Introduction

The poignant story of what happens when a woman who thinks she's lost everything has the chance to love again.

Leo has long joked that, in the event of his death, he wants his best friend Garrett, a lifelong bachelor, to marry his wife, Audrey. One drunken night, he goes so far as to make Garrett promise to do so. Then, twelve years later, Leo, a veteran firefighter, dies in a skiing accident.

As Audrey navigates her new role as widow and single parent, Garrett quits his job in Boston and buys a one-way ticket out west. Before long, Audrey's feelings for Garrett become more than platonic, and Garrett finds himself falling for Audrey, her boys, and their life together in Portland. When Audrey finds out about the drunken pact from years ago, though, the harmless promise that brought Garrett into her world becomes the obstacle to his remaining in it.

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Excerpt

Leo

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I know Garrett never thought I was serious when I told him, If I die, I need you to marry Audrey. Make my wife your bride—she’s meant to be a bride, not my widow. And I know she didn’t think I was either, but I’d never been more serious about a thing in my life. I was a firefighter; I risked my life every day. Surely I couldn’t be the only guy in the department who thought about such a thing. And then, after 9/11, I knew asking him had been the right decision, and I felt even better about it. Of course I did. Garrett is my best friend. We met in 1983, when we were fourteen, and it’s as true now as it was then. I had other friends, good friends. I had Gallagher at the firehouse—easily worth ten men—but Garrett is like a brother to me. It’s as simple as that. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Dugan uses rotating narration to take us inside the minds of her characters. Compare how each family member (including honorary family member Garrett) processes grief and loss in his or her own way. Which character were you able to relate to the most? Whose transformation, or growth, over the course of the novel was the most satisfying? How come?

2. Reflect on how you felt about Garrett when you first met him, and how you felt about him at the end of the book. Did your stance on him change? How so, and why?

3. Consider an example of when you’ve made a promise to a friend never expecting to have to carry through on it. What was it? What were the circumstances? How would your life have changed had you been put in a position that required you to fulfill that promise?

4. How did the multiple perspectives on Leo’s death and life in its aftermath color your read? Imagine if the story had only been told from Audrey’s point-of-view. How do you think it would have changed the story?
5. Consider the way the novel comes to a close. Were you surprised by the ending? Satisfied by it? Discuss alternate ways it could have ended.

Weblinks

»	Author Polly Dugan's web site
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»	Publisher's Book Info

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