Chapter 25
August arrived with Tommy's first coaching clinic.
Twenty coaches from across New England descended on Timber Falls for a three-day intensive. Jake and Tommy had spent weeks preparing—creating curriculum, organizing practice sessions, booking the rink.
"Nervous?" Tommy asked the morning of day one.
"Terrified. What if they realize I don't know what I'm doing?"
"Jake, you won a championship in your first year. You know exactly what you're doing."
The clinic exceeded every expectation.
The coaches were eager, engaged, asking smart questions. Jake found himself in his element—teaching strategy, breaking down plays, sharing what he'd learned. By day three, several coaches asked if they could come back for advanced sessions.
"This is incredible," one coach from Maine said. "I've been coaching high school hockey for ten years and I learned more in three days than I have in the last five years combined."
After the clinic ended, Tommy and Jake sat in the empty rink.
"We did it," Tommy said. "The academy is real."
"We need to do more of these. Fall session, maybe winter intensives. Online courses for coaches who can't travel."
"You're thinking big."
"I learned from the best."
They spent the evening planning expansion. By the time Jake got home at 9 PM, he was exhausted but exhilarated.
Lucy was waiting with dinner—nothing fancy, just pasta and salad, but it was ready and warm and exactly what he needed.
"How was it?" she asked.
"Perfect. Better than perfect. Tommy wants to do another clinic in October, maybe start a regular program in the spring."
"That's amazing! Jake, you're building something really special."
"So are you. How was service tonight?"
"Busy. Mae had to turn away walk-ins. We're booked solid through September."
They ate dinner, and Jake felt grateful for this—coming home to someone who understood ambition, who celebrated success, who built dreams alongside his own.
"Lucy?" Jake said after dinner.
"Yeah?"
"Let's call Uncle Walter tomorrow. Tell him we want the house."
Lucy's eyes went wide. "Really? You're sure?"
"I'm sure. We've been talking about it for a month. We both want it. Let's do it."
"Okay. Yes. Let's buy a house together."
They sealed it with a kiss, and Jake felt something settle. They were doing this. Really, officially building a life together.
The next morning, they called Uncle Walter.
"We want the house," Lucy said. "If the offer still stands."
"Of course it stands! Oh, Lulu, I'm so happy. Your grandmother would be thrilled."
They spent the afternoon with Uncle Walter and a real estate attorney, going over paperwork and logistics. The house would officially transfer in October, giving Uncle Walter time to move and Lucy and Jake time to prepare financially.
"It needs work," Uncle Walter warned. "The roof is old, the kitchen hasn't been updated since the nineties. But the bones are good."
"We'll figure it out," Jake said. "We're good at figuring things out."
After they left, Lucy was quiet in the car.
"Second thoughts?" Jake asked.
"No. Just—processing. We're buying a house. Together. That's huge."
"It is huge. But Lucy—we're ready for huge."
"Are we? Six months ago I was asking you for more time to commit. Now we're buying a house."
"Six months ago, you were scared. Now you're brave. People change, Lucy. You changed."
"I hope so. I really hope so."
That evening, they went to Mac's Tavern to celebrate. Rei and Marcus met them there, along with Mae and Uncle Walter.
"To the homeowners!" Marcus declared, raising his glass. "May your mortgage payments be reasonable and your plumbing never fail."
"Very romantic," Lucy said.
"I'm a romantic guy."
They spent the evening celebrating, and Jake felt surrounded by family. Not blood family—chosen family. The people who'd supported them through Paris, through distance, through rebuilding. The people who'd believed in them even when they didn't believe in themselves.
Around 10 PM, Emma appeared with her parents. She ran straight to Jake's table.
"Coach Jake! I heard you're buying a house!"
"News travels fast in this town."
"My mom told me. She said you and Miss Lucy are getting married!"
Jake and Lucy exchanged glances. "We're not getting married," Lucy said. "Just buying a house."
"But you will get married, right? Because you love each other?"
"Emma," her mother said, appearing behind her. "That's a personal question."
"But they do love each other! Everyone knows!"
After Emma's family left, Marcus leaned over. "Kid's not wrong. When are you proposing?"
"I'm not—we just decided to buy a house. Marriage is—that's a whole different thing."
"Is it, though? You're already living together, buying property together. Marriage is just making it official."
"Marcus, stop pressuring him," Rei said. "They'll get engaged when they're ready."
