Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

12 YEARS AGO

The first time Anne saw Freddy…she thought he looked like a beanpole with nice hair. It seemed like his body was trying to outgrow itself, and his ears hadn’t quite caught up yet. They stuck out a little from a hairdo that was a pretty good approximation of that one Jonas brother with straight hair—all wavy and flipped out at the ends. Of the boys on staff at the summer camp, he was the only one taller than Anne—and only by an inch or so.

“You don’t want to go after him,” Beth said, when she caught Anne staring at Freddy. “According to Mark, he’s a total dork.”

Anne frowned. She happened to like dorks because she was considered one herself. Besides, it shouldn’t matter to her older sister which boy Anne thought was the cutest. Beth clearly had eyes for the hottest one, and she was probably going to have a fling with him before the summer was over.

“You’ve been here fifteen minutes,” Anne protested. “How are you already gossiping about the other staffers?”

Beth shrugged. “I have my ways.” With that, she stood up and left Anne to fend for herself.

Anne watched her go and heaved a sigh. Maybe signing up to be a camp counselor had been a bad idea, especially with her much prettier, much more extroverted older sister.

The first time Freddy saw Anne…he thought she didn’t want to be seen. She seemed to turn in on herself, slouching her broad shoulders to stand out a little less among her peers. Except, she was hard to miss. She was quite tall and slim, and clearly, she wasn’t used to wearing shorts because she kept trying to make them longer by tugging on them. He couldn’t help noticing that she had nice legs.

He endured orientation. It was rather long and repetitive (the speaker kept losing her place on her notecards), so a lot of it went in one ear and out the other.

Except for the name of his partner.

“Looks like we’re doing archery together,” Freddy said, making an exaggerated motion like drawing back the string of a bow as he walked up to her.

Anne’s dark brown eyes widened a little, and she let out a sort of nervous chuckle. “If that’s your technique, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

He put a hand to his chest with mock indignation. “You’re looking at the second-place runner-up for the Regional Archery Association of my hometown, thank you very much.”

She eyed him carefully. “Did you make that up?”

He grinned, and she liked the way his smile went all the way to his eyes. He had big hazel eyes that betrayed every single emotion. At the moment, he was looking decidedly mischievous. “Maybe,” was all he said as he split off to follow his male peers to the staff cabins.

That evening, Anne was walking back to her cabin and feeling like she was already off to a bad start. She had missed curfew and was worried she’d get caught. It didn’t matter that the curfew was just a loose guideline that hardly anyone followed. Anne was a strict rule-follower and was already practicing the speech she’d give anyone who questioned why she was walking outside at night alone.

She had slipped over to her sister Beth’s cabin for a quick rundown of their day. It was her sister’s second, and final, year working there, and she was more than happy to pass on her wisdom to her much younger sister (even though they were barely 23 months apart).

She heard footsteps behind her and spun around to face whoever it was with her most repentant face. “Listen, I know I shouldn’t be out late. I’m really sorry, I just lost track of—oh, it’s you.”

Freddy was standing there, his arms on his hips. “What are you doing out past curfew, young lady?” he said in his low voice, but the grin on his face gave him away immediately.

“I was just talking to Beth,” she said, trying to keep her voice low even as she was close to bursting into laughter. He was trying to look severe, but his innate good-nature was shining through. “Besides, aren’t we like…two weeks apart in age?”

He hummed. “Yes, I admit, you’re a little old for me. Well, alright, then,” he said, walking away from her.

Anne stood there, unsure if she was meant to follow him.

He turned back and regarded her with a decided smirk as he said, a little too loudly, “It’s a shame you got turned around. And on your first day, too. Let me escort you back to your cabin, Anne Elliot.”

Anne had to stifle a laugh when she realized he was doing that for the benefit of any senior staffer that might be lurking nearby. They walked side by side at an easy pace. They weren’t in too much of a hurry. In fact, she was fairly certain he was taking them the long way around.

“So, you live in Port Allen?” she asked, breaking their companionable silence.

“Yeah, that’s right. I think I’m just an hour upriver from you.” He paused and quickly added, “I overheard your sister say you were from Somerset.”

“Yeah,” Anne said with a touch of asperity. She wouldn’t be surprised if Beth told their entire life story. She was so open about everything—the complete opposite of Anne.

Conversation flowed easily between them, which was surprising to both of them. Anne had never dated anyone, and she was hardly the outgoing type—especially with cute boys. And for Freddy, he was used to being overlooked for his much handsomer older brother. Having more sociable and “desirable” siblings was something they shared in common.

Anne was disappointed when she realized they’d reached the female staff cabin.

“Well, I’ll see you bright and early for some archery,” he said, miming a bow and arrow again.

Anne laughed. “Let’s just hope we don’t have any injuries on day one, okay?”

He grinned at her. “Goodnight, Anne.”

“Goodnight, Freddy.”

PRESENT DAY

“You’re sure you don’t want to chuck your big city ways and come run this bed and breakfast?” Walter Elliot said.

Anne rolled her eyes. “Dad, what do I know about running a B&B?”

Walter sighed. “That’s exactly what your sister Elizabeth said.”

“Oh, she’s going by Elizabeth now? How refined,” she replied in a slightly mocking tone.

“Be nice. She’s getting married in two weeks and she’s a little sensitive.”

“I just don’t know why you and Penny have to sell the inn right now in the middle of all the wedding planning,” Anne said, feeling a sting of guilt that she hadn’t been there for many of the important milestones for her sister leading up to the big day. She really had been too busy. And now, their family home and business was about to be sold off to some unknown person.

“Pen and I are not sure we can make it another winter here. We’re ready for warmer climates. Besides, we found the perfect buyer.”

Anne sighed as her phone beeped with another incoming call. “I’ve got to take that, Dad. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Still leaving tomorrow?”

“Yep. I’ve really got to—”

“And is that Geoff guy coming? We can’t wait to meet him.”

“I’ll text you the details! Bye, Dad!” she said abruptly before switching calls. And it was a good thing she did, too.

This could change everything for her.

She just wished Geoff was a little more excited for her.

“This is really great, Anne,” he said, though he wasn’t jumping up and down like she was.

“It’s the head pastry chef position at Chef Rudolph’s restaurant. Isn’t that exciting? He said he watches my videos, too!” She waited for a response from Geoff, but she saw that he was typing out a text message. “Which is more than I can say for my own boyfriend…”

He glanced up with an apology. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. It’s this deal we’ve been working on for months. But seriously, I am so proud of you. This will really give your career some more stability.

She frowned. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But she wasn’t going to let it deflate her spirits. “He has six Michelin stars or something. This is such a huge decision.”

“Well, you should take it,” Geoff said, reaching out to clasp her hand. “He’d be lucky to have you.”

Anne relaxed a little, especially when he leaned forward and kissed her. He glanced over and saw her camera still sitting on the tripod.

“Did I interrupt your video? I hope you’re not live,” he said with a self-deprecating chuckle as he fixed his tie.

“No, just recording. I’ll edit all this out.” She kissed him again. “So, are you ready for this weekend?”

He winced. “About that…”

“No,” she said, her heart sinking. “Geoff, you promised! It’s the big meet-the-parents visit, and it’s really important to me.”

“I know, and I’m really sorry, but we have this deal that we’re finalizing on Friday, and I just can’t get away right now. Come on, don’t give me that pout. I really tried to move it.” His phone rang and he mimed another apology as he answered it.

Anne just shooed him out of her kitchen and turned back to the camera. “Hi there. Today, I’m going to embrace my inner pâtissière and show you how to make savory palmiers with full puff pastry.”

--

Freddy opened his phone and searched a familiar username on Instagram. He noticed she had uploaded a new video.

“Now, these could be made pretty simply with pre-made puff pastry. But today, we are going full puff. From scratch. Lamination can be tricky, so pay close attention.”

Freddy couldn’t help smiling. She was a natural in the kitchen and behind the camera. She was also quite good at teaching difficult concepts in easy-to-grasp ways. It was giving him decided flashbacks.

“You ready?”

He almost dropped his phone in surprise. He just hoped Walter Elliot didn’t happen to recognize the voice on the video. That would be endlessly mortifying. “Yes, I’m ready,” he said, taking the offered seat.

Walter took the pen and signed in all the right places before passing the paperwork to the young man beside him.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Freddy asked, conscience stricken when he saw the unshed tears in Walter’s eyes.

“I wouldn’t want to sell it to anyone else,” the older man said, reaching out and shaking his hand. “And besides, it’s not like you’re a stranger.”

Freddy let out a small self-deprecating laugh. “I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me. It was a long time ago.”

“How could I forget? You were all she talked about for months. It was a shame you lost touch.”

Freddy winced. “Yeah, it was hard living so many states apart. And I was wondering if you could wait to tell her until she gets here?”

Walter gave him a considering look. “If that’s what you want.”

“Thanks,” Freddy said, shaking the older man’s hand again before escorting himself out.

“Oh, did I just miss him?” Penny said as she walked into the room carrying a plate of fresh muffins. “Remind me who he is again?” she asked, after pressing a kiss to her husband’s cheek.

“An old boyfriend of Anne’s,” Walter said. 

“You don’t think that will be awkward for them?”

Walter thought back to the expression on Freddy’s face when he had walked in earlier. The young man wasn’t as smooth as he thought he was. And Walter would know his daughter’s voice anywhere. “Not at all,” he said, giving his wife an enigmatic smile before snatching two of the muffins off of the plate. He didn’t even mind that she berated him about breaking his diet before the upcoming wedding.

Chapter Text

12 YEARS AGO

“Are you girlfriend and boyfriend?”

“No, we’re just friends,” Anne said, ignoring the incessant giggling of the middle school girls staring up at her blushing face.

“But don’t you think he’s cute?” a different girl asked.

“Uh, let’s get back to aiming our arrows that way, okay?” she said, pointing to the straw-filled targets a few yards away and hoping to God that Freddy hadn’t overheard it. She surprised herself by bringing it up herself once they had finished for the day. “Why do you think they keep asking us if we’re dating?”

Freddy shrugged his thin shoulders. “Maybe they see how well we work together.”

She almost wondered if he was teasing her, but the look on his face was perfectly serious. “I guess…that’s true,” she admitted, unsure how she should feel about the compliment.

Beth wasn’t exactly helping, either. “It’s just because you’re spending every waking minute together.”

Anne scoffed. “Is it my fault if we got paired up for archery and canoeing?”

Beth regarded her sister with an irritatingly knowing little smile. “I don’t know. Maybe a summer fling would be good for you.”

“That’s your area of expertise, if I recall,” Anne said, rolling her eyes and ignoring the fact that her cheeks were burning. “We’re just friends.”

Anne was resolved not to psych herself by hoping for anything more than that. Sure, he was easy to talk to, and he had a great sense of adventure. And yes, he was pretty musically talented but humble about it, which she found kind of nice. But she was not going to let it sway her.

Mark, the hot guy Beth was constantly flirting with, was insistent that Freddy serenade them anytime the staff was gathered around a fire (which happened frequently since there was no TV and very little cell reception. What else was there to do at a summer camp except roast marshmallows and swap gossip?).

“God, I hate being the guy with the guitar,” Freddy confessed to Anne, once they found themselves alone by the fire. Everyone else had decided to go for an ill-advised dip in the lake as soon as the senior staffers went to bed. “Anyway, here’s ‘Wonderwall…’” he said, making fun of himself as he started playing the chords to the song.

Anne laughed at his joke but couldn’t help admiring his skill. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to play.”

Freddy stopped and looked at her. “Well, I can teach you. If you want.”

She hesitated. It was probably not a good idea. “Sure,” she said finally.

Freddy pulled his chair up beside hers and placed the guitar in her lap. Of course, he had to lean over and help place her fingers along the strings, and then it was important to demonstrate how she should strum. Their faces were pretty close together, but Anne kept her gaze away from him. Freddy, meanwhile, couldn’t help noting how nice her brown eyes looked in the light of the fire.

“You’ll get it in no time,” he said, after complimenting how quickly she was picking it up.

Anne cleared her throat. “I might need regular lessons.”

Freddy couldn’t help being a little flattered. One of his first crushes in middle school had told him he was too annoying. It was an insult he had never been able to forget. But clearly, Anne didn’t think so, or she wouldn’t mind spending so much time with him.

