Chapter 74

I was twenty-three by the time I made it to this town, doing odd jobs and things I’d rather forget as I made my way across country. The first time I’d seen the ocean, I thought that I’d do anything to stay here. It was peaceful and…clean, something hard for me to be while living on the unforgiving streets.

The people here hadn’t cared about my background or torn, faded clothing—something that had surprised me. In fact, the first person I’d met was Austin Murray, who owned the bookstore where I now worked. He had seen me sitting outside the diner the morning I arrived, dirty, tired, and starving. He’d fed me, found me a place to stay, and helped me get back on my feet, no questions asked. It was a kindness I strove every day to repay, in one way or another.