Four Friends

by Robyn Carr

  “I know, but I’ve tempered it a lot lately and now it’s just for fun.”

  “We’ll see,” he said, because in point of fact, he’d let them hurl him off the Golden Gate Bridge if it made her laugh, tease and take her clothes off. He squeezed her and kissed her neck.

  “I’m not sure this is normal,” she said to him. “We’re having sex like teenagers. I honestly don’t remember anything like this when we were much, much younger. When we were much less flabby and creaky.”

  He laughed. “It may not look as pretty as it used to, but it sure works for me.”

  “Look,” she said, stiffening enough to pull away slightly.

  Across the park, a big gold SUV had pulled up and double-parked. Connie and a man Gerri assumed was her husband walked into the park. Andy and Bob spied them and greeted them.

  Phil and Gerri watched while they seemed to chat awhile. Andy ran off and returned with BJ and again there was chatting. Then Connie reached for BJ’s hand. She held it while she talked to her.

  “It’s happening,” Gerri whispered. “What I told you about. Connie’s guesthouse.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Phil cautioned, pulling her against his side.

  But then BJ put two fingers in her mouth and let out a powerful whistle that brought her two children instantly to her side. BJ made introductions. Connie bent slightly to smile into their faces and say hello. Then they all went to the double-parked SUV—BJ and her kids, Andy and Bob.

  “Oh, God,” Gerri said. “It’s really happening.”

  “Stay calm,” Phil said. “Nothing has happened yet.”

  “But Connie is taking them to her house, to see it, to talk about it. If she’d decided against it, she wouldn’t come to meet her, chat with her and then leave to think about it some more.”

  “There will still be negotiating,” Phil reminded her. “It might not be right for them. I mean, it could be, but...”

  “No! Andy and Bob will help make this happen. Oh, by the way, I said I’d give any help that BJ would accept. If that means subsidizing rent, I’m committed.” She turned to look into his eyes. “I feel strongly about that.”

  “That’s okay,” he said. “If we can beat this dickhead Carter, there will be a raise involved.”

  She laughed. “And I already spent it. That must make you very happy with me.”

  “You spent it on keeping our guesthouse. I don’t know how long I can live with the idea of that little old lady who owns the place—who probably has a nanny cam or something in there—figuring out we have it just for sex. It’s kind of kinky, don’t you think? We could get a sailboat and hardly ever sail.”

  “I’d be willing to talk about that. After the election.”

  “The election is two years away!”

  Gerri laughed wickedly.

  “Listen, I have to come clean about something.”

  “Oh, Jesus!” she gasped. “What have you done now?”

  “I called Elizabeth,” he said. “I wanted to get to her before those political mongrels feasted on her. And she told me. How’d you find her?”

  Gerri smiled and said nothing.

  “You took her to lunch. You interviewed her?” he asked.

  She nodded and smiled.

  “You’re scary,” he said. “Whatever that was about, the affair, I’m cured.”

  “Good, because I’m on the alert now. And I’m watching. By the way, how did you find her?”

  “I have detectives.” He shrugged. “I have to find old employees all the time—to ask about cold-case files we’re pursuing. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “So,” Gerri said, “she told you everything?”

  “I don’t know. How long was your lunch?”

  “Two hours.”

  “Then she didn’t tell me everything—our conversation was ten minutes, tops. All she said was she was glad to know we’d worked out whatever kinks had us messed up and to tell you hello.”

  “I liked her,” Gerri said. “You’re not allowed to talk to her anymore...but I liked her. At least you have good taste. I thought I was going to meet some stupid bimbo in a nice package with no brains, no substance. That woman—she was pretty high quality.” She gave him a kiss. “I was actually impressed.”

  “I love you, Geraldine. You’re a pain in the ass, but you’re a damn sexy pain in the ass. It turned out I couldn’t settle for less. It turned out I couldn’t settle at all. It has to be you.”

  “Lucky for you, it’s going to be me. Only me. From now on.”

  “I can live with that,” he said. “You’re all I ever wanted.”

