Far from the Tree(95)
The park is massive, but at the far edge, she sees Daniel and Catalina. Catalina spots her first and waves her over. As soon as Grace is close enough, Catalina jogs over and immediately grabs her up in a huge hug. “Grace!” she says. “I’m so glad you could come!” Grace hugs her back and feels so grateful that Peach has someone to hug her like this every single day. “You look wonderful.”
“Thanks.” Grace smiles. “Sorry, I’m just really nervous.”
Catalina’s smile is warm and steady. “Of course,” she says, “but there’s no need to be.”
Grace takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, nods. Daniel’s crouched on the ground a few feet away, babbling something, and he turns and stands when he hears Grace.
Grace sees her hair first, dark brown curls gathered at the back of her neck, the sun shining through the trees and dancing across her shoulders. She’s wearing a tiny, blue-checked dress and tights, plus a small white sweater. From this angle, Grace can see Maya’s eyes, Joaquin’s nose and jaw, Melissa’s hair.
Grace gathers her courage, finds her voice.
“Milly?” she says.
Peach looks up.
She sees Grace.
And she smiles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, my immense gratitude to my family, who encouraged me throughout the process of writing this book. Thanks for being such troupers. I owe you coffee.
Thank you to my agent, Lisa Grubka, who talked me through every chapter of this book, including the wrong ones. Her belief that I would eventually finish this story was sometimes the light in a very dark tunnel, and I am forever grateful for all the times she read pages, gave notes, and answered my desperate emails. Thanks for being such a partner in crime over the past ten years.
I got the first ideas for this novel while sitting in a Costco parking lot, and I immediately tapped out a rambling email to my editor, Kristen Pettit. She responded, “I am loving this direction. Loving. It.” Little did we know that it would take another year before that random idea became a coherent story, but Kristen was there every step of the way, including when I lost the plot altogether (pun very much intended) and had to start over from scratch. Thank you for having my back, for letting me take my time, and for calling me the weekend before Christmas just to check in on me. I owe you a lot more than just coffee.
Thank you to the Harper team, including Elizabeth Lynch, Jen Klonsky, Kate Jackson, Sarah Kaufman, Gina Rizzo, Renée Cafiero, Kristen Eckhardt, Bess Braswell, and Claire Caterer, for taking my words and turning them into an actual, physical book. Thank you also to Philip Pascuzzo and Pepco Studio for the gorgeous cover.
This book would not exist if it weren’t for the people who let me talk to them about my characters and their stories. They graciously brought me into their lives and discussed their families, jobs, and experiences with me, and I’m both humbled by and grateful for their generosity: Noemi Aguirre; Dr. Linda Alvarez; David H. Baum; Marie Coolman; Roy, Trevor, and Jacob Firestone; Jessica Hieger; Kate Lamb; and Kim Trujillo. Thank you also to the people who chose not to be named here—your kindness does not go unnoticed. Any mistakes or inaccuracies in this book are mine and mine alone.
I’m lucky enough to be part of an incredibly generous, talented, and funny-as-hell group of YA writers here in Los Angeles. It’s possible I would still be working on the first draft if it wasn’t for our group writing dates, so thank you for that. Thank you also to Brandy Colbert, Ally Condie, Jordanna Fraiberg, Gretchen McNeil, and Amy Spalding for reading drafts, offering thoughts, and helping me with research, and to Morgan Matson for coming up with the store name Whisked Away. You are all delightful.
Approximately two-thirds of this book was written while I sat at the counter of Dinosaur Coffee in Los Angeles, so thank you to the staff for providing me with excellent coffee and a makeshift office for the better part of a year, and for not judging me when I cried in the back that one time.
An extra-special thank you for my mom, who kept the faith in this book, and in me, when I could not. She supported me through every single version of this story, listened to me ramble about it for hours (sorry for spoiling the ending!), and never once doubted that I would finish it. She is the best, and I love her so much.
And finally, thank you to Joaquin, Grace, and Maya. I’ve spent more time with them than with any of my other characters, and even though they may be fictional, their struggles and triumphs feel so very real to me. I am endlessly grateful that they chose me to tell their story, and I hope they’re doing well, wherever they may be.