The bravest person. I'd take it.
A roar of laughter came from the porch where the teenagers had settled. My niece's hair was pink now, and it suited her. Our eyes met, and her smile was everything.
Lily was still in jail. Poe talked to her almost every week; Lily had been better about calling. My sister wouldn't talk to me on the phone, but that was okay. I'd talked to the prison doctor about medication, and she said she'd work figuring out the right balance of medication and therapy for my sister. Otherwise, I stayed out of it, realizing Lily needed to find her own way.
I sent her a picture of the carving.
Nora and Lily, together forever.
And we were together, more now than in the past two decades, because Lily was with me in the form of her child. I didn't know what would happen when she got out...but you never knew what life held. I had never expected to be back here, after all.
The fragrant pink roses on the side of our little house were in full bloom, filling the air with their smell. I looked up at the sky, so blue and clear today.
Somewhere up there was my father. Watch over us, Daddy, I thought. Take care of Lily.
"Happy?" Sullivan asked.
"Happy," I signed back. While his lip-reading was excellent, I didn't think he should have to do all the work all the time. Besides, signing was fun. Sully's hearing had slipped away significantly this past year. He didn't complain. He never did.
And the sign for happy was to place your hands in front of your chest and gesture outward while you smiled. A glad heart, overflowing with love.
Which, now that you mention it, was exactly how I felt.
Dear Lily,
Poe is doing so well in school. She came in third to last in the cross-country meet, and at the end, she sprinted across the finish line, and you should've heard us screaming for her! Mom just about had a coronary. I felt like she won the Olympics.
It's late here, and I can smell wood smoke. The waves are breaking on the rocks, hissing over the pebbles on their way back into the ocean. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold to sit outside at night for very long.
The stars are so bright tonight. Until you can come home and see them for yourself, I'll look at them for you.
Love,
Nora
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Acknowledgments
Many, many thanks to Julia Kristan, RN (and also my beloved godchild), for her help in procedure and terminology, especially in the ER scenes. Thanks also to Mighty Jeff Pinco, MD, for always being willing to give medical advice on anything from my skin rashes to how fast a car would have to be going to kill me if I were on a pizza run and jaywalked. You're the best, Dr. J! Any mistakes are mine, all mine.
Thanks also to:
Firefighter Kori Kelly, who shared her experiences with hearing loss and auditory processing disorder; to my interns: Jessica Hoops and Lillie Johnson, who did such good and thorough work for me over the past two summers; to Jennifer Schulten, founder of the Go Far program, which has inspired thousands of kids to get outside and exercise, learn the joys of teamwork and see just how far they can go in life; Wendy Xu, creator of Angry Girl Comics and sensitivity editor extraordinaire, thank you for your help with the character of Xiaowen, who is now even more kick-ass because of your input; to my friend, the great writer Sherry Thomas, for allowing me to borrow her name; to the PlotMonkeys, who make me laugh till I'm sore and whose wonderful writerly advice improves every book. Huntley, Shaunee, Stacia, Karen and Jen--thank you. And thanks to my book club, who insisted that Tweety be included in a story.
I am ever indebted to the wonderful team at Harlequin, headed up by my editor, Susan Swinwood, with huge thanks to Dianne Moggy, Michelle Renaud and all the people who work so hard on my books. Sarah Burningham at Little Bird Publicity dazzles me with her enthusiasm, creativity and energy. And thanks to the amazing Mel Jolly for remembering everything I forget and doing everything I can't.
Maria Carvainis, my agent, has held my hand for more than ten years now. Madame, thank you for your faith in this middle child. Thanks also to the warm and wonderful Elizabeth Copps and Martha Guzman at Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.
The spouse of a writer is required to endure long silences when the writer is thinking, non sequiturs in almost every conversation, distraction, eavesdropping, discouragement and a lot of nonsensical babbling. I am absolutely positive no one does this better than mine. Thank you, honey.
Thanks to my daughter and son, the lights of my life, for just being exactly how you are. I love you more than I could ever say.
And thank you, readers. Thank you for giving me the gift of your time. It means the world to me.
For Book Club Discussion
Now That You Mention It starts off with Nora being hit by a vehicle while crossing the street. It's an event that has her taking stock of her life ("As one does," she says). Why do you think that moment--and not the home invasion--caused her to reevaluate? Have you ever stopped to reassess where your life was heading, your relationship or career? Was it triggered by a surprising event, like Nora's?
Nora divides her life into before and after--before she won the Perez Scholarship and after. Do you think that a person can completely start over? What does Nora carry from the island that both hurts and helps her?
A home invasion is every woman's nightmare, and something most of us have imagined. Nora struggles with what she's always thought she'd do in this type of situation and the reality of just surviving the ordeal. It's a pivotal scene in the book. Discuss how differently Bobby and Sullivan react to it, and how Nora deals with its aftermath.
Nora's mother is a capable woman, and though Nora doesn't feel close to her, she admires her. What did you think of Sharon Stuart and some of the decisions she made during her daughters' childhoods?
Nora feels a sense of failure in her relationship with her sister and wants to connect with Poe almost to make up for it. Did Poe remind you of any teenagers in your own life?
The theme of female friendship is a strong one throughout the book, as is the idea of a family of choice. Though Nora wishes she could be close with her sister, Lily doesn't cooperate. What did you think of Lily as a sister, daughter and mother?
Sullivan Fletcher carries the effects from an accident without complaint. He says at one point that some people are better at handling loss than others. His brother, on the other hand, can't move on. Why did you think Sully was better adjusted than his twin (and mother)? What in his life and past might've been different from Luke's?
The book begins with what Nora thinks is a near-death experience. Her encounter with Luke mirrors that. How is she different at the end of the story? How has she changed throughout the book?
"[An] emotionally compelling story [and] perceptive study of love, marriage, sisterhood, and loyalty. A powerful, emotionally textured winner."
--Kirkus Reviews on If You Only Knew
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ISBN-13: 9781488029264
Now That You Mention It
Copyright (c) 2017 by Kristan Higgins
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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