Chapter 19 #2
"Call me when you get home," Amelie said, hugging Lucy tight. "Tell me how it goes with Jake."
"What if he doesn't want me anymore?"
"Then he's an idiot. But Lucy—I don't think he's an idiot. I think he's been waiting for you."
Yuki, who'd been silent, finally spoke. "You chose yourself once. Now choose love. Both things matter."
Lucy hugged all of them, trying not to cry. These people had been her family in Paris. Leaving them hurt almost as much as leaving Jake had.
Almost.
On October 25th, Lucy boarded her flight from Paris to Burlington.
She tried to sleep but couldn't. Tried to read but couldn't focus. Just sat in her seat, heart pounding, thinking about what she was about to do.
She was going home. After seven months in Paris, she was going home.
And she had no idea if Jake would even want to see her.
The flight landed at 4 PM Vermont time. Lucy collected her luggage (two massive suitcases containing her entire Paris life), and walked into the arrivals area.
Uncle Walter was there, holding a sign that said "WELCOME HOME LULU" in his terrible handwriting.
Lucy dropped her bags and ran to him. He wrapped her in a hug that felt like coming home.
"I'm so glad you're back," Uncle Walter said into her hair.
"Me too. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out."
"You figured it out. That's what matters."
In Uncle Walter's car, driving through Vermont fall colors, Lucy felt something settle in her chest. This was right. Coming home was right.
"Does Jake know I'm back?" Lucy asked.
"The whole town knows you're back. Mrs. Henderson told everyone."
"Of course she did. Has Jake—has he said anything?"
"Not to me. But Lulu—he's been hurting. These past three months, he's been going through the motions. Coaching, functioning, but not really living."
"Because of me."
"Because he loves you. And you left."
"I know. And I need to fix it. But Uncle Walter—what if he doesn't want to try again? What if three months was too long?"
"Then you'll deal with that. But Lucy—you won't know unless you try."
Uncle Walter dropped Lucy at his house—the same Victorian she'd grown up visiting, full of memories and warmth.
"Rest tonight," Uncle Walter said. "Tomorrow you can figure out what to say to Jake."
But Lucy couldn't rest. She was too anxious, too wired, too aware that Jake was in this town, breathing the same air, close enough to see if she was just brave enough.
At 7 PM, Lucy texted Rei: I'm home. Can we meet?
Rei: OMG YES. Mac's Tavern in 20 minutes?
Lucy: See you there.
Mac's Tavern was exactly as Lucy remembered—warm, crowded, smelling like beer and burgers. Rei was waiting at a table in the back, and when she saw Lucy, she jumped up and pulled her into a hug.
"You're really here! You're really home!"
"I'm really here. For good this time."
They sat down, and Rei immediately said: "Okay. Tell me everything. Why did you come back? Is it Jake? Is it more than Jake?"
"It's Jake. But it's also everything else. Rei, I was miserable in Paris. Working sixteen-hour days at a restaurant I hated, coming home to an empty apartment, missing everyone here. Missing—" Lucy's voice cracked, "—missing my actual life."
"But you had your dream career. The Michelin restaurant."
"It wasn't my dream. I thought it was, but it wasn't. My dream is here—opening my own restaurant, being part of this community, living the life I actually want instead of the life I thought I was supposed to want."
"And Jake?"
"I miss him. Every single day. I made the biggest mistake of my life choosing Paris over him."
"So tell him that."
"I'm scared. What if he's moved on? What if three months was too long?"
"Lucy, Jake orders six pork buns every Wednesday. He's coaching but he looks like a zombie. The man has not moved on."
"But that doesn't mean he wants me back. Maybe he's just—processing. Moving on slowly."
"Or maybe he's been waiting for you to come to your senses."
Lucy took a breath. "Okay. I'll talk to him. Tomorrow. I'll go to the rink during practice and—and tell him I was wrong. That I want to try again. If he'll let me."
"Good. And Lucy? If he says no, which he won't—but if he does—we're all still here for you. You have us. You have Uncle Walter. You have this town. Even if Jake doesn't want to try again, you made the right choice coming home."
After Rei left, Lucy sat alone at Mac's Tavern and tried to imagine what she'd say to Jake.
I was wrong. I chose Paris over you and it was the worst mistake of my life. I miss you. I love you. Can we try again?
Too simple. Too raw. Too desperate.
I realized Paris wasn't what I wanted. I want to be here, in Timber Falls, building my restaurant. And I want you. If you'll have me.
