Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my brother, Steve, and his wife, Linda (to whom this book is dedicated), for helping me with details and resources for the Finger Lakes wine region of New York, where they live. To my forever love, John—thank you for being my real-life romance hero and partner. Thank you to my amazing friends who helped inspire the feisty Rendezvous Falls Book Club—an eclectic band of seniors who are more likely to be causing trouble than sitting around knitting in a rocking chair (although some of them can knit and cause trouble with equal expertise). Here’s to my dear friends Dianne, Kate, Joy, Laura, Liz and Linda, and all smart, sassy women everywhere! To my globe-trotting mom and her sister, Darlene and Shirley, who redefine old age for anyone who can keep up with them. Thank you to freelance editor Anna J. Stewart for her help as I was putting this story together. Many thanks to my agent, Veronica Park of Corvisiero Literary Agency. As usual, I couldn’t have done it without your guidance, encouragement and occasional kick in the pants. Thanks for always knowing which one I need at any particular time.

Hurricane Florence came roaring through my city of New Bern, North Carolina, as I was writing this book last year, leaving a path of devastation in her wake. I’d like to offer special thanks to the heroic first responders, utility workers and nonprofit volunteers who rushed in to help our community recover. And thank you to my editor, Michele Bidelspach, for being so understanding as we dealt with the storm chaos right at deadline time!