Too Many Cooks (35 page)

“In that case, I think I might be a bit of a swot, too.”

“Then maybe this really is a match made in heaven. . . .”

I smile. “Maybe it is.”

“All aboard!”

Our heads snap up as the last passengers hurry to their seats. The doors close, and the train lurches forward, gaining speed as it pulls out of the station. We chug past the crowd on the platform, the faces blurring together as the engine accelerates, toward Paris, toward the future, toward the unknown. James takes a deep breath and raises his eyebrows expectantly as the car fills with the hum of the wheels against the track. “Here's to adventure, eh?”

My eyes linger on his, and for a moment, I feel as if my mother is on the train with me, her presence so full and real that I half expect to turn around and see her sitting in the seat behind me.
Adventure
. I'd thought that was what the past three months had been about—England, Natasha, Hugh—but maybe it's this. Maybe my adventure is now. Maybe this is just the beginning. And maybe it doesn't have to end. A chill races up my spine as the train whooshes down the track, pressing onward at great speed.

“To adventure,” I say, and though I can't be sure, I swear I hear someone behind me humming “Dancing Queen.”

As always, a big thank-you to my editors: Esi Sogah at Kensington and Dominic Wakeford at Little, Brown. Working with the two of you is such a joy. And thanks to the rest of my publishing team: Jane Nutter, Vida Engstrand, Kristine Noble, and Steven Zacharius at Kensington, and Grace Vincent, James Gurbutt, and the entire team at Little, Brown. And a massive thank-you to Hazel Orme—who copyedited the U.K. edition—you are, truly, the best copy editor on the planet.

Thanks to Scott Miller and Sylvie Rosokoff at Trident for your continued hard work. I am so lucky to have both of you in my corner.

I couldn't have written this book without the help of the cookbook ghostwriters who were kind enough to answer my phone calls and e-mails and respond to my many questions. You know who you are, and I am forever grateful.

I am also hugely grateful to Marie Hughes Chough for giving me a primer on growing up in Ypsilanti. Your detailed accounts of Ypsi life were beyond helpful. And thank you for your mom's spaghetti salad recipe—a crucial part of the book!

This novel would still be a messy draft on my computer if it weren't for the help of my early readers. Thanks to Sophie McKenzie for your British insights, and to Mandi Schweitzer for writing a note that transformed the book.

For the first time, I let my mom read a draft of one of my books, and I'm so glad I did. Thanks, Mom, for your useful advice and unconditional support—and know that I will be calling on you again in the future! And thanks to my dad for continuing to spread the word about my books. You are a great publicist and an even greater dad.

Thanks to my brother, Brian, for continuing to make me laugh. Maybe one day I'll be as funny in writing as you are in person.

A huge thank-you to Alice Pooran—I never would have made my deadline if it hadn't been for your help.

And finally to Roger and Alex: Thank you both for inspiring me to be a better writer, wife, mother, and person. You have utterly transformed my life, and I love you.

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Too Many Cooks