by Lisa Regan
I roll my eyes and clutch my purse to my side self-consciously but twirl nevertheless.
“You’re gorgeous,” my mother says.
“Where is Connor taking you?” Brianna asks.
“It’s a surprise.”
My mother sighs. “Ah, I always loved the beginning parts of a relationship. Your father was very romantic when he courted me.”
Brianna laughs. “Courted you? Mom, you’re not that old.” Then she frowns. “Although I think he may be courting you again.”
My mother nods. “I think you’re right.”
Brianna turns back to me. “You’re still moving in with me next month, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, you can help me study for the LSATs.”
My mother’s eyebrows shoot up, and she smiles approvingly. “You’re finally going to go to law school?”
“I’m going to try,” Brianna answers. She looks back at me and winks. “Besides, we might need to leave these two lovebirds alone.”
I laugh, and my mother hands me an envelope. “This came in the mail,” she explains. She and my sister exchange a knowing smile. The return address belongs to UC Davis, one of the colleges I applied to after getting my GED. I hold my breath and tear open the envelope.
As I stare in shock at the letter, Brianna says, “The thick envelope gives it away every time.”
I am so dumbfounded, I forget to smile. We hear a knock at the front door. My father calls, “I’ll get it.”
Moments later, Connor and my father join us in the kitchen. I look up from the acceptance letter, and my breath catches in my throat. Connor looks more handsome than I’ve ever seen him. Instead of the suits he wears to work each day, he’s donned khakis and a short-sleeved polo shirt that clings to the firm musculature of his chest and arms. He hands me a bouquet of flowers.
A small worry line creases his forehead as he watches me. Brianna winks at him. “She got in to UC Davis,” she explains.
Connor grins. “I knew it,” he says.
Still, I cannot speak. “Well, we’re going to the perfect place to celebrate,” Connor says.
Somehow, I am ushered from the kitchen outside and down the front walk to Connor’s car. My family hugs and kisses me goodbye for the evening. As Connor opens the passenger’s-side door for me, I catch a glimpse of the girl I used to be in the reflection from the window. She smiles at me.
With every day that passes, I see her more and more. I want to stop and watch her, but I don’t. Her eyes tell me not to—her eyes tell me that one day I’ll look in the mirror and see only myself, and that woman will be beautiful and not broken.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank my parents for nurturing this dream without hesitation or exception from the time I was old enough to put letters on the page and for not letting me give up: Donna House, William Regan, Rusty House, Joyce Regan.
The following people have always had my back, inspiring me and showing me incredible support, and without them I would be lost: Sean House; Kevin and Andy Brock (my brothers); Dot Dorton and family; Melissia McKittrick; Kerry Graham; Laura Aiello; Mike Debelle; Michael Infinito Jr.; Carrie A. Butler; Tajare Taylor; Robert Tomaino; Joanne Smith; Dr. Danny Robinson; Dr. Julie Vandivere; Dr. Elaine Atkins; Bill Baker; Julie, Kirk, and Grace House; Marilyn House; Amy Schoenfeld; Kitty Funk; Helen Conlen; the late Walter Conlen and the rest of the Conlen family; the amazing Regan family; the Funk family; the McKittricks; the Nova family; the Tralies family; and the rest of my wonderful in-laws.
Thanks to Stephanie Kuehn for helping me find the essence of the book finally. Special thanks to my close friend, alpha critique partner, and writing soul mate, Nancy S. Thompson. You mean the world to me, and I would not be here were it not for you! Thanks to Jeanie Loiacono, Amy Lichtenhan, and Katie Henson for believing in this book from day one and giving it its first shot! Thank you to Jessica Tribble, Scott Calamar, and the entire team at Thomas & Mercer for breathing new life into this story! I am so grateful.
Finally, thank you to my husband, Fred, and daughter, Morgan—you are my world!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2015 Jessie Mae Kanagie Photography
Lisa Regan is a bestselling suspense novelist and a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master of education degree from Bloomsburg University, works full-time as a paralegal, and lives with her husband and daughter in Philadelphia, where she writes books while waiting in line at the post office. Readers can learn more about her work at www.lisaregan.com.