The dinner lasted five hours. People gave speeches—some funny, some touching, some both. Uncle Walter talked about watching Lucy grow from a scared twenty-two-year-old into a confident business owner. Rei talked about their friendship and how proud she was of Lucy for being brave. Mae gave a hilarious speech about all the times Lucy had stress-baked at 2 AM and made Mae taste-test everything.
Jake didn't give a speech. He just sat beside Lucy, holding her hand, occasionally squeezing when the emotions got too big.
At the end of the night, Giuseppe refused to let anyone pay. "This is my gift. For Lucy. For bravery!"
Walking home through the January cold, Lucy leaned into Jake's warmth.
"That was overwhelming."
"But good?"
"Really good. I didn't realize how many people cared."
"Everyone cares about you, Lucy. You've been feeding this town for five years. They're going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss them too. All of it. Even the annoying parts."
"Like Mrs. Henderson's unsolicited advice?"
"Especially Mrs. Henderson's unsolicited advice."
They climbed the stairs to their building—both apartments felt like home now, and they switched between them without thinking.
"Eleven days," Lucy said as they settled on Jake's couch.
"I'm counting too."
"Should we talk about logistics? Like, calling schedules and time zones and—"
"Lucy."
"Yeah?"
"Let's not spend our last eleven days together planning for when we're apart. Let's just be together."
Lucy nodded, curling into his side. "Okay. Being together. I can do that."
They fell asleep on the couch, some movie playing in the background, both trying not to think about how soon they wouldn't be able to do this anymore.
One week before Lucy left, Emma's hockey team had their last game of the season.
Jake and Lucy went together, bundled in winter coats, watching from the stands as Emma skated with confidence that hadn't been there at the beginning of the season.
"She's gotten so much better," Lucy observed.
"She works hard. Practices every day. Reminds me of someone."
Lucy elbowed him. "Are you comparing me to a seven-year-old?"
"I'm saying you both have that same determination. That refusal to give up even when it's hard."
Emma scored the game-winning goal in the third period. After the game, she skated over to where Jake and Lucy were standing.
"Did you see? We won!"
"I saw. You were incredible," Jake said.
Emma turned to Lucy. "Are you really leaving this week?"
