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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?

“Well,” said Maggie, “you pushed Bob to go to grad school, which might not have worked out so well for you in the short term, but is great for him.” Everyone laughed, especially Bob, who hadn’t let go of Laura’s hand for several hours. When Laura had finished throwing up on him, he’d given her a sweet look and asked her if she felt better. She’d nodded, and he’d wiped her clammy face with his sleeve and kicked off his shoes then and there. Then they’d gone inside and she’d had a shower and brushed her teeth and he’d made her tea and tucked her up in a blanket nest on the sofa next to him, and they’d watched an old baseball game until she felt totally recovered. They both knew they were going to spend the night together, that it was only the first of many, and it wasn’t clear which of them was happier about it. Bob was still going to the East Coast the next day, but Laura was going with him, and then—maybe—they would pop into the city and surprise her family. Maybe.

Maggie continued, “You helped me fix things up with Sarah, and reminded me I was too young to sit around and wait to get old.”

“You encouraged me to tell Polly how I felt about her,” said Asher. He and Polly were spending a lot of time together these days, and though it was still entirely platonic, it was making them both very happy. Even if she still drove him around the bend on a regular basis.

“You restored the honor of Book ’Em, Danno,” said Nina, “which might not matter to anyone but me, but it matters to me quite a lot.” She remembered something. “Speaking of which, the finals are coming up next month, we need to get back to work.” She turned to Bob. “I realized you know a lot about horticulture, and I was wondering . . .”

“No,” he said, “not a chance.”

Nina made a face, then shrugged. “Maybe after grad school?”

“No,” he said, “but I’ll join Polly in the cheering section.”

Laura rested her head on Bob’s shoulder and sighed happily. She wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t cured, she still had issues and problems and worries . . . but she was doing her best, and her best was getting better every day.

It was more than enough for anyone.

EPILOGUE

Los Angeles Marathon

Entrant Laura Costello, 3.5 hours

Larchmont Easter Bunny 5K run

Entrant Nina Hill, 42 minutes

Larchmont Easter Bunny 1K costumed three-legged hop

Team Polly Culligan and Clare Girvan, 9 minutes

West Hollywood Bridge Invitational

First place: Markaryan and Markaryan

Second place: Libby and Shardanand

Third place: Costello and Morse

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS