The Year We Turned Forty (38 page)

“Happy birthday, Claire!” Jessie said as Grant poured the drinks and handed them out. “To fifty! It's the new twenty-five, right?” Jessie said, looking at Emily, who was nearly there, and everyone held their drinks high in the air.

“I wouldn't go that far!” Claire said. “My headache would argue otherwise!”

“Whatever, lady! Drink up. Hair of the dog, right?” Jessie laughed, then added, “I have presents!”

“I don't need a set of maracas, Jessie,” Gabriela teased.

“Oh shut up!” Jessie said. “Seriously, both of you come over here.”

Gabriela and Claire sat down next to Jessie and waited patiently as she carefully unwrapped the tissue paper to reveal three necklaces, each with a small bottle of sand and a charm with the number forty dangling from it. “So we'll always remember the year we turned forty,” Jessie said, so quietly only her best friends could hear her.

Each woman picked up her necklace and let it dance between her fingers, reflecting on the journey that had led them to exactly where they were today. Gabriela learned to fail and rise back up, stronger than she was before. Claire discovered she didn't have to sacrifice her own happiness for everyone else's. And Jessie found out that sometimes you have to fight like hell for something, even when you doubt whether you still deserve it.

“Wait,” Emily said as she leaned over Claire's shoulder. “You messed up. That says forty. You're fifty!” She glanced at Morgan
and Madison and smirked. “God, I hope early senility doesn't run in our families!”

“No, it's perfect, just the way it is,” Jessie said, glancing back at Grant before grabbing Gabriela and Claire and pulling them into a group hug.

Madison shook her head. “I don't get you guys sometimes.”

“That's okay,” Claire said, wiping the tears from Jessie's cheeks with her thumb. “We get each other. And that's all that matters.”

What a fun ride this has been!

Thank you to Greer Hendricks for taking a chance on us four years ago. You didn't have to read our manuscript, but you graciously did. We'll always be thankful to you and our wonderful publisher, Judith Curr, for believing in us.

Sarah Cantin! How can you continue to be so incredibly fabulous
and
nice? It really doesn't seem fair. Thank you for always advocating for us. We want to be you when we grow up.

Elisabeth Weed, you continue to be the best agent anyone could ask for. We appreciate when you discreetly look away when we get into arguments in front of you. At dinner. After a bottle of wine. (Long story!)

And Dana Murphy—you are outstanding and we heart you.

Ariele Fredman, we are so in love with you. Can you feel it? You are amazing and we are so thrilled with everything you and the lovely Kathryn Santora have done for TSOAT.

To our friends and family—thank you for preordering our books and hauling your bad selves to our book signings. One day, we promise to have people we
don't
know in those seats and you'll be off the hook.

To the incredible book bloggers who have championed us along the way—it's hard to put into words the gratitude we feel. Word of mouth is everything and we appreciate every single mention. Hugs to Jennifer Tropea O'Regan from Confessions of a Bookaholic; Andrea Katz from Great Thoughts, Great Readers; Natasha Minoso from Book Baristas; and of course, Melissa Amster from Chick Lit Central—we owe y'all some serious cocktails!

To our readers—thank you doesn't seem like enough. We are literally nothing without you. We love to hear from you and read your reviews. Keep 'em coming!

Liz would like to send love to her father, Bill, who passed away while writing
The Year We Turned Forty
. You always said tough times build strength, and as usual, you were right. You are missed every single day.

And last, but not least, thank you to Mike and Matt. You guys could've told us this would never happen. But instead you encouraged us to dream big. You could have asked us to quit to make your lives easier. But you never did. Know that every word we write is because of you guys. We love you! PS: Now let's go to Vegas! (After a shout-out like that, we deserve it, right? #stringsattached #sorry #notsorry #weloveyouthough)

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ALSO BY LIZ FENTON AND LISA STEINKE

The Status of All Things

Your Perfect Life

Washington Square Press

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