She put a hand on his chest.
“Luke Williams, I know that in the seven months that we’ve known each other, you have absolutely not come to the conclusion that I would want to go on any sort of vacation where hiking boots were necessary. Or that I even own hiking boots. Do you think I would even go on vacation with someone who wanted me to bring hiking boots, let alone trust them enough to let them plan it? Do not even think you can fool me that way.”
He grinned at her.
“It was a good try though, right?”
She laughed, and rolled on top of him.
“A very good try.”
Acknowledgments
Every single book feels like a small miracle. I am so grateful to everyone who played a role in helping this book come to life.
Cindy Hwang, thank you for your support, guidance, and laughter. It’s been a joy to work with you from the very beginning; I’m so fortunate to have you as my editor. To the entire Berkley and Penguin Random House team: you are all superstars. Angela Kim, Fareeda Bullert, Erin Galloway, Kristin Cipolla, Craig Burke: thank you for your emails and phone calls and tireless work on my behalf. I appreciate all of you so much. Megha Jain, Christine Legon, Dasia Payne, Randie Lipkin, Daniel Brount, Rita Frangie, and Janine Barlow, thank you for everything you’ve done in support of this book. Every time I think there’s no way I could love a cover or a design more, you surpass yourselves; I’m in awe.
Jessica Brock, you tried to leave me, but I wouldn’t let you go. Kristin Dwyer, you are a magician. Thank you both so much for your hard work, patience, and enthusiasm; I adore you.
Holly Root. I mean, what can I say about you at this point that I haven’t already said? You are the best agent anyone could ever dream of, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for you on at least a weekly basis, if not daily. Enormous thanks to you and the entire team at Root Literary, especially Alyssa Maltese and Melanie Figueroa, for how hard you work on my behalf, and just for how great you all are.
Thank you so much to every person at every winery I’ve been to in the last few years who answered my endless questions (and for pouring me all of that delicious wine), especially those at Brown, Schweiger, Hall, Robert Sinskey, Schramsberg, Paradigm, and Elizabeth Spencer. Any detail I got wrong is on me. Special thanks to Prema Behan of Three Sticks Wines, and Ryan Gallagher of Anaba Wines, for all the incredibly helpful information you both shared with me. I’m so grateful to have known you both for so long, and I’m in awe of your accomplishments.
Joy, Jon, Oliver, and Eden Alferness: I started writing this book at your home in Calistoga, and I hope that helped give it some of the magic, love, and joy that surrounds that place (no pun intended!). Thank you for opening up your home and your lives to me. I love you all so much.
I am incredibly fortunate to have so many writer friends who have celebrated, vented, commiserated, and especially, laughed with me. Akilah Brown, you always know just how to help. Amy Spalding and Kayla Cagan—knowing you two is a constant joy. I hope we have many more retreats together. Nicole Chung, your friendship has gotten me through so much. Jami Attenberg, Melissa Baumgart, Robin Benway, Alexis Coe, Rachel Fershleiser, Ruby Lang, Jessica Morgan, Helen Rosner, Emma Straub, Sara Zarr: thank you all for your advice, guidance, and love.
Writing books—and being a person—during a pandemic has been so very hard. Kimberly Chin, thank you for being there every step of the way; these past two years would have been immeasurably harder without you. Simi Patnaik and Nicole Clouse, I can’t wait to toast you both with some excellent champagne. Janet Goode, I treasure our friendship so much. Jill Vizas, I can’t imagine my life without you. Thank you to Julian Davis Mortenson and Nathan Cortez; they know why. Sara Simon, I am so lucky to know you. Nanita Cranford, Nicole Cliffe, Alyssa Furukawa, Alicia Harris, Danny Lavery, Kate Leos, Lisa McIntire, Maret Orliss, Samantha Powell, Jessica Simmons, Melissa Sladden, Christina Tucker, Dana White, and Margaret H. Willison, I love you all so much and am so grateful for all of you.
My family has always been there for me and has always been proud of me, and I’m so lucky to have them all. Mom, thank you for your love and friendship, and especially for teaching me so much about wine! Dad, thank you for your strength, your love, and for always believing in me. To my sister, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, and everyone else in my family, you have all made me who I am.
Adriene Mishler, I’ve never met you, but I’ve done yoga with you for years now, and you’ve improved my life immensely. Thank you for everything.
Librarians and booksellers, I would be nowhere without you. I get excited every single time I see one of my books in a library or a bookstore, two places I’ve spent so much time in throughout my life. Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support of me and my books. It means the world to me.
And thank you to everyone who has read this book, or any of my others. Writing can often be lonely work, and it’s been especially lonely over the past few years. The notes and comments and love from all of you readers have buoyed me during the hardest times, and I cannot thank you enough. Thank you all, for everything.