Page 22 of Summer Love

“It’s not what you think. I had an accident a few years back. A skate trick, no helmet...”

He pushes the hair off his forehead and reveals a long scar—a clean white line running up into his hairline.

“Traumatic brain injury. Left me with memory gaps. I even had to relearn how to read. Some things come back, others don’t. Doctors say it’s... random.”

He lets his hair fall back with a tired smile.

“Miles says I look like Harry Potter. Can’t see it myself.”

A nervous laugh slips out. So it wasn’t rejection, and it wasn’t resentment.

“Luke, I’m sorry... I didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry about it. People think I’m ignoring them when really it’s my head acting up.”

He taps his temple with a fingertip.

Does he remember that summer? What Jace did to me? What everyone knew except me?

No. If Luke has memory gaps, he won’t be the one to give me answers.

Behind me, the line’s grown. Luke glances over my shoulder.

“Sorry, I’ve got to⁠—”

“Yeah, of course.”

He goes back to scanning. The plan for my next few days fits entirely on this counter.

“You planning to fix up the house?” he asks.

“Somebody’s got to... You have any exterior paint, for the shutters?”

“Not in stock, but I can order some. Two, three days. What color do you want?”

“Navy blue.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“That’s not the original color.”

“No.”

He waits for an explanation. I don’t give one.

“Five cans should do it,” he says, writing it down on a scrap of paper in a slow, careful hand.

He slides my purchases into well-stuffed kraft paper bags.

“I’m glad to see you again, Summer. Really. Even if my brain took a minute.”

His smile is back—the same as before, warm, the one that put everyone at ease.

“We’ll run into each other,” he adds. “Coral Bay’s small.”

It’s what everyone’s been telling me since last night.

I nod and gather my bags—three of them, easily ten pounds each, which I’ll have to balance on a rusty beach cruiser.