“So, what’s the deal with you two?” Mark asked Freddy the next day.

“We’re just friends,” he replied, trying to be mature and practical about what was rapidly turning into a crush.

Mark narrowed his ocean-blue eyes (which drove all the female staffers crazy) and just said, “Yeah, sure, buddy. You keep telling yourself that.”

Freddy was irritated at his coworker’s ability to read him. Sure, Anne was incredibly kind and intelligent, and she was a hard worker. She knew how to relate to the kids on their level and could teach even the most unteachable, spoiled-brat middle schoolers. But they were just friends.

Until the night the camp’s cook had gotten sick.

“What the heck are we going to do?” one of the head staffers was saying, once they had gathered all of the other staff members into the kitchen. He was probably supposed to be keeping his cool, but he was clearly struggling. Not only was the camp’s only cook sick, but his wife (who sometimes stood in for him) was out on a trip visiting her sister.

“We could order pizza,” Mark offered.

The head staffer waved that option away immediately. “We don’t have the money. And it would take at least an hour and a half to get them delivered. We have a hundred hungry campers to feed. Can any of you guys cook?” he asked, staring around at the young people, all of whom were between the ages of 15 and 18.

“Anne can cook,” Beth said, pointing to her sister, whose face was suffused with blushes.

“Alright, Anne. We’re counting on you.”

She blinked around at everyone, but her eyes landed on Freddy. He gave her that patent grin that lit up his whole face. He believed in her.

“Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” Anne said.

And in forty-five minutes, with everyone’s help, she managed to produce enough cheddar drop biscuits to feed an army. She found cans of chicken and dumplings and added a few spices to take away the heavily processed canned-goods taste. At the last minute, she even cooked up three enormous cobblers using a bulk bag of frozen mixed berries and a box of Bisquick.

“That was incredible,” Freddy said as they stood side by side at the sink.

Anne just shrugged her shoulders. “I like to cook.”

But Freddy wasn’t going to let her get away without accepting his compliment. “Well, you’re really good at it. You managed this delicious feast without even batting an eye. Ever think about doing it professionally?”

“Actually…” she began, turning to him and wondering if he could be trusted with a secret. But the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. And so, she told him something she’d never admitted to anyone—ever. “I want to be a pastry chef.”

He smiled. “You’d be amazing at it.”

They couldn’t deny it anymore, not when they felt a little jolt of excitement every time their hands brushed against each other in the midst of washing dishes. This was quickly developing into more than friendship.

The next time a middle schooler asked if they were dating, they didn’t try to deny it.

PRESENT DAY

Freddy wheeled his cart towards the front of the store while he made some mental calculations. He wasn’t certain he’d purchased enough for the border he wanted, but he could always come back. He had just pulled out his phone calculator to make some last-minute adjustments when his eyes fell on a woman standing nearby.

Anne stared down at the selection in front of her. She didn’t want to arrive home empty-handed and had completely forgotten to bring the box of cupcakes. She’d been a little flustered and distracted packing to leave that morning, since she and Geoff had left their last conversation on less-than-ideal terms. And so, she just grabbed a succulent in the prettiest pot and walked to the counter.

Freddy couldn’t help staring. She had grown taller, somehow, but she no longer walked with her shoulders slouched. She looked confident. And somehow even more beautiful than he remembered.

“I’m so sorry, but our card reader is actually offline right now,” the very nice cashier said, the moment she saw the succulent in Anne’s hand and her credit card in the other.

“Do you have an ATM?” Anne asked, hopefully.

“No, I’m so sorry,” the cashier said, looking extremely regretful.

“You can put it on my account,” Freddy said.

“No, that’s fine, really,” Anne said as she turned around to face the speaker. “I can just—” but her words came to a full stop. She stared at him for a moment. He was still skinny, but he had filled out a little bit. And that smile…that one that lit up his whole face…that was still the same as it ever was. “Freddy Wentworth?” she said, wonderingly.

“Hey, Anne.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, noting with a touch of amusement, that he had finally grown into his ears. He wasn’t sporting a Jonas-brothers hairstyle anymore, either. He looked good. Really good.

“I have a little landscaping project,” he said, gesturing to the cart behind him.

“No, I meant—here, in Somerset. Did you move back to Maine?”

“A few years ago.”

“I had no idea,” she said, feeling a twinge of regret. She shouldn’t have waited so long to visit.

“Well, you should visit more often.”

Anne blinked at him. It took her a second to realize there wasn’t an echo, and he was just reading her mind in an unnerving way. “Clearly I should have,” she managed, with a tight smile.

“So, I guess you’re in town for your sister’s wedding,” he said, not quite ready to part ways just yet. But he realized his mistake too soon.

“How on earth did you know that?”

Freddy hesitated. “Oh, I just—heard it from someone. You know how small towns are.”

Anne wondered if there was more to that. “Well, are you sure I can’t pay you back? I’m sure there’s an ATM around here somewhere,” she said quickly.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, smiling. “It’s nothing.”

She held his gaze for a moment before she cleared her throat and asked, “So…how have you been? Gosh, it’s been a long time, like…”

“Twelve years, I think.” Not that he had been keeping count.

“Wow. Well…how was California?” She was feeling decidedly awkward and didn’t exactly know where to even start catching up.

“Hot,” was all he said. Clearly, he was struggling, too. “My parents love it.”

She blinked at him, realizing it meant his parents still lived there. “So, what brought you back?”

Freddy shrugged. He had to give her an answer, but he certainly didn’t want it to sound pathetic. “I don’t know. I missed things.” It was the truth. Port Allen had been his home for almost eighteen years. But there were other more nostalgic reasons for wanting to come back. He deflected the conversation back to Anne. “How about you? How do you like living in New York?”

“I like it,” she said, with a wide smile. “I, uh…I actually just got an offer for a new job in Manhattan.”

“Baking,” he said, nodding his head.

Anne blinked at him. It hadn’t been a question but rather a statement of fact. It surprised her. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s right.” It also surprised her that she was so willing to tell him, when Geoff was the only other person who knew about the offer, which was still very much up in the air. “You seem to know an awful lot about me,” she added, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shrugged. “Might have checked you out on social media once or twice.”

“Uh huh. Once or twice,” she teased.

“Well, you do post a lot.”

She scoffed. “Whereas you have two posts per year, both of which are reposts from someone else.”

“Well, now who’s been checking up on whom?” he said with a decided twinkle in his big hazel eyes.

Anne didn’t have an immediate response, but her phone decided to ring at that exact moment. “I’m so sorry, I have to take this,” she said as she took a few steps towards the door. “Thanks again for the plant, and—let’s not wait so long next time to see each other, okay?”

“We won’t,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This isn’t New York. I’m sure we’ll see each other again before too long.”

Anne wanted to follow that up with a few more questions but she really did have to answer the call, or she’d miss it completely. So, she just gave him a puzzled look and a smile before darting out the front door. She felt his eyes on her as she stepped out into the sunshine, and she ignored the little flutter in her stomach when he smiled at her again. It was just a surprise having seen him again after so long. That was all.

“Hey, Geoff,” she said.

“I was afraid I was going to miss you this time,” he replied.

Anne huffed a sigh. “You know I don’t like to talk on the phone while I drive.”

“You have Bluetooth, don’t you?” he laughed.

She rolled her eyes as she stepped into her car. “Yeah, but I like to listen to music.”

He hummed but didn’t offer an immediate reply.

“Okay, well…I have to go,” Anne said.

“Can we talk later, though?” Geoff asked, his tone hopeful.

“Sure.”

She hung up the phone and turned on her favorite playlist again. She was feeling a sudden need for cheering up. Her mind was flooded with unexpected memories as she drove to her family home. She might have even taken the scenic route to pass by the old entrance to the summer camp. Just to see if it looked the same. That was all.

The sign to Kellynch B&B greeted her, and she realized they had gotten a new sign recently. The old one had been rather faded. This one was still rustic, but it had more of a historic charm feeling to it. She barely had time to park before her dad had wrenched the car door open and pulled her into a hug.

“I’ve missed you, sweetheart,” he said against her ear.

Anne felt a twinge of guilt. She had visited every Christmas for the last few years, but she had a sudden sense that she was out of time. The bed and breakfast was going to be run by new owners in a matter of months, and her dad and stepmom were moving to Florida shortly after.

Penny met them on the porch, and Anne gave her a hug as well. “Your sister was asking for you,” she said, looking a little perturbed.

Anne glanced between her dad and stepmother with growing concern. “What’s going on?”

“We better let her tell you,” Penny said, which was not easing Anne’s worries in the least.

“Wait, where’s this mystery guy?” Walter called out just before Anne turned away.

“Yeah, Geoff,” she said. “He couldn’t come.” She gave them a small smile before disappearing around the side of the house to go in search of her sister.

Walter and Penny exchanged a worried look.

But Anne had her own worries. She discovered Beth on the brink of tears. And her sister rarely cried. “What’s going on? Dad and Penny wouldn’t tell me anything.”

Beth sniffed. “We lost the venue. And everything that goes along with it.”

Anne was full of questions, but she just pulled her sister onto one of the porch swings and waited for Beth to explain everything.

“Greenwood had a flood this morning, and everything is ruined,” Beth said. “The banquet hall, the dance floor—even the kitchen is under two feet of water.” She let her head fall into her hands as she wiped away a stray tear. “You know how last year I wanted the perfect wedding? Now I just hope there will be a wedding. Maybe Will and I should have just eloped.”

“No, we will find you another venue,” Anne said, pulling her sister into a tight hug.

Beth shook her head. “They’re all booked. I just tried the last place, and they basically laughed at me.” She pulled away from her sister and regarded her with a frown. “Wait, where’s Geoff?”

Anne sighed. She wished everyone could stop talking about him. “He couldn’t come. He had a work thing. But let’s talk about what we’re going to do about your wedding.”

Beth was insistent that they should just notify all the people they had invited and elope.

“We will figure it out!”

“How? We have six days, Anne!”

Anne took a steadying breath and tried to remain grounded and calm, all while her sister was rapidly losing her cool. Anne had to admit it was going to be quite a hurdle, but she wasn’t about to let her sister admit defeat.

She began to list things off on her fingers. “Okay, so…we need a caterer, decorations, flowers, music, and—”

“And a cake,” Beth added.

“Oh, I can take care of that.”

Beth narrowed her eyes at her sister. They were total opposites in appearance on almost every front—Beth was shorter and more petite and was a natural redhead—but they had the same dark brown eyes. “I thought you don’t bake wedding cakes. Isn’t it a different thing entirely?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I can’t.” Anne felt so strongly that they would find a way to make it work, even if it meant overcoming anxieties about cake. Pastry, she could handle. Cake was another thing entirely. “It’s a shame you couldn’t have the wedding here,” she said, gesturing around them to the beautiful sitting room and fireplace, which was original to the house.

They had tried to maintain as much of the hardwood floors, wallpaper, and tongue and groove ceiling as they could throughout the large house. Naturally, there were things that required renovating before it had been turned into a bed and breakfast, but their late mother’s impeccable taste in furnishings only added to the sense of charm and character. Anne was feeling especially sentimental when she saw the row of photographs lined up over the mantel.

“It’s not exactly wedding ready,” Beth protested. “Besides, with Dad and Penny moving soon, and the new owner taking over…I don’t want to be a burden.”

Anne sighed. “Still, it would have been nice to have it here. One last hurrah before it gets turned into a parking lot or something.”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing that,” a voice said behind them.

Anne spun around and met a pair of familiar hazel eyes.

Freddy grinned at her. “This place is perfect the way it is.”

Chapter Text

September 20^th, 2011

Dear Anne,

California is hot. People expect lavish beach towns with breezes and perpetual 70-degree weather. Well, we’re in southern California where it’s hot all the time. Some people have never seen snow, which is just baffling. We’re a long way from Maine winters. You asked how I’m doing, and…I guess I’m okay. Starting over in a new town for my senior year of high school has been an adjustment. One nice thing I guess is getting to start fresh. I’m no longer “the dork who threw up in the hallway in middle school.” I’m no longer “guitar guy” (how could I be, since you’ve kept it hostage?). I’m just Frederick Wentworth. Yes, I go by Frederick now, because I am a refined young man.

But I’m half a world away from my childhood home. I’m half a world away from you.

