The brown-haired girl, who looked to be in her early twenties, blushed as she handed Jules a bakery bag, and I was hit with the memory of a little girl helping Jules frost cupcakes on the weekends. “Yeah, nice to see you again, Carissa.”

She ducked her head but smiled. “You were Violet’s boyfriend, right?” As soon as the last word was out of her mouth, her eyes widened. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I just meant that I remember you two. You guys were such a cute couple.”

I fought the wince that twitched through my muscles. “It’s all right.”

“Well, uh, I better get back to it.” Carissa turned on her heel and fled back to the kitchen.

Jules let out a little laugh, handing me the bag. “That girl is as flighty as a feral cat, but she’s a damn good baker.”

I forced a smile. “Must’ve learned from the best.”

“Now don’t you go kissing up to me, Ford Hardy. Those muffins are your only freebies.”

“I’ll pay my way next time. I promise.”

“Sounds good. Don’t be a stranger. And tell Bell I said hi.”

“I will,” I called over my shoulder as I opened the door and stepped out into the cool spring air. I headed back towards The Catch, paper sack in hand. Each storefront I passed held another memory, a mixture of joy and pain. The restaurant I’d taken Violet to on our first official date. The florist where I’d gotten her homecoming corsages. The paint-your-own-pottery shop we’d taken Bell to every year for her birthday. My chest got tighter with each step, but I didn’t fight it the way I usually did. Instead, I let the memories come, passing through me from one shop to the next.

My gaze caught on a figure across the street. One all too familiar and not exactly welcome. Heather Kipton froze mid-step, her gaze narrowing into a glare. I thought that maybe there’d been a flicker of pain in her eyes, but now I only saw hatred. It wasn’t the first disdainful gaze that had been sent my way since I’d returned, but it was the fiercest.

That familiar vise tightened around my ribs, making it hard to take a full breath. This was what I would have to live with, day in and day out, for as long as I stayed on Anchor. The looks that accused without saying a single word. I forced my eyes closed for a brief moment. It was worth it. For my family. For Bell. It wasn’t forever, it was just one summer. I could endure anything for that long if it meant earning their forgiveness.