“This is Greggy’s signature? You had him sign a maxi pad?” They’re laughing so hard they teeter on their barstools. Everyone looks at them. Tears roll out of the corners of their eyes.

Roberta lifts the pad, kisses what’s left of the signature, and puts it in her purse. The Rolling Stones play “Let It Bleed,” which seems appropriate for that moment. “I’ll always treasure this. And you,” Roberta says. “It’s good to have you back.”

As they talk and drink, Sherri finds herself clutching the pendant Raylee had given her, a stone that makes her think of all the years she’s moved through her life weighted by guilt, dutifully attending to Arthur’s memory. She thought she’d ruined what would have been their future—only to discover that the future she’d imagined wouldn’t have even been an option.

She can feel herself finally releasing Arthur and reentering her own life, her own story. The sensation makes her delirious with lightness instead of the grief she’d always associated with acceptance. Some kind of compass arrow inside her heart, rusty and stuck all these years, is suddenly free to spin in a new direction.

Acknowledgments

This novel wouldn’t have come into existence without my incredible editor, Sarah Cantin, who was willing to take a chance on me with a second book. She was open to the concept right from the start and provided me with a deadline, patience, and the support and encouragement I needed to complete a novel that I can be proud of. I wish every writer could have the experience of working with someone as passionate, thorough, insightful, and responsive as Sarah.

I wouldn’t have found Sarah without my beloved agent, Marcy Posner at Folio Literary Management. Marcy is more than an agent to me—she’s also a friend. I always know that she’s in my corner, even after I shared some pretty embarrassing early drafts with her. Thanks also to my film agent, Don Laventhall, and my foreign rights agent, Melissa Sarver White, also at Folio.

Boy did I ever luck out when I landed at St. Martin’s Press. Everyone I’ve worked with has made me and my work feel valued. Thanks to Jennifer Enderlin, Sally Richardson, Andrew Martin, Lisa Senz, publicists extraordinaire Katie Bassel and Dori Weintraub, marketing dream team Erica Martirano, Brant Janeway, Erik Platt, Alexis Neuville, the experts at Booksparks, and incredible editorial assistant Sallie Lotz. For their creative talents, I’m thankful to Kim Ludlam, Tom Thompson, and Olga Grlic (love my covers!). And I appreciate the talent of the audio experts, Mary Beth Roche, Robert Allen, and Dakota Cohen. I’m thrilled that Karissa Vacker is narrating my audiobook.