She hated when he did that. Started a sentence, then stopped. She waited, towel to her neck, Winston rubbing along her thighs.
He gave her a lazy grin. “I love you.” Then turned back to his laptop, fingers on the keys, the clatter of words pouring onto the page, taking him from her again.
She glanced out the windows, at the clouds starting to form, reflecting gray and white on the lake. The trees began to bend. A storm was coming. She’d gotten back just in time.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When a book is five years in the making, there are a lot of people to thank.
Jeff Abbott—for teaching me about Scrivener
Blake Leyers—for the lunch that changed it all
Laura Benedict—for reading a thousand pages and then some Jennifer Brooks—for editing the first go-round
Ariel Lawhon—for incessant cheerleading and Walden Ponds Linda McFall—for believing in my dark side and encouraging me to let it shine through, plus a rocking good set of editorial letters Rick Robinson—for the legalese
Valerie Gray—for a lovely afternoon’s conversation and helping me see the holes Marjorie Braman—for liking the concept enough to give me hope The BMWs—Bodacious Music City Wordsmiths (JB, Del, Cecelia, Paige) for always telling me it was worth a try Catherine Coulter—for the stellar advice
Harlan Coben—for giving me advice in my dreams and setting me on this path Gillian Flynn—for the visceral beauty of Sharp Objects Joan Huston—for edits and liking the new direction Sherrie Saint—for the cop bits
Amy Kerr—for being the best right hand ever
Scott Miller—for helping conceptualize from the very beginning, and never giving up on this book Abby Zidle—for loving it enough to bring me into the Gallery family My parents—for listening (and listening, and listening) through all the iterations Randy—for being a husband extraordinaire, and never letting me walk away from this one. I love you, darling, and don’t worry, I’d never turn you in.
And last, but certainly not least,
You—for reading this far. Thanks for the support!