The Book Club Hotel(41)

Erica tapped her fingers on the wheel, impatient for the traffic to move. “What are you saying? That the decisions you make when you’re young dictate the rest of your life? That’s ridiculous. Not to mention restrictive. Some people change a lot between twenty and forty. Look at Jack. He didn’t train as a lawyer until he was thirty.”

Claudia was intrigued, and not only because it was unlike Erica to mention Jack except in relation to sex. “Really? I didn’t know that. What did he do before?”

Erica stared at the road ahead. “Medicine.”

“You’re kidding. He was a doctor? And he gave it up?”

“Yes and yes. It wasn’t for him. He could have carried on and made it his life, but instead he admitted he’d made a mistake and started again.”

“That’s a very brave thing to do,” Anna said.

“It is. But the point I’m making is that it’s never too late to do something different.”

“I like that.” Anna sat back in her seat. “I also like the fact that you and Jack do occasionally talk.”

“I never said we didn’t talk.”

“But you didn’t reveal that you’ve been sharing innermost secrets.”

Erica made an impatient sound. “Maybe you should be a romance novelist. There’s a gap in the market since Catherine Swift turned to crime.”

“You’re changing the subject,” Anna said. “I think there is far more to your relationship with Jack than you’re sharing.”

Noticing Erica’s shoulders tense, Claudia decided it was time to change the subject. “Any chance of stopping soon? I’ve lost the feeling in my legs.”

“Do you want to swap?” Anna was instantly generous. “I can sit in the back for a while.”

“That makes no sense,” Erica said. “You have longer legs than Claudia.”

“I used to have longer legs,” Claudia muttered, “but I’ve evolved over time to be able to squish into your vehicle. Darwinism or something. Survival of the shortest.”

They stopped for lunch at a little roadside diner with a revolving Christmas tree and copious twinkling lights.

“Don’t judge,” Erica said. “The reviews say the food is excellent.”

Trying not to wince at the tinny Christmas music playing in the background and the staff wearing reindeer antlers, Claudia ordered a simple grilled cheese sandwich.

Her low expectations were blown away at the first bite. She closed her eyes as she chewed. “Simple, but delicious. Local aged cheddar and heirloom tomatoes. When you have ingredients as good as this you don’t need to invent fancy dishes. Add a little mustard and a splash of bourbon and you elevate the flavor to something spectacular.” She heard muffled laughter and opened her eyes to see her friends grinning at her across the table. “What?”

Anna looked at Erica, who shrugged.

“If she can’t see it herself, then who are we to point it out?”

Claudia put her fork down. “Just because I can still appreciate good quality ingredients doesn’t mean I want to be a chef.”

“Of course it doesn’t. Could you pass the salt please, Anna?”

“With pleasure, Erica.” Anna passed the salt and Claudia sighed.

“You two are—”

“We’re what?” Erica emptied an unhealthy quantity of salt onto her already salted fries. “We’re good friends? I’d have to agree with that. How did you get so lucky?”

Claudia gave up. “I was going to say annoying.” She took another bite of her sandwich. “This is so good. I feel better than I have in months.”

Erica looked smug. “It’s our scintillating company.”

“Maybe, or maybe it’s being back on the east coast. Maybe I should move to Vermont. It would be perfect.”

Erica shuddered. “Not for me.”

Claudia asked the question that had been hovering in her brain. “If it’s not for you, why did you choose Vermont for our vacation?”

Erica carefully extracted the lettuce from her burger. “I chose it because it’s perfect for what we need for our week away. Cozy inn with snuggling potential, great food and a much praised wine cellar. And because I knew you two would love it, and I try and be a good friend.”

She’s not telling the truth, Claudia thought, but she knew from long experience that if Erica had something on her mind it always took her a while to tell them about it.

Anna was typing a message on her phone.

“Are you messaging Pete?” Claudia reached across to grab her phone but Anna held it out of reach. “It’s not even three hours since you saw him. Stop.”

“I forgot to remind him about Meg’s doctor appointment on Monday.” Anna pressed Send on the message and dropped her phone back on the table. “It’s so good being with you guys. This week is going to be great. We’re going to sleep, relax, build a snowman, and in the evenings we can settle down and sort out all our problems, like we used to do when we were twenty.”

Erica emptied some of her fries onto Claudia’s plate. “I don’t have problems.”

Anna beamed. “Good, then you’ll have more time to focus on ours.” She took a bite out of her burger and Claudia studied her for a moment.