The Possibility of Now
Page 25
Turning, I look at Neverland, and this time the whirls in my stomach are definitely more butterflies than knots. A sheet of sun gleams on the storefront, but as I get closer to the shop, I fall into the shadow of the overhang and can see Logan through the window. He stands in the center of the store, wearing Bermuda shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops. He’s holding a kayak paddle, demonstrating the swing you use to a silver-haired woman in board shorts and water shoes. He sees me through the window and freezes, his face shifting from surprise into a smile. He has clearly stopped mid-sentence, because the woman’s eyes move to me away from the demonstration. Handing the woman the paddle, Logan motions for me to come inside.
I open the door and step into Neverland. “Hi.”
“Excuse me for a minute.” He smiles at the woman. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he takes a few steps toward me. “You took the job?”
“I took the job.”
He motions to the blue binder I have tucked under my arm. “What’s that you got there?” The kayak woman still stands next to him, holding her paddle, her eyes locked on us, interested. When she sees me notice her, she pretends to examine a dress on a hanger nearby, but her eyes keep slipping back to us.
I show him the binder. “Oh, this? It’s my Summer in Tahoe List. I actually made it for you.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Great. Another list. Too bad we’re nowhere near a ski lift right now.”
“Don’t you want to check it out?” I offer it to him.
He walks down the store aisle and takes it, flipping it open to reveal the single sheet of paper inside. On it, I’ve printed one word:
Logan
“Nice list,” he says, flipping it shut, his eyes sending shivers through me.
I hold his gaze. “And, you know, I’d also like to learn to paddleboard.”
A smile plays at his mouth. “I think we can manage that.”
I grin back. “And also kayaking and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and —” I add until he smothers me in a bear hug, probably to shut me up.
It works.
1. The Possibility of Now would not exist without the hard work of two amazing women: my editor, Jody Corbett, and my agent, Melissa Sarver White, who (insert favorite climbing-a-mountain metaphor of your choice here) patiently guided me through multiple drafts of this novel. A special thank-you also needs to go out to the wonderful people at Scholastic, who work in countless miraculous ways, but especially Yaffa Jaskoll, Beka Wallin, Sheila Marie Everett, Roz Hilden, Alexis Lunsford, Elizabeth Whiting, and Anna Swenson. And shout-out of gratitude to Molly Jaffa at Folio Literary for her tireless efforts on all things international.
2. Every writer needs her people, and I’m lucky to have a whole local bookstore full of them — thank you to the staff at The Book Seller in Grass Valley, California. I’m also particularly grateful to Gary Wright and Mark Wiederanders for their writer minds and hearts and support along the way. Michael Bodie and Loretta Ramos give the best pep talks, and I’m so grateful. Once again, thank you to Tanya Egan Gibson, who has read more of my novel openings than she probably cares to be reminded of — thanks for always being my go-to girl. And to my writing group: Kirsten Casey, Annie Keeling, and Jaime Williams — well, ladies, I simply don’t know what I’d do without you.
3. Thank you to Tahoe, a very real and special place. I tried to remain true to the world there, but I did take some liberties with certain details and facts (especially in relation to restaurant and store names and the ski racing/ski practice/ski week schedules). Many people helped me make this world as authentic as I could — any mistakes are mine, not theirs, or just my stretching the lovely taffy that is fiction to fit the health of this story.
4. Like Mara, I’m new to skiing and want to thank the people who have been so patient with this novice: Lillian Llacer and Gary Reedy took me out that first day (after much coaxing from my daughter!), and, in the days since, the Dixons, the Thiems, and the Hatchers have been so patient with wobbly, slow me. I want to also thank Sean Costley of Squaw Valley Ski Patrol for his mountain experience. Finally, thanks to Amanda Courtney and Cody Lamarche for the ski conditioning you put me through so I could actually survive a day of skiing. It was, as you knew it would be, totally worth it.
5. Maybe all writers are like this, but I seem to spend a lot of time processing my work and couldn’t do it without my friends and family, who always lend an ear (and a shoulder and a heart!) when needed. There are too many to mention, but I want to especially thank Dawn Anthney; Erin Dixon; Crystal Groome; Sands Hall; Krista Witt; and my parents, Linda and Bill Culbertson, for their unwavering support (or at least being really skilled at nodding along and seeming interested!). Thank you, too, to my San Diego sensory detail reconnaissance team, Brandon and Erika Culbertson, who didn’t bat an eye when I texted questions like, “What do you smell at La Jolla Shores at night in early March?”
6. A special mention must go to Emily Gallup, who generously shared her skills as a therapist and spent hours with me discussing the struggles we’re both seeing in many of the teens we work with regarding anxiety, stress, and current cultural expectations. Thanks, Em.
7. Over the years, I’ve had incredible students in my high school classes. They have shared their dreams and fears, and a huge part of this book is for all of them, but a special thank-you goes to Autumn, Bobby, Davia, Bethany, and Aliyah, who gave me some much-needed insight during the writing of this book.
8. Finally, the biggest thank-you to Peter and Anabella, who are always and forever the most important parts of any list I make.
Kim Culbertson is the author of Catch a Falling Star; Instructions for a Broken Heart, a Northern California Book Award winner; and Songs for a Teenage Nomad. When she’s not writing young adult novels, she teaches high school creative writing. Kim lives with her husband and their daughter in Northern California. For more about Kim, visit www.kimculbertson.com.
Copyright © 2016 by Kim Culbertson
All rights reserved. Published by Point, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, POINT, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book 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.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Culbertson, Kim A., author.
The possibility of now / Kim Culbertson. — First edition.
pages cm
Summary: After years of overachieving at her elite school, Mara James has a complete meltdown during her calculus exam and, embarrassed by the incident and the viral video evidence, goes to live with her ski bum father in Squaw Valley, where she hopes to find a place to figure out where her life is headed, and maybe even finally understand her father.
ISBN 978-0-545-73146-1
1. Life change events—Juvenile fiction. 2. Fathers and daughters — Juvenile fiction. 3. Squaw Valley (Calif.) —Juvenile fiction. [1. Self-perception — Fiction. 2. Perfectionism (Personality trait) — Fiction. 3. Fathers and daughters — Fiction. 4. Squaw Valley (Calif.) — Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.C8945Po 2016
813.6 — dc23
[Fic]
2015016518
First edition, February 2016
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
Cover photography by Michael Frost, © 2016 Scholastic Inc.
Stock image: Damir Frkovic/Masterfile (mountains)
e-ISBN 978-0-545-73147-8
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into a
ny 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 the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.