You've Found Oliver (You've Reached Sam, #2)(72)

A woman comes out to pour me a glass of water. I take a sip and think of how to start the conversation. In another timeline, I fell asleep in his bed. Now we’re sitting across from each other like strangers.

To my surprise, he says something first.

“Do you live in Washington?” he asks.

I glance down at my shirt. There’s a Wildcats logo on the pocket. I forgot I was wearing it. “Yeah. Born and raised,” I answer.

“I live in Seattle.”

“Really? I assume you’re on vacation, then.”

“I’m actually studying here.”

“Me too. I’m taking philosophy classes at the University of Amsterdam.” There are a couple of astronomy textbooks on the table. I glance at them and say, “I’m guessing you’re a…theater major.”

He laughs a little. “More or less,” he says, putting his book down. “I’m actually doing research at the Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy. It’s also a part of the university.”

“Impressive. What made you choose to study here?”

“They have an observatory with a Cassegrain telescope. It’s different from others I’ve worked with. It’s like uh…” He pauses to think of how to explain it.

“Like the Hubble Telescope.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“I hear it’s a good time of year to see Coma Berenices,” I add.

He smirks. “Is that so?”

“You know, it was named after Queen Berenice of Egypt. For sacrificing her hair to keep her husband safe during the war.”

“You seem to know a lot for a non-major.”

“An old friend taught me some things.”

He leans back in his chair, taking me in again. “I don’t think I got your name, by the way.”

I smile. “Oliver. And you?”

“I’m Ben.”

“Ben,” I say, mostly to myself. “I’ve always liked that name.”





Acknowledgments


Oh, Oliver. Did you know that you would get your own book one day? Who knew throwing rocks at Julie’s window would lead us to this point. I still can’t believe over a million people have picked up You’ve Reached Sam. And so many readers messaged me, asking to know more about you. I’m so glad I got to write your story. Deep down, I always knew it was unfinished.

Like some of the best things in life, your story came to me unexpectedly. I was sitting in a restaurant, waiting for my friends to arrive. These friends happen to be Alex Aster and Chloe Gong. Alex was running a little late. When she finally arrived, she couldn’t find our table. So I told her to meet me up front. Strangely, I didn’t see her anywhere. After some texts back and forth, I decided to call her.

“I’m inside.”

“I’m inside, too.”

We described the same place, from the decor to the gold letters on the door. It was the strangest feeling. Two people standing at the exact same spot, talking over the phone, but unable to find each other. Turns out, there was a sister restaurant with the same name. But the feeling stayed with me when we finally sat for dinner. At the end of the night, I turned to them and said, “I know what my next book is about.”

That dinner turned into Oliver and Ben’s story. So thank you to Alex and Chloe for the night that inspired it all.

As always, my next thank you goes to my sister, Vivian. The big law attorney who still finds time to read my books in their earliest stages. No matter how much time passes, we’ll always be little kids sharing stories on the floor of the living room.

Thank you to my amazing agent, Jenny Bent. You truly are the best there is. Looking forward to all we have to celebrate. Of course, thank you to Molly Ker Hawn in the UK. And a lovely shout-out to Victoria Cappello and everyone at the Bent Agency.

Thank you to my incredible editor, Julie Strauss-Gabel. It’s been such an amazing experience getting to work together. This book wouldn’t be what it is without all you do. You truly gave new life to Oliver and Ben’s story. Thank you for challenging me to perfect my writing. And thank you to the rest of the Penguin team—Anna Booth, Christina Colangelo, Jaleesa Davis, Theresa Evangelista, Rob Farren, Alex Garber, Carmela Iaria, Trevor Ingerson, Ilana Jacobs, Tracy Lakhram, Bri Lockhart, Shanta Newlin, Vanessa Robles, Emily Romero, Olivia Russo, Shannon Spann, Felicity Vallence, and Natalie Vielkind.

Thank you to Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Alvin for all the love and support.

Thank you to Jack Edwards, the best friend of all best friends. I can’t imagine a timeline without you in it. I’m going to convince you to move back to New York City one day. Mark my words.

Thank you to all the fans of You’ve Reached Sam. You guys truly changed my life. I hope you love this book just as much as the first.

And thank you to all my exes, even the ones that were short-lived. If you stumble across this book and think you found your name…no, you didn’t.