The Friends We Keep(93)

“It’s time for your transformation,” Topher had said. “You’ve spent your life aging up, and now it’s time to age down.”

“I can’t look like mutton dressed as lamb,” she’d said, which cracked Topher up.

“Trust me,” he said. “I won’t put you in anything ridiculous.”

He spun around the shops, gathering clothes. Each time she emerged from the fitting room (he insisted on seeing everything), he clapped his hands in delight. Maggie felt vaguely ridiculous, but gorgeous, as if she were in a fancy dress she would never wear in real life. Despite herself she loved the black leather biker jacket, would never have thought to pair it with the chiffon maxiskirt, and even though the platform sneakers were the last thing she would ever have looked at, they were comfortable. For the first time since leaving Les Jolies all those years ago, Maggie looked, and felt, trendy.

They drove home, the car piled high with bags from H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Topshop, Maggie stunned at how much they had bought, worried that she would never wear anything.

She had worn everything, and felt beautiful in a way she never did when she was young, and photographs revealed she actually was beautiful.

Topher was right. Even if the reflection in the mirror was almost exactly the same (with better skin—that micro derma roller thing Topher insisted she buy in Boots really had made a difference), she no longer looked fifty going on sixty-two. This new Maggie could pass for forty. Evvie said thirty-eight. The new clothes, the vibrant hair color complete with a shoulder-length, choppy “lob” had made her feel young again and, dare she say it, sexy.

She pulled off the boots and put on the platform sneakers, slipped off the cashmere cardigan, and pulled on the faux fur vest. She grinned at herself before removing the pearl studs from her ears, replacing them with large red beaded hoops. Wiping off the clear lip gloss, she applied red lipstick and pulled her hair out of the bun, shaking it out.

I’m ready, she thought. Not just for the pub, but ready to start living again.





forty-two


- 2019 -



The unseasonal heat wave had given way to a chill in the air in the evenings, but the village had never felt more beautiful to Maggie, never felt more like home. She hadn’t strolled like this, to the pub, in years. She tried to avoid the pub when Ben was home, knowing a quick pint of beer would always end in a binge for him, but they did this in the early days, strolled down the lanes on a summer night. It felt even better now, with Topher and Evvie, and Scout on a lead.

Evvie was walking in front, wrapping her arms around herself, wishing she had brought a coat. “God, it’s chilly. When did it get so chilly?”

“Winter is coming,” said Topher, putting an arm through Evvie’s and squeezing her tight. “Better?”

“A bit.”

“Wait for us,” said Maggie as Scout stopped every few feet to sniff the unfamiliar smells. Maggie pretended to be irritated, but was clearly delighted at having a dog again.

“Oh, look!” Topher said as they rounded the corner and the pub came into view. “That’s like a picture postcard of what a pub should look like.”

It was true, the ivy-covered stone building was one of the prettiest for miles. Barrels of geraniums and fuchsias sat outside in summer, with hanging baskets everywhere. Now that autumn was well and truly in the air, the hanging baskets were starting to die off. The barrels were filled with box balls, and every window was alight with a warm, inviting glow.

Inside there was a huge inglenook fireplace with a blazing fire, low ceilings and beams that dated back to the sixteenth century. The bar was full, people perching on stools, bursts of laughter punctuating the air, but there were still empty tables.

“Maggie? Is that you?” Karen came toward her, tentatively at first, before flinging her arms around her.

“You’re back!” she said, holding her at arm’s length. “Look at you! You look like yourself again. Oh, Maggie. I’ve been so worried about you but I didn’t want to keep bothering you. I didn’t know what to do, but I’ve been thinking of you all this time.”

“I’ve been thinking of you too,” said Maggie. “I needed to remove myself for a while, but now I’m back.”

“And looking better than ever, might I say! Does this mean you’ll come back to us at the village fete? It hasn’t been the same without you.”

“I’ll definitely think about it,” said Maggie, introducing Karen to Topher and Evvie.

“These are my oldest friends,” she said as they all shook hands.

“Very nice to meet you all. Are you here for the weekend?” asked Karen.

“Not exactly,” said Topher.

“They’ve moved in with me,” said Maggie. “We all lived together at university and we’ve decided to live together again.”

“Now that is a good idea,” said Karen. “No wonder you look so good. I’ve been so worried about you, rattling around in that big old house by yourself. It’s grand to meet you all. We’ve got a lovely table by the fireplace that’s reserved but they’re late so why don’t you take it. I’ll move them if they show up.”

“I don’t think we’re going to have dinner,” Maggie said, looking at the others. But Topher had his gaze firmly fixed on a plate of fish and chips that was being carried out of the kitchen.