Chapter 13

A week after their near-kiss, Fern and Will work on the deck while she debates the August dance with Jamie. Jamie argues the resort needs a celebratory reset and reveals he’s already booked the band. Fern agrees, though she’s uneasy facing the event without her mother.

Will takes a tense phone call, then asks to extend his stay two weeks to complete assessments before advising on selling versus keeping Brookbanks. Fern consents, secretly relieved. When Will invites Fern to dinner at his cabin, she nervously prepares and arrives to find him cooking.

They share an easy meal on the deck, but Fern’s probing about Will’s “fancy job” makes him withdraw—until he deliberately clarifies: he doesn’t work late and cooks most nights. Fern assumes he’s cooking for a partner and moves to leave. Will stops her and offers the truth.

Will reveals he lives with his sister, Annabel, and her nine-year-old daughter, returned from art school years ago to support them amid family conflict. He taught himself to cook, took a design job, earned an MBA with his friend Matty’s help, and shifted into consulting. Art fell away to make room for responsibility. Fern recognizes the sacrifice and complexity.

While they wash dishes, Philippe texts a photo: the Toronto corner store Fern always wanted for her coffee shop is for sale. The opportunity jolts her. Unsure what she wants now, she cuts the evening short.

At Fern’s door, Will challenges her claim of uncertainty, asserting she loves Brookbanks and fears becoming her mother. He lists the tells that betray her attachment and work ethic. Stung, Fern accuses him of abandoning his dream; he counters that she’s avoiding admitting what she truly wants to keep. He leaves, tension unresolved.