title: What You Leave Behind
author: Katoff, Jessica
description: "Ten years is a long time and even though I love you, I don’t think this is best for us anymore." Those are the words that fall from Liam Barnes' lips and leave Harper Reed's heart in ruins on the side of Interstate 5. He's lost and he thinks leaving her and all of Oregon in his rear-view is what he needs to find himself, dragging her heart right along with him as he goes. Blindsided and devastated by the loss, Harper's life crumbles around her, but she's not the only one rocked by the news of Liam's departure. Austin Hayward, Liam's best friend and her long-time admirer, handles it about as well as Harper—not well at all. He is the only other person who understands the abandonment and helplessness she feels, and she finds comfort in their common sorrow and, unexpectedly, in his arms. It's where Austin has always wanted her and where neither of them predicted she would end up. But is it where she'll stay? Is a new spark enough, when compared to an old flame, like the one Austin can see still flickering in her eyes? Toward the end of a downward spiral lie the answers. What You Leave Behind is a story of anxious hearts, the deceitful self, and what it means to be lost and found again.