Dear Theodora,
Will you marry me?
Very sincerely yours,
Everett
She stood up, knocking over her chair. “Oh, God, sorry. I mean . . . yes. Yes. Yes, Everett!”
She jumped onto him and he picked her up, her lips pressed onto his and her arms around his neck.
“I love you so much,” he said into her mouth, and she smiled back.
“What exactly is happening here?” Josie asked.
“They’re engaged!” Kirsten and Eleanor shouted in unison, and then everyone lost it. Soon they were all cheering and shrieking and crushing Teddy in hugs. Craig shook Everett’s hand and said, “Welcome to the family. Gimme a call if you ever need any tips.” Teddy’s mother started crying. Even Josie’s dogs, confused by the commotion, jumped on Teddy as if they were trying to give her a hug in their own way.
Amid the chaos and the yelling and barking, Teddy felt a hand grab on to hers, and she looked back to see Everett talking intently to Craig as he squeezed her hand. She couldn’t believe that less than a year ago, she’d been miserable, shrinking herself to fit into someone else’s life and someone else’s idea of who she should be. Now nearly everything about her life was different. She lived with Eleanor and Kirsten in the most colorful, warmest home she could imagine. Her mother was actually working on figuring out her own life instead of Teddy’s. Sophia had quit her job months ago and was now back in school. On evenings and weekends, Everett spent time with Teddy instead of working, and sometimes they even watched bad reality TV and ate takeout with Natalie and Lillian. Carlos ran Colossal Toys, although Teddy didn’t work there anymore. Now she had a job at the sewing shop, and she was happy even though she didn’t know if she’d stay there forever. Maybe she’d always love it, or maybe she’d find something else she loved more. Because that was what life was all about, right? Trying new things, discovering what you loved and hated, exploring all of your major and minor passions? Maybe she wouldn’t ever find one big thing that lit her up; maybe it was enough to be constantly discovering a million little things that made life worth living.
Everett met her eye and smiled, and as Teddy smiled back, she knew. Loving someone and being loved back, getting the chance to wake up every morning and uncover new passions, deciding on her own what her life would be . . .
It was more than enough. It was everything.
Acknowledgments
I’m so grateful for the long list of people who made this book what it is. First and foremost, thank you to my amazing editor, Cindy Hwang. I still can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to work with you. Thank you for understanding this book and for calling it “hot Mister Rogers.”
Thank you to my agent Stephen Barbara for always advocating for my books and for asking a question I’ll be pondering for the rest of my life: was Mister Rogers hot?
Thank you to everyone at Berkley, including Brittanie Black, Diana Franco, Tara O’Connor, Fareeda Bullert, Elisha Katz, and Angela Kim. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that my books are in such great hands.
Thank you to Rita Frangie and Farjana Yasmin for an absolutely perfect cover. You captured Teddy and Everett down to the smallest details. I know I say this every time, but I think this is the best cover yet.
Thank you to COSI for hosting a Jim Henson exhibit in 2019. It reminded me of the importance of creativity, originality, and beauty, and also made me think that the world needs more romances about puppeteers.
Thank you to all the picture book authors and illustrators who made videos during the pandemic for a) entertaining my child and b) helping me understand Everett a little better.
So many thanks to Lauren Dlugosz Rochford and Emily Adrian for reading my words and encouraging me to keep going.
Thank you to Mary Schmich, who was most likely the person who actually said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Sorry so many people, including my fictional characters, misattribute your words to Eleanor Roosevelt.
Thank you to the librarians who read and recommend my books, and extra thanks for doing your jobs so well during such a difficult time.
A massive thank-you to all the bookstores and booksellers who’ve supported me and my books. Extra special shout-outs to Annie at The Bookshelf, Carl at Fountain Bookstore, Paul at Silver Unicorn, Anna and Amanda at One More Page, Kate and Beth at Bookmarks, Kim at Joseph-Beth, Chelsea and Vanessa at Wheatberry, Kim at Read It Again, and everyone at The Book Loft and Cover to Cover. Thank you for letting me take part in virtual events, putting my books on your Best Of lists, making my books your staff recommendations, and/or being amazing in general. This is a rough time to release a book, sell books, or be a human, and I get genuinely tearful when I think about the support and warmth you’ve shown me.
My family kept me relatively sane while I wrote a book during a pandemic. Thank you to Harry for always encouraging me to take a break, and thank you to Hollis for the in-depth LEGO knowledge this book needed.
And finally, thank you to everyone who reads my books and recommends them to their family and friends. Thank you to the book bloggers and the bookstagrammers and anyone who has ever sent me a kind message or email. I enjoy the process of writing, but the real reason I write is because I love to connect with readers. I couldn’t do this without you, and I wouldn’t want to.
READERS GUIDE
VERY SINCERELY YOURS
Kerry Winfrey
Questions for Discussion
Everett has always known what he wants to do with his life, while Teddy has never identified what she’s passionate about. Do you relate more to Everett or Teddy?
Teddy decides to do one thing every day that scares her. What kind of things have you done that scared you? Did you end up enjoying them?
Getting dumped by Richard pushes Teddy to make some big changes in her life. Do you think she would have made these changes if Richard hadn’t broken up with her? Have you ever gone through a seemingly negative experience that changed your life for the better?
Teddy and Everett get to know each other via email before they meet in person. Have you ever started a relationship with someone online? What do you think the benefits are of getting to know someone this way?
If you were in Everett’s position and had a chance to go to New York for a job like his, would you have gone? What might change your mind?
Teddy finds comfort in watching Everett’s Place, even if she isn’t the target audience. Do you have a show, film, or book that’s a metaphorical security blanket? Would you ever want to meet the creator?