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  6.When Evan is out running with Jessie, she thinks about how she can sometimes see what her mom must have looked like as a child. She says, “If you can still look like your little girl self when you’re grown, do you still feel little? Like you’re playing pretend and you really don’t feel like the adult everyone thinks you are?” Can you identify with Evan’s thoughts and questions? Have you ever, even for a moment, felt like you’re still your younger self trapped in an adult body with adult responsibilities and expectations?

  7.Let’s talk about Harvis and Gus. How are their personalities different, and why do you think they meshed well despite their differences?

  8.Despite being fiery and independent, Gus ends up letting Harvis in and leaning on him for strength. Given her declining health and unpredictable future, why do you think she did that? What gave her the courage or strength to admit she wanted the companionship and needed the help?

  9.Do you understand Gus’s desire to keep Jessie from feeling the burden of having to take care of her own mother? Do you understand Jessie’s insistence that it wouldn’t be a burden, but a privilege? Many people are familiar with the responsibilities of being a caretaker of an older family member. If you feel comfortable, share an experience you’ve had that’s similar to or different from Jessie and Gus’s situation.

  10.When Jessie was younger, she thought love was “sparks and butterflies.” By the end of the story, she’s realized her need for firm ground and a solid, tested foundation. Can you think of a time in your life when, like Jessie, you thought love was about that initial spark and the fluttery feelings? How did your view change? Or is it somehow a combination of the two?

  11.The quote at the beginning of chapter 38 talks about times of dormancy in the garden, and how while the earth is waiting, “silent, invisible work is taking place.” How does this relate to Jessie’s life? Do you have any experience with quiet times that prepared you for something bigger?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Photo by Angie Davis

  Lauren K. Denton is the author of the USA TODAY bestselling novels The Hideaway and Hurricane Season. She was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. Though her husband tries valiantly to turn her into a mountain girl, she’d still rather be at the beach.

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