ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for so many people for all their help, advice, cheerleading, and support. You’ve all played a role in bringing this book to life, and I can’t thank you enough.

Team Berkley: you are all a dream come true. Cindy Hwang, you’re not just a fantastic editor, but you believe in me more than I believe in myself. Jessica Brock and Fareeda Bullert, I’m happy every day I get to work with you. Angela Kim, Kristine Swartz, Erin Galloway, Craig Burke, and Jin Yu, you’ve all gone above and beyond for me in every way possible. Megha Jain, Marianne Grace, Kayley Hoffman, and Vikki Chu, thanks so much for everything you do for my books. And a huge thanks to Jaci Updike, Lauren Monaco, Andy Dudley, and the incredible Penguin Random House sales team across the country.

Holly Root, you are the best agent any writer could ask for. I don’t know what I would have done these past few years without you by my side, and I don’t even want to think about it. And thank you to Alice Lawson for everything you’ve done for me and my books. Thank you both for answering my many (many) questions, and being incredible partners in my career.

Reese Witherspoon and the entire Hello Sunshine team, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for my books, and especially for introducing them to so many enthusiastic readers.

Writers and those in the publishing world are some of the most generous people I’ve ever encountered. Amy Spalding and Akilah Brown, you’re two of the first people I ever talked to about writing, and your support then and throughout these past few years is a big part of what got me here. Thank you to Roxane Gay, Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan, Robin Benway, Tayari Jones, Ruby Lang, Alexis Coe, Esmé Weijun Wang, Sara Zarr, Nicole Chung, Jami Attenberg, Liz Lopatto, Rainbow Rowell, Daniel Ortberg, Nicole Cliffe, Laura Turner, Caille Millner, Stephanie Lucianovic, Samantha Powell, Melissa Baumgart, Kayla Cagan, Lyz Lenz, Maret Orliss, Margaret Willison, and Rachel Fershleiser for all your support, advice, enthusiasm, and reassurance. I’m so grateful for all of you.

I have the best friends in the entire world. Simi Patnaik and Nicole Clouse, I love you both so much. Janet Goode, I’m happy every day that I have your friendship. Jill Vizas, I’m so happy that you’ve been a constant in my life for over thirty years. A huge thanks to Melissa Sladden, Jina Kim, Julian Davis Mortenson, Nathan Cortez, Lisa McIntire, Nanita Cranford, Joy Alferness, Sarah Mackey, Maggie Levine, Sara Kate Wilkinson, Kate Leos, Lyette Mercier, Kyle Wong, Ryan Gallagher, Sarah Tiedeman, Veronica Ades, and Toby Rugger for your friendship and love.

Wellesley College and all of her alumnae: I’m grateful every day I have you in my corner.

Special thanks to Matt Kagan, Sybil Grant, and Annette Majerowicz. Everything I got right about comms work is because of you; we’ll call everything I got wrong poetic license.

Librarians and booksellers: you’re the best people! Thank you for the love you have for my books; your enthusiasm has meant so much.

And to my family: I am so grateful for your support and love throughout the many ups and downs. Thanks to my huge extended family on all sides and extra thanks to all my cousins, who are always there for me.

Mom, Dad, and Sasha, I love you all so much.

Thank you to all my readers. I’m overjoyed at how you’ve embraced my books, and I hope you love this one, too.

Chapter One

MADDIE FOREST DIDN’T WANT TO GO TO THIS BIRTHDAY PARTY. SHE didn’t like parties in the first place—they were always too loud, there were always annoying people who she had to pretend to be nice to, and there were never enough snacks. But she especially didn’t want to go to Theo Stephens’s party. It was likely to be as boring, self-important, and pedantic as the guest of honor.

But, unfortunately, one of Theo’s best friends was her best friend, Alexa, and Alexa had asked Maddie to come with her to the party. Alexa’s brief fling with some doctor in L.A. had just ended badly, and Maddie could tell she was still upset about it. So instead of being either snug at home in a caftan watching House Hunters and eating delivery pizza, or out somewhere with Alexa, drinking wine and eating fancy pizza, she was looking for parking in one of the worst neighborhoods in San Francisco in which to find parking.

“Don’t worry, we don’t have to stay all night,” Alexa said as they circled the block. “I know you’d rather be watching HGTV, but I couldn’t skip Theo’s birthday and I wasn’t in the mood to come alone.”

Alexa must have been desperate to have her there, because she’d told Maddie if she came, she would wear whatever Maddie wanted. There were few things Maddie loved more than when she got to style conservative Alexa in something edgy and force her to branch out.

“I’ll protect you from the bros. Just give me the nod whenever you want to take off,” Maddie said.

“Not all of Theo’s friends are bros!” Alexa said. “Not even most of them. There are just a few who rub me the wrong way. His brother should be there tonight—he’s kind of a bro, but also hilarious and Theo’s opposite. You’ll like him. Anyway, thanks for coming. I know this isn’t really your thing.”

Maddie sped up as she spotted a parking space down the street.

“You’ll pay me back for this next time I need a buddy. Just don’t make me wear a shift dress and a cardigan that time, please.”

Alexa looked down at herself as Maddie pulled into the parking spot.

“Speaking of, are you sure about this outfit? I have way too much cleavage with this dress.”

Maddie turned off the car. Too much cleavage? Please. Alexa had been corrupted by her conservative work wardrobe, and now she thought even the hint of a breast was shocking in public, especially if she was around people who knew she was the chief of staff to the mayor. Her dress had barely any cleavage, come on.

Well. Okay. That wasn’t quite true. But it was barely any cleavage in comparison to other dresses Maddie could have put her in.

“I’m very sure. I’m a professional, remember? That dress has just the right amount of cleavage for a Saturday night out at a bar.” She checked her makeup in her car mirror. Yes, she’d put the perfect amount of highlighter on her brown skin; just enough so she looked like she’d been at the beach earlier that day, but not so much that she looked like C-3PO.

She got out of the car and linked arms with Alexa.

“And stop tugging at that dress. You look fantastic. Let’s go dazzle these men.”

When they walked into the bar, Maddie surveyed the crowd. Lots of jeans and hoodies, as she’d suspected. She shook her head and followed Alexa to the back of the bar, where the party presumably was. Oh, yep, there was Theo. The one good thing about Theo: you could always count on him to dress well. He had on well-fitting dark jeans and a soft blue button-down. He greeted Alexa with a big hug.

“You made it!”

“Happy birthday! I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Alexa said as she hugged him back.

Theo pulled back from Alexa and saw Maddie, and the grin dropped from his face.

“Maddie.” He nodded at her. “Thanks for coming.”

“Theo.” She nodded back. Ugh, she guessed she had to say it. “Happy birthday.”

He raised his eyebrows and smirked at her.

“Thanks. I’m delighted you’re here.”

She and Theo both knew he was as delighted to have her here as she was to be here.

She’d first met Theo three years before, at Alexa’s birthday party. Theo had recently started as the mayor’s communications director, and when Maddie had seen both how cute he was and his excellent pin-striped shirt, she’d thought maybe there might finally be a spark between her and one of Alexa’s nerdy friends.

She could not have been more wrong.

After a few minutes of chat about what kind of pizza and beer they should order, she’d asked him where he’d been before coming to the mayor’s office.