But Jake caught Lucy's expression—something between panic and hope. They hadn't talked about marriage. Not seriously. It was implied, sure, but not discussed.
Was he ready to propose? Was Lucy ready to be proposed to?
He had no idea.
The house purchase became real fast.
Lucy and Jake spent September organizing finances, meeting with the bank, getting pre-approved for a mortgage. It was thrilling and terrifying in equal measure.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Lucy said one evening, reviewing paperwork. "Buying a house. At twenty-eight."
"Is that young? People buy houses in their twenties all the time."
"Yeah, but those people are usually married. With normal jobs and retirement plans. We're—we're a chef and a hockey coach buying a house together after dating for barely a year."
"We've known each other for four years."
"You know what I mean."
Jake set down the paperwork. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"No. Just—fears. What if we break up? What if this doesn't work out? Then we're stuck with a house we bought together."
"Then we sell it and split the proceeds. Lucy, there's no guarantee. In relationships, in houses, in anything. You just have to trust that it'll work out."
"I'm trying. I promise I'm trying."
"I know you are."
The magazine feature came out in mid-September.
Margaret's was on the cover of New England Food & Dining with the headline: "The New Generation of Vermont Cuisine." The article was glowing—calling Lucy "a chef to watch" and Margaret's "a destination restaurant worth the drive."
The response was immediate.
Reservations flooded in. People drove from Boston, from New York, from Montreal. Lucy had to hire two more servers and another line cook just to keep up with demand.
"This is insane," Daniel said one night after a particularly brutal service. "Boss, we're running out of space. We can't fit any more tables in here."
"I know. I'm already thinking about expansion. Maybe knocking out the back wall, adding more dining space."
"That's months of construction. Thousands of dollars."
"I know. But if we keep growing at this rate—we'll need it."
Lucy went home that night exhausted but exhilarated. Margaret's was succeeding beyond her wildest dreams. She'd built something real, something sustainable, something all her own.
Jake was still awake, reviewing footage from his latest coaching clinic.
"Long day?" he asked.
"Brutal. Good, but brutal. We're running out of space."
"That's a good problem to have."
"It is. But it's also—scary. What if this is the peak? What if it's all downhill from here?"
"It's not. You're just getting started." Jake pulled her close. "Lucy Chen, restaurant mogul. I like the sound of that."
"Mogul is a strong word."
"Accurate word."
They went to bed, and Lucy felt the weight of success pressing down. She'd wanted this—recognition, growth, achievement. But it also felt overwhelming. Like she was suddenly responsible for something bigger than herself.
"Jake?" Lucy whispered in the dark.
"Yeah?"
"Are we going to be okay? With both of us being so busy? Both building these big careers?"
"Yes. As long as we keep talking. Keep making time. Keep choosing each other even when it's hard."
"What if it gets too hard?"
"Then we figure it out. Together. That's what partners do."
Lucy wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that they could balance ambition and relationship, success and love.
But she'd been down this road before. In Paris, where her career had consumed everything. What if she did it again? What if Margaret's success came at the cost of her relationship?
"Stop spiraling," Jake said. "I can hear you thinking."
"How do you know I'm spiraling?"
"Because you always spiral when things are going well. Like you're waiting for something to go wrong."
"That's a very accurate and slightly concerning observation."
"I know you, Lucy Chen. Better than you know yourself sometimes."
Lucy curled into him. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now sleep. We both have big days tomorrow."
October first, Jake and Lucy officially closed on the house.
They signed what felt like a thousand documents, got the keys, and drove to their new home. Uncle Walter had moved out the week before, leaving the house empty but full of memories.
"This is ours," Lucy said, standing in the living room. "Actually ours."
"All four bedrooms, the huge yard, the kitchen that desperately needs updating—all ours."
They walked through the house, planning renovations and furniture placement. Jake's mind was already on converting one bedroom into a home office, another into a guest room.
"What should we do with the fourth bedroom?" Lucy asked.
Jake opened his mouth to respond, then stopped. The obvious answer—a nursery, eventually—hung in the air unspoken.
"Storage?" Lucy suggested quickly. "Or a library? You have all those coaching books."
"Yeah. Library works."
They spent the afternoon measuring rooms and making lists. That evening, they had dinner at Giuseppe's to celebrate.
Giuseppe, of course, made a huge production about it.