I couldn’t stop thinking about Griffin. Which was why I was currently baking banana chocolate chip muffins for him on my rare free morning instead of taking care of the ten million other things I needed to do. I kept seeing the pain laced with what almost looked like fear in his eyes when he told me he didn’t let strangers into his home—even the outbuildings of it. I hadn’t realized what a big deal it was that he’d allowed me and the kids inside the walls he’d built for himself, what an incredible gift of trust it had been. But I couldn’t let go of the image of Griffin’s face as he spoke the single word, “no.”

I hated the picture wreaking havoc on my mind and heart. The thought of how alone he had been over the past years. I’d heard the whispers, of course, but I’d been young when the Lockwoods had embarked on the sailing trip from Japan to Hawaii, with their final destination being Anchor Island. A massive storm had sent them off course, flipping the sailboat and flooding it with water. Only the two children had made it to a life raft. But Griffin’s sister had died from a collapsed lung as he watched.

The Lockwood family had been a society favorite for generations. They had senators and even a president in their family lineage, but Christopher Lockwood had been a man determined to go his own way. He’d started a software company that had made him a fortune, a large portion of which he gave away each year. The loss of the family had sent ripples of pain throughout the world.

I remembered people on the island talking about it when it happened, worrying about the boy who had spent so many summers here. But the rest of the world seemed to be even more curious—no, rabid—for information on what had happened. A Coast Guard officer had been dishonorably discharged for selling pictures of Griffin and his sister’s body to a sleazy tabloid. And the uncle who had gotten custody of Griffin had ended up in jail for trying to steal a large portion of the money the Lockwoods had left to Griffin.

No wonder the man had trust issues and kept people at arm’s length. And I knew the stories I was familiar with were only the tip of the iceberg. I was sure there were countless more tales of betrayal and manipulation.