The question hung between them. They'd been together less than a week. What claim did either of them have on the other's future?
"I don't know," Lucy said honestly. "A few months? Maybe longer? I'd want to really immerse myself, learn as much as possible."
"And then you'd come back?"
"I think so. To open my own place. Something that honors my grandmother but is also mine." Lucy searched his face. "Would you wait for me? If I left for a few months?"
Jake was quiet for a long moment. Then: "Lucy, I waited three years to talk to you. A few months is nothing."
"That's not fair to you. To put your life on hold—"
"I'm not putting my life on hold. I'm living it. I'm coaching, I'm building something here. And when you come back, we'll see where we both are. No pressure, no expectations. Just... seeing what happens."
"You make it sound easy."
"It's not easy. It's terrifying. But I think maybe the best things are."
They went back to eating pizza and watching TV, but something had shifted. Lucy had made a decision. She was going to sell the bakery, take Shayna's offer, and figure out who Lucy Chen was when she wasn't just her grandmother's granddaughter.
It was the scariest thing she'd ever decided to do.
It was also long overdue.
Around 10 PM, Lucy's phone buzzed. Rei.
Rei:heard about the meeting. how did it go?
Lucy:Good. Really good. I'm going to take the offer.
Rei:LUCY. That's HUGE.
Lucy:I know. I'm terrified.
Rei:You should be. It means you're doing something that matters.
Rei:Does Jake know?
Lucy:Yeah. He's being amazing about it.
Rei:He's a keeper.
Lucy:I know.
Lucy set down her phone and looked at Jake, who was absorbed in the cooking show they were watching. His arm was around her shoulders, his thumb tracing absent circles on her arm. He looked relaxed and content and completely present.
This was real. What they were building was real. And maybe it was fast, maybe it was scary, maybe it would end badly.
But for the first time in five years, Lucy was choosing to risk it. To show up. To let someone in.
"Jake?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For everything. For believing in me even when I don't believe in myself."
"Always. That's what—" he paused, then smiled. "That's what people who care about each other do."
Lucy caught the hesitation. The word he'd almost said. It was too soon for that word. They'd been together less than a week.
