The Best We've Been
Page 32
“Your engagement party? It’s time to dismantle that Jenga tower of gifts in the family room.” I shook my head. “Tsk. And after all the hard work I put in arranging it.”
“Right.” Jillian smoothed her yellow empire-waist sundress down over her hips. “It’s been a wonderful party, Payton.”
“Thank you for saying so, but it’s not over yet.” I touched Jillian’s shoulder. “You’re really okay?”
She nodded so that the ends of her hair brushed against the back of my hand. “Yes. Nothing that won’t wait until Monday.”
I didn’t know why I’d asked. It wasn’t like Jillian would confide in me. We weren’t the “Will you keep a secret?” kind of sisters. “All right then. Why don’t you go find Geoff and I’ll bring you both some dessert? Do you want key lime, classic, or turtle cheesecake?”
Now it was my sister’s turn to shake her head. “I should skip it altogether. We’re going wedding dress shopping soon enough, and I know I’m going to look awful—”
“Oh, stop! Don’t become a weight-conscious bridezilla.” My comment earned the ghost of a laugh from my sister. “What’s wrong?”
“You know Mrs. Kenton?”
“Of course—the family friend who can get away with saying, ‘Oh, Payton, I knew you when . . .’ and does. Every time she sees me. She pull that on you tonight?”
Red stained my sister’s face. “No. She just said—in the nicest way possible, of course—that she hoped I’d lose a few pounds before the wedding.”
“And what did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Of course she didn’t. “Jillian—”
She waved away my words. “Forget I said anything.”
“It was rude.” And Mrs. Kenton, family friend or not, could forget about ever seeing the recipe she’d requested. “How about I bring you a small slice of each cheesecake? Calories don’t count at engagement parties, you know.”
“Really small slices?”
“I promise. This is a celebration. Your one and only engagement party.”
“You’re right.” Jillian stood, brushing her straight hair away from her face. “Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow . . . well, we’re not thinking about that, are we?”
“No, because tomorrow means playing catch-up for me. And prepping for next week.”
And Saturday morning breakfast with my family.
Something else I wasn’t thinking about.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.”
PSALM 115:1
THERE’S A STORY BEHIND every story, and that’s true for The Best We’ve Been. When Tyndale House Publishers accepted the Thatcher Sisters series, I knew a lot about Payton, the main character in book one, some about middle sister Jillian, and only a little bit about the controlling oldest sister, Johanna, who wouldn’t step front and center until book three. And now, here we are, wrapping up this series with Johanna’s story. Along the way, there have been so many changes in my real life, and there have been changes to my initial ideas for each one of these books, too. But there’s been one constant along the way: I’ve been encouraged and supported by so many different people. This is why writing the acknowledgments is one of my favorite parts of every book.
My family never fails me. Their love and support are constant, even as we go through our own life changes, including my husband, Rob, and I launching our youngest daughter, Christa, into college (and volleyball); our son, Josh, getting married and then he and his wife, Meagan, welcoming a newborn into their family of three children; our daughter Katie Beth and son-in-love Nate juggling full-time ministry with their two children; our daughter Amy and son-in-love David moving back to Colorado and taking up residence in our basement apartment; and my mother-in-law turning 101 years old. Whew! Family is the best.
My Tyndale House team: Jan Stob (acquisitions director) and Sarah Rische (editor): Thank you for ensuring The Best We’ve Been ended the Thatcher Sisters series better than what I originally imagined. At times, Sarah, you seemed to know the series better than I did.
No book is complete without the efforts of the marketing and publicity team, Colleen Gregorio (author relations), Andrea Garcia (marketing manager), Mariah León (publicist), and Elizabeth Jackson (acquisitions editor), who stepped in to help as needed.
Julie Chen (senior designer): I am so thankful you designed all the covers for this series. Once again, you created the perfect image for this book.