  “Phil,” she said, her voice husky and serious, “you’re the only man I’ve ever loved. I’m not about to give you up.”

  * * * * *

  Acknowledgments

  THIS NOVEL WAS a great joy and enormous fun to write. I wanted to look closely at extraordinary women facing ordinary problems, the kind that, if we haven’t faced them ourselves, our sisters or neighbors or best friends have. I’m never really sure how things are going to work out until I’ve written about them. To that end, I had a lot of early readers. I asked them all, how can I make this story richer? More real? Closer to the heart?

  And my early readers, my friends and experts and advisors, gave me wealth. My deepest gratitude for help in shaping this story goes to:

  Kate Bandy, PhD, Sharon Lampert, WHMP, Beki Keene, Jamie Prosser, Denise Nicholl, Lori Sokovan and Dee Mazzanti. Thanks also to Nancy Berland and Sarah Burningham for your valuable insights.

  Special thanks to my agent, Liza Dawson, to Harlequin’s wonderful Margaret Marbury and my amazing editor, Nicole Brebner—your support and encouragement means everything to me.

  And to my friend and colleague Kristan Higgins—your instincts and brilliant assistance worked miracles on the final draft. Thank you!

  Share the joys, heartbreaks, challenges and triumphs of the people who inhabit the small Oregon town of Thunder Point with #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr.

  If you loved Four Friends, be sure to check out the first four titles in Robyn Carr’s charming and unforgettable Thunder Point series: The Wanderer, The Newcomer, The Hero and The Chance, available now in ebook format.

  Be sure to also catch the Virgin River series – available now!

  Virgin River

  Shelter Mountain

  Whispering Rock

  A Virgin River Christmas

  Second Chance Pass

  Temptation Ridge

  Paradise Valley

  “Under the Christmas Tree” (novella)

  Forbidden Falls

  Angel’s Peak

  Moonlight Road

  “Midnight Confessions” (novella)

  Promise Canyon

  Wild Man Creek

  Harvest Moon

  Bring Me Home for Christmas

  Hidden Summit

  Redwood Bend

  Sunrise Point

  My Kind of Christmas

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  “Gritty and magical, angst-ridden and sweet, this coming-home story by bestseller Mallery pulls no punches.”

  —Publishers Weekly on Barefoot Season

  If you loved Four Friends by #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr, don’t miss the Blackberry Island novels, featuring Barefoot Season, Three Sisters and Evening Stars, by New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery. Available now!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

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arlequinBooks

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  FOUR

  FRIENDS

  Robyn Carr

  Reader’s Guide

  Questions for Discussion

  The four friends in this book are four women juggling the responsibilities facing many women today—family, friends, careers—while trying to maintain their own identities. Who do you most identify with and why?

  On the surface, Gerri has it all, yet something was missing in her marriage that she didn’t want to or wasn’t able to address. How difficult is it for men and women to have honest discussions about their sex lives and what they need to make them happy?

  Does the fact that Phil’s affair took place in the past lessen the impact on Gerri? Do you think she would have forgiven Phil if the affair was current?

  Would you be able to forgive your spouse for an infidelity? Do the circumstances matter, or is cheating always unforgivable?

  Is Gerri’s reaction to Jessie’s drunken situation reasonable? Does she overreact? Should she have been even more concerned, and perhaps called the police or taken her to the emergency room?

  Are you able to have open conversations with your children about sex and the risks involved, or are you uncomfortable and just hope for the best?

  Andy has a difficult situation to manage with her son being gay and his father rejecting him. How would you handle such a challenge?

  Does Gerri have the right to meet Phil’s mistress? Would you do it?

  Does the support of their friends make the difference for these women in the choices they eventually make? Does it help you to know that other women are facing challenges in their lives and marriages and to see that even perfect marriages have flaws?

  Are you able to discuss your sexual health with your doctor? Would it have made a difference to Gerri’s marriage if she’d been able to have that conversation when her menopause symptoms first started?

  Which one of the four friends would you want as your best friend?

  ISBN-13: 9781460328613

  FOUR FRIENDS

  Copyright © 2014 by Robyn Carr

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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