The girl behind the counter smiled easily. Too easily.
“Latte,” I said. “Hot.”
“Coming right up.” She punched in the order, then glanced back at me. “I’m Shanna. Half price today. Owner’s feeling generous.”
“Lucky me,” I murmured.
She passed me the cup a moment later. “Name?”
“Bailey,” I blurted out before my brain caught up.
Damn it.
She tilted her head, studying me. “You’re not from here.”
“I used to be,” I said carefully. “A long time ago.”
Her smile softened, curiosity replacing cheer. “Brookvale has a way of pulling people back.”
I forced a small smile and took my drink, retreating to a table by the window. The warmth seeped into my hands as I stared outside. Across the street, the town stared back at me like it remembered everything I wanted to forget.
Marie’s Bakery sat only two blocks away.
Once, it had been my refuge. The one place where I felt seen.
Marie had not been kind. She had not been gentle. But she had stayed when others walked away.
Guilt pressed heavily against my chest. I had left without looking back, convinced survival mattered more than explanations.
The coffeehouse door chimed.
“Hey,” a voice called. “You look familiar.”
I froze.
A woman in oversized sunglasses stood near the door, studying me like she was piecing together a memory.
“I don’t think so,” I said quickly, standing. “Excuse me.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, but I was already moving.
Inside my car, my hands shook as I started the engine. I glanced at the rearview mirror.
She was still watching me.
I did not recognize her.
But the town had already recognized me.
And I had only just arrived.
Chapter 2
I could have sworn the bakery was only two blocks away. Somehow, it took me far longer to find it.
The roads twisted in unfamiliar ways, lined with new buildings and fresh infrastructure that barely resembled the town I remembered. Brookvale had grown. Expanded. What used to feel quiet and suffocating now buzzed with movement, people crossing streets, shops filled with light and noise.
It was overwhelming.
