"Okay."
Lucy took a breath. "I got offers. From three different Michelin restaurants. All of them want me."
Silence.
"Jake?"
"That's incredible, Lucy. Congratulations."
"Thanks. But Jake—if I accept, I'm staying in Paris. Permanently. Or at least for the foreseeable future."
"I know."
"And I need to decide by July first."
"Okay."
"Okay? That's all you have to say?"
"What do you want me to say? That I'm devastated? I am. That I don't want you to stay? I don't. But Lucy—this is your choice. I can't make it for you."
"I'm not asking you to make it. I'm asking what you think."
"I think—" Jake paused. "I think you already know what you want. You're just scared to admit it."
"What does that mean?"
"It means if you were sure about coming home, you wouldn't have even interviewed with these restaurants. You wouldn't be considering staying. The fact that you are tells me something."
"What does it tell you?"
"That maybe Paris is where you're supposed to be. And maybe—maybe we're not meant to make it work."
Lucy felt tears start. "Is that what you think?"
"I think we've been trying to force something that the distance has made impossible. I think we love each other but we want different things. And I think—" Jake's voice cracked. "I think maybe it's time to acknowledge that."
"Are you breaking up with me?"
"I'm saying what I should have said in March. That I love you. That I want you to be happy. And that if being happy means staying in Paris, you should stay. Without guilt. Without feeling like you're abandoning me or Timber Falls or any commitment you made six months ago."
"But what about us?"
"There is no us if you're in Paris and I'm here. Not really. We've been pretending for three months. Maybe it's time to stop pretending."
Lucy was openly crying now. "I don't want to lose you."
"You're not losing me. You're choosing a different path. That's okay. That's allowed."
"It doesn't feel okay."
"I know. But Lucy—you can't keep putting off this decision because you're scared of hurting me. You need to choose what's right for you. And if that's Paris, then that's Paris."
They were both quiet for a long moment, the weight of what Jake was saying settling between them.
"I need to go," Lucy finally said. "I can't—I need to think."
"Okay. Lucy?"
