He doesn’t say anything, and in the silence, my eyes fill with tears.
“Gavin,” I say. I take a deep breath. “I want to see you.”
I can hear him breathing. In the pause that stretches between us, I’m sure that I’ve lost him.
“I’m sorry,” I say finally. I look at the clock: 11:42 p.m. “It’s late.”
“Hope,” Gavin says finally. “It’s never too late.”
I hear his Jeep in my driveway fifteen minutes later, and he’s at my door just before the clock strikes midnight. I’m already waiting for him, with the door wide open, not caring that the coldness of the night is pouring in. It doesn’t matter anymore.
“Hi,” Gavin says as he comes up beside me in my doorway.
“Hi,” I reply. We stare at each other, and Gavin reaches for my hand. He’s not wearing gloves, and neither am I, but there’s a heat between us, and every cell of my body feels like it’s on fire, despite the iciness outside. From somewhere in the distance, we can hear the faint strains of a countdown, and then a muffled cheer as the New Year begins.
“Happy New Year,” Gavin says, taking a step closer.
“Happy New Year,” I murmur.
“To new beginnings,” he says. And before I can reply, his arms are around me, and his lips are on mine.
Above us, the stars twinkle and dance, winking down at us from the endless sky.
Acknowledgments
This is the book I’ve been wanting to write for years, and seeing this come to fruition has taught me some important lessons about following my heart and surrounding myself with wonderful, decent people whom I truly trust and cherish. My agent, Holly Root, and my editor, Abby Zidle, are both incredibly kind, hardworking, wise, and talented, and I can’t even begin to sufficiently express how much I appreciate all their effort, insight, friendship, and encouragement. I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world to be working with them.
Agent Farley Chase has been an absolute rock star of foreign rights, and the lovely Andy Cohen has my West Coast calendar full. I’m also very grateful to Lindsey Kennedy, Beth Phelan, Parisa Zolfaghari, Jane Elias, Susan Zucker, Jennifer Bergstrom, and Louise Burke for the roles they’ve all played in making this novel a reality. I don’t think it would be possible to find a kinder, more supportive team.
Novelist Wendy Toliver has been an incredible sounding board, friend, early editor, and brainstorming partner; I also want to thank Anna Haze—who died far too early, at the age of nineteen—for bringing Wendy and me together. What a wonderful gift. Henri Landwirth, the first Holocaust survivor I ever met, was a great inspiration. Lauren Elkin, my close friend and old Paris roommate, once again put a roof over my head during a research trip to the City of Light; her first novel （Cités Flottantes） came out in April 2012 in France, and I couldn’t be happier for her.
I’d like to thank the many people who have gone out of their way to answer questions about factual points in this book. Darlene Shea of Brewster Fire & Rescue helped with an early draft, and Danielle Ganung helped answer bakery question. Karen Taieb from the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris was incredibly helpful with my Holocaust research in France. Bassem Chaaban, the director of operations for the Islamic Society of Central Florida, and Rabbi Rick Sherwin of Congregation Beth Am in Orlando, were kind enough to help me fact-check some of my religious and cultural references. Any errors are my own.
Big thanks also to Kat Green, Tia Maggini, Vanessa Parise, Nancy Jeffrey, Megan Crane, Liza Palmer, Sarah Mlynowski, Jane Porter, Alison Pace, Melissa Senate, Lynda Curnyn, Brenda Janowitz, Emily Giffin, Kate Howell, Judith Topper, Betsy Hansen, Renee Blair, GK Sharman, Alex Leviton, Kathleen Henson, Anna Treiber, and Jen Schefft Waterman, who have been great sources of professional inspiration, brainstorming, and friendship over the years! Thanks also to the Daily Buzz crew, especially Brad Miller, Andrea Jackson, Andy Campbell, Mitch English, Kia Malone, KyAnn Lewis, Michelle Yarn, and Troy McGuire.
Thanks to my many, many other wonderful friends, including: Marcie Golgoski, Kristen Milan Bost, Chubby Checker （and his wonderful wife and kids）， Lisa Wilkes, Melixa Carbonell, Scott Moore, Courtney Spanjers, Gillian Zucker, Amy Tan, Lili Latorre, Darrell Hammond, Krista Mettler, Christina Sivrich, Pat Cash, Kristie Moses, Lana Cabrera, Ben Bledsoe, Sanjeev Sirpal, Ryan Moore, Wendy Jo Moyer, Amy Green, Chad Kunerth, Kendra Williams, Tara Clem, Megan Combs, Amber Draus, Michael Ghegan, Dave Ahern, Jean Michel Colin, John and Christine Payne, Walter Caldwell, Scott Pace, Ryan Provencher, and Mary Parise. I’m incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.