“Actually,” Simon said, “since I’m no longer working at Armstrong, you’re not my boss at all.”
“Oh yeah,” Alison said. “That sucks. Do you have any idea how much I wanted to be the boss of you for a change? But no, you had to be your own boss by buying half of Kelly’s PT clinic when she got overwhelmed and went looking for a partner.”
“And now he’s getting to do what he loves,” Emma said, not nearly as breathless now. She smiled at Simon, who leaned in and brushed a kiss to her damp temple.
“I’m most definitely doing what I love, and who I love,” he said, which made Emma laugh.
“Disgusting,” Alison said and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the fact that she was clearly pleased for them. It didn’t hurt that she was wearing a big, fat diamond ring on that finger from Ryan. No date had been set yet. According to Alison, the date might never be set. They were happy and content to be engaged. All Alison had ever wanted was to feel loved, and there was no doubt Ryan made her feel very loved.
Emma looked down at her own ring.
“How you doing, Mrs. Armstrong?” Simon asked her.
“She’s doing great,” Alison said. “Just look at her. It’s been a year and she’s still wearing the newlywed glow.”
“It’s sweat.” But Emma smiled. It’d been a year exactly. In fact, today was her and Simon’s anniversary. There were certainly more romantic things to do than this, but after her hopefully final surgery six months ago, this felt right. She’d gotten the notion that by trying this race on her own, it would prove something to herself, like her life hadn’t really changed at all, and she could still do whatever she wanted.
And she supposed that was still true. She could do whatever she wanted. Just not in the way she’d expected. It wasn’t about winning, she’d realized. It was about finishing.
That was all she had to do. Finish.
The sound of cheers had her lifting up her head. While lost in reflection, she’d crossed the finish line. She turned around and found Simon and Alison going around the flags, not through.
Through was only for the participants.
Simon reached her first and scooped her up, laughing as he kissed her. “You did it. Do you know what this means?”
“That I need you to give me a three-hour massage?”
“Gladly, but it also means you can do anything. Anything, Emma.”
“Good.” She slid her hands into his hair and tugged his face back to hers. “Because I know what I want to do now.”
“Ew,” Alison said, coming up to their side.
“I meant food.” Emma cupped Simon’s face. “Food, please,” she begged. “I’m so starving my stomach is eating itself.”
“What kind of food?” Alison asked. “There are a lot of choices.”
Simon smiled into Emma’s eyes. “Choices are always good.”
“Yes.” Emma kissed him, pouring her emotions into it. Surprise that she’d found this precious thing she hadn’t been looking for. Joy that it was real, that he felt it too. Hunger for more. “And you’re the best choice I ever made, Simon.”
“Right back at you, babe.”
P.S. Insights, Interviews & More . . .*
About the Author
* * *
Meet Jill Shalvis
About the Book
* * *
Reading Group Guide
Read on
* * *
Coming Soon . . . An Excerpt from The Family You Make
About the Author
Meet Jill Shalvis
New York Times bestselling author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever books are sold, and visit her website, jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
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About the Book
Reading Group Guide
Emma wakes up from a coma and finds her entire world upended. What do you think about the choices she made?
If you had a near-death experience like Emma did, what changes would you make to your life? Are they changes you could make now? What’s stopping you?
Ali and Emma hated each other as teenagers—and with good reason— but as adults they found a way to become business partners and friends. Is there someone like that in your life? Would you be able to forgive your childhood nemesis?
Do you think Emma should have forgiven Cindy, her best friend who started dating her fiancé, Ned? What would you have done in that situation?
Why do you think Ned and Cindy thought it was okay to start seeing each other while Emma was in a coma? Do you think people should be given a pass when dealing with grief?
Simon is amazing—do you think he pushed Emma too hard in her recovery or not enough? Do you think it was okay for them to start dating? Why or why not?
Even though Paw Pals is a doggy day care, some elderly people begin to spend their days there. What does this say about loneliness and social interactions as we get older?
If you’d gone through what Emma had gone through, could you see yourself being able to start over like she did, with a new job, new friends, and a new love?
What did you think of the relationship between Simon and his father? Could you have forgiven your father for your childhood enough to take care of him the way Simon did?
Read On
Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt to the next heartwarming Wildstone story by Jill Shalvis . . .
The Family You Make
On Sale January 2022
It wasn’t often that Levi Cutler came within a hair’s width of dying. If he’d known his ticket might be up today, he’d have considered using that cell number the cute waitress from the other night had tucked into his pocket. He might’ve taken the time to go ice climbing, something he hadn’t been able to make the time for in years.
He would definitely have visited Amy’s grave one last time.
And he still would’ve made the drive from his place in San Francisco to Lake Tahoe. After all, his presence had been ordered—er, requested—at his childhood home by the only person who could still guilt him into doing something he didn’t want to do.
His mom.
She liked to remind him that thirty years ago she’d labored for well over twenty-four hours, ruining her figure in the process, all to bring him into this world. Translation: he owed her, and she needed a command appearance.
Being his own boss running Cutler Analysis, a data analysis consulting business, should’ve made it easy to take some time off from his San Francisco office. But for Levi, who’d let work become his life, stepping away for even a few days was hard. Still, when his mom had remained uncharacteristically cryptic about what she needed him for, he’d made the drive. The pass over Highway 80 was notorious—a narrow, curvy, dangerous-as-shit two-laned road that rose to an altitude of nine thousand feet and into awe-inspiring, heart-stopping hairpin turns that were tricky enough in the summer. In January, like it was now, they were a nail-biter.