The
Friendship List : A Novel
Susan
Mallery
On Sale Date: August 4, 2020
9781335136961, 1335136967
Hardcover
$26.99 USD, $33.50 CAD
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
384 pages
ABOUT
THE BOOK:
Already a worldwide success in mass market and
trade paperback formats, Susan Mallery’s newest hardcover is an emotional,
witty, and heartfelt story about two best friends who are determined to help
one another shake things up and live life to the fullest...only to discover
that possibilities are everywhere--especially in the most unexpected of places.
Ellen and Unity have been best friends
basically since birth, but they couldn’t be more different. Unity married her
childhood sweetheart just after high school and became an Army wife, moving
from base to base…until her husband's shocking death in the line of duty leaves
her a widow. Grief-stricken, it’s time for Unity to come back home to Ellen—the
only person she can trust to help her rebuild her life. But Ellen has troubles
of her own. Boys never seemed to notice Ellen…until one got her pregnant in
high school and disappeared. Her son is now 17 and she’s wondering what to do
with herself now that he’s heading off to college and he's literally her entire
world.
But now that Ellen and Unity are reunited,
they’re done with their stale lives. It’s time to shake things up and start
living again, knowing that they'll always have one another to lean on. So they
create a list of challenges they have to accomplish--everything from getting a
tattoo to skydiving to staying out all night. And whoever completes the most
challenges is the winner. But with new adventures and love just around the
corner, there’s no such thing as losing…
BUY
LINKS:
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“I should have married money,” Ellen Fox said
glumly. “That would have solved all my problems.”
Unity Leandre, her best friend, practically
since birth, raised her eyebrows. “Because that was an option so many times and
you kept saying no?”
“It could have been. Maybe. If I’d ever, you
know, met a rich guy I liked and wanted to marry.”
“Wouldn’t having him want to marry you be an
equally important part of the equation?”
Ellen groaned. “This is not a good time for
logic. This is a good time for sympathy. Or giving me a winning lottery ticket.
We’ve been friends for years and you’ve never once given me a winning lottery
ticket.”
Unity picked up her coffee and smiled. “True,
but I did give you my pony rides when we celebrated our eighth birthdays.”
A point she would have to concede, Ellen
thought. With their birthdays so close together, they’d often had shared
parties. The summer they’d turned eight, Unity’s mom had arranged for pony
rides at a nearby farm. Unity had enjoyed herself, but Ellen had fallen in love
with scruffy Mr. Peepers, the crabby old pony who carried them around the
paddock. At Ellen’s declaration of affection for the pony, Unity had handed
over the rest of her ride tickets, content to watch Ellen on Mr. Peepers’s wide
back.
“You were wonderful about the pony rides,”
Ellen said earnestly, “And I love that you were so generous. But right now I
really need a small fortune. Nothing overwhelming. Just a tasteful million or
so. In return, I’ll give back the rides on Mr. Peepers.”
Unity reached across the kitchen table and
touched Ellen’s arm. “He really wants to go to UCLA?”
Ellen nodded, afraid if she spoke, she would
whimper. After sucking in a breath, she managed to say, “He does. Even with a
partial scholarship, the price is going to kill me.” She braced herself for the
ugly reality. “Out-of-state costs, including room and board, are about
sixty-four thousand dollars.” Ellen felt her heart skip a beat and not out of
excitement. “A year. A year! I don’t even bring home that much after taxes. Who
has that kind of money? It might as well be a million dollars.”
Unity nodded. “Okay, now marrying money makes
sense.”
“I don’t have a lot of options.” Ellen pressed
her hand to her chest and told herself she wasn’t having a heart attack. “You
know I’d do anything for Coop and I’ll figure this out, but those numbers are
terrifying. I have to start buying lottery scratchers and get a second job.”
She looked at Unity. “How much do you think they make at Starbucks? I could
work nights.”