Would you please let me fly out to see you for fall break? I’ve got a part time job. I’ll save up every penny. I just miss you, Anne.

Mom wasn’t too thrilled about the last cellphone bill. I’ll call the landline next time—and maybe your dad won’t try to listen in when I tell you I love you.

Talk soon,

Freddy

Anne’s gaze wandered out the window where she watched a familiar figure pushing a wheelbarrow around the side of the house. After learning the truth about Freddy buying the B&B, she was almost grateful Beth had insisted that she go upstairs and get settled. But now, she was trapped in a world of forgotten boxes of keepsakes that Penny had dragged out of the closet.

Anne decided the letters were not a particularly good idea, in her present state of mind, so she picked up one of her old journals and flipped to a random page.

Except, this one wasn’t much better. Like the nerd she was, she had written the lyrics to a very specific song. Their song. It was impossible not to hum along. She hadn’t thought about it in so long.

I wanna shout it out now,

I wanna carve our names in a tree.

I want the world to know that love is real,

I want them to know about you and me…

Beth cleared her throat from the doorway. Anne jumped and slammed the journal shut, like she’d been caught. She turned around and glared at her sister, wondering how long she’d been standing there spying.

“So, my friend at the nursery down the road tells me she saw you and Freddy catching up,” Beth said.

“Damn, that small-town gossip moves fast.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had run into him earlier today? And what was that even like?” Beth walked in and settled on the edge of the bed without waiting for an invitation. It felt like old times.

“It was…weird,” was all Anne could think to say. She wasn’t ready to explain to Beth just how strangely exhilarating it had been to see Freddy again. Or how oddly fitting that he was the one buying the B&B. Those same fluttery, excited feelings had come rushing back without warning. “For a second, it felt like I was 17 again.”

She gave her sister a knowing smile. “All I can say is that I come here way more often than you, and I’ve never run into him before. Maybe it’s fate.”

“There’s no such thing as fate,” Anne protested. “But…I have to admit, it did bring back some memories.”

“I can’t remember—why did you two break up?”

Anne sighed. “We didn’t really break up. I mean it was a summer camp thing that turned into the rest of the summer thing, and in September, his family moved to California.”

Beth frowned. “But you two kept in touch. I know that because—”

“Because you’re nosy! Pretty sure I caught you reading one of his letters,” Anne said, tossing a decorative throw pillow at her sister. “Probably listened in on the landline, too.”

Beth just caught it and shook her head. “I really thought it was something special for you two. It was more than just a summer thing. You wrote letters—like old fashioned lovers in the age of technology.” She ignored Anne’s groan of protest and continued. “I’m telling you, it’s fate. He moved back to town ages ago, but you just happened to run into him today. And now he’s buying our old family bed and breakfast. It’s fate.”

Anne was irritated that her cheeks were burning. “Okay, I’d much rather talk about your wedding.”

Beth deflated immediately. “What wedding?”

“Just hear me out. I think I might have found exactly what we need.” Anne reached into the long-forgotten box of keepsakes and pulled out a glitter-covered scrapbook.

Beth gasped. “Is that the book?”

“Yep!” She felt a little giddy as she opened it and showed her sister the front page: Anne and Elizabeth’s Wedding Plans. She flipped through each page, marveling at their combined creativity as she lifted fabric swatches and studied the magazine collages. It was heavily decorated with flowers, fake pearls, and even lace. “I remember when we made this…unaware that one day, we would use it to save your wedding!”

“If that book is what’s going to save my wedding, we’re in big trouble. And I haven’t exactly told Will…”

“What, you still don’t like this dress?” Anne teased, holding up a clipping and a color-matched piece of fabric to a truly abysmal sunflower yellow ballgown. “I feel safe telling you now that I was never actually going to wear that. Wait—you haven’t told your fiancée about the venue and everything? Beth!”

“I know! I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to do it, but he’s just—he’s working so hard setting up the new library, and I don’t want to be a distraction.” Beth slumped down on the bed, and her eyes fell on the next page. “I still like that cake, though.”

“See? This book still has good ideas. We can just tackle things one problem at a time.”

Beth’s smile softened into something fond and incredibly loving as she saw the determination on her younger sister’s face. “But you heard Freddy. He didn’t want anything to do with the wedding. And I don’t really blame him. We have five days!”

“You will have a wedding, I promise. It’ll be great,” Anne insisted.

“You’re serious?”

“Seems to me you don’t have many other alternatives…”

“Well…what about Freddy?”

Anne considered that particular hurdle and simply said, “Let me see what I can do.”

Beth reached up and pulled Anne into a tight hug, but she froze when her phone began to ring. “It’s Will. What do I say?”

“Okay, just—just tell him there was a slight setback. But we’re working on it.”

“I’m counting on you!” Beth said as she hopped down from the bed and answered the phone with a breezy, carefree tone, as if she hadn’t just been on the brink of a panic attack.

Anne distracted herself by glancing through the next few pages of the book. A photograph fell into her hand. Two awkward-looking teens stood side by side. A slow smile filled her face. She quickly tucked the photo into her old journal and began rehearsing her words as she walked outside.

Freddy let out a deep sigh as he stared across the water. He should probably get back to work and stop getting lost in his own thoughts. But the midmorning sun was beating down on him in a way that made him want to curl up like a damn house cat. There was a soft breeze pushing his hair away from his face. He loved it here. He just wished—

“Mind if I join you?”

He jumped and found himself under Anne’s bemused gaze. He was leaning on his shovel looking decidedly lost in his thoughts. “Yeah, of course,” he said, and then he realized he didn’t have a chair for her to sit in.

Anne didn’t seem to need one, though. She just grabbed a spade and asked him to tell her where to plant the next hydrangea bush. Really, she just needed a distraction to keep herself from staring openly at him. It was such a strange sensation to realize he was still Freddy, but he was the grown-up version. He was looking quite manly with his sleeves rolled up over a pair of suntanned and muscular arms. She noted that he was lean but still quite fit. Clearly, he still wasn’t afraid of hard work.

“Aren’t you worried about your dress?” he asked, pointing to the white sundress she was wearing.

She shrugged. “A little dirt never hurt anyone.”

“Okay,” he said, but he looked surprised. He had just assumed given her expensive-looking clothes and styled hair that she was too “big city” to get dirt under her nails like she used to. But clearly, the Anne he knew from Camp Dorset was still in there somewhere—the dedicated hard worker who wasn’t afraid to use a little elbow grease to do project and do it well.

They worked side by side, taking turns digging (though he had the better shoes for it) and planting the small hydrangea bushes along the side of the porch. It faced the largest portion of the property that overlooked the river.

Anne breathed out a sigh, and he glanced down to see her looking just as lost in thought as he’d been moments ago. “I love it here,” she said. “Best spot on the property.”

He was about to verbalize his agreement when he saw a familiar glint in those dark brown eyes. “You’re about to tell me it would be nice for a wedding.”

She met his gaze and wondered if she could possibly get away with denying it. But her stomach did a small flip-flop when she realized he could still read her too well. “Guilty,” she confessed. “But I mean…how hard can planning a wedding be, really?”

Freddy just laughed and shook his head at her.

She looked affronted. “Hey, from what I remember, you don’t back down from a challenge!”

“Sure, if it involves canoe racing or cliff jumping. But a wedding is a whole different thing entirely, and I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for ruining Beth’s. I think she and Penny are right. This place just isn’t really suited for it.”

Anne nodded and turned her attention back to the dirt. He watched her for a moment, noting that she had lightened her hair a little. Highlights, he guessed. He didn’t know much about hair. Whatever she had done, it looked nice.

He cleared his throat. “What, you’re not going to try and convince me?”

“No, you’re right,” she said, shrugging. And then she turned and looked up at him with a funny little grin. “Remember that little island across from camp?”

“Turtle Island.”

“Remember how we all wanted to camp there one night, but we had no way of getting the sleeping bags across the water?”

“Uh-huh,” he said, leaning on his shovel and regarding her with a cautious smile. He had an inkling where she was going with this.

“You had this idea of using a pulley. It was brilliant.”

“I see what you’re doing. It’s not going to work. That was different.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It is different.” Anne looked resigned for about half a second. “But that is what you do! You find solutions to problems. And this time, Beth’s wedding is at stake.”

Freddy stared back at Anne, and he was already feeling his resolve slipping by the second. Damn those beautiful brown eyes of hers. “Alright,” he said, heaving a sigh. “You can have the wedding here. The space is yours.”

Anne was on her feet and had stepped towards him as if to hug him. She stopped at the last second. “Thank you,” she said, with barely contained glee.

“I just don’t know how we’re going to pull it off.”

“We?” she asked, reaching out and putting her hand on the shovel just beneath his. “Does that mean you’re offering to help?”

He nodded. He really liked how they were almost eye-level. They were on equal footing. “Yes, I’ll help.”

Anne snatched the shovel away from him and spun around with it once. “This is so great!”

“Okay, stop before you hurt someone,” he chided, gently retrieving the shovel. She didn’t protest. He could tell from the look on her face that she was already planning a million things. It reminded him of that night she had improvised dinner for the entire camp.

“Country weddings are really hot right now,” Anne was saying, beginning to pace as she thought aloud. “And we could definitely think about low-key decorations that wouldn’t detract from all of this beauty. We could—” She stopped when her phone buzzed in her pocket. “I have to take this.”

Freddy just nodded and watched her walk away. Her shoulders were slouched as she answered the call.

“Hey, it’s good to see your face, finally,” Geoff said, as Anne walked herself to the opposite side of the house. “Is that the B&B? It’s gorgeous.”

“Yep,” Anne said. “Sure wish you were here in person to see it.”

Geoff sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. But I have some news! The deal went through!”

“That’s great,” Anne said, her hopes rising. “Does that mean you can come to the wedding?”

“No, sweetie. I have to stay here and entertain the clients.”

“Surely one of the other guys can do that. This is really important to me, and I need you here.”

“I know. I’m really sorry.”

Just as quickly, Anne’s hopes were in the dirt. She had managed to convince herself she didn’t care that he wasn’t coming. But somehow it seemed almost urgent that he get here, and she didn’t know why. “I just…I really wanted you to meet my family and friends.”

“I wish I could be there. I really do,” he insisted. “There’s always next time.”

She rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure this will be Beth’s only wedding. If it happens at all, that is. But thank God for Freddy, because I don’t know what I’d do—”

“Freddy? Your high school boyfriend?”

“Yeah, I mentioned he was here, didn’t I? He’s the new owner for the B&B.”

Geoff just nodded, but Anne could tell he was looking at something else—probably his laptop. “Well, listen,” he said. “I really wanted to chat with you about that job offer from Chef Rudolph. I know it’s not completely official and he said he’d call in a few days, but I think you should definitely take it. We’d be the ultimate power couple.”

Anne was actually really looking forward to talking about the job offer with Geoff. She needed his advice before Chef Rudolph called her. She opened her mouth to reply, but he was wearing that stern, hyper-focused look that she knew painfully well.

“I’m so sorry. I have to take this call,” he said.

“Okay, but will you watch my latest video, at least?” Anne added quickly. “I really want your feedback—”

“I’ll see if I have time. Gotta go, babe. Bye.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Anne pocketed her phone, and then she thought better of it. She took it upstairs and tucked it away in her bedside drawer. She wanted to disconnect from it for a while.

“Alright, chief. What’s next?”

Freddy turned around. He took one look at Anne and burst into laughter. “Where on earth did you find that?”

She tucked her Camp Dorset t-shirt into her jeans and gave him a teasing smile. “What, this old thing? I wear it all the time.”

Freddy wanted to tell her she looked lovelier in it than she had at age 17, if that was possible. Instead, he just handed her his gardening gloves and a spade. “Let’s get to work,” he said.

Chapter Text

Freddy and Anne worked most of the afternoon to plant the remainder of the flowers. Once they were done, it was clear Anne was eager to start brainstorming ideas for the wedding. They had a shrinking window of time as it was.

“This is a really great space,” Anne said, looking around the largest part of the yard that overlooked the river.

“Enough room to create something special,” Freddy agreed. “This might actually work.”

Anne just smiled at him. She was grateful for his vote of confidence, even if he still seemed a little hesitant. “I always thought Beth or I would get married here someday,” she mused aloud.