Better. More balanced. Less pathetic.
Lucy pulled out her phone and started typing a text to Jake: I'm back in Timber Falls. Can we talk?
Her finger hovered over send.
Then she deleted it.
No. Not over text. She needed to see him face to face. To look in his eyes when she asked for a second chance. To be brave enough to risk rejection.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow she'd go to the rink. Tomorrow she'd tell Jake she'd made a mistake.
Tomorrow she'd find out if love was enough to fix what she'd broken.
Jake found out Lucy was in town when Emma told him at Saturday morning youth hockey practice.
"Coach Jake! Miss Lucy is back! My mom saw her at the grocery store yesterday!"
Jake's heart stopped. "She's—what?"
"Miss Lucy! She's back in Timber Falls! Aren't you excited?"
Jake was frozen. Lucy was here. In town. Not in Paris. Here.
"Coach Jake? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Em. I'm fine. That's—that's great news."
But Jake wasn't fine. He was spinning. Lucy was back. After three months, she was back.
And she hadn't told him. Hadn't texted or called or reached out. She'd just—come back. Without warning.
What did that mean? Was she back permanently? Temporarily? For him?
Jake somehow made it through the rest of practice. Afterwards, Marcus cornered him in the parking lot.
"You heard."
"Emma told me. Lucy's back."
"Yeah. Arrived yesterday. Staying with her uncle."
"Did she—" Jake's voice was rough. "Did she say why she's back?"
"All Rei told me is that Paris didn't work out. That Lucy was miserable and missed home."
"Home. Not me. Home."
"Jake—"
"I need to think. I need—I need space to figure out what I'm feeling."
Marcus looked at his friend with concern. "Okay. But Jake—don't overthink this. Lucy came back. That means something."
"Or it means Paris didn't work out and she had nowhere else to go."
"You don't believe that."
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
Jake drove home and sat in his apartment, trying to process.
Lucy was back. After three months of silence, of moving on, of learning to live without her—she was back.
Part of Jake wanted to run to her. To knock on Uncle Walter's door and pull her into his arms and tell her he'd missed her every single day.
But another part—the part that had spent three months healing—was scared. Scared of getting hurt again. Scared of opening his heart to someone who'd already broken it once.
His phone buzzed. A text from Lucy: I know you probably heard I'm back. Can we talk? Tomorrow?
Jake stared at the message for a long time.
Finally, he typed: Yeah. Tomorrow. Mac's Tavern at 2 PM?
Lucy: Okay. See you then.
Jake: See you then.
Jake set down his phone and tried to breathe.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd see Lucy for the first time in three months. Tomorrow he'd find out why she came back. Tomorrow he'd have to decide if he was brave enough to try again.
Or if three months of healing had been enough to make him realize he was better off alone.
Sunday morning, Lucy barely slept.
She woke at 6 AM—her body still on Paris time—and lay in Uncle Walter's guest room, trying to figure out what to say to Jake.
I'm sorry. I was wrong. I missed you. I love you. Can we try again?
All of it was true. None of it felt like enough.
At noon, Lucy started getting ready. She changed outfits three times before settling on jeans and the gray sweater Jake had always loved. Casual. Like this was no big deal. Like her entire future didn't depend on this conversation.
"You look beautiful," Uncle Walter said when Lucy came downstairs.
"I look terrified."
"That too. But mostly beautiful." Uncle Walter pulled her into a hug. "Lucy, whatever happens—you made the right choice coming home. Remember that."
"What if he doesn't want me anymore?"
"Then he doesn't deserve you. But I don't think that's what's going to happen."
At 1:45 PM, Lucy walked to Mac's Tavern. It was only three blocks, but it felt like miles. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe.
Jake was already there when she arrived. Sitting at a back table, wearing jeans and a dark blue henley, looking exactly the same and completely different.
He looked older. More tired. But also—good. Really good.
Lucy's breath caught.
Jake looked up and saw her. Their eyes met across the tavern, and for a moment, neither moved.
Then Lucy forced herself to walk to his table.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi."
They sat down across from each other, and the silence was deafening.
"You look good," Lucy finally said. "Coaching agrees with you."
"Thanks. You look—" Jake paused. "Tired. Paris was rough?"
"It wasn't what I expected."
"What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. Growth. Adventure. Becoming someone beyond my grandmother's granddaughter." Lucy twisted her hands together. "I got all that. But I also got—miserable. Lonely. Completely certain I'd made the wrong choice."