Unity, five inches taller, with long straight
blond hair, grabbed her hands. “Last month it was University of Oklahoma and
the month before that, he wanted to go to Notre Dame. Cooper has changed his
mind a dozen times. Wait until you go look at colleges this summer and he
figures out what he really wants, then see who offers the best financial aid
before you panic.” Her mouth curved up in a smile. “No offense, Ellen, but I’ve
tasted your coffee. You shouldn’t be working anywhere near a Starbucks.”
“Very funny.” Ellen squeezed her hands.
“You’re right. He’s barely seventeen. He won’t be a senior until September. I
have time. And I’m saving money every month.”
It was how she’d been raised, she thought. To
be practical, to take responsibility. If only her parents had thought to
mention marrying for money.
“After our road trip, he may decide he wants
to go to the University of Washington after all, and that would solve all my
problems.”
Not just the money ones, but the loneliness
ones, she thought wistfully. Because after eighteen years of them being a team,
her nearly grown-up baby boy was going to leave her.
“Stop,” Unity said. “You’re getting sad. I can
see it.”
“I hate that you know me so well.”
“No, you don’t.”
Ellen sighed. “No, I don’t, but you’re
annoying.”
“You’re more annoying.”
They smiled at each other.
Unity stood, all five feet ten of her, and
stretched. “I have to get going. You have young minds to mold and I have a
backed-up kitchen sink to deal with, followed by a gate repair and something
with a vacuum. The message wasn’t clear.” She looked at Ellen. “You going to be
okay?”
Ellen nodded. “I’m fine. You’re right. Coop
will change his mind fifteen more times. I’ll wait until it’s a sure thing,
then have my breakdown.”
“See. You always have a plan.”
They walked to the front door. Ellen’s mind
slid back to the ridiculous cost of college.
“Any of those old people you help have money?”
she asked. “For the right price, I could be a trophy wife.”
Unity shook her head. “You’re thirty-four. The
average resident of Silver Pines is in his seventies.”
“Marrying money would still solve all my
problems.”
Unity hugged her, hanging on tight for an
extra second. “You’re a freak.”
“I’m a momma bear with a cub.”
“Your cub is six foot three. It’s time to stop
worrying.”
“That will never happen.”
“Which is why I love you. Talk later.”
Ellen smiled. “Have a good one. Avoid
spiders.”
“Always.”
When Unity had driven away, Ellen returned to
the kitchen where she quickly loaded the dishwasher, then packed her lunch.
Cooper had left before six. He was doing some end-of-school-year fitness
challenge. Something about running and Ellen wasn’t sure what. To be honest,
when he went on about his workouts, it was really hard not to tune him out.
Especially when she had things like tuition to worry about.
“Not anymore today,” she said out loud. She
would worry again in the morning. Unity was right—Cooper was going to keep
changing his mind. Their road trip to look at colleges was only a few weeks
away. After that they would narrow the list and he would start to apply. Only
then would she know the final number and have to figure out how to pay for it.
Until then she had plenty to keep her busy.
She was giving pop quizzes in both fourth and sixth periods and she wanted to
update her year-end tests for her two algebra classes. She needed to buy
groceries and put gas in the car and go by the library to get all her summer
reading on the reserve list.
As she finished her morning routine and drove
to the high school where she taught, Ellen thought about Cooper and the college
issue. While she was afraid she couldn’t afford the tuition, she had to admit
it was a great problem to have. Seventeen years ago, she’d been a terrified
teenager, about to be a single mom, with nothing between her and living on the
streets except incredibly disappointed and angry parents who had been
determined to make her see the error of her ways.
Through hard work and determination, she’d
managed to pull herself together—raise Cooper, go to college, get a good job,
buy a duplex and save money for her kid’s education. Yay her.
But it sure would have been a lot easier if
she’d simply married someone with money.
*
“How is it possible to get a C- in Spanish?”
Coach Keith Kinne asked, not bothering to keep his voice down. “Half the
population in town speaks Spanish. Hell, your sister’s husband is Hispanic.” He
glared at the strapping football player standing in front of him. “Luka, you’re
an idiot.”
