It's hard to forget your past when you're staring at it.
That's the conclusion Emma Watkins arrives at when she returns to Hayden, Maineâpopulation 2,253; now 2,254âfor the first time in nine years.
When she sees him for the first time in nine years.
When that word leaves his mouth. Buttercup. A pretty nickname in an ugly tone. A term of endearment time twisted into an insult. A taunt that nothing has been forgivenâor forgotten.
She's back to sever ties. Break promises. Keep secrets. All easier said than done. The memories she left behind aren't all bad . . . more like mostly good.
Reminders of the happy times before the heartbreak don't change the fact that this visit is a farewell tour, not a reunion. Caden Bennett is the guy she left behind. Being back where they began doesn't change that.
But she never intended to fall for him the first time, either.