"When I watched my girlfriend work herself to exhaustion and realized I'd done the same thing in my playing career. I know what burnout looks like, Lucy. And I see it in you."
"I'm scared to let go. What if I step back and the restaurant falls apart?"
"It won't. You've built something strong. You've hired good people. Trust them to do their jobs."
That night, Lucy made a decision. Starting next week, she'd take Sundays off. Let Daniel run dinner service. Trust her team.
It was terrifying. But Jake was right—she couldn't sustain this pace.
And she wanted a life beyond the restaurant. A life that included Jake, included rest, included being a person instead of just a chef.
Post-championship life was strange.
Everyone in Timber Falls wanted to talk about the season. The win. What came next. Jake couldn't go anywhere without being stopped for congratulations or photos.
"You're famous," Emma said at Saturday morning youth hockey practice.
"I'm not famous. I just coached a good team."
"Coach, you won a championship. That's famous."
Jake supposed she was right.
But the attention was uncomfortable. He'd become a coach to work with players, to teach the game he loved. Not to be a local celebrity.
"It'll die down," Marcus assured him. "Give it a few months. Everyone will move on to the next thing."
"I hope so."
In mid-April, Jake got a call from an AHL team in Providence. They were interested in talking to him about an assistant coaching position.
"Higher level, better pay, real advancement opportunities," the caller explained. "We've been impressed with what you did in Timber Falls. We think you have a future in professional hockey."
Jake thanked them and said he'd think about it.
Then he immediately knew he wouldn't take it.
Providence meant leaving Timber Falls. Leaving the Wolves, leaving Emma and Owen and the kids he coached on Saturdays. Leaving Lucy, right when she was building her restaurant.
The answer was easy. He was staying.
But the call made him think about the future. Where was his career going? He'd achieved his goal—won a championship, proven himself as a coach. What came next?
He talked to Lucy about it over dinner at her apartment (Uncle Walter had finally convinced her to find her own place, a small one-bedroom above a bookstore on Main Street).
"They offered you a job?" Lucy asked.
"Not officially. Just a conversation. But yeah, basically."
"Are you going to take it?"
"No. I'm staying here."
Lucy looked relieved. "You didn't hesitate."
"I don't need to. This is where I want to be. But Lucy—I do want to keep growing as a coach. Keep learning, keep improving. I don't want to stagnate."
"So what does that look like?"