He eyed her carefully. “Can I ask why you didn’t want the B&B?”

She was surprised by the question. She expected it from her father, but not from Freddy. “Well, my life is in New York. My work, my friends…it’s all there. It wouldn’t make sense for me to move back.”

He nodded. And then he couldn’t resist asking the next question. “And is there a boyfriend in New York?”

“Yes. His name is Geoff.” She stopped and turned to face him with her arms crossed. She couldn’t help being a little annoyed with him. “You’re awfully curious for a guy who neglected to tell me that he bought my childhood home.”

To his credit, he looked a little sheepish. “I didn’t think it was my place to tell.”

“Right, and that’s why you set me up to find out with the whole cryptic ‘It’s not New York, I’m sure we’ll see each other again’ bit?”

He grinned. “Okay, that part might have been for fun.”

“So, why did you buy it?” Anne countered.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you asking if I bought it because it belonged to my ex-girlfriend?”

The question had been nagging at her since that morning. “Well…did you? Because I moved on, you know.” She meant it as a joke, and thankfully he wasn’t the type to take everything so seriously.

“I was looking to invest in a business after I moved back.”

“So that’s what you do? You buy and sell businesses?” Anne had been curious about his line of profession, too. He certainly didn’t advertise any of that information online.

“No, this was the first business that I bought.”

He was being frustratingly vague in his responses, and so she prompted, “Well, why this one?”

“I like the hospitality industry. This bed and breakfast has an excellent reputation. Good location. Property is in great shape. Annual financial reports are above average, if in need of a little boost.” He smirked, realizing he was getting a bit too cold and technical. “And your dad and stepmom were very easy to deal with.”

Anne’s eyebrows rose. “Wow.”

“What?” he said, feeling a little self-conscious under her direct gaze.

“You’re just…you’re not what I expected.”

“What were you expecting?”

Anne hadn’t been prepared to answer that question. He was throwing heavy hitters, but she guessed she deserved it. “I don’t know. I guess when I ran into you at the garden center, I just thought you were a landscaper.”

“I could see why you’d think that,” he said, holding up his hands to demonstrate the fact that they were caked in dirt.

They stood there just looking at each other for a moment. Anne noticed he had accidentally brushed some dirt into the scruff on the side of his face, and she was sorely tempted to reach out and wipe it off. But that suddenly felt like something out of a bad Hallmark movie, and so she resisted.

“Well, I should get back to work,” Freddy said, clearing his throat and gesturing vaguely towards the house.

“Right. Me, too. I mean, not to work. To see my family and—okay. I’ll see you later.” She gave him an awkward half-wave, half-salute sort of thing and quickly escorted herself back inside.

The rest of her night was spent brainstorming with her dad, stepmom, and Beth, who were all thrilled the wedding was still happening, even if it was going to be extremely DIY.

Anne didn’t sleep too well. She thought sifting through her old boxes would be therapeutic, but she ended up crying when she found an old photo album of a family trip to the beach the year before their mother died. After that, she had spent several hours gathering as much intel on wedding planning as she possibly could. After just a few hours of sleep, she decided she needed to do something productive or she’d go mad waiting for her meeting with Freddy at 9.

And so, she baked cheese scones.

“See this fluffy rise? This is an English scone. It’s not dry or dense like American ones. Just look at that,” she said, tearing one of them in half and holding it up for the camera to see. She took a bite and hummed happily. “Why does baked cheese taste so good?” She heard footsteps and glanced up in time to see Penny hesitate at the doorway.

“I’m so sorry—I’m interrupting,” Penny whispered, pointing to the camera.

“No, come in, please!” Anne insisted, ushering the older woman into frame. “Guys, this is my stepmom, Penny. She is an amazing cook.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Penny said humbly. “I’m no pastry chef.”

“You’re selling yourself short. Your homemade chicken and dumplings are to die for. And I distinctly remember your famous muffins, which I still need the recipe for.” Anne exchanged a smile with her stepmom before turning back to the camera. “Well, I’ve got a wedding to plan, so you might not see me for a few days. Keep an eye on my Insta, because I’ll be sharing pictures. Bye for now!”

She lifted the remote and stopped the recording.

“Wow, I’ve never seen you film one of your videos before. It’s very exciting,” Penny said.

“I’m really glad you were here for it," Anne said, and truly meaning it. 

Penny looked a little uncomfortable, but she seemed determined to say something. “I know we've only known each other a few years, and I'm sure it was quite an adjustment with me marrying your dad. But I just want to say how proud I am of you."

Anne didn’t know how to respond other than to pull the woman in for a hug. Anne had had mixed feelings in the past about their father remarrying, and she had probably visited less because of it (maybe in some sort of misguided loyalty to her late mother), but she hoped to remedy that on this trip. Her dad and stepmom would be moving to Florida soon, anyway. Time seemed to be slipping away from her.

Penny stepped back and gave her stepdaughter a warm smile. “Well, I can’t wait to watch this video. Your dad will have to show me how to find them again."

Anne smiled and felt incredibly touched that despite her limited grasp on technology, Penny was clearly trying to stay involved in Anne's endeavors. It emboldened her to open up a little bit more to her stepmom. “Well, actually, I wasn’t going to do another video so soon, but there’s this chef who wants to offer me a job. It’s a really big deal. And he watches my videos and asked me to keep posting.”

“That sounds like he’s serious,” Penny said, clapping her hands excitedly.

Anne wanted nothing more than to join in her stepmother's joy, but she was trying to keep her hopes low just in case this tentative offer didn't pan out. “I’m trying not to read too much into it. I still have to impress him next week.”

“Well, you don’t have to try very hard,” Freddy said as he waltzed into the kitchen like he owned the place (which…technically he did). He spun around and caught the gazes of both women. “I mean, because you’re already great. At baking.” It was an overcorrection, and it certainly didn’t fix his little slip of the tongue.

Penny just smirked. “I’ll just take these into the dining room." She piled the fresh scones onto a serving tray and disappeared (but not before giving Anne a surreptitious wink).

Anne glanced down and realized Penny had left a scone behind. Without a word, she held it out Freddy.

He grinned and took a bite. “Wow, I should have negotiated these into my sales agreement,” he said, taking it from her hand and devouring it in mere seconds, which Anne considered a rather nice compliment. “Oh, and look what I picked up at the market this morning.”

She blinked and managed a tight smile. “A bridal magazine. How sweet.”

Freddy didn’t seem to catch her very slight sarcasm. He was actually quite proud of himself for thinking of it. “Well, if we’re going to do this, we should be prepared.”

“Oh, we are prepared,” Anne said, picking up her tablet and swiping through a few things.

“What’s that?” he gestured to the screen.

“Pinterest, Instagram, and Knot.”

“What’s not?”

“The Knot. With a K.” She suddenly walked towards the back door. “Come on.”

He stood there for a moment. He felt a lot less proud of his magazine, in light of Anne’s contributions.

“Freddy?” she called out.

“Yep. Coming.”

On the back porch, Walter and Penny sat in neighboring rocking chairs and watched as Freddy and Anne put their heads together to discuss their first steps.

“What a relief,” Penny said, sipping on her coffee. “Yesterday, we thought Beth wouldn’t have a wedding at all. This is going to be great!”

Walter loved his wife’s enthusiasm, but he had a sense that he should remain cautiously optimistic. “Well, let’s see what they come up with.”

The two of them watched as Anne gestured overhead with a wide smile. They were close enough to overhear the young people's conversation.

“And I was thinking we could suspend these chandeliers all over at different heights.”

“Wait, what?” Freddy said, frowning at the picture on her tablet.

“Chandeliers,” she repeated, as if he hadn’t heard her.

“Where are going to get those? And how are we going to suspend them?” He pointed to the tree branches above them. And while there were quite a few, they were hardly close enough or strong enough to hold a dozen glass light fixtures. He was trying to wrap his head around how Anne expected to wire them for electricity, too.

“Well, I don’t know. We can figure something out,” Anne said, unwilling to relinquish her vision.

“What about something like this?” he offered, pulling out the magazine and flipping to one of the center pages. He wasn’t willing to relinquish his magazine, either. He pointed to the photo of a barn wedding that used string lights and paper lanterns. “It’s a little rustic and simple, but nice and…realistic.”

“Mine is realistic. Whereas yours is…” She hesitated, stopping herself before she insulted what he actually thought was nice. It wasn't a bad idea, but Anne had a clear picture in her head of how things should look. “Okay, well, what are we doing about dinner? How are we serving it?”

“We don’t even know what dinner is. A buffet?”

“A buffet? This is a wedding, not summer camp.”

Freddy scoffed. “It’s a wedding in a backyard, not a golf course.”

“Well, I don’t want it to look like a yard sale.”

“You think I’d let it look like that?”

Penny glanced at her husband. “This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it?”

“Early days,” Walter said, smiling just a little. “They’re still finding their groove. Kind of remind me of another couple I know.” He reached out and took her hand. She turned and gave him a sly grin.

“Unfortunately, I have to go,” Anne said abruptly, glancing at her watch. She was glad of the reason to put their present argument to rest, at least for the moment. “I look forward to continuing this later.”

Freddy’s smile was tight as he said, “I can hardly wait.”

For perhaps the first time in his life, he was actually glad of the stack of paperwork waiting on his desk. Anne, meanwhile, was desperately trying to track down some form of catering for the wedding, all while sitting in the waiting room for her sister’s final dress fitting. It was maddening.

“Just so I’m clear…you send us everything in boxes, but we have to cook it ourselves?” She paused, and the response on the other end was less than encouraging. “Right, that’s just not going to work for us. Thanks anyway.” She hung up and heaved a sigh.

Penny gave her stepdaughter a sympathetic smile. “All good?”

“Only if you want the bridal party to cook and serve dinner.”

“Oof,” was all Penny could think to say. Anne felt that was an adequate summary of her own feelings.

Just then, they were happily distracted by Beth walking into the room. She was in the most ravishing trumpet style wedding gown, which just accentuated her lovely hourglass figure. Anne used to envy her older sister’s looks, and for a time, she had even been resentful of their vast differences in appearance. But in that moment, all Anne could think about was how beautiful her sister looked.

Beth was glowing with happiness when she declared, “It fits!”

“It was two sizes too big at the last fitting,” Penny said, clasping her hands together and looking dangerously close to tears as she regarded her stepdaughter.

Anne felt a sting of regret knowing she had missed so many of the other milestones in her sister’s life leading up to the wedding. “Oh, Beth. You look gorgeous. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for the other fittings. I should have been here."

“You’re here now. And you’re fixing my wedding! That’s more than I could ask for.”

They continued to gush over the gown and its lovely cascading train, but then Anne caught sight of the time and had to remind her sister about the hair appointment. Beth had to get changed, which left Penny and Anne alone again.

“I saw you and Freddy working together earlier.”

“If you can call it working together,” Anne said with an exaggerated wince. “I mean, what does he know about weddings? Just because he bought a bridal magazine, suddenly he’s an expert?”

Penny just hummed with an irritatingly knowing look on her face. “But you two dated for a while, right?”

“Yes, and he moved away, which was probably a good thing. He is not what I expected, and I don’t know what I was thinking back then.”

“You sure about that?”

Anne wanted to counter Penny’s rather vague challenge but her phone buzzed. “I am so sorry to bail, but apparently Freddy says he’s found a caterer?”

“Go! Get out of here!” Beth called from the nearby dressing room.

That was all the permission Anne needed. She grabbed her things and followed the address, which was actually close enough to walk to. In a matter of minutes (thanks to her long legs), she was there. Freddy grinned the moment he saw her.

“Oh, boy,” Anne said under her breath. It was a food truck.

Chapter Text

12 YEARS AGO

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Anne said. She clutched a nearby tree branch for dear life.

“I thought you weren’t afraid of heights?”

She regarded Freddy with an ironic look. “No, but falling to my death isn’t all that appealing, either!”

“What’s to be afraid of?”

“Well, for starters, I could hit my head on the cliff on the way down, miss the watering hole and smash onto the rocks, get swept up in the current and get lost down the waterfall—”

“Anne,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and turning her towards him. It was the only way to get her to stop talking once she was spiraling downward in her anxiety. “Just trust me.”

She reached up and grabbed one of his hands. It was an almost automatic gesture at this point, even though it was the most they were able to get away with at camp. They were never alone long enough to move past the innocent little touches they could manage. It was tough to fit it in between taking care of scores of middle schoolers.

