The Friends We Keep by Jane Green

Author:Jane Green
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-06-04T04:00:00+00:00

twenty-five

- 2009 -

You’ve done it again, haven’t you!” Karen threw her arms around Maggie. “Honestly, I don’t know what we did before you came along. What did we do without her, Pete?” She turned her head to her husband, standing in the doorway of the pub. “How did we manage?”

“Badly,” he shouted, coming over and patting Maggie awkwardly on the back as Karen released her.

“The village fete was perfectly fine before I came along,” Maggie said, flushing with pride because, although it was perfectly fine, it was really for the pensioners, and since Maggie got involved, the whole village now showed up.

It was Maggie’s idea to have a petting zoo and pony rides for all the small children in the village. There was already a baking competition, but Maggie redid the categories so it wasn’t all Black Forest Gateau and Victoria Sponge, but Puddings, Pies, Cakes, Biscuits, Pastry, and Bread (she had won the cake category two years in a row).

She gently suggested getting rid of the white elephant stand, given that it was usually filled with secondhand rubbish that no one wanted, and instead found local craftspeople to set up stalls, and her neighbor Emily, who was a graphic designer, designed beautiful flyers that they posted on everyone’s front door to ensure the best attendance ever.

“What did I do?” Maggie asked, laughing as she perched on a stool in the pub. Karen and Pete were the landlords, and had become Maggie’s closest friends through her involvement in the village fete. Even though they were a bit older, they had never had children, and as a result, Maggie never felt the need to explain. They didn’t ask, presuming perhaps that Maggie and Ben, like themselves, had chosen not to have children.

“You sweet-talked that grumpy old Charlie into donating his ice cream van for the day. Everyone’s over the moon! We’ve all been trying to get him to do it for years, but he always refused unless we paid him! How did you do it?”

Maggie grimaced. “I would love to tell you it was my beauty and charm, but I paid him. This is out of my own pocket though. It’s my donation to the cause.”

“As if you don’t already donate enough,” said Pete, pouring her a gin and tonic and sliding it over the bar. “What about you, love?” He turned to Karen. “Usual, or are you in the mood for something more exotic? Pineapple, perhaps?”

Karen and Maggie both caught each other’s eye and giggled. They had gone on a girls’ night out last week in Bath, and both had had far too much to drink. Karen had a penchant for piña coladas, and had been drinking them as if they were mother’s milk.

“I wish we had piña coladas here, if that’s what you’re implying,” said Karen, laughing. “Maybe we should do that? Have a cocktail night once a month? What do you think, Maggie? You and Ben would come, wouldn’t you?”

Maggie nodded, because Karen didn’t know about Ben’s drinking .

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