Chapter 20

On the drive to Green Gables, Felix is uncharacteristically fidgety. Lucy worries he’s anxious about her, but he admits it’s competition-day nerves. Their banter eases the tension as they arrive at the heritage site.

Inside, they read about Lucy Maud Montgomery’s difficult life. Lucy feels blue, missing Bridget, but Felix reframes the author’s legacy by pointing out the joy she still brings visitors. They trade Anne of Green Gables quotes through the house, their shared nostalgia forging intimacy.

They wander Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood in comfortable silence. Lucy fights the urge to hold Felix’s hand, recognizing it would signal something deeper. Footsore, she rests under a tree; Felix gently removes her sandals and gives her a foot massage, heightening their physical closeness without crossing new boundaries.

Relaxed, Lucy confides that an upcoming In Bloom contract could be huge but feels overwhelming. She admits pressure to succeed, intensified by grief for her aunt. Felix observes she doesn’t sound excited and asks how it would feel to say no. He affirms her capability and suggests she doesn’t need Bridget to keep the business afloat.

As they leave, a display of visitor messages catches Lucy’s eye: “I am here now, and everything is okay.” Felix writes his own card—“This is Lucy’s happy ending”—signaling his belief in her future and in the possibility of them, as competition day looms.