Chapter 20
Jake spent Sunday night lying awake, staring at his ceiling.
Lucy was back. After three months of healing, of learning to live without her, of building a life that felt complete—she was back. Wanting a second chance. Wanting him.
And Jake had no idea what to do about it.
Monday morning practice was brutal. Jake was distracted, calling plays that didn't make sense, correcting players on things they were doing right.
"Coach, you okay?" Owen asked after Jake snapped at him for the third time.
"Yeah. Sorry. I'm just—distracted."
"Is it about Miss Lucy? Everyone's talking about how she's back."
Of course everyone was talking about it. This was Timber Falls.
"It's complicated, Owen."
"My mom says love is always complicated. But it's worth it." Owen skated off, leaving Jake standing there feeling lectured by a teenager.
After practice, Tommy appeared. He'd been retired for months but still showed up occasionally to check on Jake.
"Heard Lucy's back," Tommy said without preamble.
"News travels fast."
"It's a small town. How are you handling it?"
"I don't know. She wants to try again. I told her I need time."
"Do you? Need time?"
"I think so. Tommy, she left. She chose Paris over me. How do I trust that she won't do it again?"
"You don't. That's the thing about trust—it's a choice you make, not a guarantee you receive.
" Tommy leaned against the boards. "Jake, I'm going to tell you something about my wife.
When we first got together, she wanted to move to Boston.
Had a job offer, good money, big opportunity.
I wanted to stay here, in Timber Falls. We broke up over it. "
"I didn't know that."
"Most people don't. She moved to Boston. Stayed for two years. Then came back and said she'd made a mistake, that Timber Falls was home, that she wanted to try again."
"What did you do?"
"I told her I needed time. Spent three months agonizing over whether I could trust her.
Whether I was being an idiot for even considering taking her back.
" Tommy smiled. "Then one day I realized—I could spend my whole life protecting myself from potential hurt.
Or I could take a risk on the person I loved. So I chose the risk."
"And you've been married for thirty-five years."
"Exactly. But Jake—it wasn't easy. It took time to rebuild trust. There were hard conversations. Doubts. Moments where I wondered if I'd made a mistake. But we worked at it. And eventually, we got to a place where her leaving Boston felt like a blip instead of a defining moment."
"What if it doesn't work this time?"
"Then it doesn't work. But at least you'll have tried. At least you won't spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been."
After Tommy left, Jake sat in the empty locker room and thought about risk.
He'd taken risks before. Turning down Nashville. Choosing to coach instead of play. Building a life in Timber Falls.
Could he risk his heart one more time?
His phone buzzed. Emma's mom, texting the youth hockey group: Emma wanted me to tell Coach Jake that Miss Lucy came to her school today to talk about being a chef. Emma says it was the best presentation ever and now she wants to be a baker AND a hockey player.
Jake stared at the message. Lucy was already getting involved in the community. Already showing up, being present, proving she was back for real.
He pulled up Lucy's contact in his phone. Their text thread was still there—months of messages, from flirty to logistical to heartbroken.
Jake started typing: Can we talk? Not at Mac's. Somewhere more private?
He stared at the message for a long time.
Then he hit send.
Lucy spent Monday unpacking and trying to figure out her next steps.
She'd come back to Timber Falls with savings from the bakery sale and three months of Michelin restaurant salary. Enough to get started on her restaurant dream. But first, she needed to reconnect with her community. Prove she was back for real.
So when Emma's elementary school called asking if she'd come speak to third-graders about being a chef, Lucy said yes immediately.
The presentation went well. Twenty eight-year-olds asked questions ranging from "Do you know how to make pizza?" to "Why did you leave Paris if it's so beautiful?" (that one stung).
Lucy answered honestly. "Paris was beautiful. But it wasn't home. And sometimes the beautiful thing isn't the right thing."
After school, Lucy walked through Timber Falls. Past The Bread Basket—still thriving under Sarah's management. Past Mac's Tavern. Past the hardware store where Tom and Jerry were arguing as always.
People stopped her constantly. "Lucy! You're back!" "How was Paris?" "Are you staying?"
To everyone, Lucy gave the same answer: "I'm home. For good this time."
She walked past the old Morrison building on Main Street—the one that had been empty for years. The same building where her grandmother had wanted to expand before she got sick. It had a "For Lease" sign in the window.