She stared into Freddy’s eyes and felt her racing heart calm down just a little. They were alone now. All except for the cliff and the water far below.

“I trust you,” she said.

“Come on,” he said, pulling her near the edge.

He wanted to laugh at the extremely serious look on her face, but he had to admit that it was a very long drop. Even his own pulse kicked up at the prospect of making the jump. Still, it was a rite of passage for the staff at Camp Dorset, and he was determined to do it before their time ran out.

He took a moment to study Anne beside him. She claimed she hated bathing suits (he never understood why girls were so mean to themselves, especially when they looked beautiful no matter what they wore). She had somehow managed to find something both long-sleeved and with attached shorts. He had teased her that she looked like some lady out of a Jane Austen novel trying to bathe in privacy without offending her own dignity. And then she had teased him back that he had actually read Jane Austen (Emma was secretly his favorite).

But right now, with the afternoon sun beating down on her wavy hair and turning her cheeks pink, she looked breathtaking.

“Count of three?” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

“One…” He wrapped an arm around her waist and propelled them both off of the ledge.

Anne was too busy screaming to cuss him out for playing such a dirty trick. In no time at all, they were underwater and swimming back to the surface. Freddy had just caught his breath when he felt two resolute arms wrap themselves around his neck. He was hard-pressed to regain his footing so he didn’t fall back underwater with the force of her hug.

“That was so scary. Let’s do it again!” Then, she pushed him away and splashed him in the face. “But that was lousy of you to—”

Freddy leaned forward and kissed her.

Anne had been so worried about the first kiss, because for her, it would be the first ever. But she wasn’t even thinking about her own worries in the moment. She wasn’t thinking about how her hair probably looked a wreck, and she couldn’t remember if she’d put deodorant on that morning. She just relaxed into something comfortable yet exciting as Freddy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

PRESENT DAY

“I know that look. This is just lunch.”

“We’re supposed to be looking for a caterer,” Anne protested, scowling at him. But she couldn’t maintain her frown the longer he looked at her. It was frustrating how easily he could still make her smile.

“We are looking,” he said, gesturing to the truck once more. 

“You’re not actually serious about this?” she asked, but she caught the way he glanced up and away from her—a clear sign he was trying not to roll his eyes. “Oh, you’re serious. Freddy, we have so much to do. We have to find a florist who can work on such short notice, musicians, and we still have to figure out the lighting—”

“Anne,” he said, turning and putting a hand on her shoulder so she turned to face him. “Just trust me.”

She stared at him and felt a sudden drop in her stomach, as if she had just leapt from a great height. Anne swallowed and could only nod her head. Thankfully, they were next in line to order.

“George, this is Anne. She’s my—an old friend. She’s visiting from New York,” Freddy said as a form of introduction to the man taking their order.

She shook the owner’s hand and gave Freddy a sidelong look.

“Well, any friend of Freddy’s is a friend of mine,” George said.

“Sounds like there’s more to that story,” Anne said as they walked to a nearby picnic table to wait for their food.

He just waved it away as if it was nothing.

Fifteen minutes later, she hated to admit it, but he was onto something. The food was amazing. It was a unique Asian-Southern-barbecue fusion with incredibly tender and flavorful meat. The sides were creative and mouth-wateringly good. It didn’t fit her idea of gourmet wedding food, but if they were going to get this thing done, she needed to compromise.

“So?” Freddy asked.

Anne’s mouth was too full for her to form a coherent reply for several moments. Finally, she shrugged and said, “Who doesn’t love a good barbecue?”

He blinked at her. “I can’t believe you gave up that easily.”

Anne just tossed a crab Rangoon at him in protest. And then she thought better of it and grabbed it back. They were too good to waste on ammunition.

The next morning, she awoke feeling surprisingly rested, despite the vast to-do list that awaited her. Rather than worry about what they would possibly tackle first, she took her time getting dressed and made her way downstairs to the breakfast room. She smiled at the other guests—a young family from Tennessee and an older couple all the way from France. She helped herself to coffee and took a gamble on what were clearly store-bought baked goods on the buffet table.

Freddy walked in just as she was frowning down at a marbled pound cake. “Good morning,” he said with a bemused smile.

She glanced up and gave him a quick smile before whispering, “Before I go back to New York, I need to find you a new bakery.”

He had to stifle a snort, since there were other patrons in the room, but he reached across the table and tore off a corner of the slice she was probably not going to finish. “Tastes fine to me.”

“Yes, fine. But dry, overbaked, and lacking substance. It’s just pure sugar.”

“I thought you didn’t bake cakes.”

Anne blinked at him in surprise.

“Besides, the guests were threatening revolt since there weren’t any more of those amazing scones. I had to improvise.”

They smiled at each other, and she rolled her eyes when he sat down and devoured the cake in a few bites. He suddenly leaned forward with his hands clasped. “I have some good news in the floral department.”

“You found a florist?”

“You could say that.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. He was looking decidedly evasive this morning. “Care to share more details?”

“Just trust me.” Freddy smirked. He thought he saw a slight flush to her cheeks. But he had more important things to discuss. “I have something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

She was unsure if this was going to be another heavy-hitter question or something inane. She couldn’t tell by his bland expression. “Fire away,” she said.

“Why is it called lamination? The cold butter and flour pastry thing.”

Anne couldn’t stifle the sudden smile that filled her face. “I think you mean dough. But basically, the butter is supposed to be enclosed in the dough so it doesn’t slip out. Kind of like it was laminated. Why?”

He shrugged. “I was just watching one of your videos last night, and I couldn’t figure that out.”

“You watched one of my videos? Which one?”

“I’m not sure…a few of them,” he said, unsure what to make of the almost giddy grin on her face.

She was practically glowing. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” He frowned briefly at her, not sure if he should be flattered that she was quite so astonished by the news.

“I guess I’m just surprised, because you don’t seem like the baking type.”

Ah. He was not all that flattered. “Well, I’m not. I saw your setup yesterday and was curious.” It wasn’t entirely true, because he’d been watching her videos for quite some time.

Still, she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from him. She had a decent following on her social media accounts, and so it wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities that people she knew actually watched her videos. But somehow, the knowledge that Freddy had seen them was oddly flattering. She decided not to make an immediate comparison to the fact that her own boyfriend Geoff hadn’t bothered to extend the same courtesy.

“Interesting,” was what she decided to settle on.

“Is it?” he asked, truly unsure what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.

Once they had finished their coffee (and Freddy had stubbornly eaten another piece of store-bought pound cake, just to annoy her), Anne kindly offered to drive them to the garden center.

He tried not to think about their last encounter here. Or rather, their first encounter in over 12 years.

Instead, he put his energy into explaining his plans for the floral displays. Anne was surprisingly supportive of his ideas and actually added a few of her own.

She was in the midst of describing how lovely it would be to add some vines and eucalyptus to the archway when all of her excitement faded. “Wait, we have a budget to stick to.”

“You’re covered.”

“What does that mean?”

“Lisa, the owner of this nursery, got married last year, so she knows what Beth is going through. She wants to help.”

“But I don’t think Lisa even knows who Beth is,” Anne said, bewildered.

Freddy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

She shook her head. “I forgot what it’s like to live here.” At his confused glance, she explained, “I just mean that I doubt I could name my florist or my barista, or anyone I deal with in New York, let alone know anything about them. It’s just really nice.”

His smile was a little wistful as he said, “I always remembered my hometown and Somerset as a place where people looked out for each other. It’s part of the reason why I moved back.”

For the first time in a long time, Anne felt envious of small-town living. She had grown to resent it as a young teenager. At the time, she had felt restless and trapped—hemmed in on all sides with limited options for her own future. But now…

“Do you remember The Ice Cream Shack?” Freddy asked, once they had loaded her car with all the necessary purchases.

“That place still exists?”

“Yep. Come on. We need a break.” With that, he just took her hand and pulled her along with him as they walked towards the center of town.

Anne was about to protest that it was 10 o’clock in the morning, but she decided not to put up a fight. She might have even let Freddy hold her hand for a few moments longer than was necessary.

“God, I am so not used to this,” Anne said as she dipped her spoon into a classic hot fudge sundae. “Mr. Milton even remembered my name.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty great.”

“Did you come here as a kid, too?”

“Well, Port Allen is even smaller than Somerset, if you can believe it.”

She regarded him. “It’s a wonder we never ran into each other before Camp Dorset.” She sighed and assumed a faraway look. “I don’t know if it’s the fact that Beth is getting married, or just being back home, but…I’m feeling particularly nostalgic lately.”

Freddy smirked. “Is the unstoppable Anne Elliot slowing down?”

“Not slowing down. Just taking an intermission—a brief intermission—for ice cream.”

He decided not to pursue that line of questioning further. It was probably innocuous and just meant that they didn’t really have time to sit, eat ice cream, and reminisce. But it served as a fresh reminder to him that eventually, Anne Elliot would be returning to the big city and (presumably) into the arms of her big city boyfriend.

Chapter Text

“Do you take that everywhere with you?” Anne teased, noting that he was reading out of the bridal magazine again as she drove them home.

“I never go anywhere without it,” he joked. “You know, it’s funny. Men’s magazines never have these things.” He held up the page for her to glance at, and she laughed when she realized it was a compatibility quiz.

“That’s because men are afraid to look deep within themselves.”

“No, we’re not! We’re plenty brave.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, putting the car in park and snatching the magazine from his hand. “Prove it.”

“You’re not really going to ask me all 50 questions?” he said. “We have plants to unload.”

“They can wait. Unless you’re too scared.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, taking that as a direct challenge. “Two questions each.”

“Alright. If that’s all you can handle,” she teased. She cleared her throat and glanced over the page. There were a startling number of questions regarding sexual preferences and kinks which she skimmed over. That would be too weird. “Okay. What is most important to you in a successful marriage: love, trust, loyalty, shared values, or passion?”

“All of the above.”

“No, you can’t—you have to choose one!”

He considered it for a moment. “Okay, then…shared values.”

She met his gaze, and he couldn’t tell if she was alarmed or intrigued.

“You don’t agree?” he asked.

“No, I do.”

He was surprised. So, he just shrugged his slim shoulders and said, “If your values are the same, everything else just falls in line.”

Damn it. That was a good answer, she thought, with some asperity.

“My turn,” he declared, taking the magazine back. “Do you want kids?”

“It doesn’t say that,” she protested, reaching over to try and grab it, but he pulled away.

“Rules are rules. Answer the question.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Yes, I do.”

“How many?”

“No, that’s cheating.” She took the magazine back. “Ah, here’s a good one. Do you believe in fate?”

He didn’t have to think long about his answer. “Yes, I do.”

Anne was giving him a funny look, but she just passed the magazine back to him without another word.

He cleared his throat. “Last question. Which type of champagne glass—?”

“What? How is that even a question for compatibility?” she protested, laughing.

“Well, how is any of this?” he said, pointing to the page where there was a stock photo of a couple wrapped in each other’s arms. “I don’t think this kind of thing works. If I want to know somebody, I watch them do something they love.”

“Is that why you watched my videos?” She was clearly challenging him again.

He regarded her with that same evasive look from earlier. “Maybe.”

She was annoyed by his non-answer. “Well, how about you? I mean, since you don’t have any videos, how am I going to find out who you are?”

He leaned closer to her and said slowly, “I guess you’ll just have to ask.”

Anne saw that he was challenging her, too. She didn’t have a response ready before he stepped out of the car and opened the trunk to unload their haul. Anne realized she might as well pass the time by prying him with questions. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

“What did you do when you left Maine?” she said as they loaded the wheelbarrow.

“I graduated high school. Went to college at Stanford.”

“You went to Stanford?” she said, wishing she hadn’t sounded quite so surprised. She knew Freddy was smart, but she had no idea he was prestigious-school-level-smart.

He just shrugged with his usual humility. “Got an MBA, after which I got a job working at a big consulting firm.” He sighed as he began wheeling the plants toward the back yard. “Finding ways to increase shareholder value wasn’t that interesting to me. So, I went to Cornell and got a degree in hospitality management.” He glanced over and saw that Anne was thoroughly surprised by the information. He smirked and set the wheelbarrow down. “But what my resumé doesn’t tell you is that I’m happiest when I work with my hands.”

