Witnesses report the dangerous burglar then released Sheriff Tony in a remarkable display of compassion when Tony yelled, “Okay, okay, I give up! Let go.”
When interviewed later, the male burglar commented, “It’s my own damn house, Terry. Why do you keep referring to me as a burglar? You know me and Annie; and we’ve had a long day of travel, and we lost our house key and just want to go inside and go to bed. Please leave.”
In an exciting turn of events, it seemed the late-night bandits were none other than the residents of the home: Will Griffin and Annie Walker, who have happily owned the home together for the past year.
Although Mr. Griffin was less obliged to talk, Ms. Walker, in her usual kind manner, remained outside to answer several of this reporter’s questions. “Our trip to Paris? Oh, Terry, it was incredible! I brought you back a little Eiffel Tower like you requested. It was so romantic and everything I hoped it would be, but I’m eager to get back to the flower shop and finish our renovations on the house. We only have the porch left.”
Unfortunately, our interview was abruptly cut short as Mr. Griffin stormed back outside, seized Ms. Walker, and carried her over his shoulder inside the home, shutting the door and all onlookers out, thus ending another eventful day in Rome, Kentucky.
This one is for the softies.
The tenderhearted sweeties.
The introverts who are afraid to shine.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Well, friends, we did it. Another book of mine is out in the world （and currently in your hands）， and I couldn’t be more grateful. This never stops feeling like a miracle.
At the start of writing this book, I remember thinking this one was going to be so much easier to write than When in Rome! HA! Cue this being the most difficult book I’ve ever written. By the time I was finished, I had seven （yes, seven） nearly finished drafts of this story because Annie and Will kept demanding me to get their story right. The final draft, the one in your hands, is when it all came together, and I fell in love with the story and this couple.
So now, I will pledge my undying love to the people who helped me make it possible.
As always, first and foremost, I want to thank my very own safe person: Chris. My husband, my love, my absolute goofball, I love you. Thank you for encouraging me every day to take risks and to follow my heart. You are my heart, so catch me following you around for the rest of my life.
To my wonderful literary agent, Kim Lionetti, thank you so much for advocating for me and my books in so many ways. I also love that we can sit in a conference call together for fifteen minutes when no one else shows up and chat about The Office vs. Friends. Honestly, your friendship means the world to me, and your skills in this business are unmatched. Lucky to have you!
To my incredible editor, Shauna Summers, I am so proud and honored to work with you. Not only do you fall in love with my characters like I do, but you always encourage my voice and inspire me to have confidence in my writing, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Having you as an editor （and friend） is such a joy and privilege!
To my brilliant, stunning, and creative gal pals at Dell: Taylor, Corina, Mae, and Jordan, thank you so much for your hard work and support and laughs! I want us to all live in the same city so we can be best friends.
To my family, thank you for listening to me drone on endlessly about my books and stress and joy and not putting me in the trunk of someone’s car and telling them to drive away. I love you all!
And to my friends who I share stardust with, who send 400 reels back and forth with me, who I marco polo with after too much sparkling wine, who flew all the way to Nashville and taught me how to make a pizookie, who absolutely geek out over Taylor Swift with me, and who know all my secrets and also send me Nick Miller memes all day, thank you all for your love and support. Without you, this job and this life would be so boring.
And to my readers, I love you enormously. You have rallied with me when my indie books were in crisis, you have forced all your friends and family to buy my books even when they didn’t want to, and you have sent me words of encouragement and even sweet little gifts when you knew I needed a pick-me-up like I was one of your dearest friends, and for that—I’ll always be grateful!
Okay, I guess I should end this and go write the next book set in Rome, Kentucky! :）
Love, Love, Love,