Excerpt from Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Now he's the Hayden Anderson that Margaret just referred to as [an]other branch to shake. A more successful, more well-known, more more branch.

His dark eyes cut from me (expression blank, he doesn't recognize me; why would he? I am an unimpressive branch) to Margaret (who is only marginally less disinterested) as his low rumble of a voice says, "Am I early?"

"You're exactly on time," Margaret says warmly. "Alice was just going."

I would describe the expression on Hayden's face as a distinct mien of who the hell is Alice, like he's already forgotten there's another person standing immediately in front of him, or possibly didn't actually register me the first time our eyes met.

"Hi!" I recover enough grip on my organs for my heart to be pumping blood again, my lungs to be pulling in oxygen, and my hand to be reaching out to shake his.

He lifts his slowly, as if he'd like some more information before he agrees to physical contact.

"I was just leaving," I promise, and that seems to do the trick. Finally, his very large, very warm, very dry hand folds around mine, dips once, and drops back to his side.

"Thanks again," I tell Margaret over my shoulder as I hurry out onto the sidewalk.

"I'll be in touch," she tells me, and I force a smile, like my heart isn't a little bit breaking and I'm not on the verge of tears over the dream job I'm ninety-nine percent sure I've just missed out on.

Excerpted from Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. Copyright © 2025 by Emily Henry. Excerpted by permission of Berkley Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.