“I can see that,” she said. At his questioning look, she overcorrected a bit by adding, “I mean, over the years when I thought about you, that’s exactly what I pictured.”

“You were thinking about me? I’m flattered.” He was half-joking. The idea was actually quite intriguing and only made him want to pepper her with half a dozen questions.

Anne just rolled her eyes and busied herself with unloading the plants. “You never said what my videos revealed about me. Because I can tell you what they revealed about you.” She turned to face him, and there was that damn determination again.

He just stared back at her. “What’s that?”

“That you were thinking of me, too.”

Freddy hadn’t been prepared for Anne’s accusation to hit home quite so easily. Thankfully, the rest of the day had been far too busy for them to revisit such a dangerous topic. It began with centerpieces, slowed to a dreadful crawl for several hours, during which they made endless phone calls (and exhausted all of his local contacts), but finally—with great relief—they were able to check photographer, DJ, and musicians off the list. There were a few unhappy caveats to each one, but it was the best they could do with only three days remaining. Or was it two? He was rapidly losing count.

He took his usual seat in his makeshift office and glanced around at the lovely furnishings. Anne and Beth’s mother truly had an eye for detail. There were elegant landscapes on the walls, hung the old-fashioned way with the nail all the way up at the crown molding. The ornate chair he was sitting in had probably cost a fortune (though, from what he recalled from Anne’s stories, her mother was an amazing bargain shopper). But at the moment, his attention was drawn to a stack of papers in the side drawer. He didn’t know why he had felt compelled to bring them all the way from California. With a sigh, he pulled the well-read letter from its envelope.

October 8^th, 2011

Sorry it took me so long to reply, Freddy. I get a little turned around on our discussions when we’re talking on the phone, too. Beth won’t stop teasing me about overhearing our last conversation.

About Fall break… You’re right. I’m avoiding the topic. I guess my dad kind of freaked me out, you know? Besides, neither of us has the money to fly you here. I don’t care what you say about your part-time job—it won’t cover a round-trip plane ticket across the country. I think dad’s right. You should save your money. You might need it for car payments, or to cover those astronomical cellphone bills we keep racking up.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I don’t know what to do.

Is my dad right? Was this just a temporary thing? Are we kidding ourselves thinking we can keep this long-distance thing going, without even knowing where we’re going to college?

I’m just trying to be practical, but it scares me because I hate being practical about you, Freddy. I love you.

He shoved the letter away, realizing it had been a mistake to revisit old hurts. Strangely enough, it still felt fresh.

4 Missed Calls. 2 voicemails.

Anne stared down at her phone and sighed. She typed out a text message and fell into bed, exhausted. It had been a long day, and she wasn’t in the mood to talk on the phone. When it buzzed with a new text message, she tossed it into her bedside drawer and picked up her book. She had forgotten what a luxury it was to read just before bedtime. She always claimed she was too busy to find the time before now.

“I can’t believe you went to The Shack without me,” Beth said from the door of Anne’s room.

“Do you ever knock?” Anne groaned, setting her book down. She hated being interrupted.

Beth had a distinctly mischievous twinkle to her eyes as she sat down on the bed beside her sister. “I’m just wondering why we need a fancy photographer when you take amazing photos like these.” She held out her phone. “I especially like how you framed the shot of your ice cream so you can see that Freddy is sitting less than a millimeter away from you.”

“Would you cut it out? You’re worse than Penny.”

“Yeah, she says she saw you and Freddy laughing and talking in the car for like half an hour this afternoon?”

“It was ten minutes, tops. We were just taking a break.”

“After you got ice cream?”

Anne frowned. “An extended break.”

Beth heaved an over-dramatic sigh. “I don’t know why you’re trying to deny that you two still have chemistry.”

“I have a boyfriend.”

Beth gave her sister an ironic look. “Geoff with a G? Seriously, Anne?”

“He fits into my city life, okay? He wants us to be a power couple. And he supports my new hopeful job offer with Chef Rudolph.”

“Oh, a power couple. How romantic.”

“Shut up,” Anne said, throwing her copy of Emma at Beth.

Chapter Text

Anne was on the hunt for something. It seemed absolutely vital that she locate it before she ran out of time. She heard a noise and peeked her head out of the closet, only to find Beth standing in the doorway of her room. She didn’t bother with pleasantries when she thought back to a conversation that had just occurred outside. “That was devious, even for you, Beth.”

Her sister just shrugged with a funny little smile, which wasn’t at all helpful.

“Come on. I don’t have to do a first dance,” Anne protested. “And since Geoff isn’t coming, I should be allowed to sit out.”

“But my maid of honor should have a first dance. And I just thought since you didn’t have a partner…”

“Well, it was embarrassing that you had to find me one at all.”

Beth shrugged. “I hardly think Freddy minds. In fact, he seemed happy about the whole idea.”

Anne crossed her arms and frowned. “Why, did he say something?”

“He didn’t have to. I could see his face. But the big question is—how do you feel about it?”

Anne shrugged and pretended like it was no big deal. She wasn’t about to tell her sister that the idea of being in his arms again wasn’t a little intriguing.

But Beth clearly wasn’t buying it. “Just admit it. You have feelings for him.”

“We are just friends.”

“Right. Okay.” Beth glanced around Anne into the closet. “I’ll let you get back to whatever this is. Clearly it’s nothing.”

Anne wasn’t happy with the flush that came to her cheeks. It wasn’t any of Beth’s business.

Freddy’s eyes became a little unfocused on the beautiful view in front of him. It was almost supper, and the late afternoon light looked golden on the water. A boat drove past in a lazy, unhurried fashion, and he found his eyes growing heavy.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped.

“Sorry!” Anne said. She was standing over him with a funny look on her face.

“Just resting my eyes,” he protested, rubbing at them as he sat up to regard her better.

She remained standing as she weighed her words carefully. “This is all really nice, Freddy. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“I’m sorry, what was that? Did you just say I was right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Aspects of your plan were right,” she teased. “But seriously. All of this…it looks amazing.”

She gestured behind her to the string lights he’d hung up and the pile of mostly finished centerpieces on a nearby card table. They had sanded down pieces of tree trunk for the bases, and she had burned her fingers in a few places hot gluing lace to the outside of Ball jars. They had enough unscented tea lights to last them through an apocalypse. Once the flowers were laid out on the tables, the entire effect was going to be lovely and rustic.

He followed her gaze but caught sight of something big and bulky behind the skirt of her dress. “Where did you find that?”

She pulled the guitar out in front of her and sat down in the wooden lawn chair next to his. “Sorry I kept this hostage for so long.” She held it out to him.

“Don’t you play?”

She laughed. “No. My lessons ended when you left.”

He pointed to where she had tucked the guitar pick into the bottom two strings. “You must remember something.”

Anne gave him an exasperated look but realized there was no way she’d be able to say no to that face. With a sigh, she pulled the instrument into her lap, positioned her fingers, and strummed a D chord. “Oh, I made music!”

He just couldn’t stop staring at her. The golden hour sun on her shoulders, the wind blowing her hair into her face…the guitar in her arms. It was enough to drive him crazy.

Anne strummed once more, and then she held the instrument out to him again. “I’d much rather hear you play.”

He tried to protest, but how could he possibly say no when she was looking at him like that? He took the guitar and fitted it quite nicely in his lap. He had bought a cheap replacement back in California, but he forgot how nice his dad’s old Martin was. Anne had clearly tuned it before coming to find him, which was oddly flattering. He stared down at the frets, and it all came back to him in a rush.

He played the beginning chords, and Anne knew it immediately. There was no doubt in her mind.

“Our song,” she said, laughing to hide her surprise.

“Do you remember it?”

She was too embarrassed to admit that she did. So, she didn’t join in until the second line.

I wanna shout it out now,

I wanna carve our names in a tree.

I want the world to know that love is real,

I want them to know about you and me…

Freddy stopped and regarded her. She still had a lovely, rich singing voice. There was something guarded in her expression as the mood between them shifted.

“I wanted to get back in touch so many times,” he blurted out.

“Me, too,” she confessed. “I don’t know why I didn’t.”

“I guess maybe…it was hard to know what to say. And then, eventually so much time passed, and it would have been weird.”

Anne realized he was somehow speaking for both of them. But he was right. All she could do was nod her head.

“I’m glad we reconnected,” he added.

“Me, too. It’s nice to know we can still be friends after all these years.” She watched the effect of these words with the brief unhappy look on his face. But soon enough, he was smiling again. She tried not to think about it and quickly said, “Anyway, here’s ‘Wonderwall’…”

Freddy was able to laugh at that. They sat there a while longer, and Freddy didn’t mind being “guitar guy” for the moment while he strummed a few familiar tunes. Penny walked out on the porch and was disappointed to have to interrupt them when she said it was time for dinner. The Elliots had been enjoying family meals every night over the last week now that they were all home. Penny made a point to invite Freddy, since had joined them a few times, but tonight, he excused himself saying that he had too much work to do. Anne watched him walk towards the guest cottage near the back of the property before following Penny inside.

Later, after dinner, she picked up her phone and sent a series of text messages. It wasn’t the nicest thing in the world to do, but they were both too busy. She had a wedding to plan, and he had to entertain clients. Their lives weren’t lining up at the moment. She wasn’t shy about telling him what she thought that meant.

Somehow, it was the next day already. It was the last day before the wedding. The rehearsal dinner was tonight, but between breakfast and dinner, there was still a lot of stuff to finalize. Soon, the B&B would have extra guests as close friends and family arrived to spend the night, so the rooms needed to be stripped and cleaned. Anne had already managed to bake the tiers of the wedding cake, but she needed to finalize them and make a video somehow. They also had decorations to finish, and a few phone calls to make to ensure all the moving parts were in place…and the list seemed endless.

Freddy, meanwhile, was staring down at a basket of items with a deep frown. The expression looked so out of place, since he was normally all smiles.

Walter looked up from the table and studied the young man for a moment before he decided to seize the opportunity (and maybe shake a little sense into Freddy’s head). “Come here. Look at this photograph I found.”

Freddy ignored the basket for the moment and walked over to stand beside him. He smiled when he saw it. He knew exactly when and where the picture had been taken. “This was at summer camp.”

Anne was looking sunburnt with hair a bit wild and frizzy from being out on the lake. She had her lifejacket on upside down and was laughing. She looked like a joyful blur.

“Seems like you were having a good time,” Walter said, keeping his keen gaze on Freddy.

“It was the best.”

The older man sighed, a little exasperated. “Why don’t you tell her how you feel?”

Freddy’s eyes widened to their fullest extent. He could have denied it, but there was no point, given the knowing look on Walter’s face. “Is it that obvious?”

Walter just gave him an ironic look. The sentiment was clear.

Freddy sighed. “I can’t. I think she’s really happy with her life in New York. She’s got that new job offer—her dream job. And there’s the boyfriend.”

“Geoff with a G? I’m not so sure about that,” Walter said, and at Freddy’s confused silence, he added, “You’ll never know until you talk to her. The real question is, will you regret never asking her? I just don’t think you should give up yet.”

“Don’t give up on what?” Anne said, startling them both as she walked into the dining room.

“Uh—the arch. We were just talking about getting started on that,” Freddy said quickly.

“And he has a surprise for you.”

Anne glanced between the two men. “What surprise?”

“Well, that would kind of ruin it, wouldn’t it?” Freddy declared. He lifted the basket (though Walter thought he saw Freddy slip a packet of paper inside just before closing the lid) and handed it to Anne. “I know for a fact the only thing you’ve eaten are those yummy lavender truffles you made at the crack of dawn. I’ll text you the location.”

Anne just stood there with her mouth slightly open. “But there’s so much to do. We have to put the truffles in individual baggies with ribbons, and then there’s the decorations, and I have to work on—”

“We’ll take care of it,” Walter insisted. “But I insist you stay away at least an hour before you come back.”

When Anne still stood there, Freddy took hold of her shoulders, spun her around, and basically marched her towards the front door.

When he came back, he caught Walter’s sly smile.

“Think it will keep her away long enough?” Freddy asked.

“Let’s hope she actually listens.”

“And you’re sure you’re okay with all of this?” Freddy gestured to the boxes of champagne glasses they had tucked under the dining room table to keep from Anne’s prying eyes. But he might have been asking about something else, too.

