Contents
Chapter 6
Overview
In a flashback to ten years earlier, Fern spends an afternoon with Will, sparking deep chemistry as they trade personal histories. Fern conceals her long-distance boyfriend, reveals looming obligations at her family resort, and resists Will’s invitation to risk honest confession. The scene cements their attraction and foreshadows choices that will reverberate a decade later.
Summary
On June 14 a decade earlier, Fern texts with her long-distance boyfriend Jamie, but hides this from Will as they prepare to explore Toronto. Fern wants to enjoy the day without confronting the life awaiting her back home.
On a delayed Queen streetcar, playful banter and small acts of kindness draw Fern and Will closer. Sitting together, Fern examines Will’s pin-covered backpack, prompting stories of his travels, his parents’ divorce, his mother’s life in Rome, and his close bond with his younger sister, Annabel. Will’s lemon motif echoes Fern’s own “lemon tart” nickname, deepening their sense of affinity.
Fern shares limited travel of her own and her plan to work a season in Banff. She reveals her family owns a Muskoka resort and that she’s moving back in nine days, a duty that visibly tightens her. Will gently intervenes when she fidgets, then asks if she’s destined to run the resort, discerning her ambivalence.
Will suggests the freedom of confessing to someone she may never see again, but Fern refuses, insisting “Everything has a consequence.” Their charged exchange underscores their intensifying attraction, Fern’s hidden commitment to Jamie, and the looming pull of her family obligations.
Who Appears
- Fern BrookbanksNarrator; hides her boyfriend from Will, reveals family resort ties and upcoming return, resists consequence-free honesty.
- Will BaxterTours Toronto with Fern; shares family divorce, mother in Rome, bond with sister; presses for candid truth, deepening their connection.
- JamieFern’s long-distance boyfriend; texts invite intimacy, prompting Fern to conceal the relationship during her day with Will.