The Cast

by Amy Blumenfeld

  “So, when are the kids coming?” he called out across the lawn to Lex.

  As everyone turned to her for a response, her face fell. A second later, she forced a broad smile and sidled up to Seth, linking her arm with his. “Oh, they, um . . . they were all invited to parties for the holiday,” she said.

  He looked crestfallen. “Next time, I guess,” he said, and wiped the crumbs from his mouth. I saw something dim in his eyes, and it hurt my heart.

  There was no question he’d taken a tremendous risk by moving halfway across the country for a woman who was technically still married. The divorce was messier than Lex had anticipated. While she had expected the kids to live with her in the stately center-hall colonial they’d called home for fifteen years (and which she had recently spent six figures redecorating with a famed interior designer who’d appeared on HGTV), her oldest son wanted to move out and live with his father. He shouted this preference at her one afternoon while running out the door to hockey practice. Lex immediately vomited and then called me, sobbing. “Where’s my happy ending?” she asked between cries.

  The best advice I could come up with was generic and clichéd: “Follow your heart; the rest will fall into place.” What that would ultimately mean for Seth, however, I wasn’t sure.

  Unlike Tanglewood’s pastoral vibe, Ravinia was a bit glossier. Both venues possessed a large amphitheater with sprawling grass for guests to picnic on, but as we stepped over people’s legs and navigated around wicker baskets on our search for an open spot, I noticed many more candelabras atop beverage coolers than I’d seen in Lenox, Massachusetts.

  “Follow me,” Nolan said, his hand in the air like a tour guide’s. Somehow, he found a perfect setting beneath a tree. We plopped ourselves down among a sea of blankets, just as we had one year before.

  As we unpacked and passed around the sandwiches, my phone rang with another video-chat request. This time, it was Emma and my parents calling.

  “Hi, beautiful girl!” I said when her face appeared on my father’s cell phone screen.

  “Hi, Mommy! Guess where I am!”

  “Where, munchkin?”

  “I’m on the roof of Aunt JoJo’s apartment building, watching fireworks! See?” She pointed the phone’s camera at my parents, who were waving and blowing kisses but not speaking, as if it were a silent film from the 1920s.

  “Wow! You are?” I asked with mock surprise. I knew Jordana had made the arrangements for them. Given that her parents were watching AJ and Matthew, my parents had Emma, and Holly was home with Ezra, she had given her doorman permission to let them up to the building’s roof to take in the spectacular views of the East River show.

  “Look at that!” Emma said, and turned the camera around so I could witness the exploding colors in the night sky. She zoomed in closer, over to the Queensboro Bridge and the surrounding buildings that made the skyline twinkle. When she did, I caught a glimpse of the distinct brick facade of the hospital that helped save my life—twice. It was right there, a quiet, enigmatic bystander on the bottom edge of the screen, as if it were an extra in a movie. It hadn’t snagged the lead role, but it played a memorable part.

  The Chicago Symphony Orchestra walked onto Ravinia’s stage, and the audience erupted.

  Emma caught another gorgeous burst of color, this time directly over the hospital, and then handed the phone to my parents.

  “Happy Independence Day, sweetheart,” Mom said, positioning the camera so that their three faces smushed together in an Emma sandwich. Mom winked at me—an unspoken acknowledgment of the significance of the day.

  “So, what do you think? Some view, eh, kiddo?” Dad said, and shot my mother a knowing glance, before clearing his throat. “We just couldn’t let you miss it.”

  As the music of Swan Lake filled the air, Nolan inched closer on the blanket and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I glanced at my friends on the lawn, and then over at my parents and daughter on the phone’s screen. “Thanks, Dad,” I said, marveling at my life’s script. “The fireworks are great, but the view I’ve got right now is pretty remarkable.”

  Acknowledgments

  When you spend several years working on a book, there are many people to thank.

  First, I would like to acknowledge the inspiration for this novel: the ten families from Hollis Hills who comprised the cast and crew of the original Saturday Night Live–style videotape. Their generosity, humor, and compassion left an indelible mark on me and set the standard for true friendship.

  I would also like to acknowledge the late David Klatell, a phenomenal teacher and gem of a man, for suggesting I turn my master’s project into a book. I don’t think either one of us expected it to become a novel, but he planted the seed that ultimately blossomed into this work.

  I am enormously grateful to Jennie Nash for her insight, sharp eye, and hand-holding throughout the early phases of this manuscript. A writer could not ask for a better sounding board or cheerleader.

  I am deeply appreciative of the lovely Lisa Grubka for her passion, confidence, editorial finesse, and steadfast commitment.