"So you came back."
"So I came back."
Jake was quiet for a moment. Then: "Why?"
"Why did I come back?"
"Yeah. Why now? Why after three months?"
Lucy took a breath. This was it. The moment to be honest. To risk everything.
"Because I missed home. I missed Uncle Walter and Rei and Mae.
I missed snow and knowing everyone's name and Wednesday morning routines.
" Lucy looked directly at Jake. "And I missed you.
Every single day. I made the biggest mistake of my life choosing Paris over you, and I spent three months realizing it. So I came back. To fix it. If I can."
Jake's expression was unreadable. "Lucy—"
"Let me finish. Please. I need to say this.
" Lucy felt tears start but didn't try to stop them.
"I was so scared of being defined by other people's expectations that I ran away from everything that actually mattered.
I convinced myself Paris was my dream when really, my dream was always here.
Opening my own restaurant. Being part of this community. Being with you."
"For how long?"
"What?"
"For how long do I have you this time? Six months? A year? Until the next opportunity comes along?"
Lucy felt like she'd been slapped. "Jake, that's not fair—"
"Isn't it? Lucy, you left. You chose Paris over us. Over me. And now you're back, and I'm supposed to just—what? Forget the past three months? Pretend it didn't happen?"
"No. I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to forgive. To give me another chance."
"Why should I?"
"Because I love you! Because I made a mistake and I'm owning it and I'm here, asking you to try again. Because what we had was real and I was an idiot for walking away from it."
Jake was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was gentle but firm. "Lucy, I spent three months healing. Three months learning to live without you. Three months building a life that felt whole even with you gone. And I'm finally—I'm finally okay."
"So you don't want to try again."
"I don't know. I'm scared, Lucy. I'm scared of getting hurt again. Scared of letting you back in and then watching you leave when the next dream comes along."
"I'm not leaving again. Timber Falls is where I want to be. Where I choose to be."
"You chose Paris three months ago."
"And I was wrong! Jake, I'm here, admitting I was wrong, asking for a second chance. What more do you want from me?"
"I want time. I need—I need to think about this. About whether I can trust you not to leave again."
Lucy felt her heart sink. "How much time?"
"I don't know. A few days? A week? Lucy, I'm not saying no. But I'm not saying yes either. I just need space to figure out what I'm feeling."
"Okay." Lucy stood up, fighting tears. "Okay. Take all the time you need. I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
She started to leave, then turned back. "Jake? I really am sorry. For everything. For leaving, for hurting you, for taking three months to figure out what I should have known all along. You deserved better than that."
"Yeah," Jake said quietly. "I did."
Lucy walked out of Mac's Tavern and made it exactly half a block before she started crying.
She'd come back. She'd been honest. She'd asked for a second chance.
And Jake needed time to think about it.
Which was fair. Which she deserved. Which still felt like her heart being ripped out all over again.
Lucy pulled out her phone and texted Rei: I told him. He needs time to think.
Rei: That's not a no.
Lucy: It's not a yes either.
Rei: Give him space. Let him process. He'll come around.
Lucy: What if he doesn't?
Rei: Then you'll survive. You came back for you, remember? Not just for Jake. You came back because Timber Falls is home.
Rei was right. Lucy had come back for herself. For her restaurant dream. For the life she actually wanted.
Jake was part of that life. A huge part. But not the only part.
Lucy could survive if he said no. She'd be heartbroken, but she'd survive.
She just really hoped she wouldn't have to.
After Lucy left, Jake sat at Mac's Tavern for a long time.
She'd come back. She'd admitted she was wrong. She'd asked for a second chance.
And Jake had told her he needed time.
Which was true. He did need time.
But he was also scared. Terrified, actually.
What if Lucy got bored of Timber Falls again? What if another opportunity came along and she left? What if Jake opened his heart to her and she broke it again?
His phone buzzed. Marcus: Heard you saw Lucy. How did it go?
Jake: She wants to try again. I told her I need time.
Marcus: Do you need time? Or are you just scared?
Jake: Both.
Marcus: Fair. But Jake—don't let fear make this decision. If you still love her, if you want to try again, you should.
Jake: What if she leaves again?
Marcus: What if she doesn't? What if she really has changed? What if you spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been because you were too scared to try?
Jake pocketed his phone without responding.
He needed to think. Really think. About whether he could trust Lucy again. Whether he could risk his heart.
Whether love was worth fighting for.
Or whether it was safer to just let her go.