An Anonymous Girl(112)
His face is now pale. “I thought we could trust each other, Jess,” he whispers. “Can’t we?”
You shrug. “A friend once told me that if you have to ask if you can trust someone, you already know the answer.”
“What does that mean?” he asks. His voice is wary.
“I just want what’s due to me,” you say. “After everything I went through.”
He drains his Scotch, the ice clinking in the glass.
“How about I help you with your rent, until you’re back on your feet?” He looks at you hopefully.
You smile and shake your head slightly.
“I appreciate your offer, but I had something more substantial in mind,” you say. “I’m sure Dr. Shields would agree that I deserve it.”
You turn over the funeral program. There is a dollar sign with a number written next to it on the back.
Thomas gasps. “Are you kidding?”
Thomas, of course, is the sole recipient of his wife’s estate, including the multimillion-dollar town house. He has his job, his license, and his reputation intact. It would be surprising if you, with your inquisitive and industrious nature, had not already confirmed this. And you believe it is a small price for him to pay for your family’s well-being.
“I’m happy to receive it in monthly installments,” you say, pushing the program toward him.
Thomas is slumped in his chair. He has already conceded defeat.
You lean forward until only a few inches separate your faces. “After all, trust can be bought.”
You leave almost immediately, pushing through the door and striding onto the sidewalk. Within moments, you are enveloped by the crowd, just another anonymous girl in the city.
Perhaps you are confident in your decision.
Or maybe an insistent question will haunt you:
Was it all worth it, Jessica?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
From Greer and Sarah:
Our thanks go first to Jen Enderlin (also known as “Saint Jenderlin”), our brilliant, kind, and all-around superb editor and publisher at St. Martin’s Press. Her vision, support, and enthusiasm for us and this novel makes us so grateful every day.
Katie Bassel, our publicist, works tirelessly on behalf of our books—and does so with good humor and good fashion!
The dream team beside these two amazing women nurture our novels through the publication process with great care, energy, and boundless creativity. We are so lucky to have them working on behalf of our books. Thank you to Rachel Diebel, Marta Fleming, Olga Grlic, Tracey Guest, Jordan Hanley, Brant Janeway (a special shout-out to you for coming up with the book’s title!), Kim Ludlam, Erica Martirano, Kerry Nordling, Gisela Ramos, Sally Richardson, Lisa Senz, Michael Storrings, Dori Weintraub, and Laura Wilson.
Thanks also to our wildly generous and supportive Mama-bear agent, Victoria Sanders, as well as her wonderful crew: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Jessica Spivey, and Diane Dickensheid at Victoria Sanders and Associates.
To Benee Knauer: Your encouragement, calm manner, and story smarts once again helped us find the right path as we set out to write this novel.
Our gratitude to all of our foreign publishers who have shared our work around the globe, including Wayne Brookes at Pan Macmillan UK, whose e-mails always make us laugh—and make us feel like we are supermodels instead of writers!
Our deepest appreciation to Shari Smiley and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein at the Gotham Group for their passionate work to bring our novels to the screen. And to Holly Bario at Amblin Entertainment and Carolyn Newman at eOne Entertainment for making our experiences in Hollywood so exciting.
And last but never least, to our readers: We love connecting with you, so please find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And to sign up for our very occasional newsletters, please visit our websites: www.greerhendricks.com and www.sarahpekkanen.com We’d love to stay in touch with you.
From Greer:
For someone who spends her days writing, I find it almost impossible to put into words how much a part of my life Sarah Pekkanen has become. Co-author, business partner, beloved friend, cheerleader, counselor—the list could go on and on. You truly have become the sister I never had. Thank you for everything.
I am deeply grateful to my friends both in and outside the publishing industry (you know who you are!), especially my early readers, Marla Goodman, Vicki Foley, and Alison Stong. And my running partners, Karen Gordon and Gillian Blake, who listen to it all as we track our mileage.
Much appreciation to this very special support team: Katharina Anger, Melissa Goldstein, Danny Thompson, and Ellen Katz Westrich.
Extra-special thanks to my family: the Hendricks, Alloccas, and Kessels, especially those who commented on early drafts: Julie and Robert (best brother ever!).
Elaine and Mark Kessel, aka Mom and Dad, this one belongs to you. Thank you for encouraging my love of reading, writing, and psychology—and for always telling me I deserve it.
Rocky and Cooper, for keeping me company (although sometimes a bit too much company).
Paige, you have taught me so much about courage and self-awareness. You impress and inspire me every day.
Alex, the joy you provide me is boundless. You have the biggest heart and no one makes me laugh more.
And finally to John, who not only listened to me brainstorm ideas over boozy brunches and long dog walks, but also provided fantastic notes. You make everything possible and make it all worthwhile. Twenty years and counting . . .