The bakery was empty as the days grew warmer. People didn't want baked goods during this time. But we were still in business, so I had to keep working. Finlay always came in and bought stuff from us, so that helped.

The bell chimed, and I knew Fin was here to do her homework. "Welcome to Cookie Mix," I said anyway.

"Do you have any of those peanut butter cookies?" she asked, running to the front desk where I was standing. "Please tell me you didn't eat them or sell them!"

"I kept two just for you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

And she literally jumped the desk, tackling me in a hug. I fell against the wall, surprised by the force of that girl. Her arms were strong around me. They were holding me up. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Those are my favorite cookies!"

"And?"

"Just be happy with me, Gracie!"

I managed a smile and she pulled away from me. "I'm trying."

"That's great! We just need more!"

"You got a smile out of me," I said, gesturing to my face. "I think that's an accomplishment."

"That is an accomplishment," she agreed. "And I'm thankful for that. But I think you can do a little better."

"How?"

Fin's eyes flitted around before settling on me. Before I could say anything, her nimble fingers hit the spot on my body that was the most ticklish. "Fin!" I yelled in between giggles. "Stop!"

I tried to get away from her, but she had me trapped in between the wall and her body. Her fingers flew fast against my skin as I laughed. It felt good to laugh. I grew warm as the laughter brought out something I hadn't felt in weeks. I was happy.

"Stop," I said breathlessly.

"That sound is music to my ears," she said, retreating before I could get back at her.

"Good to hear," I said, stalking closer to her.

"Now, Grace, the only reason I did that was to hear you laugh," she said quickly. "You haven't been happy in weeks, so I wanted you to feel that again."

I stopped walking and nodded. "Thanks, Fin."

"Of course."

"Are you two done?"

Fin and I whirled around at the sound of him. Her beautiful face morphed into a glare as she said, "What are you doing here?"

Drew crossed his arms, sending a glare right back to Fin. "I wanted to talk to Grace."

"No," Finlay said simply.

"I think she can answer for herself," Drew replied, sliding his eyes over to me. His face created an ache in my stomach. It reminded me of what we did. This time, I didn't want anything more from him. It wasn't him I wanted.

"Why not?" I turned to Fin to see her confused. "Fin, could you watch for any customers? I won't be too long, but I don't want customers to go without help."

She opened her mouth as if to reject, but she shook her head. "Okay."

I led Drew into the kitchen, and he stood at the island awkwardly. I stood across from him with my arms crossed over my chest. "What do you want, Drew? Are you going to ruin my life more?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting my eyes. "No, I'm not."

"Why are you here?"

"I . . . don't know," he said softly. "All I know is there's something weighing on my shoulders."

"I think I know what it is." He looked at me and the bruise under his eye was green in this light. I cringed when I remembered what I had done. "You're feeling guilty about saying that to Joshua. And I'm guilty for punching you."

"Yeah, I didn't expect that," he said, a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Me either. But I'm sorry for doing that. I'm not one for physical contact, especially hitting." I closed my eyes, thinking back to a different time. "I was so upset that I could barely handle myself. When I got back here, I basically collapsed."

He stared at me, but I didn't shrink away. I was tired of hiding myself away. "You're better than I will ever be," he whispered.

"Why is that?"

"I can't apologize," he said, shrugging. "I wanted you. I didn't want someone popular taking you away from me, so I kissed you. And told him. But you deserve him. He treats you better than I ever will."

"Drew," I said, leaning forward. "You can be good if you want to."

"I am impulsive and greedy. I don't think I can."

I sighed, allowing him to believe that. As hard as it was, I couldn't change people.

"Thank you for talking," he said. "And thank you for apologizing."

"You're welcome."

He stood there for a second, his blonde hair shining in the light. But his feet led him outside. He glanced back at me one last time before stuffing his hands in his pockets, leaving my sight for good.

"What'd he want?" Fin asked, behind me.

"Not really sure," I said honestly. I turned around. "I apologized for punching him, and he said that I'm better than he is. That he can't apologize because he wanted me."

She muttered something and shook her head. "I'm glad you didn't pursue him."

"Me too."

"Grace?"

I sighed and turned around. Scott was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the bakery. "Yeah?"

"I want to talk."

"You and everyone else," I muttered. Finlay elbowed me in the side so I cleared my throat, saying, "I can't tonight."

"What about Saturday?"

"I guess."

"Thank you."

I didn't respond. He turned around and walked away. Finlay nudged me and said, "He's still as cute as he was before he left."

"Fin, stop!" I yelled, laughing. "That's my brother."

"Does it look like I care?"

"No, it does not."

"Exactly."

I giggled. She sighed, a dreamy look on her face. "Hey, it's okay if you talk to him," I said hesitantly. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Really?" she asked, trying not to sound too happy.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Ask him on a date. I don't care."

She grinned. "Thanks. But I think I'm gonna play hard to get. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, so he needs to go after me. I am done going after him."

"Good for you," I said, nodding. "You let him see what he's missing."

"Exactly." She paused, looking at me. "Maybe you can do the same to Joshua."

"I'm going to focus on the rest of the school year, not on boys," I replied quickly. "That chapter is done and over. I want to graduate."

"I'm just saying." She raised her hands as if I held her at gunpoint.

I busied myself by placing more cookies that were cooling in the display case. The bright light showed how brown and soft the cookies were, which helped our business. People always complimented us on our presentation before trying our cookies and brownies. They then complimented us on the taste afterward.

The bell chimed as a customer strolled in. I greeted them, and Finlay sat down at one of the tables to do her homework. Even if everything about me hurt, life didn't stop.