16 Things I Thought were True Part 39

That he came to you here."

"You're right," I say. I look at Amy's dad. "She loved you so much," I tell him.

He nods and presses his lips tight. "I know," he says. "But thank you." We both turn and watch Bob and Camille approach. Bob has visible sweat on his upper lip.

"Excuse me," Amy's dad says, and he slips away, goes to his wife's side, and puts his hand on her shoulder. She presses into it, and I look at them for another moment, hoping they will be able to get through this. Wondering how they will.

Adam removes his hand from my waist but takes my hand.

"We're late," Bob says when they reach me. "My apologies. It was the ferry."

"It's good to see you, Morgan," Camille says and steps forward and hugs me close. She smells like expensive perfume. When she steps back, Bob holds out his hand. I stare down at it and then look at him and we both start to laugh.

I take his hand and formally shake it. I really am my father's daughter.

"I hope it's okay. That we came," he says.

"Of course," I say but frown, thinking of what I last said to him.

"I'm sorry."

He nods. He knows exactly what I'm thinking. "I wanted to see you. And your mother invited us to come. She told us what hap- pened, that you were upset about Amy the last time we spoke."

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e "I'm sorry for how rude I was."

"Don't even worry about it," he says.

"We wanted to pay our respects," Camille adds. "We're so sorry about Amy," she says. "She was a lovely young girl."

I nod and yet another lump forms in my throat. "She was."

"She seemed like a good friend," Bob adds.

"She was a great one."

There's a pause.

"She called me, you know," he says. "Before the surgery. She wanted me to know that you were a good person, to give you time.

And she told me I better be good to you when you did. She a.s.sured me you would."

"She did?" I shake my head and half smile at Amy's audacity.

"I really am sorry," I say softly to Bob. "About what I said to you when you called. I was very upset." I don't tell him that maybe I was testing him too, without even knowing it. I want to be loved for who I am, warts and all. Because I am far from perfect. I look at him and see we're both realizing it at the same time. That it was a test.

"Don't apologize. You and I are going to mess up a lot along the way."

I nod, hiding a smile. He's implying that we have a future. And I want that very much. Jake and Josh appear at my side, their eyes burning with visible curiosity.

"This is Bob White and his wife, Camille," I tell them. "Jake and Josh."

"These are the twins?" Bob reaches to shake their hands. The boys are polite, but they don't remember Bob, not really. While they 275.

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J a n e t G u r t l e r make small talk, I glance across the room. Mom is standing with Jake and Josh's dad. She smiles at me as she slips her hand into the crook of his arm. He leans down and whispers something in her ear. I raise my eyebrows and she rolls her eyes at me. I roll mine back. Maybe there are more reunions than one going on. Gross.

I turn to Adam, and he's laughing at something Bob said. I nudge him in the side. If he wants to be a good boyfriend, he really needs to stop getting along so well with my parents. Amy would have told him that. My heart sinks. I miss her way of telling it the way it was.

"Let me introduce you to Amy's parents," I tell Bob and Camille.

As we make our way toward them, I hear one of the Tinkerpark kids saying something to one of the private school kids, asking if they saw me in the video.

I think of Amy. What she wanted me to do- show them who I really am.

I slip my hand into Adam's and hold my head high.

And then I wiggle my a.s.s.

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acknowledgments.

There are so many people who have a hand in the book making process and it's an honor to be able to thank you.

Thanks to Leah Hultenschmidt and Todd Stocke and the Sourcebooks editorial team for coming up with the t.i.tle for Sixteen Things I Thought Were True and to Leah for her always thoughtful and wise editorial ma.s.sages. Also thanks to Gretchen Stelter for her keen copyediting eyes that caught so much, including my many Canadianisms. As always, the Sourcebooks team is a dream to work with from owner Dominique Raccah, to Jillian Bergsma and Cat Clyne (best name in publis.h.i.+ng, hands down), to Derry Wilkens, publicity guru, to the super sales reps (who have the coolest jobs in the world)! Also the designers and artists and all the Sourcebooks family who get books made and into the hands of readers in one way or another, I bow to you and heartily fast-clap you!

I also love the great folks at Raincoast Books for doing such a smas.h.i.+ng job distributing and promoting my books in my home land, Canada!!! Especially Jamie Broadhurst, Jocelyne Leszczynski, Crystal Allan, and the super sales team! Thanks, eh!

Special thanks to Linda Duddridge for her help with the later drafts of Sixteen Things and for great listening ears and feedback sixteenthings.indd 279 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r from start to finish. Thanks again to Jennifer Jabaley and Lauren Bjorkman for their always amazing suggestions and catches and thanks to Denise Jaden who is my favorite first set of eyes that get me on track. Thank you also to Thalia Anderson, YA enthusiast, for reading and making wonderful editorial suggestions. And of course my agent, Jill Corcoran.

I'd also like to say thanks to teen librarians, who are so great at matching books with readers. Thanks for giving my books a chance and putting books into the hands of teenagers seeking realistic sto- ries! It's a wonderful profession and I truly appreciate all that librarians do for authors!

Also to the many pa.s.sionate YA book bloggers who support authors with such zeal. I've loved meeting so many of you and share your enthusiasm for young adult books! I hope to meet more of you in real life. In the meantime, here, have a gold star!!

Thanks to my Alberta writing pals for the support and friends.h.i.+p over the years as we travel the publis.h.i.+ng process together, all of us at different stages but all of us devoted writers. To Leslie Carmichael, a funny and brilliant writer, the epitome of grace and quiet strength as she fights her battle with cancer, Angela Ackerman, Linda Duddridge, Deb Marshall, Gloria Singendonk, Stina Lindenblatt, Trish Loye Elliot, and Jan Markley. Also my new lunch writing friends and the good folks at Writer's Guild of Alberta!!

I also have to thank my husband Larry for making it all possible.

LG+JM. And my favorite son, Max, for being you and for all of the future things I will be ripping off from your teen experience. You're a good kid. Keep up the good work.

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e I always love hearing from readers as well and thank you for read- ing this book and any of my others!! You can find me on Facebook or Twitter @janetgurtler or at my website www.janetgurtler.com.

Lastly, for all people seeking truth. I hope you find it and that it's everything you want it to be.

Janet 281.

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about the author.

Double Rita finalist Janet Gurtler recently moved to Okotoks, Alberta, with her favorite husband and son and a chubby Chihuahua named Bruce. Sixteen Things I Thought Were True is her fifth Sourcebooks t.i.tle. There are currently no videos of Janet dancing on YouTube or anywhere else online. This is probably a good thing. Visit Janet at www.janetgurtler.com.

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