“Almost?” Jack asks, turning my head back to face him.

“No, every day!” I assure Jack. “Except that once. Most of the time, to be sure.”

“Most of the time?”

“Is the time up yet?” I ask Jack.

“No,” he says, “three more minutes.”

We both sit and stare at the digital clock on the microwave oven.

“So,” Jack says, grabbing my hand but still staring at the microwave clock, “I guess this means I should start looking into the baby Manolo thing, huh?”

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Sherry and Bernard Janowitz, my parents, whose love and support means the world to me. A big thank you also goes out to my brother, Sammy, and sister-in-law, Stephanie. (And, heck, my nephew, Noah, too, whose cuteness undoubtedly inspired me.) I am so fortunate to have all of you in my life.

Thank you to Mollie Glick, my amazing agent. I am so lucky to have you—your constant support and guidance help me to become a better writer every day. You are a truly wonderful agent and have also become a great friend. Am I supposed to be having this much fun working with my agent?

A big thank you goes out to the fabulous team at Red Dress Ink. Thanks to Adam Wilson and Margaret Marbury for your endless support and inspiration. It was so sweet of you to invite Brooke to the party again! Thanks to Don Lucey and Megan Lorius for your fabulous PR skills. Your tireless efforts mean so much to me.

Special thanks goes to everyone at Mediabistro, especially Jessica Eule, who forces me to teach class after class on creative writing. And, of course, Mara Piazza for throwing the best book launch parties a girl could ask for.

Thank you to Grandma D for being one of my earliest readers and for letting me borrow your maiden name once again.

Many thanks to Shawn Hecht and JP Habib. Special thanks go to Selina McLemore, Danielle Schmelkin, Aunt Myrna, Robin and Jeff Kaplan, Jen and Scott Kaplan, Lauren Lindstrom, Cousin Melissa Kraut, Cousin Brandon Kraut, Jessica Shevitz Rauch, Greer Gilson Schneider, Esther Rhee, Donna Gerson, Tami Stark, Kim (Trattner) Kramer and all of my great relatives and friends who make my life so wonderful on a daily basis. Big thanks go out to everyone at Barnes and Noble in Chelsea and Philly, Books and Books in Florida, the JCC in Manhattan, Makor/92nd St. Y, the Cornell Club, Justine Reichman and Twilight at Vzones.com and the many book clubs who supported SCOT. It was so much fun to meet all of you!

And, of course, thanks to the Luxenberg family: Judy and David; Jen, Lee, Spencer, Oliver and Ruby; Stacey, Jon, Jordan and Ethan. I’m so excited to join your family on May 25th!

And last but not least, thank you to my honey, Doug Luxenberg. Who knew when we were walking the halls of Lawrence High School together that we’d end up here? I love you.

xoxo,

Brenda

Questions for Discussion

1. Brooke and Jack litigate the biggest cases of their respective careers against each other, and Monique and Jean Luc work in a business partnership with each other. Is it ever a good idea to mix business with pleasure? Have you ever had a relationship with someone you worked with?

2. Brooke begins to question whether or not Jack is really the man she thought he was. Do you ever really know the person you are in a relationship with? If so, how long does it take? Do you ever really know yourself?

3. Which would you rather: to finally find love after you’ve turned thirty and have had to endure bad date after bad date for years, like Brooke, or to have found love when you were eighteen, and then lose it and have to start all over again, like Vanessa?

4. When Brooke and Jack’s families meet, they do not get along. This concerns Brooke, but Vanessa assures her that you marry the man, not his family. Do you think that you marry just the man, or that you marry his family, too?

5. When Brooke and Jack go to look at flowers, Maximo gives them each a penny to throw into the pond and make a wish. What do you think that Brooke wished for? What about Jack?

6. Do you think that Brooke and Jack’s marriage will last? Why or why not? What about Vanessa and Marcus? Monique and Jean Luc?

7. Miranda tells Brooke that you can’t control who you fall in love with. Do you think that this is true? Have you ever fallen in love with someone who you shouldn’t have?

8. If you were to make Jack With a Twist into a movie, who would you cast as all of the major characters?

9. This story is narrated by Brooke. How would it be different if it was told from Jack’s point of view?