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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Love best-selling fiction?
  3. Also by McGarvey Black
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. Acknowledgements
  60. A note from the publisher
  61. Love best-selling fiction?
  62. You will also enjoy:

With only a few days to enjoy, the newlyweds flew to Miami, rented a car and drove south, stopping in Key Largo to go snorkeling and then continued on to Key West. The Florida beach town was at the southernmost tip of the state and the former home of one of Zoe’s literary idols, Ernest Hemingway. Arriving on Duval Street, Key West’s main drag, they found it filled with partying tourists literally spilling out of the many bars and restaurants.

“This place is crazy,” shouted Zoe over all the music and noise while laughing at all the characters and antics going on around them. “Reminds me of New Orleans, anything goes.”

“That’s about the size of it,” said Conner, trying to steer his new wife out of the way of a group of obviously drunk college students.

For the next four days, the newlyweds slept in, rented kayaks, had long boozy lunches followed by longer boozy dinners, holding hands the entire time. For Zoe, the days flew and soon it was the morning they were to leave for home. Conner looked at the time as he watched Zoe dawdle with her packing.

“Can you pick up the pace a little?” he said. “We have to get in the car soon or we’ll miss our flight to New York.”

“I know,” said Zoe, sitting on the bed looking glum. “We had so much fun here. This trip was too short. In a few hours I’ll be back in my apartment and it will be like it all never happened.”

“Our apartment,” said Conner, sitting down on the bed and putting his arm around her. “What never happened, that you married me? We’ll take another trip as soon as I finish my assignment. It will give us something to look forward to. Okay?”

Zoe looked up into her new husband’s clear blue eyes and told herself that she must be the luckiest girl in the world.

The first year of their marriage was like a storybook romance. Zoe was the princess and Conner her prince. They lived in their castle off Central Park. The park soon became an integral part of their lives. In the fall, they wandered along the walking trails arm in arm, singing favorite rock songs while enjoying the changing colors of the leaves and the cooler New York weather. Months later when it snowed, they grabbed sleds and raced over to the park. Many weekend afternoons were spent sliding down icy park hills along with hundreds of city kids. They’d even built a few snowmen, some lasting a few days or even a week while others melted by the next morning. In spring, when it was warm enough, they picnicked in the park and tried to remember the names of the new flowers struggling to push their way out of the earth. A least once a week Zoe pinched herself, grateful for such a wonderful life.

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