Riley Wade is back in Riverside with a derailed career, a broken engagement, and zero desire to become the town’s cautionary tale. When her best friend submits Riley’s mess to the local anonymous advice column, the reply hits too close to home—sharp, warm, and way too perceptive. She swears she won’t write back. She does. Twice.
Max Slater—Riley’s first love, her longest what-if, and the man who’s been doing an excellent job of not thinking about her since she came home—is the secret voice behind that column. He knows exactly who “Asking for a Friend” is. He should tell her. He knows that. He doesn’t.
Their exchange becomes the most honest conversation either of them is having. But when a journalist blows the whole thing open, Riley discovers it was never truly anonymous—not for Max. And now she has to decide whether a man who’s been reading between her lines for months is someone she can trust with the rest of her story.
