Back Where We Began

It's hard to forget your past when you're staring at it.

That's the conclusion Emma Watkins arrives at when she returns to Hayden, Maine-population 2,253; now 2,254-for the first time in nine years.

When she sees him for the first time in nine years.

When that word leaves his mouth. Buttercup. A pretty nickname in an ugly tone. A term of endearment time twisted into an insult. A taunt that nothing has been forgiven-or forgotten.

She's back to sever ties. Break promises. Keep secrets. All easier said than done. The memories she left behind aren't all bad...more like mostly good.

Reminders of the happy times before the heartbreak don't change the fact that this visit is a farewell tour, not a reunion. Caden Bennett is the guy she left behind. Being back where they began doesn't change that.

But she never intended to fall for him the first time, either.