Chapter 30
The next day, Joanna woke up with her first hangover in decades. She held her head as she swung her feet out of bed. Then with a groan, she stood.
“I shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine,” she grumbled as she wandered to the shower.
She showered and dressed, then padded out to the kitchen in her slippers to find some paracetamol. Emily sat at the dining table with a laptop open in front of her. She glanced up with a smile.
“Good morning. Although, the morning is almost over. You must’ve been out late.”
Joanna groaned. “I need coffee and Panadol. Reverse the order.”
Emily laughed as she got to her feet. “Take a seat. I’ll get it for you. Are you hung over?”
Joanna sat at the table and dropped her head in her hands.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. What on earth did you ladies get up to last night?” Emily filled a glass with water and brought Joanna two capsules.
She swallowed them with a gulp. Then she took another swig of water. “Duncan is having an affair.”
“Oh, no. She’s sure?”
Joanna nodded. “We saw him.”
“Poor Gwen.”
“So, we stayed with her, ate and drank, and watched a movie. It was fun, but we’re sad for her, of course. I shouldn’t have had so much wine, though. I don’t usually drink more than a small glass. And now I’m paying for it.” She grunted.
“It was all for a good cause. I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“No bacon, please. I don’t think I could swallow it.”
“Eggs?”
“Yes, thanks.”
While Emily was cooking, Joanna’s phone rang. She picked it up and forced a smile onto her face. She found that when she smiled, her voice sounded more friendly, and she wasn’t feeling friendly. “Hello, this is Jo.”
“Joanna, it’s Bobbie. How are you?”
“I’m great, Bobbie. How are you? I hope the manuscript looks good.”
“It’s great. I’m calling to let you know that the initial round of edits are underway and I’ll be sending you some notes shortly.”
They chatted a little more about the book and next steps. Then Joanna hung up the phone. “We’ll be getting some initial notes back on the first draft of the manuscript soon. I’ll have to set aside some time to focus on it when it comes through.”
“Let me know how I can help,” Emily said.
Joanna wandered to the office to check her email. When she returned, her eggs were sitting on a piece of toast waiting for her. Fried the way she liked them, with the yolk still runny.
“It’s in the inbox, and the comments are positive!” she said, excitement buzzing in her gut and her hangover forgotten. “There’s nothing that beats the feeling of finishing a book except perhaps having your editor rave about it.”
“I have to say I agree,” Emily replied. “This was my first book, and I enjoyed the experience.”
“Did you? I’m glad.”
“It was a lot more work than I realised it would be, though.”
Joanna laughed. “It always is.”
After breakfast, there was a knock at the door. When Joanna opened it, Debbie and Gwen were there. Gwen held up a bottle of champagne.
“It’s time to celebrate,” Debbie said. “We brought champagne! We thought we should celebrate the cookbook. We never really took the time to appreciate what we achieved.”
“Oh, wow. Come on in,” Joanna said. “I don’t think I can drink today, but I appreciate the effort.”
“It’s non-alcoholic,” Gwen replied.
“Perfect,” Joanna said.
“Bobbie loves it!” Debbie declared as she set a box of chocolates on the counter. “I assume you all got the email. I’m so proud of us.”
“Yes! Me too,” Joanna said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. TheSunshine Potluck Society Cookbook will be on its way to bookshelves across the world before we know it.”
“It’s so exciting,” Gwen said.
“Are you sure you want to celebrate today?” Joanna asked.
Gwen popped the top of the champagne with a laugh. “Anything to get my mind off my marriage. Yes, please!”
Emily joined them as they each filled a glass. Then they held them high and clinked them together.
“Cheers!” Emily said.
“To our cookbook,” Joanna added.
“To our cookbook!” they all agreed.