our area, and I thought George might sponsor legislation on the national level next session. It would boost his numbers in the polls.”

Cecily felt her temperature climb, both at her mother's words and at the almost offhanded way in which she said them.

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