The Legacy by Gail Bowen

Author:Gail Bowen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2023-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

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The head table was on a slightly raised platform facing the guests. Those of us sitting at the head table had no tasks until dessert and champagne were served, and it was a pleasure just to sit, chat and, of course, eat.

Our four-course meal was traditional for a Tuscan wedding and, as Sawyer predicted, the meal was a feast. The ricotta-and-baby-spinach ravioli with tomatoes and fresh basil was made in house; the roast goose infused with a blend of fresh and dried fennel was succulent; and the romaine, cannelloni and olive salad was the perfect palate cleanser before the dolce, or dessert — our final course.

When the aunts told us Angus and Leah had chosen strawberry mille feuille as their dessert, I had to consult Chef Google. I learned that the cake had four components: puff pastry, pastry cream, a glaze or fondant and sliced fresh strawberries. The strawberry mille feuille that the bride and groom would cut into was an objet d’art, worthy of inclusion in a flossy travel guide to Tuscany. The cakes for the guests had already been cut into individual portions to be served with Asti Spumante.

When dinner was over, it was time for speeches and Zack spoke first. When he explained that he had been asked to deliver the father of the bride’s speech because Steven Brooks was unable to attend, there was hushed silence. Zack knew how to read a room, so when he said that being asked to speak publicly about the joy Leah brought to our family was one of the great privileges of his life, it was clear that he was speaking from the heart, and he mellowed the mood.

After he’d thanked the guests for coming and praised the Drache sisters for giving us all a day to remember, Zack said that with Mila’s blessing he was going to talk about the roles she and Leah had played in bringing us together. The “summer is for bad boys” story was fun, and it was well received. More importantly, the story kept the focus exactly where it belonged: on Leah’s bright intelligence, her willingness to push the boundaries and her respect for the wise counsel of the aunts she loved.

My husband’s words of wisdom for the newlyweds were also personal and relevant. Zack began by saying that for both of us, the joy of any experience was doubled by sharing it, and then he told the story that underscored his point. One morning on my run, I had spotted a group of American avocets in the Wascana Park Bird Sanctuary. Avocets are large, slender shore birds, and with their delicately upturned bills, elegant necks and long and graceful legs, they are fascinating to watch. When I told Zack about the avocets, we agreed that as soon as court was over that afternoon, we would go to the bird sanctuary together.

Zack and I seldom quarreled, but when he returned from court that day, we had a fight that frightened us both with its intensity and cruelty.

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