The daily text group/prayer group: Lisa Jordan, Melissa Tagg, Alena Tauriainen, Tari Faris, Susie May Warren, Rachel Hauck: Our morning texts start my days off right. Knowing we can turn to each other for encouragement and wisdom makes so much difference in my writing journey.
Gianna Nelson, my virtual assistant: You are gold, my dear. Absolute gold. You lighten my daily load and bring organization to my life—and beauty, too.
Rachelle Gardner: I’m honored to call you my agent and thankful we are friends, too. To know that you believe in me keeps me going on the days I forget “writing is not brain surgery.”
Advance readers: Jeanne Takenaka, Casey Herringshaw, Angie Arndt: Thank you for reading the first draft of this story, back when it was called “book three.” I know it was a sacrifice of your time, but I value your insights to help me improve Johanna’s story.
I’m grateful for a community of writing friends across the country whose support and creativity enrich my life and inspire me: Edie Melson, Carla Laureano, Cathy West, Cara Putman, Kristy Cambron, Amy Sorrells, Lindsay Harrel, Deborah Raney, Robin Lee Hatcher, Becky Wade, Denise Hunter, Cheryl Hodde, Colleen Coble, Katherine Reay, Tammy Alexander, Julie Lessman, Courtney Walsh, and Wendy Schoff.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BETH K. VOGT is a nonfiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind doors marked Never. The Best We’ve Been is the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters series with Tyndale House Publishers, following Things I Never Told You, which won the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, and Moments We Forget.
Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Weddings series published by Zondervan. Having authored ten contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there’s more to happily ever after than the fairy tales tell us.
An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Academy and also enjoys speaking to writers’ groups and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Best We’ve Been begins with Johanna facing an unwanted pregnancy, which opens up a myriad of issues: the sanctity of life, women’s choice, abortion, adoption, and the emotional tug-of-war between personal beliefs. What was your reaction to Johanna’s dilemma? How did you feel about her doctor’s approach to their first appointment? Have you ever clashed with someone else over deeply held beliefs? What was the result?
This story explores the question How can you choose what is right for you when your decision will break the heart of someone you love? How did this play out between Johanna and Jillian? If you’ve had to make a choice like this, how did you handle it?
Jillian struggles with her newfound faith because it doesn’t seem like God is answering her prayers. How do you react when your prayers aren’t answered the way you’d hoped? What would you say to a new believer who is struggling to trust God? Or to someone w
ho is bitter toward God because of how things have gone in their life?
Family roles often define us as we’re growing up: we’re the middle child or the athletic one or the quiet one. Several characters in this story comment on what it means to be adults and how sometimes family members don’t let us grow up—don’t recognize that we’ve changed from who we were as children. What has helped your family recognize that you are no longer a child? If they haven’t, how do you think you can help them see that you’re different?
There are some interesting—and humorous—scenes that show Payton struggling to fit in to the couples’ Bible study she and Zach attend. Have you ever been a newcomer to a group and found it hard to learn the “rules” and lingo? Or maybe you found yourself as the one using the insider language. What can we learn from both perspectives?
Johanna misinterpreted past events because she didn’t know all the details. As a result, she cut herself off from her family relationships and from playing the piano, a pursuit she loved. When have you looked back at an event or time and realized you had misjudged a situation or a person? What did you do about it?
In the Thatcher family, Johanna has always been in charge, Jillian has always been the mediator, and Payton has always believed that there was an invisible line separating her from Johanna and Jillian—that their relationship is stronger than one she could have with them. How do the sisters’ relationships change from the beginning of this book to the end?
The title The Best We’ve Been implies that things are good for Johanna, Jillian, and Payton—that their circumstances, possibly their relationships, have improved. But did their stories end the way you expected them to?
Jillian tells Geoff she wants to take a “time-out” from conversations about their future. Do you think this was a wise choice? How do you think the time-out could benefit them? Or what do you think they should’ve done instead?
As the story ends, Johanna and Beckett have found a friendly dynamic, but their relationship has no clear resolution. What do you think will happen for them in the future?
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