The Wedding Circle Read Online Free

herself, and it was going to be her great adventure. In the end she was certain it was going to take her breath away. That was all there was to it.

2
    From the Ground Up
    T he first of August was nothing if not the real beginning of Mississippi’s dog days. Sporting triple digits and merciless humidity, it caused the population of Cherico to break out into rivers of sweat only minutes after stepping out of their air-conditioned homes and cars. Their morning showers and baths were therefore completely undone, disappearing as if never having taken place. In addition, there were no clouds of any kind overhead in the white-hot sky—and essentially no hope of rainfall, however brief. And yet, the new library groundbreaking would be taking place under such hellish conditions.
    â€œYou just wait,” Maura Beth said to her sweet-natured, young front-desk clerk, Renette Posey. “I’ll bet you one tasty lunch at The Twinkle we get a phone call from Councilman Sparks about the unbearable heat and putting things off until it cools down a bit. Hey, I only wish I didn’t know him as well as I do.”
    The two of them were sitting across from each other in Maura Beth’s cluttered library office, and they had already agreed that Renette would hold down the fort while Maura Beth attended the groundbreaking later that morning out at the lake.
    â€œYou really think he’ll try to postpone things?” Renette asked, blinking in disbelief. It was just part of her trusting nature—never thinking the worst of anyone until proved otherwise.
    â€œI wouldn’t put it past him,” Maura Beth answered, leaning into her employee and narrowing her eyes. “Not that it would do him any good. We’ve got a contract to build that new beauty—signed, sealed, and delivered. Try as he might, he’s not going to be able to wiggle out of that.”
    Renette’s sigh was of the dreamy variety. “This is such an exciting time for you, Miz Mayhew. Imagine—just a year from now, we’ll be in that wonderful new building with computers, a teen room, a full-time children’s librarian, plenty of parking, and all the rest a real library ought to have!”
    â€œShould have had years ago, of course. But every time I went to City Hall about all our deficiencies, I was ignored with a patronizing smile.”
    They both sank back in their chairs, happily engrossed in their visions of what was to come after so many years of struggle, so much so that they started noticeably when the phone rang.
    â€œThe Cherico Library,” Maura Beth answered with crisp authority, once she had gathered herself. Then she briefly covered the receiver, and whispered loudly, “I would have won that lunch bet if you’d taken it!”
    â€œCouncilman Sparks?” Renette whispered back, her eyes widening playfully.
    Maura Beth nodded quickly and then resumed her conversation. “Yes, it is a hot one today, Councilman. . . . Yes, you could fry an egg on the hood of your SUV.” She and Renette exchanged conspiratorial smirks as Maura Beth listened patiently. “Oh, no, not at all, Councilman,” she continued in response. “I can stand it if you can. You’d probably never guess it, but we Southern belles hide rotary fans beneath our hoop-skirts, you know. Besides, too many people all over Cherico have altered their daily routines in order to attend, and there’s no hint of rain in the forecast. So I vote for bucking up and going out there to shovel it. As I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, you’re very good at that.”
    Renette suppressed a giggle, while Maura Beth wagged her brows. Then there was an extended period of silence while Councilman Sparks apparently went into some sort of monologue. Finally, Maura Beth said, “Yes, I’ll see you in a few hours, Councilman. Looking forward to it as usual. Good-bye now.” Then she hung up and adopted her