Lucy stopped and stared. This could be it. This could be her restaurant.
She pulled out her phone and called the number on the sign.
"Hello?"
"Hi, I'm calling about the Morrison building. Is it still available?"
"It is. Are you interested in leasing?"
"Maybe. Can I schedule a viewing?"
Twenty minutes later, Lucy was inside the Morrison building with a realtor named Patricia who seemed delighted to finally have interest in the space.
"It's been empty for three years," Patricia explained. "The owner's been hoping for the right tenant. Someone who'll bring life back to this part of Main Street."
The space was perfect. High ceilings, exposed brick, huge windows overlooking the street. The kitchen in back needed work, but the bones were good.
"I'm thinking a restaurant," Lucy said. "French-American fusion. Honoring classic French technique but using local ingredients and New England flavors."
"That sounds wonderful. What would you call it?"
Lucy hadn't thought about it. But standing in this space, imagining what it could become, the answer was obvious.
"Margaret's. After my grandmother."
Patricia smiled. "I think she'd love that."
Lucy took photos, measurements, notes. By the time she left, her head was spinning with possibilities.
This could work. This could really work.
She was pulling out her phone to text Uncle Walter when she saw Jake's message.
Jake: Can we talk? Not at Mac's. Somewhere more private?
Lucy's heart started pounding. This was it. Either he'd decided to give her a second chance, or he was going to tell her he couldn't.
Lucy: When?
Jake: Tonight? 7 PM? We could go to the overlook.
The overlook—the spot where Jake had taken Lucy when she'd sold the bakery. The place where they'd talked about hard things and held each other through decisions.
Lucy: Okay. I'll meet you there.
Jake: See you then.
Lucy checked the time. 4 PM. Three hours to figure out what to say. Three hours to prepare for whatever came next.
She walked to Rei's physical therapy office. Rei was between patients, and when she saw Lucy, she immediately pulled her into the back room.
"What's wrong? You look panicked."
"Jake wants to talk. Tonight. At the overlook."
"Okay. That's good, right?"
"Is it? What if he's going to tell me he can't do this? That he can't trust me again?"
"Then you'll survive. Lucy, you came back for you. Remember? Your restaurant, your life, your dreams. Jake is part of that, but not all of it."
"I know. But I want him to be part of it. I love him, Rei."
"I know you do. So tell him that. Be honest. Be vulnerable. Let him see how much you've changed."
"What if it's not enough?"
"Then it's not enough. But Lucy—you've done everything right. You came back, you apologized, you're rebuilding your life here. That's all you can do. The rest is up to him."
Lucy spent the next three hours at Uncle Walter's, trying to distract herself. She helped him with dinner, pretended to watch TV, checked her phone every five minutes.
At 6:45, she changed into the gray sweater—the one Jake loved—and drove to the overlook.
Jake was already there, leaning against his truck, looking out at the view of Timber Falls spread below.
Lucy parked next to him and got out slowly.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi." Jake turned to face her. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course."
They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Then Jake gestured to the tailgate of his truck. "Want to sit?"
They sat side by side, looking out at Timber Falls as the sun set behind the mountains.
"I've been thinking," Jake started. "About us. About what you said yesterday. About whether I can trust you again."
Lucy held her breath.
"And I realized something. Tommy told me a story today—about how his wife left Timber Falls for Boston and came back two years later asking for a second chance.
He said he spent three months deciding whether to trust her.
And then he realized—trust isn't something you're given. It's something you choose."
"Okay."
"Lucy, I can't guarantee I'll never get hurt again. I can't guarantee we'll make it work. But I can choose to trust you. To believe that you came back for the right reasons. To risk my heart one more time."
Lucy felt tears start. "So you'll give me a second chance?"
"I'll give us a second chance. But Lucy—" Jake turned to face her fully. "—I need you to understand something. If we do this, I need all of you. Not the part of you that's willing to stay until something better comes along. All of you. Committed. Here. Building this life with me."
"That's what I want. Jake, I promise—I'm not leaving again. Paris taught me that running away doesn't fix anything. I want to be here. I want to open my restaurant, be part of this community, build a life that's mine. And I want you to be part of that life."
"Tell me about the restaurant."