Either way, Walter just nodded his head. “I sure am.”

Freddy worked diligently to get the surprise under way and tried to ignore the growing knot of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He might have done a very, very stupid thing.

Anne, meanwhile, was more than a little annoyed with Freddy and her dad for being so secretive. She didn’t have time for this sort of detour. But the moment she passed the first sign, she suddenly realized where Freddy was sending her. It didn’t take her long to park and walk along a familiar hiking trail. The place looked almost exactly the same as it had over a decade ago, though things were a little more grown up since summer had ended several months back.

The moment she reached the end of the trail, she took a moment to soak in the sights. The only thing that had changed was that part of the bank had washed away during a flood a few summers back. Otherwise, the waterfall, the swimming hole, and the gorgeous weeping willow were exactly the same. Anne felt a sudden an inexplicable wave of longing.

But she decided to distract herself with the mysterious basket from Freddy. She opened it and found an old quilt folded on top. Beneath it were three plastic containers, each containing something homemade and delicious. She recognized Penny’s muffins and hash brown casserole, but she didn’t know who had cooked the scones. They looked like a decent imitation of one of her own recipes, though the dough had been kneaded a little too much. An envelope fell out onto the ground, and she rushed to grab it before the breeze carried it off into the river. She sank down on the blanket. The handwriting was pretty much the same as she remembered.

Anne,

Your dad and I agreed that you needed a little respite from all the wedding madness, if even just for one hour of the day. I know that you cherish your alone time, and I’m sure that’s been difficult to come by these past few days. I might have also needed to get you out of the house for a bit while I work on something very sneaky that I hope you’ll like.

You’ll be happy to know that I told Joyce you’d be coming. She’s the one who left the gate open for you. You aren’t breaking any rules by being here. I know that Anne Elliot does not like to make waves.

This is my favorite spot. We probably spent every free moment here for two and a half solid months. There’s not one memory of my time at camp that isn’t tied with you. I don’t really know why I felt compelled to write this letter. I might not even include it with the picnic if I chicken out, but…I’ve just been overwhelmed by nostalgia lately. It’s made me wonder what would have happened if my family hadn’t moved away. If we hadn’t lost touch. It’s made me wonder a lot of things. If I get a chance and work up the courage, maybe I’ll tell you what they are.

But until then, enjoy the feast. I hope you approve of the scones. I did the best I could.

And don't come back for at least an hour.

~Freddy

Chapter Text

Anne stared down at her camera and laptop and felt a sudden wave of panic rushing over her. She wasn’t sure she could do this. Her phone buzzed and she snatched it up, hoping that it might be—

Did you hear from Chef Rudolph about the job? Also, if I watch all of your videos, will you talk to me again?

It was Geoff. She ignored it. He’d been trying to start conversations since yesterday, and she didn’t have a lot to say to him at the moment. She needed space.

Suddenly, she realized who she wanted to talk to. Except there was just one problem…

“Freddy? Are you out here?” She had a hand over her eyes and was walking slowly out onto the porch with one arm outstretched.

“What are you doing?” he laughed, and she heard him step up onto the porch. Suddenly, he had his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m not supposed to look yet. Remember?” She kept her hand over her eyes and felt absolutely ridiculous.

He was still laughing at her. “Well, can I help you with something?”

She lifted her free hand and touched the bare skin of his arm, almost flinching away in surprise. He’d removed his outer layer—the long-sleeve button up shirt he wore over his clothes when he was working outside. She could feel that he was probably a little sunburnt or maybe even overheated given the warmth radiating off of him.

“I need some moral support to get this wedding cake video filmed,” she said, finally.

He paused, and she was sorely tempted to open her eyes and look at him. But in the meantime, Freddy just stared at her for a moment, allowing himself the opportunity to enjoy the close proximity and the fact that she couldn’t see him staring at her. Anne didn’t know why, but her pulse suddenly kicked up.

She dropped her hand away from his arm and cleared her throat. “You still with me?”

In response, he slowly turned her around. “Keep those eyes closed.”

As he urged her to walk forward, she had the humorous sensation that she was getting ready to hit a piñata. “You’re not going to walk me into a wall or something, are you?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Once they were inside, he told her it was safe, and she spun around to face him. “You’re being extremely secretive, and I’m starting to lose my mind a little bit.”

Freddy just gave her his most enigmatic grin.

Anne didn’t know why she felt a flush creeping up her neck, and so she just dove head first into business.

Only, once they had gotten everything set up, Anne was back to panicking again. “Maybe we shouldn’t film this,” she said, watching as Freddy adjusted the height of the tripod.

He frowned at her. “Why not?”

“I don’t want Chef Rudolph to think I can’t bake. I’ve never made a wedding cake before.”

He knew she wasn’t a fan of baking cakes, but for this to be her first wedding cake ever, it was pretty brave of her to put it all on the line for a job offer and her sister’s wedding.

“They’re a specialty,” she explained, gesturing to the ridiculously glittery scrapbook on the table. “And this is the cake that Beth really wants.”

He smirked. He’d been intrigued by that book the moment she had brought it out for reference. He was bound and determined to get a look at what young Anne’s plans had been for her own wedding. But she was far too nervous and distracted to be teased, and so he decided to hold off. Besides, she was still spiraling into her stress.

“Most wedding cakes are made of fondant, which I think tastes terrible. And I can’t use frosting because it wouldn’t be smooth or perfect.”

“Well, what if it isn’t smooth or perfect? What if you lean into it being imperfect?”

Anne regarded him with a growing smile. “That’s actually brilliant.”

He gave her a mock bow. “I have good ideas sometimes.”

“You do,” she said. She wanted to thank him for the picnic, but they had only a few more minutes to get everything ready. “Okay,” she clapped her hands as a way to psych herself up. She couldn’t put it off any longer. “Let’s do this.”

She started a countdown on Insta and just hoped they didn’t have any technical glitches. She took a steady breath and then waited for Freddy to give her the thumbs up. The moment he did, he watched as she slipped into a different sort of Anne Elliot—the teacher, the brilliant baker, the influencer. It was fascinating.

“Most of you know that I’ve never done a live video, and I’ve also never baked a wedding cake,” Anne said, keeping her gaze on the camera. “Well, today we’re doing both for the first time.”

Freddy grinned. He didn’t know if she realized she was inadvertently including him by saying “we.” But he didn’t mind being the man behind the camera. It was nice to just watch her at work.

Anne talked a little more about her thoughts on wedding cakes, that they were more about style over substance. She introduced the flavors of the cakes that she had already baked that morning: vanilla bean, chocolate ganache, and white chocolate and strawberry. Suddenly, Freddy realized she was looking at him.

“Would you mind helping me?” she asked.

He couldn’t very well say no—not when she had asked him on a live video with people watching, or looked at him like that. But despite his aversion to social media, he’d do this for Anne. She needed him to spin the turntable while she pressed a pallet knife along the freshly applied buttercream. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on the cake and not on the camera or the laptop. But his eyes kept watching Anne while she worked and talked.

“I’m applying horizontal lines to the cake by spinning the turn table at an even speed.” She glanced up and caught his gaze. Her face split into a smile that was a decent imitation of his own. “You can spin a little faster if you want. We’ll be here all day otherwise.”

He apologized and picked up the pace. He was feeling a little more nervous now, especially when her laptop began to ping with notifications.  

Anne suddenly realized that to her viewers, she had just brought a perfect stranger onto her video twice in a row. Only this time, she didn’t have time to edit an introduction. She had to do it on the fly. “As you can see, I have a helper who is very nice and who has never baked a cake before.” She gestured towards him with the pallet knife. “But he somehow seems to be good at everything, which is very annoying.”

The laptop chimed again, and she glanced down to read some of the comments. “Seems like you have fans already, and they have questions for you. Thank you for asking. His name is Freddy, and…” She turned back to him with a decided smirk. “Is he single? I actually don’t know the answer to that one.”

Freddy ignored the camera and looked straight at Anne. “I’m single.”

Anne nodded her head and was momentarily lost in those hazel eyes. She just looked at him, and he looked at her.

He glanced at the camera, and Anne quickly got herself back on track. “So, the edging on the buttercream gives it that rustic finish so it is perfectly imperfect.” She didn’t see the self-satisfied smile on Freddy’s face as she shrugged and poked fun at herself. “Let’s just hope it tastes good! Do you want to try it?”

Freddy took a spoon off of the table and helped himself to some of the buttercream sitting in a mixing bowl. He suddenly made a sour face.

“What?” she asked, in growing panic.

“I’m just messing with you,” he grinned. “It’s delicious.”

Anne burst into relieved laughter. “I take back what I said. He’s not very nice.”

Overall, she was quite pleased with the video. Actually, she felt like it might have been some of the best content she’d ever created. She had quite a few more viewers than she had anticipated, and she’d even enjoyed a brief Q&A session at the end of it. Though, for Freddy’s sake, she avoided a lot of the questions directed at him. This video was presumably for Chef Rudolph’s benefit as well. Surely, he wouldn’t be interested to know Freddy’s whole backstory.

She was tempted to watch it, but time completely got away from her. Family and friends were arriving in droves, and so she was kept busy most of the afternoon by welcoming them to the B&B and making sure they were all settled and not interrupting the work happening in the back yard. She was just getting ready to put on her dress for the rehearsal dinner when her phone buzzed.

A few minutes later, she was heard stomping down the stairs in her best wedge heels. She ran into Penny first and blurted out, “Well, Chef Rudolph just offered me the job.”

Penny was ecstatic. She wanted to tell the whole family, but Anne asked her to wait. She wasn’t willing to upstage Beth on the night of her rehearsal dinner with big news.

“Whatever you say, dear,” Penny said, frowning briefly. “Seems to me you’d want to shout the news from the rooftops.”

“Yeah. I guess so,” Anne said, her mood sobering.

Her stepmom looked concerned. “Well, aren’t you excited about it?”

“I am. No, I am,” Anne nodded, but she sounded like someone trying to convince themselves.

“Well, you look positively lovely,” Penny said, after hugging Anne for a second time. “Which reminds me, I need to get ready and see if your father is even dressed. We’ll meet you out front. I hear there’s a lovely view off the back porch this evening.”

Anne caught Penny’s less than subtle wink, and she realized what her stepmother was doing.

Freddy was sitting on the steps just admiring his work and taking a much-needed break when someone suddenly sat down beside him. He was pleased at first, and then he frowned at her. “You weren’t supposed to see it until after the dinner. There are a few final touches to—”

“Freddy, it’s perfect,” she said, a little breathlessly, when she took in the view in front of her.

The string lights were lit up, and they illuminated the outdoor space beautifully. Despite the fact that it had been well outside their budget, Freddy had somehow managed to put together a makeshift tent area for the dining tables. Paper lanterns were set up inside at regular intervals, giving the space a cozy feeling along with the jars of tea lights. Her gaze drifted to the dance floor, and she gasped aloud. She was propelled off of the steps to examine it closer.

“You like it?” Freddy asked, moving to catch up with her. He wanted to see her face when she realized what it was.

“This is what you’ve been working on all day?” she asked, gesturing around to the lights, the tent, and the absolute piece of artwork over the dance floor. It was made of fairy lights that hung down like a weeping willow. Attached at the ends were the most beautiful champagne glasses she had ever seen. The entire effect was magical.

Freddy had turned on some music earlier to keep himself occupied, and so it truly felt like something out of a movie.

“I couldn’t get you a real chandelier, but your dad and stepmom loaned me the glasses from their wedding. It’s sort of the same effect.”

“It’s gorgeous,” she said, taking a step closer to him as she spun in a slow circle to take it all in. He’d even set up the jars along the steps and paths, which only made the space feel almost enchanted. “And I thought you said we couldn’t get a tent?”

“Well, it’s not a tent. It’s a pergola type thing with curtains. John at the hardware store had a bunch of things leftover from his daughter’s wedding and he loaned them towards the cause.”

Anne fixed him with a steady gaze. “I am starting to think that you may be some kind of local knight in shining armor.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Something George the food truck guy said: ‘Any friend of yours is a friend of mine’?”

Freddy shrugged. “He’s a friendly guy.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, unconvinced, and gestured to the lovely floral arrangements on the tables and wedding arch. “And why did we get all of the flowers and plants for next to nothing?”

