The Jennifer McMahon E-Book Bundle (150 page)

BOOK: The Jennifer McMahon E-Book Bundle

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“I want to put all my energy into Monique’s Wish. I’m even thinking about teaching some renovation workshops here in the suburbs.”

“I think it’s great that you’re going to stick around. It’ll make a big difference with your mother. And even if she doesn’t say so, it’ll mean a lot to Lorraine.”

Reggie nodded. Lorraine had said little about George. Reggie hadn’t pushed her—her aunt had never been one to process her feelings out loud. Reggie had also decided not to tell Lorraine about George’s being her father or about a lot of the details of George’s psychosis she’d uncovered. There was only so much a person could take. The most important thing was that they were all safe. It was over at last. They had the rest of their lives to try to make sense of it, to put the missing pieces into place. But right now, there were more pressing things. Like card games and chocolate pudding with Vera.

The doctors didn’t know how long Vera had—weeks, months at the most. But whatever time they had left, Reggie was determined to make the most of it.

Reggie stood up and walked to the dresser to put the cards away. There, on top, next to the box of medicines, was a framed picture of the old Aphrodite Cold Cream ad. Her mother, young and radiant, strangely immortal, smiled out at them, her perfect right hand holding the jar of cream.
Treat Yourself Like a Goddess
.

Reggie turned back to see that the real Vera had opened her eyes and was giving Reggie a slightly puzzled look.

“It’s you,” Vera said, surprised, as though Reggie hadn’t been there playing cards all afternoon.

“Yeah, Mom. It’s me.” Reggie walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling down at her mother.

“You’re here,” Vera said.

Reggie took her left hand, gave it a squeeze. “Where else would I be?”

Acknowledgments

Huge thanks go out to the usual suspects: my agent, Dan Lazar who tells it like it is and always finds a way to make me a better writer; my editor, Jeanette Perez, who can take something rough and help me polish it until it shines; and to everyone at William Morrow—all your energy and input has been invaluable.

I’d also like to thank all the wonderfully wild misfit kids with whom I spent the mid-1980s—Lynn, Betsy, Debbie, Becky, Charlie, Billy, and all the rest—cruising the backstreets of suburban Connecticut in my Camaro with warm beers, blasting Stevie Nicks, chain-smoking menthol cigarettes, looking for trouble and sometimes finding it. May all our secrets stay safe.

This book is, at its heart, about family, about home. So I would be remiss not to give heartfelt thanks to my own family and everyone in it. Yeah, we’re not exactly the Brady Bunch or the Waltons, but we’ve got
way
better stories. I love you all.

Credits

Cover design by Mary Schuck

Cover photograph by Arcangel

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE ONE I LEFT BEHIND
. Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer McMahon. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any 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 HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-06-212255-1

EPub Edition © JANUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780062122568

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About the Author

JENNIFER MCMAHON
grew up in suburban Connecticut. She has worked as a house painter, farm worker, paste-up artist, pizza delivery person, homeless shelter staff member, and has assisted mentally ill adults and children. She lives in Vermont with her partner and their daughter.

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