Luka hung his head. “Yes, Coach.”
“Don’t ‘yes, Coach’ me. You knew this was
happening—you’ve known for weeks. And did you ask for help? Did you tell me?”
“No, Coach.”
Keith thought about strangling the kid but he
wasn’t sure he could physically wrap his hands around the teen’s thick neck. He
swore silently, knowing they were where they were and now he had to fix
things—like he always did with his students.
“You know the rules,” he pointed out. “To play
on any varsity team you have to get a C+ or better in every class. Did you
think the rules didn’t apply to you?”
Luka, nearly six-five and two hundred and
fifty pounds, slumped even more. “I thought I was doing okay.”
“Really? So you’d been getting better grades
on your tests?”
“Not exactly.” He raised his head, his
expression miserable. “I thought I could pull up my grade at the last minute.”
“How did that plan work out?”
“No bueno.”
Keith glared at him. “You think this is
funny?”
“No, Coach.”
Keith shook his head. “You know there’s not a
Spanish summer school class. That means we’re going to have to find an
alternative.”
Despite his dark skin, Luka went pale. “Coach,
don’t send me away.”
“No one gets sent away.” Sometimes athletes
went to other districts that had a different summer curriculum. They stayed
with families and focused on their studies.
“I need to stay with my family. My mom
understands me.”
“It would be better for all of us if she
understood Spanish.” Keith glared at the kid. “I’ll arrange for an online
class. You’ll get a tutor. You will report to me twice a week, bringing me
updates until you pass the class.” He sharpened his gaze. “With an A.”
Luka took a step back. “Coach, no! An A? I
can’t.”
“Not with that attitude.”
“But, Coach.”
“You knew the rules and you broke them. You
could have come to me for help early on. You know I’m always here for any of my
students, but did you think about that or did you decide you were fine on your
own?”
“I decided I was fine on my own,” Luka
mumbled.
“Exactly. And deciding on your own is not how
teams work. You go it alone and you fail.”
Tears filled Luka’s eyes. “Yes, Coach.”
Keith pointed to the door. Luka shuffled out.
Keith sank into his chair. He’d been hard on the kid, but he needed to get the
message across. Grades mattered. He was willing to help whenever he could, but
he had to be told what was going on. He had a feeling Luka thought because he
was a star athlete he was going to get special treatment. Maybe somewhere else,
but not here. Forcing Luka to get an A sent a message to everyone who wanted to
play varsity sports.
He’d barely turned to his computer when one of
the freshman boys stuck his head in the office. “Coach Kinne! Coach Kinne!
There’s a girl crying in the weight room.”
Keith silently groaned as he got up and jogged
to the weight room, hoping he was about to deal with something simple like a
broken arm or a concussion. He knew what to do for those kinds of things.
Anything that was more emotional, honest to God, terrified him.
He walked into the weight room and found a
group of guys huddled together. A petite, dark-haired girl he didn’t know sat
on a bench at the far end, her hands covering her face, her sobs audible in the
uneasy silence.
He looked at the guys. “She hurt?”
They shifted their weight and shook their
heads. Damn. So it wasn’t physical. Why didn’t things ever go his way?
“Any of you responsible for whatever it is?”
he asked.
More shaken heads with a couple of guys
ducking out.
Keith pointed to the door so the rest of them
left, then returned his attention to the crying girl. She was small and looked
young. Maybe fifteen. Not one of his daughter’s friends or a school athlete—he
knew all of them.
He approached the teen, trying to look
friendly rather than menacing, then sat on a nearby bench.
“Hey,” he said softly. “I’m Coach Kinne.”
She sniffed. Her eyes were red, her skin pale.
“I know who you are.”
“What’s going on?” Don’t be pregnant, don’t be
pregnant, he chanted silently.
