But there was no time to waste. She opened the front door of the shop and little bells rang. Two elderly ladies greeted her in unison. Their sweaters matched and they looked like sisters.
She spotted him, his head down, at work on something important. When he looked up, his face lit exactly the way she thought it would.
“You're out!”
She wore a playful, mischievous grin. “I know who you are.”
“The guy who sat by your bedside, bored you silly 'til you woke up?” He set his pencil down. The two ladies giggled and moved to the back of the shop.
Yeah, she had her flirt on.
Out of her bag she took a hand-drawn card, filled with every color imaginable, the whole rainbow and more.
Two caricatures were sketched on the front of the card. She watched his face and she knew he recognized himself and her. She really loved to see him smile.
It read:
Do You Like Me?
She flipped to the inside:
Yes, No or Maybe So.
He looked up at her, his eyes awash with . . . delight?
Yeah, delight.
“Don't say no,” Hope said.
“Hope, I . . .”
“Don't say no.” Comatose, she realized, makes people bold.
He walked to the other side of the counter and stood very close. “I'm not. I simply wanted to point out that on the inside, you're asking me to make a choice but you don't say what you think. How you feel. We need a rewrite.”
“I think . . . I'm um, my thoughts . . . they're telling me we need to believe again, believe it's worth the risk. Believe our pain has brought us to this place. Sappy, huh?”
“Just right. I'm glad you're here. I wanted to ask you a question. How does a girl in a coma send a guy greeting cards?”
“What do you mean?”
He reached behind the counter and pulled out a stack of envelopes to hand to her. There was no mistaking the writing was her grandmother's. Hope pulled out the first card. She'd made this one on a Wednesday sitting under a tree at the park, simply signing it Hope. One of dozens over the years.
It struck her right then, that this was the boy her grandmother always talked about, the shy one with the gentle heartâthe one she had no interest in since the day he gave her that first card in grade school. It was her grandmother who could never resist a guy with intimate knowledge of flowers.
It left her breathless and hopeful all at onceâso full-circle in an otherworldly sort of way. She stared into Jake's eyes.
“What's a girl gotta do to get a job around here, writing her own stunningly witty greeting cards? Maybe a line of âpony up' cards.”
“Well, this is a family-owned business. You have to be family toâ”
And then she went all cliché on herself to interrupt him and plant a kiss on his lips. They melted into each other. It was the corniest, mushiest greeting-card moment ever. “You're hired,” he said, his finger brushing her cheek.
Somehow I already knew that.
Discussion Questions
1. What was your favorite part of the novel? Why?
2. Who is your favorite character and why?
3. Who did you want Hope to end up with and why?
4. In the novel, Hope goes through a crushing blow, being abandoned at the altar. What is the most disappointing experience you've had? How did you respond to it?
5. Where do you look for hope in the midst of difficult circumstances? What encourages you?
6. Like Hope, have you been able to use humor to get through difficult times in your life? If so, how have you used it? Do you know of creative ways to use humor to help others going through a difficult time?
7. Cici, Hope's mother, seems to bury her pain by pretending bad things don't happen. Do you know anyone who uses this coping mechanism? Have you used it yourself to try to avoid dealing with pain? What was the result?
8. If you were writing your own greeting cards, would you write make-up cards or break-up cards?
9. Write a sample greeting card of the type of card you wished you had received when you were in pain over a trial. If you think someone may be helped by it, make it into a card especially for that person.
10. Did you enjoy the story in the real world or in Hope's coma world better? What was it you liked best about it?
11. What do you think is the biggest mistake Hope makes along her journey? How could she have done things better?
12. Did you understand the symbolism of the lady janitor in the hallway at the YMCA, that she represented where Hope feared she'd end up if life didn't change? Do you face fears about where you will end up one day? What are you doing to combat those fears?
13. Hope has to overcome a lot of fears to chase after her big dream of being a greeting card writer in NYC. She leaves the safety of her job and her home. What is your biggest dream? Have you chased after this? Is there anything holding you back from trying? Are there any big moves you need to make in order to go for your dreams?
14. What do you believe about the verse, Romans 8:28, that talks about how God works all things together for his good?