Mariana
I never planned on moving back to Lake City. Fresh out of high school, I left, chasing change and adventure. But after over a decade in Seattle, tragedy strikes, and the need for a fresh start sends me running home.
Taking over The Rolling Pin, our town’s beloved bakery, is supposed to be my way forward, a chance to rebuild. But when the renovations turn out to be more than I can handle, the last person I expect steps in to help.
Sebastian Garcia. The boy I once loved. The man whose heart I broke. The one person who has always seen me—even when I can barely face myself.
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Sebastian
I’ve spent the last decade trying—and failing—to forget Mariana. The one that got away. When she left Lake City, she took my heart with her.
I built a life without her. Became a firefighter. Stepped up for my family. Worked hard to bury the pain she left behind. But when she walks back into town, grief wrapped around her like armor, I can’t turn away.
I tell myself I’m only helping. Fixing up the bakery. Being a friend. But the more time I spend with her, the harder it is to pretend the past doesn’t still haunt me. And the harder it is to ignore the truth: nothing between us ever really ended.
