We enter, and sure enough, Ms. Jennie is still working as the waitress. “Well, if it isn’t Jessica Walker! As I live and breathe, my God. You are just as beautiful as the last time I saw you.”

I smile as her warmth fills the space around us. She’s always sweet and loving. I doubted the woman had a mean word to say about a soul. “You are the best part of this town,” I say with a smile.

“Vernon!” she yells over her shoulder toward the kitchen. “You come out here and see who came for your famous breakfast.”

Her husband peeks his head out of the door. “Hello there, Miss Jessica.”

A sense of calm settles over me as I realize that I had been worried about a town that loved me and wished me well as I ran away to avoid having my heart broken. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Vernon.”

He gives me a wink and then heads back in.

“I’ll give you my best table. Come on, girls.” Jennie grabs two menus and walks us over to the only open table.

“This place hasn’t changed,” I muse as I look around.

There are still the same deep-red booths with black-lacquer tables, checkered black-and-white floors, and football jerseys hung on the wall.

Jennie smiles. “No need to fix things that aren’t broken. This town hasn’t changed because we don’t need it to.”

I smile at her, taking the menu from her hand. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, honey.”

“Table three!” Vernon yells from the kitchen.

“I’ll be back with your food in a few. I’ll just get you your usual.” Jennie rushes off before I could give her another option.

It shouldn’t surprise me that she would think I still ate pancakes, but when we pulled up, it was all I wanted.

After Grayson’s games, we would all pile into his truck and head here, craving carbs and sweets. He and I would sit in the corner booth, his arm around me while I wore his letterman jacket. If I had been a cheerleader, we would’ve been that all-American couple everyone talked about. I couldn’t afford to play sports, and there wasn’t any way around it. I didn’t get to sit in the stands each Friday because I was usually working, but Grayson was always there at the end of my shift.

I didn’t have to be embarrassed, he just loved me. The poor, sad, and angry parts were held together by him.

It just wasn’t enough in the end.

Delia looks at me, a smile on her lips. “Thinking of something?”

My hands are folded in front of me, resting on the menu. “The past.”

“It’s in every crevice of this place.”

“That it is.”