"You don't. That's the thing about trust—it's a choice you make, not a guarantee you receive." Tommy leaned against the boards. "Jake, I'm going to tell you something about my wife. When we first got together, she wanted to move to Boston. Had a job offer, good money, big opportunity. I wanted to stay here, in Timber Falls. We broke up over it."
"I didn't know that."
"Most people don't. She moved to Boston. Stayed for two years. Then came back and said she'd made a mistake, that Timber Falls was home, that she wanted to try again."
"What did you do?"
"I told her I needed time. Spent three months agonizing over whether I could trust her. Whether I was being an idiot for even considering taking her back." Tommy smiled. "Then one day I realized—I could spend my whole life protecting myself from potential hurt. Or I could take a risk on the person I loved. So I chose the risk."
"And you've been married for thirty-five years."
"Exactly. But Jake—it wasn't easy. It took time to rebuild trust. There were hard conversations. Doubts. Moments where I wondered if I'd made a mistake. But we worked at it. And eventually, we got to a place where her leaving Boston felt like a blip instead of a defining moment."
"What if it doesn't work this time?"
"Then it doesn't work. But at least you'll have tried. At least you won't spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been."
After Tommy left, Jake sat in the empty locker room and thought about risk.
He'd taken risks before. Turning down Nashville. Choosing to coach instead of play. Building a life in Timber Falls.
Could he risk his heart one more time?
His phone buzzed. Emma's mom, texting the youth hockey group:Emma wanted me to tell Coach Jake that Miss Lucy came to her school today to talk about being a chef. Emma says it was the best presentation ever and now she wants to be a baker AND a hockey player.
Jake stared at the message. Lucy was already getting involved in the community. Already showing up, being present, proving she was back for real.
He pulled up Lucy's contact in his phone. Their text thread was still there—months of messages, from flirty to logistical to heartbroken.
Jake started typing:Can we talk? Not at Mac's. Somewhere more private?
He stared at the message for a long time.
Then he hit send.
Lucy spent Monday unpacking and trying to figure out her next steps.
She'd come back to Timber Falls with savings from the bakery sale and three months of Michelin restaurant salary. Enough to get started on her restaurant dream. But first, she needed to reconnect with her community. Prove she was back for real.
So when Emma's elementary school called asking if she'd come speak to third-graders about being a chef, Lucy said yes immediately.
The presentation went well. Twenty eight-year-olds asked questions ranging from "Do you know how to make pizza?" to "Why did you leave Paris if it's so beautiful?" (that one stung).
Lucy answered honestly. "Paris was beautiful. But it wasn't home. And sometimes the beautiful thing isn't the right thing."
After school, Lucy walked through Timber Falls. Past The Bread Basket—still thriving under Sarah's management. Past Mac's Tavern. Past the hardware store where Tom and Jerry were arguing as always.
People stopped her constantly. "Lucy! You're back!" "How was Paris?" "Are you staying?"
To everyone, Lucy gave the same answer: "I'm home. For good this time."
She walked past the old Morrison building on Main Street—the one that had been empty for years. The same building where her grandmother had wanted to expand before she got sick. It had a "For Lease" sign in the window.
Lucy stopped and stared. This could be it. This could be her restaurant.
She pulled out her phone and called the number on the sign.
"Hello?"
