Chasing Harry Winston (38 page)

Emmy took a long pull on her martini, set it down carefully, and smiled at Adriana. “I suppose I should
woof
right now.”

“Emmy!” Adriana started to say, “Have I taught you nothing about—”

She held up a hand, and Leigh found herself silently cheering her on. “Stop being the rules Nazi, Adriana. Save it for your younger, more inexperienced fans. We”—she motioned around the table and smiled hugely at her best friends—“are all experts now. And we did it the old-fashioned way.”

Adriana opened her mouth to argue, but appeared to reconsider. “All right,” she said with an understanding nod. “I’ll buy that.”

“To us,” Leigh said, her glass aloft.

The girls clinked and sipped and smiled. It might be the end of the pact, but somehow, they all knew it: The good stuff was just beginning.

Thanks first and foremost to Marysue Rucci, who is so much more than the world’s best editor; to Sloan Harris for talking me down from every ledge in town; and to David Rosenthal for cracking me up, time after time, always knowing when it’s most needed (and least appropriate). Thank you to the unparalleled team at Simon & Schuster, especially Aileen Boyle, Tracey Guest, Victoria Meyer, Katie Grinch, Leah Wasielewski, Jackie Seow, and Ginny Smith. I owe JoAnna Kremer, copy editor extraordinaire, a huge debt for making it look like I know more than the most rudimentary rules of grammar. Special gratitude to Melissa Perello for the crash course in all things chef-related. To Deborah Schneider, Vivienne Schuster, Betsy Robbins, Lynne Drew, Claire Bord, Helen Johnstone, Dave Patane, Kyle White, Stephen Frank, Judith Hirsch, and Cathy Gleason, thanks for all the much-appreciated advice and guidance in your many areas of expertise.

Thank you a million times over to my girlfriends, whose stories I’ve stolen shamelessly: Audrey Kent, Victoria Stein, Helen Coster, Alli Kirshner, Julie Hootkin, Laura Dave, Megan Deem, and Gretchen Bylow. To the Cohens—Allison, Dave, Jackie, and Mel—for welcoming me into the family with open arms and lots of wine. Mom, Dad, and Dana—thanks for being funnier and more sarcastic than me, for reminding me of it every day, and for returning my endless bitching and complaining with support and understanding…I love you all so much. Most of all, I want to thank Mike, who endured countless “hypothetical” conversations about how “my characters” should get engaged, and still managed to surprise me with the perfect real-life proposal. From the first panic attack to the very last line edit, you helped this book (and this writer) in more ways than I’ll ever admit.