The Little Teashop on Main Read online

  A rainy-day ritual—a tea party between three little girls—becomes the framework of not only their friendship, but their lives.

  Redheaded, curly-haired Zoe is openhearted, kind and free-spirited, and dreams of becoming a famous actor in New York City. Shy Emily struggles with mental health but has the heart and soul of a writer. And Shannon—tall, athletic, strong—has a deep sense of loyalty that will serve her well when she heads off to military college.

  As Zoe, Emily and Shannon grow into women—forging careers, following dreams and finding love—they’ll learn that life doesn’t always unfold the way they want it to, but through it all, the one constant is each other, and their regular tea parties. And when the unthinkable happens, the girls must come together to face the greatest test of all.

  A deeply moving novel about the family that raises us, the hearts that nurture us and the great friendships that define our lives.

  Praise for Jodi Thomas

  “Compelling and beautifully written.”

  —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Ransom Canyon

  “You can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.”

  —Catherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author

  “Deeply poignant moments and artfully rendered characters create a rich story that transports readers to an idyllic place.”

  —Publishers Weekly on Mistletoe Miracles

  “Highly recommended.”

  —Library Journal, starred review, on Sunrise Crossing

  “[Sunrise Crossing] will warm any reader’s heart.”

  —Publishers Weekly, a Best Book of 2016

  “This is a novel that settles in the reader’s heart from the beginning to its satisfying end.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Mornings on Main, 4½ stars, Top Pick!

  “Thomas is a wonderful storyteller.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Rustler’s Moon

  “A fast pace and a truly delightful twist at the end.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Sunrise Crossing

  “A pure joy to read.”

  —RT Book Reviews on the Ransom Canyon series

  Also available from Jodi Thomas and HQN Books

  Mornings on Main

  Ransom Canyon Series

  Ransom Canyon

  Rustler’s Moon

  Lone Heart Pass

  Sunrise Crossing

  Wild Horse Springs

  Indigo Lake

  Mistletoe Miracles

  Winter’s Camp (ebook novella)

  A Christmas Affair (ebook novella)

  JODI THOMAS

  The Little Teashop on Main

  Contents

  Foreword

  Part I: 1988–2001

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Part II: Spring 2004

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Part III: January 2005

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Part IV: Summer 2013

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Fall 2018

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Excerpt from Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas

  foreword

  * * *

  november 2018

  Jack Hutchinson

  A rare fog rolls across Cemetery Road, promising rain, as it whispers of a cold winter to come. I step through a broken gate, refusing to look at the graves. Wild buffalo grass, already stiff and colorless, waves me in. I scan first left, then right, searching, knowing what I will find.

  People say a man can never completely know a woman. Men are not wired the same way as they are. But I knew three such creatures. Have all my life.

  As I move through the neglected garden of stones, I make out two of those women, dressed in black.

  I freeze, not wanting to get too close. This isn’t my world. It belongs to them alone. They’ve never bid me into their circle, and I know I can only observe now.

  One spreads a blanket on the ground beside a grave. Another begins to set out cups and a tiny pot. Forever Tea, I think. I’ve never been invited to join in, but I know the ritual well.

  Three women pledged together in friendship. Two of them now saying goodbye to one they’ve loved closer than a sister.

  Maybe I should tell their story. Maybe I’m the only one who can. After all, I’m the one who loved all three. Always have. Probably will through eternity.

  But I don’t fool myself. They don’t belong to me.

  If anything, I guess, I belong to them.

  Part I: 1988–2001

  one

  * * *

  Zoe

  Princess Tea Party

  Zoe O’Flaherty danced on the tile floor of the sunroom as if it were a grand stage. Her sun-streaked red hair floated like a cape as it brushed against multicolored geraniums in full late summer bloom.

  In her five-year-old mind, today was a perfect day, even if it was raining outside. The best day in her life. Better than Christmas or even Halloween.

  Today, Zoe was having her first real tea party. Mommy—or Alex, as grown-ups called her—had decorated with paper stars hanging from the ceiling fan, and she’d bought a Cinderella tea set. They’d made heart-shaped peanut butter sandwiches and tiny cupcakes with a cherry on top of each one. Chocolate kisses sprinkled across the short table with three child-sized plastic chairs. A small box sat on each plate filled with diamond rings as big as suckers and plastic necklaces.

  “Now, Zoe, settle down,” Mommy said for the magillianth time. “You’ve got to welcome both girls when they arrive. You’re the hostess today. I’ll be in the kitchen with the mothers.”

  “I know. I know.” She twirled. When she was a dancer someday, she’d never stop twirling.

