The Friends We Keep

“Mallery has again created an engrossing tale of emotional growth and the healing power of friendship.”

—Library Journal on Three Sisters toodles

If you enjoyed your trip Mischief Bay, California, for The Friends We Keep, be sure to discover the first book in the Mischief Bay series, where three women learn that through romance and heartbreak, laughter and tears, life is richer with friends at your side:

The Girls of Mischief Bay

Available now!

“Mallery’s series debut is an emotional lesson in triumphs and tragedies, told in her iconic eloquent style.”

—RT Book Reviews on The Girls of Mischief Bay

Looking for more incredible stories of friendship from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery? Then you won’t want to miss a single chapter in the Blackberry Island trilogy, available now!

Barefoot Season Three Sisters Evening Stars

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Daughters of the Bride

by Susan Mallery





Chapter One


One of the advantages of being freakishly tall was easy access to those upper kitchen cabinets. The disadvantages...well, those were probably summed up by the word freakishly.

Courtney Watson folded her too-long legs under her as she tried to get comfortable in a chair incredibly low to the ground. Adjusting the height wasn’t possible. She was only filling in at the concierge desk while Ramona hurried off for yet another bathroom break. Apparently, the baby had shifted and was now reclining right on her bladder. From what Courtney could tell, pregnancy was a whole lot of work with an impressive dash of discomfort. The last thing she was going to do was change anything about the chair where Ramona spent a good part of her day. Courtney could pretend to be a pretzel for five minutes.

Late on a Tuesday evening, the lobby of the Los Lobos Hotel was quiet. Only a few guests milled around. Most were already up in their rooms, which was where Courtney liked the guests to spend their time at night. She wasn’t a fan of those who roamed. They got into trouble.

The elevator doors opened and a small, well-dressed man stepped out. He glanced around the lobby before heading directly to her. Well, not to her, she would guess. The concierge desk at which she sat.

Her practiced smile faltered a bit when she recognized Milton Ford, the current president of the California Organization of Organic Soap Manufacturing, aka COOOSM. Mr. Ford had arranged for the annual meeting to be held in town, and everyone was staying at the Los Lobos Hotel. Courtney knew that for sure—she’d taken the reservation herself. But the meetings, the meals and all the income that flowed from them were taking place at the Anderson House.

“Hello.” He looked at the name plate on the desk. “Uh, Ramona. I’m Milton Ford.”

Courtney thought about correcting him on her name, but figured there wasn’t much point. Despite his giving all that pretty catering money to one of their competitors, she would still do her job—or in this case, Ramona’s—to the best of her abilities.

“Yes, Mr. Ford. How may I help you this evening?” She smiled as she spoke, determined to be pleasant.

Even if Mr. Ford had decided to hold his stupid awards luncheon at the Anderson House instead of in the hotel’s very beautiful and spacious ballroom, Courtney would do her best to make sure his stay and the stays of his colleagues were perfect.

Her boss would tell her not to be bitter, so Courtney returned her smile to full wattage and promised herself that when she was done with Mr. Ford, she would head to the kitchen for a late-night snack of ice cream. It would be an excellent reward for good behavior.

“I have a problem,” he told her. “Not with the rooms. They’re excellent as always. It’s the, ah, other facility we’ve booked.” “The Anderson House.” She did her best not to spit the words.

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid there are...bees.”

Now the problem wasn’t a lack of smiling but the issue of too much of it. Joyce, her boss, would want her to be professional, she reminded herself. Glee, while definitely called for, wasn’t polite. At least not to Mr. Ford’s face. Bees! How glorious.

“I hadn’t heard they were back,” she said sympathetically.

“They’ve had bees before?”

“Every few years. They usually stay outside of town, but when they come into the city limits, they like the Anderson House best.”