Natalie and Tom have been best friends forever, but Tom wants them to be much more. When Natalie's longtime boyfriend walks out on her just when she thinks he's going to propose, Tom offers her a different and wildly romantic proposition. He suggests that they spend twenty-six weekends together, indulging in twenty-six different activities from A to Z, and at the end of that time Tom's convinced they'll be madly in love. Natalie, however, is not so sure. As Natalie's touring the alphabet with Tom, her mother's going through her own romantic crisis—while Tom's unhappily married sister-in-law, Lucy, struggles with temptation. And over the course of six amazing months, three generations of passionate dreamers are going to discover that, no matter how clever they are, love—and life—is never as easy as A, B, C . . . “Noble has a gift.” - Entertainment Weekly “Funny, touching.” - The Sun (UK) “Weaving an amorous alphabet from the romantic ups and downs of a clutch of characters, this warm-hearted book by the author of bestselling The Reading Group is a reminder that no true love ever ran smoothly.” - Mail on Sunday Natalie and Tom have been best friends forever, but Tom wants them to be much more. When Natalie's longtime boyfriend walks out on her just when she thinks he's going to propose, Tom offers her a different and wildly romantic proposition. He suggests that they spend twenty-six weekends together, indulging in twenty-six different activities from A to Z, and at the end of that time Tom's convinced they'll be madly in love. Natalie, however, is not so sure. As Natalie's touring the alphabet with Tom, her mother's going through her own romantic crisis—while Tom's unhappily married sister-in-law, Lucy, struggles with temptation. And over the course of six amazing months, three generations of passionate dreamers are going to discover that, no matter how clever they are, love—and life—is never as easy as A, B, C . . . Elizabeth Noble is the author of the internationally bestselling novels The Reading Group , The Friendship Test , and Alphabet Weekends . She lives with her husband and their two daughters in New York City. Alphabet Weekends Love on the Road from A to Z By Elizabeth Noble HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright ©2007 Elizabeth Noble All right reserved. ISBN: 9780061122187 Chapter One Natalie heard Tom's car horn at seven p.m. on the dot. He was never late. But Simon always had been. Not for patients, just for her. She was still on Simon time. At seven ten he hooted again. 'All right, you bugger,' Natalie shouted, to the empty room behind her, as she slammed the flat door. At least she had something to pack an overnight bag for, even if it was only Tom. Natalie liked packing overnight bags. She hoarded those little bottles you could buy at Superdrug, and sachets that came in magazines, and kept them in an Anya Hindmarch bag Susannah had been given once when she was upgraded on a British Airways flight. Ever ready. It made her feel glamorous—the thought that she could head off at a moment's notice to Babington House or Gleneagles. Now it was in her holdall (fake Mulberry, M & 5), nestled alongside a travel hairdryer and two sets of matching underwear. Underwear always matched in an overnight bag. If he'd booked one room he could think again. She wanted six feet of Frette linen all to herself, thank you very much. Thank goodness he had a bit of money. He might want to dress up the cheering-her-up process as this stupid alphabet game, but she knew they were both in it for a laugh. She was looking forward to a bit of pampering. Maybe there'd even be a spa ... Tom had opened the boot and was leaning against the passenger door. 'Come on.' 'Da-dah!' Natalie spread her arms and gave a little twirl. 'I'm ready for A. Or should I say, I'm Available for A, I'm Able to A, I'm Amenable—' 'You're L for late.' She ignored him. 'Come on, then. Where are we going? Don't keep me in suspense!' 'We're going abseiling.' 'You have got to be kidding me.' 'Nope. Kit's in the car.' 'Kit?' 'Sleeping-bag, boots—you're a size five, if the shoes I read last week were telling the truth, Rescue Remedy, ingredients for packed lunch—' 'But you're kidding really, right?' 'I am totally serious. We're booked into a bunkhouse on Dartmoor tonight, and it's going to take hours to get there, so could you close your big guppy mouth and get into the car? We had a deal.' 'I don't remember any deal where I agreed to something life-threatening.' Tom smiled. 'You'll be as safe as houses. Trust me.' 'Yes, well, that doesn't sound very likely, does it? Trusting you has ended me up here.' Tom started the car, and pulled out into the traffic. Natalie watched him. His brow was furrowed in concentration, one eyebrow—the one with the tiny scar from when he had fallen off a diving-board when he was fourteen—a little higher than the other. 'Abseiling? Really?' she said. 'Really.' 'In January? Really?' 'Really.' An hour l