  The doorbell rang. Zoe squealed and darted to the door, her pink princess dress flying around her so lightly she could almost believe it was made of cotton candy.

  “Hi,” she said, as a princess dressed in purple floated one step inside the house.

  The mother behind her pushed the thin little girl forward. “You must be Zoe. I’m Mrs. Waters and this is my daughter Emily.
She’s going to be in your kindergarten class. And I, for one, thank your mother for putting this party together so it won’t be too frightening for you girls next week. Emily will have two friends she knows in that petrifying environment.”

  Zoe leaned down when Emily didn’t look up. This new princess had long brown braids and fear in her chocolate eyes.

  Princess Emily sniffled, hugging herself as if she were cold.

  Zoe had never thought about being afraid to go to kindergarten. Or that there would be someone who didn’t want to come to a tea party, but this purple princess did not look happy. “I’ve never had a tea party with anything but dolls. Have you?”

  Brown braids slapped against Emily’s wet cheeks as she shook her head.

  “I like your dress,” Zoe whispered. The new princess still didn’t look up, but her mother stretched her neck and looked around their room as if she were inspecting the small home.

  “Interesting house,” Mrs. Waters said, her face wrinkling as if she smelled something unpleasant.

  Emily finally raised her head and smiled a tiny bit. “I like your dress, too, Zoe.”

  Mommy came out of the kitchen and took Mrs. Waters away. Zoe was glad. She was probably nice, but if she’d brought a basket of apples like the queen in Snow White, Zoe wouldn’t have eaten one.

  She took Emily’s hand and pulled her to the play table that was set for tea. “Do you like peanut butter sandwiches?”

  “Yes, but I don’t like my crown. It’s too big.” Emily leaned sideways and it fell off. “My mommy says I’ll never find a prince if I don’t keep my crown on.”

  “Mine’s too small.” Zoe shook her red curls and the crown bounced atop her head. “And I don’t want to find a prince. My mommy says I don’t have to find one if I don’t want to. She told me sometimes you have to kiss a frog to get one.”

  Both girls giggled and switched crowns as Zoe’s mommy answered the doorbell.

  The princesses turned to watch the third little girl come into view. She was taller than them, had a wrinkled dress and no crown. A man in a dark uniform stood behind her, frowning. He was dressed like a soldier and made no move to enter the sunroom, but his hand rested on his daughter’s shoulder as if he were on guard.

  “My wife told me I had to bring Shannon here for an hour today. Sorry I’m late. It took a while to find the dress.”

  Zoe stared at the man. Her mommy wasn’t married, so she was rarely around men, but this one looked like he might growl at any moment, and she didn’t want him at her tea party.

  Mommy smiled a sad kind of smile. “You’re welcome to come have coffee in the kitchen while the girls have their party, Sergeant Morell.”

  The man raised an eyebrow. “No thanks. How about I come get my daughter in one hour?”

  “That sounds fine.” Mommy smiled at Shannon and led her to the decorated table. She introduced each princess and told them to have a great time.

  Only when Mommy left, Shannon started crying, and the tea Zoe had looked forward to didn’t seem much like a party. One of her special guests was crying, and the other’s cheeks were still wet with tears. Zoe decided she was the worstest hostess ever.

  “Are you sick?” Zoe asked, guessing if the new princess was sick, the party would probably be over.

  Shannon shook her head. “My mommy left my daddy and me this morning.”

  Emily whispered, “Is she coming back home? Maybe she just went to the store?”

  “No. She packed her big suitcase, then slammed her keys on the table like they were too hot to hold in her hand. She didn’t even help me find my crown. She said she couldn’t look at me. It hurt too much.”

  Zoe remembered what her mommy told her about being a hostess. She pulled off her crown and gave it to Shannon. “I have another one made of flowers. I’ll wear it and be the flower princess.”

  By the time she got back from digging in her closet to find the ring circled with plastic daisies, Shannon and Emily were giggling. They’d put cherries inside the sandwiches and couldn’t wait to have Zoe taste them.

  A stem stuck out between the slices of bread, but Zoe played along, acting surprised. Then she poured the lemonade tea, and they all tried it with a Hershey’s Kiss dropped into each plastic cup.

  As the hour passed, the girls tried on each other’s dresses, traded crowns several times and ate all the goodies. They hugged goodbye, all begging to have a tea party every rainy Saturday.

  Shannon’s father smiled as he knelt to lift up his daughter in one arm. “Come along, princess. I think you’ve got icing in your hair.” His big hand moved over her yellow curls, only smearing the blob of icing more.

