“You must blame me,” Louise whispers.
“Oh, bug.” Izzy is crying so hard she can barely speak. “Nobody blames you. How could we? We all loved that game, especially Addie.”
Everyone is crying now, even Nate.
Sitting between her sisters makes Louise realize how much she has missed them. Not just for their advice about the Carson boys, or passing them on the stairs and hearing whispered assurances that the tank is half full. She has missed them because sisters should never leave their sisters.
“I didn’t fill the tank,” says Louise. “I didn’t think you were coming back.”
Izzy lays her head on Louise’s shoulder.
“We’ll take my car,” says Gladys. “And you’ll never have to worry about being stranded all alone again, Louise. Ever.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Hands down, my favorite character in this book is Elizabeth the invisible mermaid. Thanks to Rosie Fuller for introducing us; I tried hard to keep her alive. Rosie’s mom, Maeve Conran, listened to me read way too many versions of these stories aloud, and I am so appreciative. Also, Sinead Fuller, thanks for naming Ruby, here and in real life.
Over the past few years, people gave me houses to work in, they lent me cars, took in my dog, brought me heating oil and wine and medical care (once). They taught me about marmots and bras that cause cancer, homemade toothpaste and what amnesiac shellfish poisoning is. They took me on hikes and taught me about the flora and fauna of Colorado. And they read so many versions of bad stories, I’m sure they wondered if I’d ever write anything good. These people include, but are not limited to: Stacie and Chuck Power, Debbie Jo Rock, Colleen Hitchcock, Lori and Mike Cady, Loren Waxman, Susanne Larsen, Sam Rabung, Kendall Rock, Kathleen Glasgow, Ann Keala Kelly, Ann Dixon, Elizabeth Schoenfeld, Rebecca Grabill, Jessie Carlson, Bonnie Disalvo, Vicki Stegall, Garima Fairfax, Ken Aikin, Cheryl Van Der Horn, Bonnie Sullivan, Meg Johnson (Gramzy), and Chris Todd, who does so much more than bring me coffee, but he does that too. Arianna Sullivan, thanks for helping me try to find a Brecht scholar.
Suellen Nelles, Alison Jennings, Bonnie Powell, and all the counselors from Camp Kushtaka 1989, thanks for the memories and the great material!
Thanks to the German band Parking Lot Flowers, who lent me their name and whose music I love.
William DeArmond read many of these stories before he passed away in 2017. An original member of The Squeaky Elbows and a true friend. I miss him dearly.
Thanks to the Alaska Fire Service and the Bureau of Land Management fire management teams that saved our place from the Shovel Creek Fire in the summer of 2019, inspiring more than a few details in “The Stranger in the Woods.”
As always, my agent, Molly Ker Hawn, is a godsend. The only reason this book exists is because she had faith in my desire to write a collection of short stories. Faith is a beautiful thing. Thank you, Molly.
Alice Swan, at Faber and Faber, whose keen eye never misses a chance to make me a better writer. Her work on this book was monumental, as if she knows when my brain is holding back and she just needs to stab it with a red-hot poker. I’m also very grateful to everyone at Faber who continues to support my books.
And a million thanks to my editor, Wendy Lamb. This is one of the last books she worked on before stepping down from her amazing imprint. I will savor every word, every edit, every hilarious email from her. I look forward to her freelance editorial life, and hope to be a part of it.
Many thanks as well to the whole Penguin Random House crew: Dana Carey, associate editor extraordinaire of Wendy Lamb Books; Adrienne Waintraub and Kristin Schulz in school and library marketing; Colleen Fellingham in copyediting; Tamar Schwartz in managing editorial; Alison Impey and Ken Crossland in design; and the rest of the RHCB crew.
Special thanks to Dylan Hitchcock-Lopez, who always knows what I’m trying to say and can bluntly tell me when I haven’t achieved it, even when he is short on time.
Thanks also to Sylvia Hitchcock-Jones, who gives just the right amount of feedback, no extraneous fluff. I’d be so lost without these two.
Finally, “Basketball Town” was inspired solely by my dad, who was a great coach and referee but an even better father. I miss him every day.
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