More tears spilled over. “I’m pregnant. The
father is Dylan, only he says he’s not, and I can’t tell my m-mom because
she’ll be so mad and he said he l-loved me.”
And just like that Keith watched his Monday
fall directly into the crapper.
*
Keith left work exactly at three fifteen. He
would be returning to his office to finish up paperwork, supervise a couple of
workouts and review final grades for athletes hovering on the edge of academic
problems. But first, he had pressing personal business.
He drove the two short miles to his house,
walked inside and headed directly for his seventeen-year-old daughter’s room.
Lissa looked up from her laptop when he
entered, her smile fading as she figured out he was in a mood. Despite the
attitude, she was a beauty. Long dark hair, big brown eyes. Dammit all to
hell—why couldn’t he have an ugly daughter who no guy would look at twice?
“Hi, Dad,” she said, sounding wary. “What’s
up?”
“Spot check.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? There is
something wrong with you. I heard what happened at school today. I’m not dumb
enough to date a guy like Dylan who would tell a tree stump he loved it if it
would have sex with him. I’m not sleeping with anyone and I’m not pregnant. I
told you—I’m not ready to have sex, as in I’m still a virgin. You’re obsessed.
Would you feel better if I wore a chastity belt?”
“Yes, but you won’t. I’ve asked.”
“Da-ad. Why are you like this? Pregnancy isn’t
the worst thing that could happen. I could be sick and dying. Wouldn’t that be
terrible?”
“You can’t win this argument with logic. I’m
irrational. I accept that. But I’m also the parent, so you have to deal with me
being irrational.”
He pointed to her bathroom. She sighed the
long-suffering sigh of those cursed with impossible fathers and got up. He
followed her to the doorway and watched as she pulled the small plastic
container out of the bathroom drawer and opened it.
Relief eased the tension in his body. Pills
were missing. The right number of pills.
“You are a nightmare father,” his daughter
said, shoving the pills back in the drawer. “I can’t wait until I’m eighteen
and I can get the shot instead of having to take birth control pills. Then
you’ll only bug me every few months.”
“I can’t wait, either.”
“It’s not like I even have a boyfriend.”
“You could be talking to someone online.”
Her annoyance faded as she smiled at him.
“Dad, only one of us in this house does the online dating thing and it’s not
me.”
“I don’t online date.”
“Fine. You pick up women online, then go off
and have sex with them for the weekend. It’s gross. You should fall in love
with someone you’re not embarrassed to bring home to meet me.”
“I’m not embarrassed. I just don’t want
complications.”
“But you do want to have sex. It’s yucky.”
“Then why are we talking about it?” He pulled
her close and hugged her, then kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, Lissa. I
can’t help worrying about you.”
She looked up at him. “Dad, I’m taking my
pills every day, not that it matters because I’m not having sex. I’m not. I’ve
barely kissed a guy. Having you as my father makes it really difficult to date.
Guys don’t want to mess with you and risk being beat up.”
“Good.”
She smiled even as she hit him in the arm.
“You’re repressing my emotional growth.”
“Just don’t get pregnant.”
“You need to find a more positive message. How
about ‘be your best self?’”
“That, too. Gotta go.”
“I’m having dinner with Jessie tonight.
Remember?”
“No problem. Be home by ten.”
He got back in his truck but before starting
the engine, he quickly texted Ellen. I need a couple of beers and a friendly
ear. You around tonight?
The response came quickly. Only if you bring
fried chicken. I have beer and ice cream.
You’re on. See you at six.
Excerpted from The Friendship List by Susan Mallery,
Copyright © 2020 by Susan
Mallery, Inc.. Published by HQN.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times
bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's
lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the
master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic
situations," and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books
have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier
place to live.
Susan grew up in California and now lives in
Seattle with her husband. She's passionate about animal welfare, especially
that of the two Ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.
SOCIAL
LINKS:
Twitter: @susanmallery
Facebook: @susanmallery
Instagram: @susanmallery
Author website: https://www.susanmallery.com/
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