  She hugged him. “I was afraid you might not come back, Daddy. I thought you would pack your bag and leave me too. But Zoe said you were really a knight who lost his armor and you’d be back.”

  The sergeant looked down at Zoe. “She’s right. I will never leave you. A knight is always there to protect his princess.” He nodded once at Zoe. “And, of course, her friends.”

  “We are friends,” all three girls shouted. “Forever friends.”

  He winked at Zoe. “Next rainy Saturday, I’ll have the tea party set up at our house, but you ladies will have to plan the food.”

  All three five-year-olds giggled as they waved goodbye.

  two

  * * *

  fall 2001

  Shannon

  Shannon Morell brought out her last suitcase as her dad loaded the car she’d got as a graduation present. Her long honey-blond curls had been cut and styled into a short bob since her last high school photos. The summer camp she’d attended in Colorado had honed her tall, lean body into an athletic balance.

  “You sure you don’t want me to go with you, baby? Five hundred miles is a long drive.”

  “Dad, you’ve got to quit calling me that.”

  Master Chief Morell shrugged. “I don’t see why. You’ll always be my baby. Four years from now you’ll probably outrank me, but you’ll still be my little girl.”

  “Come on, Dad, I’m leaving for college, not dying. All right. We’ll make a pact. When I’m here in Laurel Springs, you can call me whatever you like, but when we’re at the Air Force Academy, you call me Shannon.” At five-eleven, she stood eye to eye with her father, but he’d always be a big man in her mind. He’d stayed. He’d raised her. He’d cared.

  Her dad was over forty and tough as leather, but she knew the thought of his little girl being hundreds of miles away wore on him.

  “Remember when you went to Iraq twice and I had to stay with Grandma? You promised you’d come back, and, even though I cried, I knew you’d keep your word.” She patted his cheek. “Well, I’m only going to Colorado Springs, but I promise I’ll be back.”

  “You got that fancy new cell phone, your extra car keys, your Glock?”

  “Yes.”

  He worried his bottom lip. “You got that roll of quarters in the tray between the seats? Curl your fist around that and you can knock a guy cold with one punch.”

  She thought of listing all the classes in self-defense he’d made her take over the years, but it still probably wouldn’t be enough to calm his worries. “I’ll be ready if trouble comes, Dad. I promise.” At her height, she wasn’t likely to be targeted for mugging.

  He followed her over to the driver’s door, asking questions. Did she have enough cash? Did she have her AAA card? Did she have a map in case the GPS didn’t work?

  Hugging him one last time, Shannon answered, “If I get any more ready, they’ll just graduate me when I drive on campus.”

  Her dad straightened into the soldier he’d been all her life. “You drive careful.”

  She nodded. Dad never said he loved her; he didn’t have to. “Don’t start clocking my drive yet. I’m stopping over at Zoe’s for tea with the girls.”

 
“I know. Farewell Tea. You girls have been having those teas every time you’ve left for camps or vacations since you were five.”

  Shannon shrugged. “They’re not as much fun as the Hello Teas, but it’s tradition.”

  He looked so sad, like all his happiness was draining out of him.

  “Dad, look on the bright side. I’m finally out of the house. You can start dating.” He was still a handsome man. “Have a wild fling. Zoe’s mother is still single and you like her chicken spaghetti. That seems as good as any reason to ask her out.”

  “Alex O’Flaherty and I are water and oil, baby. Always have been.” He frowned. “How about you and me make another pact? Neither of us dates until you’re out of college.”

  “Not a chance, Dad.” She laughed. “And I’m not telling a guy my dad’s in the air force and carries a gun. You’ve got to give me the time and space to go wild.”

  “I told Jack Hutchinson’s mother to tell him to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t do just that. His mom told me all he did was study last year. Didn’t even date that she knew about. I guess that makes him safe enough to talk to.”

  “Dad, I barely talked to Jack for the eleven years we were in school together here in Laurel Springs. Why would I talk to him now?”

  “Good. Don’t talk to any guy.”

  She kissed his cheek. “I can’t promise that, Dad. It might be fun to talk to someone now and then who doesn’t know everyone I know.”

  “All right. Date and talk, always in public places. That sounds fine.” He opened her car door. “I almost forgot. I put a box of Junior Mints and two kinds of Girl Scout cookies in a bag behind your seat. Give them to Zoe when you get to the party. She said she’d need them for the tea.”

  “You’ve spoiled her since we were five.”

  He shrugged. “She thinks I’m a knight. What can I say?”

  “And she always gives you a list of what she wants you to send to the party.”

  “She texted me this time. I liked it better when she sent notes written in crayon with every other word misspelled. It was like I had to decipher a code before I could buy snacks.”