"Honestly? I have no idea."
"Good. If you thought you were ready, I'd be worried." Tommy clapped him on the shoulder. "You're going to make mistakes. You're going to lose games you should have won. Parents are going to complain. Players are going to challenge you. But Jake—you're going to be great at this. I know it."
"How do you know?"
"Because you care. That's what makes a good coach—not tactics or strategy or even winning. It's caring about the people you're coaching. And you care more than anyone I've ever met."
After Tommy left, Jake sat at the bar with Marcus.
"Big summer ahead," Marcus observed. "Planning for next season. Recruiting. Building your coaching staff."
"Yeah."
"Have you heard from Lucy?"
"A little. We've talked twice since April. She has interviews with Michelin restaurants. Sounds like she's seriously considering staying."
"And if she does?"
"Then I'll be happy for her."
"Bullshit."
Jake smiled despite himself. "Okay, I'll be devastated. But I'll also be happy for her. Both things can be true."
"Are you going to visit again? Before her program ends?"
"I don't think so. I think—" Jake paused. "I think she needs to make this decision without me there. Without feeling like she has to choose me over Paris."
"That's very noble. Also very stupid."
"Why stupid?"
"Because she needs to see what she's choosing. If you're not there, if you're just this abstract concept in Vermont, of course Paris looks better. Paris is real. You're just a memory."
"So what should I do?"
"Go to Paris. Remind her why she fell in love with you. Let her see both options clearly. Then she can make an informed choice."
"What if she still chooses Paris?"
"Then at least you fought for her. At least you didn't just give up."
Jake thought about that. Had he given up? By telling Lucy to take space, by not visiting again, by letting her make this decision alone—was he giving up?
Or was he being respectful of her autonomy, her need to figure out what she wanted without pressure?
He didn't know anymore.
That night, alone in his apartment, Jake looked at flights to Paris. They weren't cheap—especially on short notice. But he had savings. He could afford it.
The question was: should he?
Would showing up in Paris be a grand gesture of love? Or would it be pressure, manipulation, making Lucy's decision harder?
Jake closed the flight search and opened his calendar instead. Marked the date: July 15. The day Lucy's program officially ended. The day she'd have to decide whether to stay in Paris or come home.
Two more months. He could wait two more months.
