Lucy:People are upset. They think I'm abandoning them.
Uncle Walter:Come over after you close. Let's talk.
Lucy pocketed her phone and tried to focus on work. But customers kept coming in—not many, but enough—and everysingle one had the same reaction. Surprise. Disappointment. Some version of "but your grandmother built this place."
By noon, Lucy was ready to call Shayna and cancel everything.
By 2 PM, she was crying in the kitchen while Mae handled the front.
By 4 PM, when she finally closed the bakery, Lucy felt like she'd been hollowed out.
She walked to Uncle Walter's house in a daze. He lived three blocks from Main Street, in a small Victorian that had belonged to his parents. When Lucy arrived, he had tea ready and his concerned face on.
"Tell me what happened."
Lucy told him everything—the Knitting Circle's reaction, Mr. Peterson's disappointment, the way people had looked at her like she'd betrayed them.
"They'll come around," Uncle Walter said, echoing Mae. "They're just processing."
"What if they don't? What if I sell the bakery and everyone hates me and I've destroyed my grandmother's legacy for nothing?"
"Lulu, listen to me. Your grandmother's legacy isn't a building. It's the food, the recipes, the care she put into everything. That doesn't disappear because you sell to someone who wants to expand it."
"But what if they change things? What if they mess it up?"
"Then they mess it up. That's not your responsibility. You can't control what happens after you let go."
"Maybe I shouldn't let go. Maybe I should keep the bakery and forget about culinary school and traveling and all those selfish dreams—"
"Those aren't selfish dreams, Lucy. They're your dreams. The ones you set aside five years ago. The ones your grandmother wanted you to have." Uncle Walter grabbed her hands. "Don't let fear and guilt make this decision. You already made the right choice. Now you just have to be brave enough to stick with it."
Lucy wanted to believe him. But sitting in his living room, thinking about the disappointed faces of her customers, she wasn't sure anymore.
The game started at 7 PM and the Timber Falls Ice Center was packed.
Jake spotted Lucy immediately—sitting with Rei in the family section, wearing the leather jacket with his number on the back. But something was off. She looked tense, unhappy, like she'd rather be anywhere else.
Marcus skated past during warm-ups. "Your girl looks stressed."
"I know."
"Talk to her after?"
"Yeah."
The game was hard-fought. The opposing team—the Worcester Railers—played physical and aggressive. By the end of the first period, Jake's shoulder was screaming and his mind was split between the game and worrying about Lucy.
During the first intermission, Tommy pulled him aside.
"You're not focused. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You missed three plays in the first period that you normally make in your sleep." Tommy's expression softened. "Is this about Lucy?"
"The town's giving her hell about selling the bakery. She's questioning everything."
"And you're worried about her."
