"So you don't want to try again."
"I don't know. I'm scared, Lucy. I'm scared of getting hurt again. Scared of letting you back in and then watching you leave when the next dream comes along."
"I'm not leaving again. Timber Falls is where I want to be. Where I choose to be."
"You chose Paris three months ago."
"And I was wrong! Jake, I'm here, admitting I was wrong, asking for a second chance. What more do you want from me?"
"I want time. I need—I need to think about this. About whether I can trust you not to leave again."
Lucy felt her heart sink. "How much time?"
"I don't know. A few days? A week? Lucy, I'm not saying no. But I'm not saying yes either. I just need space to figure out what I'm feeling."
"Okay." Lucy stood up, fighting tears. "Okay. Take all the time you need. I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
She started to leave, then turned back. "Jake? I really am sorry. For everything. For leaving, for hurting you, for taking three months to figure out what I should have known all along. You deserved better than that."
"Yeah," Jake said quietly. "I did."
Lucy walked out of Mac's Tavern and made it exactly half a block before she started crying.
She'd come back. She'd been honest. She'd asked for a second chance.
And Jake needed time to think about it.
Which was fair. Which she deserved. Which still felt like her heart being ripped out all over again.
Lucy pulled out her phone and texted Rei:I told him. He needs time to think.
Rei:That's not a no.
Lucy:It's not a yes either.
Rei:Give him space. Let him process. He'll come around.
Lucy:What if he doesn't?
Rei:Then you'll survive. You came back for you, remember? Not just for Jake. You came back because Timber Falls is home.
Rei was right. Lucy had come back for herself. For her restaurant dream. For the life she actually wanted.
Jake was part of that life. A huge part. But not the only part.
Lucy could survive if he said no. She'd be heartbroken, but she'd survive.
She just really hoped she wouldn't have to.
After Lucy left, Jake sat at Mac's Tavern for a long time.
She'd come back. She'd admitted she was wrong. She'd asked for a second chance.
And Jake had told her he needed time.
Which was true. He did need time.
But he was also scared. Terrified, actually.
