by Jane Green
“I’m going to return the invitation with one of my own.” Topher was astounded to hear the flirtation in his voice. It had been so long since he was attracted to someone, so long since he had flirted that he thought he had forgotten how to do it. He had not forgotten.
“If you’re not doing anything Sunday morning, I’m helping friends out with a new breakfast spot opening. You should come,” said Topher. “It’s in Bruton. The old tearoom.”
“Ye Olde Tea Roomes?” Roger laughed. “Of course I know that place! It’s around the corner from me. I walk past it every day and I’ve been dying to know what it’s becoming. I heard it was going to be an American-style diner, which didn’t sound right.”
“It may not sound right for Somerset, but that’s exactly what it is. Come and join us on Sunday, and I guarantee you’ll eat the best banana pancakes you’ve ever had in your life.”
“You’ll be there?”
“I promised them I’d work during the grand opening, so I’ll be there, but I’ll be working.”
Roger narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t a date, is it?”
“Why, no! It’s just banana pancakes,” said Topher, smiling as Roger chuckled.
“Give me your number.” Roger took a streamlined leather notepad out of his pocket.
“That’s very old-fashioned of you,” said Topher, admiring the notepad. “No phone?”
“I’ll put it into my phone later,” he said. “That’s a promise. And I’ll phone you later to confirm the dinner party. Does that sound okay?”
“That sounds fine,” said Topher, using all the acting skills he had to hide the fact that he was bursting with an excitement he hadn’t felt in months. Possibly years.
fifty-five
- 2019 -
Maggie was wearing an old smock, touching up the paint around the windows. Topher had finished the painting, but was useless at cutting in, which she only discovered when he finished. It was such a small job that it got put off until now, which was irritating only because they were opening on Sunday morning, and it would have been lovely not to be on a ladder, painting in corners at the last minute.
They learned that Topher was very good at starting jobs, and not very good at finishing them. He had gone into a digging frenzy when Jack first arrived, digging two and a half beds in the garden before getting bored, tired, or some combination of the two, and leaving it looking like hell for the next two months. He refused to bring anyone in to finish it off, saying he was determined to do it himself, but the garden design course then ate up all his time.
Eventually he found a gardening team, and now the garden was exquisite, not to mention the clipped hedgerow down the lane that had made all the neighbors so happy, they were now invited over for cocktails on a regular basis.
In fact, Emily Sullivan had proved something of a godsend in letting the world know about the diner. Because she was in PR in a former life, and ran a local mums’ group on Facebook (“like mumsnet,” she said, “only hyperlocal”), she tapped into every young mother for miles. She featured the diner and got them to offer a kids’ special during the week—smiley-face chocolate chip pancakes and an organic fruit juice for every harried mother who didn’t know how she’d get through the mornings, and a clown who walked from table to table entertaining the young guests. Emily organized a series of “experts” who gave weekly talks to the mums on, essentially, how to stay sane during those early years. She also came up with the idea of renting the space out in the evening for mums’ nights out. Maggie and Evvie had no idea what they would have done without her.
Maggie finished the last of the dodgy paint areas and stepped down.
“What do you think?” she called out. “Does it look okay?”
Evvie came out from the kitchen, where she’d been making the batter for the pancakes and waffles and soaking the saltfish for the fritters. She stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, and looked around the room. That dark old tearoom, with the beams that were almost black, and the popcorn ceiling, had been transformed into two open-plan, light, bright modern rooms, leading into a conservatory at the back. One wall was horizontal planking; another was chalkboard paint with a low shelf filled with chalk to keep children occupied while their parents ate. The ceiling was now beadboard, the original old beams limewashed, with retro black-and-white photographic prints hanging on the walls.
There was bench seating along one side, the cushions covered in retro red vinyl, with thick modern shelves above, filled with kitsch Americana food items, flour packages, and cookie tins, many from the fifties and sixties with the distinctive type, all of it sourced by Evvie on eBay.
On the other side were diner-type booths, and in the middle, on the wide-planked floor, now limewashed, were tables and red metal chairs. It was part fifties diner, part modern café, and every time Evvie walked in here, she felt a surge of pride at what she and Maggie had created.
Particularly because it so nearly didn’t happen. The day after Maggie decided to forgive Evvie, they both came to see the tearoom, and Maggie had looked at Evvie after five minutes and said, “I’m in, if you still want a partner.”
With that partnership came their friendship. It started slowly, a little more formal than it had been previously, but they worked well together, and they understood each other, their strengths and their faults. And they shared a love of Jack, for Maggie and Jack had become close, and Evvie found that she no longer worried about being replaced, was happy for Jack that he had found the family she had never been able to provide on her own.
Three months ago she moved back into the manor house, into her old bedroom, and although she never would have believed this, coming through the betrayal had made their friendship stronger. These people weren’t just her friends, thought Evvie, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking at the tearoom and at Maggie, blinking tears away; they were her family.
“You’re not getting sentimental on me, are you?” Maggie laughed from the other side of the room, noticing the tears.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Look at what we’ve done, Maggie. Who would have thought?”
“Especially given the history we’ve had over the past year.”
“Especially because of that, but it’s not just that, it’s all of it.” Evvie shook her head in disbelief. “I feel like I’ve lived fifty lifetimes, and none of them fit me, none of them have felt right, until this one. I left college thinking I would make my home back in the States because that’s where I started, and I ended up in Connecticut, trying so hard to make it feel like home, but it wasn’t. I always felt displaced. I kept thinking that even though I missed England, I missed the England I lived in when we were at university, not the England of today, and I didn’t think I could ever go back. But when we all found each other again . . . it was the first time in my life that I felt like I’d found my home.”
