NIGHTS IN RODANTHE
Nicholas Sparks

Acknowledgments

Nights in Rodanthe, as with all my novels, couldn't have
been written without the patience, love, and support of my
wife, Cathy. She only gets more beautiful every year.
Since the dedication is to my other three children, I have
to acknowledge both Miles and Ryan (who got a dedication
in
Message in a Bottle). I love you guys!
I'd also like to thank Theresa Park and Jamie Raab, my
agent and editor respectively. Not only do they both have
wonderful instincts, but they never let me slide when it
comes to my writing. Though I sometimes grumble about the
challenges this presents, the final product is what it is
because of those two. If they like the story, odds are that
you will, too.
Larry Kirshbaum and Maureen Egen at Warner Books also
deserve my thanks. When I go to New York, spending time with
them is like visiting with my family. They've made Warner
Books a wonderful home for me.
Denise Di Novi, the producer of both Message in a Bottle
and A Walk to Remember, is not only skilled at what she
does, but someone I trust and respect. She's a good friend,
and she deserves my thanks for all she has done-and still
does-for me.
Richard Green and Howie Sanders, my agents in Hollywood,
are great friends, great people, and great at what they do.
Thanks, guys.
Scott Schwimer, my attorney and friend, always watches out
for me. Thank you.
In publicity, I have to thank Jennifer Romanello, Emi
Battaglia, and Edna Farley; Flag and the rest of the cover
design people; Courtenay Valenti and Lorenzo Dc
Bonaventura of Warner Bros.; Hunt Lowry and Ed Gaylord
II, of Gaylord Films; Mark Johnson and Lynn Harris of
New Line Cinema; they have all been great to work with.
Thanks, everyone.
Mandy Moore and Shane West were both wonderful in A Walk
to Remember, and I appreciate their enthusiasm for the
project.
Then there is family (who might get a kick out of seeing
their names here): Micah, Christine, Alli, and Peyton; Bob,
Debbie, Cody, and Cole; Mike and Parnell; Henrietta, Charles,
and Glenara; Duke and Marge; Dianne and John; Monte and Gail;
Dan and Sandy; Jack, Carlin, Joe, Elaine, and Mark; Michelle
and Lemont; Paul, John, and Caroline; Tim, Joannie, and Papa
Paul.
And, of course, how can I forget Paul and Adrienne?

ONE

Three years earlier, on a warm November morning in 1999,
Adrienne Willis had returned to the Inn and at first glance
had thought it unchanged, as if the small Inn were impervious
to sun and sand and salted mist. The porch had been freshly
painted, and shiny black shutters sandwiched rectangular
white-curtained windows on both floors like offset piano
keys. The cedar siding was the color of dusty snow. On either
side of the building, sea oats waved a greeting,
and sand
formed a curving dune that changed imperceptibly
with each
passing day as individual grains shifted from one spot to the
next.
With the sun hovering among the clouds, th...

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