Returning to the resort village of her childhood, Jennifer discovers a cache of letters that reveal a beloved relative's decades-long relationship with a secret love, a correspondence from which Jennifer draws comfort and wisdom when she falls in love herself and experiences a painful hardship. 1,350,000 first printing.

Sam's Letters to Jennifer

By James Patterson

Little, Brown

Copyright © 2004 James Patterson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-316-71057-1

Chapter One

SAM AND I are sitting on a mostly deserted beach on Lake Michigan alittle north of the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The Drake is filled withtreasured memories for both of us, and we had dinner at our favoritetable there earlier. I need to be with Sam tonight, because it's oneyear since, well, everything happened that shouldn't havehappened-it's one year since Danny died.

"This is the spot where I met Danny, Sam. In May, six years ago," Isay.

Sam is a good listener who holds eye contact beautifully and isalmost always interested in what I have to say, even when I'm beinga bore, like now. We've been best friends since I was two, maybeeven before that. Just about everybody calls us "the cutest couple,"which is a little too saccharine for both of our tastes. But ithappens to be true.

"Sam, it was freezing that night Danny and I met, and I had aterrible cold. To make it worse, I had been locked out of ourapartment by my old boyfriend Chris, that awful beast."

"That despicable brute, that creep," Sam contributes. "I never likedChris. Can you tell?"

"So this nice guy, Danny, comes jogging by and he asks if I'm allright. I'm coughing and crying and a total mess. And I say, 'Do Ilook like I'm all right? Mind your own blanking business. You're notgoing to pick me up, if that's what you're thinking. Scram!'" Isnorted a laugh Sam's way.

"That's where I got my nickname, 'Scram.' Anyway, Danny came back onthe second half of his run. He said he could hear me coughing fortwo miles down the beach. He brought me coffee, Sam. He ran up thebeach with a hot cup of coffee for a complete stranger."

"Yes, but a beautiful stranger, you have to admit."

I stopped talking, and Sam hugged me and said, "You've been throughso much. It's awful and it's unfair. I wish I could wave a magicwand and make it all better for you."

I pulled out a folded, wrinkled envelope from the pocket of myjeans. "Danny left this for me. In Hawaii. One year ago today."

"Go ahead, Jennifer. Let it out. I want to hear everything tonight."

I opened the letter and began to read. I was already starting tochoke up.

Dear, wonderful, gorgeous Jennifer ...

You're the writer, not me, but I had to try to put down some of my feelings about your incredible news. I always thought that you couldn't possibly make me any happier, but I was wrong.

Jen, I'm flying so high right now I can't believe what I'm feeling. I am, without a doubt, the luckiest man in the world. I married the best woman, and now I'm going to have the best baby with her. How could I not be a pretty good dad, with all that going for me? I will be. I promise.

I love you even more today than I did yesterday, and you wouldn't believe how much I loved you yesterday.

I love you, and our little "peanut." ... Danny.

Tears started to roll down my cheeks. "I'm such a big baby," I said."I'm pathetic."

"No, you're one of the strongest women I know. You've lost so much,and you're still fighting."

"Yeah, but I'm losing the battle. I'm losing. I'm losing real bad,Sam."

Then Sam pulled me close and hugged me, and for the moment at least,it was all better-just like always.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Sam's Letters to Jenniferby James Patterson Copyright © 2004 by James Patterson. Excerpted by permission.
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