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handwriting after seeing Suzanne’s for the first time.
    God had answered her prayer, years later, and now Jane wondered what He would’ve done if she’d prayed for something that actually mattered.
    Like friendships that didn’t fade away as quickly as the changing seasons.
    Jane’s wistful smile faded into regret. They’d been so close—how had she let so much time pass without so much as a Christmas card? Even after everything they’d all been through, she shouldn’t have allowed the distance—or the past—to come between them. She didn’t even know where Suzanne lived anymore. She focused her attention on the words in front of her.
Dear Janie
,
    It’s been too long. I think about you so often and wonder how you are. I walked by your cottage just last week. I could almost hear your laughter inside
.
    Jane blinked twice and found it difficult to open her eyes again. Suzanne had been back to Sweethaven?
    Sweethaven.
    Jane’s heart constricted. There was too much history. Too many memories of The Circle. Of Alex.
    Alex
.
    The thought brought tears to her eyes, but she held them back. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced her emotions to stay put. She looked around at the line of cars outside. She needed to keep it together.
I miss you, Janie. I miss our friendship. I miss those carefree summer days down on the Lake, burying our toes in the sand and working on our suntans. I’ve made so many mistakes in my life, but one of my biggest was losing touch with you
.
    A knock on the car window startled her. She looked up to find the vice principal, Darla Gray, motioning for her to move the car forward. She mouthed the words “I’m sorry” and pulled ahead three places. She heard the bell ring and wondered if she should wait to finish Suzanne’s letter until later—once Sam was in the car she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. She didn’t want to rush through it; it felt like an unexpected treat in the middle of the week. She folded it closed, but curiosity got the better of her. Why would Suzanne choose now to get back in touch? After all this time? Why the change of heart after she’d been so deliberate in leaving?
I don’t know everything you’ve been through in the past twenty years—even Adele won’t go into details, but I do know that there’s still something magical here in Sweethaven, and I wish I could bottle it up and take it everywhere I go. Don’t you miss it, Janie? Don’t you miss walking down the street and knowing everyone? Don’t you miss picking out your fruit at the farmer’s market and the smell of grilled burgers every night? Don’t you miss the four of us—all the fun we had?
    Jane stopped. They’d all pretended to hate that their parents dragged them to Sweethaven every summer, but once the four of them found each other it became the thing she looked forward to throughout the entire school year. Real life here in Iowa became the thing to dread.
    Even now, she knew Sweethaven promised the kind of life most people only dreamed of. Simple. Warm. Inviting. And yet she’d cut Sweethaven out of her own life like a malignant tumor.
    It felt like it all happened so long ago, but if she thought about it, she could put herself right back on that beach with her friends. She could smell the air, the suntan lotion mixed with the sweetness of summer—a light sweat and mosquito repellent. She hadn’t thought of it in so long.
I know I am at fault for what happened. I know if I hadn’t left maybe we all could’ve worked through everything and we would still be a part of each others’ lives today. Maybe. I guess some questions are bound to go unanswered
.
    Jane realized she was shaking her head as she read. Suzanne’s leaving had nothing to do with the rift that had separated them. Like aftershocks of a monumental earthquake, things just kept happening to drive them apart.
I just wanted you to know that I love you, and I will always love you. And I’m sorry I didn’t get in