Maggie walked over and put an arm around her waist, laying her head briefly on Evvie’s shoulder. “I know. I feel the same. Not about being displaced, but nothing in my life went the way I expected it to. I can’t say Ben wasn’t a good man. He was ill. He was an alcoholic, and I carried the secrets for him. We did have some good times, when he wasn’t drinking, but there was no way I could adopt children and bring them into that. I never told him that was why I was so anti-adoption. Maybe if I had, he would have stopped drinking. I just don’t know. I’ll never know, but I forgive myself for that. I honestly didn’t think I would ever have any color in my life again. And now I have all of you, and I have Jack.”
“Jack.” Evvie smiled. “What would we do without our boy?”
“Speak of the devil,” said Maggie as the bell rang and the door swung open. Jack strode in, already getting his iPad Pro out of his messenger bag.
“I’ve set up the social media accounts.” He grinned, opening the iPad and sitting on one of the banquettes as Maggie and Evvie sat opposite him, bo
th looking at him adoringly.
Jack looked up at each of them and burst into laughter. “Can you stop gazing at me like that? It’s creepy.”
“We can’t help it,” said Maggie.
“We love you,” said Evvie.
“I love you both as well, but we’ve got work to do.” Jack was distracted, immersed in his iPad, tapping away as Maggie and Evvie caught each other’s eye and smiled.
“So I gave the name to one of my mates who’s a graphic designer . . .” Evvie suppressed a small smile. Since Jack had been living here, he had filled his speech with Briticisms. Mate, she thought, was not a word he had ever even thought of a year ago.
“I told him we wanted a retro Americana kind of thing, and he sent this over this morning. I changed it on Insta and I’m going to set up a Facebook page, but it looks really good. Here. What do you think?” He swung the screen around to show a circle design, with three small stars and the title of the diner in heavy block writing.
“My Two Moms,” Maggie read, smiling. “I love it.”
“It looks fantastic,” said Evvie. “It’s perfect.” And she took Maggie’s hand under the table and squeezed it hard.
The bell rang again, and Topher walked in.
“I know, I know, I’m late,” Topher said, stopping and looking around. “Maggie! You finished the paint. You did a much better job than I ever could.” He grimaced. “Big ideas, bad follow-through. I’m sorry I get so distracted.”
“If I didn’t know you so well, I’d be cross. Luckily I forgive you. Next time I’ll only have you design the garden.”
“I did do a good job on the garden, didn’t I?” Topher wandered over to the French doors at the back and looked out. It was a small courtyard, surrounded by high stone walls, with terra-cotta pots now attached to the walls at various heights, herbs spilling out of some, silver helichrysum out of others, dark green vinca out of still others. It was simple and beautiful and softened the stone walls, bringing them to life. Square black planters anchored each corner, a long community table was at the back, and a few other bleached teak tables were dotted around.
“The yard looks great.” Jack wandered to the back and looked out. “The whole thing looks awesome. Are you ready?” He turned around and looked at Maggie and Evvie.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” said Maggie.
“We’re going to kill it.” Evvie smiled.
Topher walked over and put his arms around Maggie and Evvie, the group huddling by the window, each of them smiling.
“Come on, Jack,” Evvie called over. “It’s time for a group hug.”
“I don’t do hugs,” said Jack, but he was already taking a step toward them.
“I used to say that, too, but I changed,” said Topher, shooting a grin at the girls. “You have to do this one.” He extended an arm to Jack. “We’re not giving you a choice.”
“Oh all right,” grumbled Jack. Behind his pretend frown was a smile and a huge amount of love.
“See?” said Evvie. “This is what it’s all about. Because we are a family.”
Readers Guide
The Friends We Keep
Jane Green
questions for discussion
1. The novel opens with Ben’s point of view, and we see that he wants to change for the better. Do you think there could have been redemption for him, or was it far too late at that point?
2. One of the inspirations behind the story was the author’s realization that many women are leading lives far more isolated than they ever anticipated. Is this true for you, and if so, why?
3. Evvie commits an act of betrayal against Maggie, but Maggie is able to forgive her in the end. Do you think you could forgive Evvie? Why do you think Maggie can? What would you have done in Maggie’s position? In Evvie’s position?
4. Have you ever lost touch with your old and close friends and then seen them again? What did that feel like? How did time change—or not change—your relationships?
5. If you haven’t gotten in touch with old friends, why haven’t you? Do you want to do it? Or are you glad you haven’t?
6. Is a shared history enough to sustain a real friendship? What are the elements required of a true friend?
7. The story is told through the points of view of Evvie, Maggie, and Topher. Do these different perspectives allow you to sympathize with each of the characters despite their flaws? Who can you relate to the most?
8. Evvie has a history of being around men who are abusive, both emotionally and physically. Is it possible for her to break the pattern to find a good partner, and if so, how? What about Maggie? Do you think Topher will find love in the end too?
9. If you were in Jack’s position, how do you think you’d feel after finding out the truth? Would you have behaved the way Jack did? Why and why not?
10. Topher, Maggie, and Evvie decide to move in together after the ordeals they’ve all endured. As they continue to live together, what do you think the dynamic will be like, especially with Evvie and Maggie going into business together? Do you think they’ll always live together or separate again someday?
about the author
A former journalist in the UK and a graduate of the International Culinary Center in New York, Jane Green has written many novels (including Jemima J, The Beach House, Falling, and, most recently, The Sunshine Sisters), most of which have been New York Times bestsellers, and one cookbook, Good Taste. Her novels are published in more than twenty-five languages, and she has over ten million books in print worldwide. She lives with her husband and a small army of children and animals.
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