  Thank you to the team at SparkPress—Brooke Warner, Lauren Wise, Crystal Patriarche, Rebecca Lown, and Annie Tucker— for making this dream a reality and for connecting me with the phenomenal Ann-Marie Nieves whose tireless publicity efforts have helped shine a spotlight on this book.

  I am extremely thankful for the those who graciously read, reread, critiqued, and rooted for this book throughout its various stages of development: Michelle Witman, Rebecca Raphael Feuerstein, Kira Bartlett, Rebecca Schwartz, Molly Morse Roth-stein, Stephanie S. Goldstein, Yvette Sharret, Andrea Lieberman, Kelly Mamaysky, Jackie Friedland, Melinda Goldman, Leslie Levin, Diane Pallone, Ericka Schnitzer-Reese, Amanda Bergen, Vivi Septimus, and especially Beth Erdos and Debbie Zucker, who analyzed the lives of each character and adopted my imaginary friends as their own.

  Without a doubt, I hit the jackpot in the parents and sibling department. I am proud and blessed beyond all measure to be Vicki and Joel Blumenfeld’s daughter and Josh Blumenfeld’s sister. They are the gold standard of human beings; the ultimate examples of how to live life as a mensch. “Follow your bliss” and “just be yourself” were credos Josh and I were taught growing up in our parents’ home. The existence of this book, and its underlying message about the importance of authenticity, are proof that their advice was heeded.

  I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my husband, Dan. I am so very lucky to have a partner whose love and devotion I never question. He has championed this book, and the greater cause, from day one, and I am grateful for his unyielding support and dedication to our dreams, values, and family. Judy and Marvin Kamensky, thank you for raising “such a good boychick.”

  And finally, to Mia Natalie. You are my prize. My heart. It was worth it all to get to you.

  About the Author

  Amy Blumenfeld’s articles and essays have appeared in various publications, including the New York Times, the Huffington Post, O, The Oprah Magazine, George, and Moment, as well as on the cover of People. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she was the recipient of the James A. Wechsler Award for National Reporting. She has been interviewed on the CBS Evening News, FOX News, MSNBC, and NY1 and has contributed to two nonfiction books. She lives in New York with her husband and daughter. This is her first novel.

  AUTHOR PHOTO © DIANA BERRENT PHOTOGRAPHY

  Selected Titles From SparkPress

  SparkPress is an independent boutique publisher delivering high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives, with a special focus on female-driven work. Visit us at www.gosparkpress.com

  Just Like February, Deborah Batterman, $16.95, 978-1-943006-48-9. Rachel Cohen loves her Uncle Jake more than anything. When she learns he’s gay, she keeps it under wraps, and when he gets sick, she doesn’t even tell her best friends—until she realizes that secrecy does more harm tha
n good.

  Love Reconsidered, Phyllis Piano, $16.95, 978-1-943006-20-5. A page-turning contemporary tale of how three memorable characters seek to rebuild their lives after betrayal and tragedy with the help of new relationships, loyal corgi dogs, home-cooked meals, and the ritual of football Sundays.

  Elly in Bloom, Colleen Oakes. $15, 978-1-94071-609-1. Elly Jordan has carved out a sweet life for herself as a boutique florist in St. Louis. Not bad for a woman who left her life two years earlier when she found her husband entwined with a redheaded artist. Just when she feels she is finally moving on from her past, she discovers a wedding contract, one that could change her financial future, is more than she bargained for.

  Gridley Girls, Meredith First. $17, 978-1-940716-97-8. From the moment Meg Monahan became a peer counselor in high school, she has been keeping her friend’s secrets. Flash forward to adulthood when Meg is a recruiter for the world’s hippest, most paranoid high-tech company, and now she is paid to keep secrets. When sudden tragedy strikes just before Meg hosts the wedding of her childhood BFF, the women are forced to face their past—and their secrets—in order to move on to their future.

  On Grace, Susie Orman Schnall. $15, 978-1-94071-613-8. Grace is actually excited to turn 40 in a few months—that is until her job, marriage, and personal life take a dizzying downhill spiral. Can she recover from the most devastating time in her life, right before it’s supposed to be one of the best?

  About SparkPress

  SparkPress is an independent, hybrid imprint focused on merging the best of the traditional publishing model with new and innovative strategies. We deliver high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives. We are proud to bring to market a list of New York Times best-selling, award-winning, and debut authors who represent a wide array of genres, as well as our established, industry-wide reputation for creative, results-driven success in working with authors. SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint, is a division of SparkPoint Studio LLC.

  Learn more at GoSparkPress.com