The Summer of Sunshine and Margot Read online

  “I’d like that, too.”

  The smile returned. “You would? And why is that?”

  “I love you, too.”

  He cupped her face and kissed her. “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

  “I couldn’t help myself. I was lost without you.”

  “And I was a fool to push you away.”

  She nodded. “You were. And now you owe me.”

  “It’s why I made dinner.”

  “You heated up something I’d already cooked.”

  “I brought a loaf of French bread and a bottle of good wine.”

  “Oh, then it’s okay.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You really broke into my apartment.”

  “I did.”

  “What other skills do you have that I don’t know about?”

  He grinned. Right before he kissed her, he said, “Let’s go find out.”

  * * *

  The Summer of Sunshine & Margot

  Reader Discussion Guide

  Book Club Menu Suggestion: Margot’s Shortcut Coq au Vin (recipe follows)

  Author’s Note

  While I was writing this book, I happened upon an article in which my name was mentioned as one of the favorite authors of a woman who was celebrating her 100th birthday. That woman is Bunny Rejefski, and Professor Rejefski is named in her honor. And the statements “Settle down” and “Enough is enough” were something Bunny used to say to her children when they got too rambunctious. Thank you for being a fan, Bunny, and thank you for letting me use your last name.

  Questions for Discussion

  Note: These questions contain spoilers, so it’s recommended that you wait to read them until after you have finished the story.

  Margot and Sunshine had each made a decision to change before the start of the book. In what way did each character want to change? How did the events of the story challenge their goals?

  How did you feel about Bianca? Did your feelings about her change as the story progressed? Why or why not? What were some of the highlights and lowlights of Bianca’s behavior? (By the way, Bianca’s physical appearance was inspired by an incredibly beautiful real-life actress. If you’re curious, you can message Susan Mallery via her Facebook page, Facebook.com/susanmallery, and she’ll tell you the actress’s name.)

  Which hero appealed to you more—Alec or Declan? Why? What made each hero the right match for the Baxter sister with whom he fell in love?

  Margot had a very unusual job as an etiquette coach. What qualities and experiences made her perfect for this job?

  Something happened backstage at the beauty pageant to send Bianca into a tailspin, but the reader never truly learns what Bianca saw. Now that you know about her childhood, what do you think might have caused her to react that way at the pageant?

  How did Declan’s complicated relationship with his late wife affect him? How would you feel if your spouse cheated on you and then died before you could deal with the betrayal? Did you admire Declan’s handling of the situation, or did you think he should have done something different? Why? Did it surprise you when he had sex with Phoebe? How do you think that made Sunshine feel?

  What did you think of Alec’s secret collection of erotic netsuke? Why do you think he kept them hidden? What do you think this revealed about his character? How is the collection itself a metaphor for his personality?

  Discuss the setting of The Summer of Sunshine & Margot, particularly the monastery turned private home.

  Many women have body image issues, but Sunshine’s had an interesting twist—she felt too sexy, and it negatively impacted the way people treated her. How did you react to this as you read the story?

  In the original draft of this manuscript, Sunshine’s name was Sandrine, but Mallery changed it because she liked the title The Summer of Sunshine & Margot. Do you think you would have felt differently about the story if the character’s name had been Sandrine? Why or why not? (One of the title suggestions was The Summer of Sunshine and Merlot, but Mallery refused to change Margot’s name.)

  Every story needs a black moment. What was Margot’s? Sunshine’s? How did you feel about the resolution of each sister’s story line?

  Did this book make you think about getting an ant farm? Why or why not?

  Margot’s Shortcut Coq Au Vin

  “Coq au vin” translates to “chicken in wine.” When done the traditional way, it can take many hours, but if you want to work that hard for your book club meeting, you’re a better woman than I am. This recipe takes several shortcuts to cut that time down to less than an hour, but with full-impact flavor!

  1 bottle of cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine

  2 14 oz. cans of chicken broth

  4 slices of bacon, in 1-inch pieces

  1 large carrot, in chunks

  8 oz. mushrooms, quartered (or 8 oz. of presliced mushrooms)

  8 oz. pearl onions, whole (or roughly chunk a large onion)

  4 cups cooked chicken, or 1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed

  1 tbsp. dried herbes de Provence (or any combination of dried basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary)

  salt and pepper to taste

  Combine wine and broth in a saucepan. Heat to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture is reduced by about half, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large sauté pan. Drain the bacon pieces on paper towels. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. Cook the vegetables in the drippings until carrots and mushrooms are a bit browned. Cut the chicken into rough chunks and add to vegetable mixture along with the herbs, then pour in the reduced wine mixture. Simmer about 10 minutes longer. Serve with potatoes.

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  ISBN-13: 9781488096877

  The Summer of Sunshine and Margot

  Copyright © 2019 by Susan Mallery, Inc.

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada.

  This is a w
ork of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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