"I have no idea. I eat chocolate, I don't make it."
Everyone laughed, but Jake felt the gulf between them. These were Lucy's people now. They spoke her language, understood her world. Jake was just the boyfriend visiting from America.
After an hour, Lucy seemed to notice Jake's discomfort.
"Want to head out?" she asked.
"If you want to stay, I can go back to the hotel—"
"No, let's go. I've had enough chocolate debate for one day."
They left, and Lucy took his hand as they walked.
"Sorry about that. They get really intense about technique."
"It's fine. They're your friends. I'm glad you have them."
"But?"
"But I feel like I don't fit into your life here. Like I'm intruding."
"You're not intruding! Jake, I want you here."
"I know. But I also see how happy you are with them. How much you've built here. And I wonder—" Jake stopped walking. "I wonder if asking you to come back to Timber Falls is selfish. If I'm holding you back from something bigger."
"You're not holding me back. I want to come home."
"Why? What's waiting for you there?"
"You. And Uncle Walter. And Rei. And my restaurant—"
"Your hypothetical restaurant. That you haven't even started planning because you've been so focused on Paris."
Lucy pulled her hand away. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying maybe your restaurant should be here. In Paris. Maybe this is where you're supposed to build your life."
"And what about us?"
"I don't know." Jake felt his chest get tight. "Maybe we do long distance permanently. Maybe I visit a few times a year. Maybe we figure out how to make it work across an ocean."
"That's not what we agreed to."
"I know. But Lucy—" Jake looked at her, really looked at her. "You're thriving here. I can't ask you to give that up just to come back to a small town in Vermont where everyone knows your business and you'll always be Margaret Chen's granddaughter."
"I'm not just her granddaughter. I'm me."
"I know. But in Timber Falls, that's who you'll always be first. Here, you're just Lucy. Chef-in-training Lucy. Lucy who makes friends with French people and British bankers-turned-pastry-chefs. Lucy who navigates the Paris metro without getting lost."
"I get lost all the time."
"You know what I mean."
They walked in silence for a while, both processing.
"I don't want to lose you," Lucy finally said.
"I don't want to lose you either. But I also don't want to be the reason you don't pursue your dreams."
