Suddenly (43 page)
Authors: Barbara Delinsky
Sara nodded. She started for the door but turned back. “Can I get you anything?”
“No, sweetheart. Just be out there when I finish.” She watched Sara leave, thinking how much of a friend the girl had become. Paige loved talking with her, shopping with her, teasing Noah with her. She was as sensitive—and warm—and communicative—as her father when the chip on her shoulder slipped, which it was doing more and more often. Pretty soon it would be a thing of the past.
Like Mara. But no. Not like Mara. Mara would never be a thing of the past. Not in the deepest, most meaningful sense.
“You left us too soon,” Paige wrote,
but your leaving taught us much, which is some consolation for missing you. You etched your initials on our lives. We are changed forever, for having known you and, yes, for having lived through your death
.
I think of you often
.
Dear friend and healer. Once loved. Never forgotten
.
For the accuracy of many of the thoughts and facts included herein, I owe thanks to Judy Brice, pediatric nurse-practitioner, without whom I would never have survived motherhood; to Mary Lou Eschelman of Wide Horizons for Children, which specializes in international adoptions; to Jonathan Epstein, who led me patiently through the morass of the mass casualty incident; and to Marilyn Brier, mental health consultant, fan, and friend.
For encouragement and guidance through both the writing of this book and the shaping of my career, I thank Karen Solem, my editor, and Amy Berkower, my literary agent.
And always, for the deep connect, I thank my lucky stars for my husband, Steve, and my sons Eric, Andrew, and Jeremy.
Barbara Delinsky was a sociologist and photographer before she began to write. A lifelong New Englander, she and her husband have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and a cat.
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More Than Friends
“Intriguing women’s fiction.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“With brilliant precision and compassionate insight, Ms. Delinsky explores the innermost depths of her beautifully realized characters, creating a powerful, ultimately uplifting novel of love and redemption…. Don’t miss this knockout tale.”
—
Rave Reviews
A Woman Betrayed
“A strong, compelling story…I recommend it.”
—Eileen Goudge, bestselling author of
Garden of Lies
and
Such Devoted Sisters
“A diverting pageturner.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“When you care enough to read the very best, the name of Barbara Delinsky should come immediately to mind.”
—
Rave Reviews
The Passions of Chelsea Kane
“In this small-town romance, Delinsky refreshingly takes the opportunity to poke fun at social snobbery and moral hypocrisy.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Delinsky sets the stage for a compelling story about love, loyalty, and family ties.”
—Doris Mortman
“Entertaining, erotic, and emotional.”
—Sandra Brown, bestselling author of
Breath of Scandal
“Definitely one of today’s quintessential writers of women’s fiction, Barbara Delinsky pulls out all the stops in this perceptive novel of one woman’s search for the truth about herself…vivid and unforgettable.”
—
Romantic Times
“Ms. Delinsky is a master storyteller! Her talent to create living characters is remarkable. Her writing and plotting are first-rate.”
—
Rendezvous
Rekindled
A Woman’s Place
Shades of Grace
Together Alone
For My Daughters
Suddenly
More Than Friends
A Woman Betrayed
Finger Prints
Within Reach
The Passions of Chelsea Kane
The Carpenter’s Lady
Gemstone
Variation on a Theme
Passion and Illusion
An Irresistible Impulse
Search for a New Dawn
Fast Courting
Sensuous Burgundy
A Time to Love
Cover photograph by Herman Estevez
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SUDDENLY
. Copyright © 1993 by Barbara Delinsky. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, 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 hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © NOVEMBER 2002 ISBN: 9780061803062
First HarperTorch paperback printing: February 2002
First HarperPaperbacks printing: February 1994
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