To my family, thank you for loving me through every version of myself and for giving me the space to grow and dream.

To my friends, thank you for every quiet act of love, every late-night pep talk, and for always asking, “How’s the book going?” And thank you for reminding me to eat, sleep, and sometimes leave my fictional world long enough to exist in the real one.

To Laurie, Laura, Ebru, April, Michelle, and Elisabeth—thank you for letting me ramble (so much), spiral (often), and dream out loud. You listened when I didn’t even know what I was trying to say.

To my editor, Ellie, thank you for every margin note. I’m grateful!

And lastly, to the reader holding this book: thank you for giving Beverly & Blake a home in your hands. Whether you saw yourself in Beverly’s heartbreak or Blake’s silence, in Tiffany’s loyalty or Jamal’s honesty, I hope something in this story made you feel seen and gave you something soft to land on.

Love,

IMPRESSUM

Laura J. Robert

c/o Adressgeber #1439

An der alten Ziegelei 38

48157 Münster

Deutschland