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Back Adult Assembly Required
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Abbi Waxman and her novels
  3. Berkley Titles by Abbi Waxman
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Summer
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. Fall
  45. THIRTY-EIGHT
  46. THIRTY-NINE
  47. FORTY
  48. FORTY-ONE
  49. FORTY-TWO
  50. FORTY-THREE
  51. FORTY-FOUR
  52. FORTY-FIVE
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. Readers Guide
  56. Questions for Discussion
  57. About the Author
  58. What’s next onyour reading list?

“Very,” he replied. “And my mom definitely wants a strawberry shake.”

Polly turned to go back downstairs. “Well then, let’s go. I can point out more of your character defects on the way.”

“Do you have to?” asked Asher, following her. “I’m already feeling bad for losing my temper. Maybe I should call Sarah and apologize.”

“Eat first,” said Polly wisely. “Blood sugar is your ally.” She’d reached Laura’s door and paused to knock on it.

Laura opened the door a sliver and peeped out. “Hi there,” she said.

“Still hungry?” said Polly. “In all the excitement we forgot we were going to get food.” Asher was standing close behind her, and Laura smiled at both of them.

“Yes,” she said gratefully, “I’m starving. Do you need money?”

“You can send it to me after,” said Polly, going to knock on Bob’s door. Asher looked at Laura and smiled nervously.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “Family stuff, you know . . .”

Laura nodded. “No worries,” she said, catching Bob’s eye across the hallway as he opened his door. “Forget it.” Bob gave her a fleeting half wink as he confirmed his order for Polly, then disappeared back into the safety of his room. Laura abruptly remembered the cigarette on the kitchen floor, and her desire to be helpful overcame her need to hide. She went to clean it up.

What had been tobacco and paper was now dog vomit, and Herbert was sitting under the kitchen table regretting his life choices. Laura grabbed handfuls of paper towel and tackled the mess, pointing out to Herbert that smoking was very bad for you and she hoped he’d learned from this experience. But her voice was kind, and Herbert felt a little better. He was still a good boy.

After Laura had left the kitchen, Herbert walked over to the foot of the back stairs and tipped his head to one side, listening to the distant sound of Maggie crying. He looked around for a shoe, or something else she might enjoy. Finally settling on a circular from the AARP, which he pulled from a pile of papers on a kitchen chair, he grasped it firmly in his teeth and headed upstairs to see if there was anything he could do.

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