Contents
Chapter 4
Overview
In a flashback to ten years earlier, Fern meets Will while he paints a café mural in Toronto. They connect over music and coffee, reveal existing partners, and collaborate finishing the mural. Will adds a small fern to his art and invites Fern to explore the city; she accepts, setting their brief but pivotal bond in motion.
Summary
Ten years earlier in Toronto, Fern watches Will paint a café mural while she pretends to read. Their banter begins over music, as Will asks to play her iPod and recognizes her tastes, sparking an easy rapport that surprises Fern.
Fern makes Will a latte and, unconsciously, pours a fern design—her private sign of affection. They talk about her imminent move home and her unfinished Toronto bucket list, as well as Will’s High Park roots. Fern, mindful of boyfriend Jamie, pulls back, but keeps engaging.
Will enlists Fern to help varnish the mural. As they work, Will reveals he’s an illustrator who just graduated from Emily Carr and mentions his girlfriend, Fred. Fern discusses her tight musical bond with Peter, her mom’s best friend, and cautiously outlines her evolving relationship with her mother.
Will opens up about his artist mother’s harsh criticism of his perfectionism, dropping his playful facade. Fern shares basic likes and her uncertain alignment with a business degree, hinting at deeper ambivalence.
When they finish, Fern notices Will has painted a tiny fern on the plane’s rudder, mirroring her latte art. Will invites her to spend the afternoon seeing his favorite, non-basic Toronto spots before he leaves for Vancouver the next day. Despite knowing she should keep distance, Fern chooses not to waste time and agrees to go.
Who Appears
- Fern BrookbanksBarista and student preparing to leave Toronto; bonds with Will over music and coffee, despite having a boyfriend.
- Will BaxterArtist painting a café mural; charming and upright, shares personal details, adds a fern to his art, invites Fern out.
- JamieFern’s boyfriend back home; his long-term relationship weighs on Fern as she’s drawn to Will.
- PeterFern’s mom’s best friend; musical confidant who trades themed playlists with Fern.
- Margaret BrookbanksFern’s mother; referenced as a hardworking parent with a complicated but improving relationship with Fern.