I reached out with my good hand, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear and trailing my hand down her neck, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “I don’t know, but we’re going to figure it out.” She didn’t look especially hopeful. And God, I hated that. “Let’s eat breakfast, and then my mom gave me a box of stuff she saved for me. I think there are yearbooks in there. We can look through them and see if it jogs any memories for you.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” A flicker of hope lit Bell’s eyes. Trouble always did better when she could take action. She needed a sense of purpose, to feel like she could change her circumstances.

We ate quickly, neither of us having much of an appetite after our meeting with the sheriff. I took my plate to the sink. “The box is in the garage.”

Bell took my plate and placed it in the dishwasher. “Don’t even think about trying to get it. You sit on the couch. I’ll get the box.”

I grumbled but obeyed. My ribs weren’t exactly happy at the moment, and I refused to take another pain pill.

Bell was gone and back in a matter of seconds, placing the worn box on the coffee table in front of us. She flashed me a devastating smile. “I really hope there aren’t old Playboys in this box.”

I chuckled. “If my mom found Playboys in my childhood room, I really hope she threw them out.”

I pulled open the top flaps that were tucked into one another. There was a total mix of items peeking out, and I suddenly felt like any of them could be a live grenade. I pulled out two football trophies, setting them on the table.

“State champs your junior year. I remember that game.” Bell picked up the trophy, dusting off the plaque.

I smiled. “I remember you bedazzled your shirt with my number on it.”

That gorgeous pink flooded Bell’s cheeks. “I was such a nerd.”

My gaze caught hers. “I loved it.” The color in her cheeks deepened, and I began to see those years growing up through a different lens. All the time she’d spent with me, the way she’d been my biggest cheerleader and staunchest defender.

“What else do you have in there?” Bell stood, leaning over the box, and pulled out a framed photo. Her thumb traced over the glass. “You two looked so perfect that night.”