He shrugged again. It was getting to be an annoying habit. “Lisa is a nice person.”

She hummed and pointed a finger at him. “I think you did something nice for them, and now they’re paying you back for the favor.”

His smile was telling her everything she needed to know.

“I knew it,” she declared.

He turned to face her and cleared his throat. He wanted her opinion on something. “I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot the past few days, but I think I might turn this place into a part-time wedding venue.”

She eyed him carefully. “I didn’t see that coming at all.”

“Well, that’s me. I like to keep things interesting.”

You sure as hell do, Anne thought.

“Listen, I just wanted to thank you for letting me be part of your video today,” he added. “It was really fun getting involved in something that you love. And it just got me thinking about that chef and the job offer, and I really think he’d be crazy not to give it to you.”

Anne’s smile faltered a little as she said, “Well, about that…”

“Wait, did he offer it to you? Officially?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Well, I knew he would!” He was grinning at her and was highly tempted to pull her into a hug, but he saw the hesitation on her face. “You don’t seem too excited.”

She breathed out a sigh. She had been excited, at first. “I don’t know. It’s just…being back here and everything, it’s really made me question what I want.”

He was trying to think of something profound to say or maybe even to question what she really meant. But they both froze when a familiar song began to play through the Bluetooth speaker. Their song. Anne laughed aloud and was about to comment on how ridiculous it was, when she saw that Freddy was holding his hand out to her.

“Care to dance?”

“What—seriously? Right now?” she protested, glancing around as if someone would appear and question the idiocy of taking advantage of perfectly good spot for dancing.

He shrugged. “Tomorrow’s the wedding. We should probably practice since we’re dance partners and all.”

Anne could have played it off like it was some great joke, but the minute she put her hand in his, the humor faded. She saw the look in his eyes. It drew up a long-forgotten memory, of their last moments together before he had left for home. Before he had flown out to California. They had been holding hands just like this when things were coming to an end. But now, it felt like something was starting.

Anne’s breath hitched slightly as he leaned a little closer. They weren’t dancing. They were just standing there, staring at each other and saying nothing and everything at once. If he just leaned a little closer…if she just followed the tension that was pulling her towards him like a magnet…

She suddenly pulled her hand away, breaking the spell that had fallen over them. “I’m sorry. I should go.”

Freddy watched her. She probably didn’t want him to follow her. She probably wanted space. But his feet were moving before he could stop himself.

Anne rushed inside and was halfway across the breakfast room when she heard him calling her name from the back door. She stopped and turned to look at him. She saw the tears in his eyes and the earnest look on his face, and it made her want to cry, too.

Freddy wanted to blurt it all out. He wanted Anne, and she looked like she wanted him just as much, even if it scared her. He smiled, and at first all she could do was stare at him. And then a returning smile bloomed on her face. It really was something to behold. He walked forward, and he wasn’t going to stop until she was in his arms.

“Look who I found!”

Freddy froze, and Anne jumped back. Beth glanced between the two of them with a strained smile as she gestured to the man beside her.

“Geoff,” Anne said. She forced herself to smile and hoped he didn’t notice that she was close to tears when she said, “You made it.”

To his credit, Freddy managed to give Geoff a fraction of a smile as a form of welcome. He was too stunned to say anything.

Strangely, it was Geoff who voiced their own sentiments aloud. “I hope I’m not too late. I wanted to surprise you.”

Oh, she was surprised. Surprised and fucking pissed.

Freddy just looked at Anne, and before she could say a word, he excused himself and disappeared out the door.

Chapter Text

Anne quickly found her parents out front and told them to go on ahead to the rehearsal dinner. She didn’t want them waiting around for her while she sorted this all out.

“It was great to meet you,” Penny said as she waved to Geoff.

Anne had to give the woman credit for being so welcoming and friendly, despite the fact that Anne’s supposed boyfriend had just shown up out of the blue without calling ahead to check if there were available rooms in the B&B. She waited for their car to pull down the driveway before she grabbed Geoff’s arm and pulled him inside. She was too afraid of being overheard by any wedding guests who weren’t going to the rehearsal dinner, and so she took him upstairs to her bedroom.

“Was that the famous Freddy that I met earlier?” he said, clearly trying to win favor by being funny.

Anne’s glare was less than encouraging. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, I was surprised.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” he retorted. His expression softened as his keen blue eyes studied hers. They’d been together a year and a half, which was long enough for Anne to recognize when he was weighing his words carefully. “I watched the wedding cake video.”

She nodded her head slowly.

He must have seen something in her expression, because his broad shoulders slouched slightly. “I am too late, aren’t I?”

“I was serious about needing some time to think about us.”

“And have you come to a decision?”

She looked up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her, which she used to like a lot. It used to make her feel safe. But the tone of his voice was bordering on business-like, and she was growing angry again. And not just because he had walked back into her life when she least wanted or expected him. But Anne just threw her hands in the air in a hopeless gesture. “I don’t know. I came back here, and it’s just making me rethink a lot of things.”

“Did Chef Rudolph offer you the job?”

She nodded.

“I knew he would,” he said, his smile and tone softening. He was proud of her, even if he didn’t always know how to show it. He gestured vaguely around them at her old bedroom. “But maybe this was all just a nostalgia trip. I think you’ll come back to the city and realize your place is there. With me.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m just not sure of what I want anymore. I don’t know where I fit.”

Geoff took a breath and then released it slowly. “Anne, you have so many options. Coming back to New York and being part of a power couple with me is just one of them. You can still come back, and maybe we can revisit this thing with us after you settle into your dream job. Or…” he shrugged. “You can do what you want. You have a huge following online, Anne. You have the freedom to do what you want and create your own content. You won’t have that with Chef Rudolph.”

Anne gazed at him in wonder. It was the first time he’d ever talked like this, with a sort of sky’s-the-limit attitude. Normally, he was very black-and-white. But maybe he was just turning some of his business savvy towards her and “exploring all the options.” It was a phrase she’d heard him say often when talking to clients over the phone.

“I really appreciate that, Geoff,” she said, reaching out and taking his hand. “I’m going to give it some thought. I have until tomorrow evening to decide.”

“Wow, so soon?” he said. “Chef Rudolph must really want you on his team.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I need time to think over my decision about the pastry chef thing, but…when it comes to you and me…”

Geoff nodded. He was being frustratingly nice about the whole thing. It shouldn’t surprise her. Geoff was an understanding guy. He just didn’t fit this new Anne Elliot anymore. Or maybe she had just reverted back to her old self. Either way, it was over, and he seemed to grasp that.

“Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t call. I did try to text, but…well, anyway,” he said, squeezing her hand. “If you end up back in New York, you know you can always count on me to be there for you.”

She thanked him and pulled him in for a quick hug.

He grabbed his suitcase and was just walking through the door when he turned back. “I don’t think you should take the job, Anne. Chef Rudolph needs you. But your talent would be wasted.”

“Where have you been?” Beth said, pulling Anne into a quick hug. “You missed cocktails, but I’ll have Will get you something.”

“Make it a double,” she said. When Beth looked concerned, Anne quickly waved it away. “It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later. Where’s Freddy?”

Beth seemed to take her sister’s unspoken explanation, but she regretted to inform her that he wasn’t coming. “He said he had to run a few last-minute errands tonight.”

She knew there were only a few big-box stores that would be open this late, so she assumed that had just been his excuse to avoid the party. It was probably a good thing since she didn’t exactly know what she’d say when she saw him. And so, she did her best not to think about it and put all her energy into being the best maid of honor for her sister.

By the time morning rolled around, Anne was feeling hung over with exhaustion. She had barely slept. She kept running through endless pro and con lists. She could take the job she’d always dreamed about in the city she had wanted to live in since she was a kid. It would launch her career and get her name in front of some very influential people. Or she could stay in Somerset and…what? Film videos and hope the revenue was enough to support renting a place of her own? Cost of living was certainly cheaper in Somerset than in the Big Apple. And she had a little savings of her own. And what about the B&B? And Freddy?

In the meantime, she put floral arrangements out on the tables, readjusted centerpieces, put signs on reserved seats, and made herself so busy in the kitchen fixing breakfast pastries and lunch for the guests at the B&B. Once the wedding cake was finalized, she noted the time and realized that they had an hour left until the ceremony.

“Sweetie, it’s gorgeous!” Penny declared when she saw the cake. “You really are so talented.”

“We’re so proud of you,” Walter said, pulling his daughter into a hug. He pulled back and regarded her carefully. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, Dad,” she said, kissing his cheek. He’d been asking her versions of this question since last night. No doubt they had noticed Geoff’s car was gone. She checked her watch again. “You two need to get outside for photos, and I need to go check on our blushing bride.”

After she got herself ready, it was almost a relief to find Beth in the midst of momentary panic. “This isn’t too much, is it?” she asked, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

“You’ve never looked more beautiful,” Anne said, feeling teary-eyed at the sight of Beth’s lovely dark hair braided and tastefully decorated with wildflowers. “And I do have one surprise to round out the whole outfit.”

Beth didn’t look fully convinced by Anne’s compliment, but her worries vanished when she saw what her sister was holding. “Mom’s broach? You got it fixed?”

Anne nodded, staring down at the peacock pin. The safety catch had broken off ages ago, and some of the gems had fallen out. It had been their mother’s favorite adornment any time they went out to eat at a fancy restaurant (which was a rare occasion). It had been one of her most prized possessions, having found it on her first date with their dad at an estate sale decades earlier (and it was just like their mother to have suggested a date happen at the same time as an estate sale…she was always on the hunt for bargain antiques).

“I know it’s maybe a little gaudy, but—”

“No, it’s perfect,” Beth said, holding it up against her wedding gown, which was still hanging from a hook over the window. She glanced back and caught the sad smile on her sister’s face. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, Anne. You saved my wedding.”

“I didn’t do it alone.”

“And on that note…are we going to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Anne said, fixing a tight smile on her face.

Beth narrowed her eyes at her sister. She wasn’t going to let Anne get out of it that easily.

“Come on, it’s your wedding day!” she protested. “Can we just focus on that, please?”

“I saw you two last night. There’s something still between you.”

“We were just caught up in a moment.”

Beth gave her an ironic look. “I don’t think you believe that. Otherwise, Geoff would still be here.”

Anne sighed. “One thing has nothing to do with the other. And—okay, maybe there is something there with Freddy, but I still have to think about my life in New York and this amazing job offer that I’ve been dreaming of. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.”

“Not to be cheesy…because I know you don’t believe in fate…but what if all of this, your time here at the B&B, was meant to happen this way to help you realize how you really feel?”

“I spent 10 years building my life in New York. I can’t just give that up.”

“But are you happy?”

“I have everything that I want there.”

“That’s not the same as being happy,” Beth reminded her.

Anne ran a hand down the side of her face in a careless gesture. She didn’t even mind if she smudged her makeup. She was just overcome with a thought that had been plaguing her since she first started feeling things for Freddy. “He was my first love, but we were just kids. It didn’t mean anything.”

“Don’t dismiss it before you consider that maybe in addition to being your first love, he’s also the person you were always meant to end up with.”

She was both appreciative and annoyed by her older sister’s wisdom. But Anne was more irritated with herself, realizing she might have felt this way all along and had just been denying it for the sake of being practical and level-headed. Because maybe this meant she believed in fate, too.

“Can we please get you in your wedding gown, at least?” Anne said with a note of desperation. She was eager for the distraction.

But as soon as she was dressed, her sister had other ideas. “I think you should at least go talk to him.”

“Right now? When we’re thirty minutes away from the ceremony?”

“If you don’t go talk to him, I will!” Beth hiked up the skirt of her gorgeous wedding gown and looked like she was ready to march herself downstairs if Anne didn’t stop her.

“Okay! Fine!” Anne relented. “I’ll be back.”

“You better,” was all Beth said before she shooed her sister out the door.

The next ten minutes were an exercise in frustration as she tried to track down Freddy. Someone said they saw him adjusting the pergola, someone else thought he was inside the house somewhere, and her dad suspected he was back at the guest cottage. But it was Penny who said she had seen him driving off.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. I don’t know where he might have gone. Everything is finished here,” she gestured to the backyard, which was absolute perfection. “I bet he went somewhere to catch a breath after all of his hard work.”

“Hopefully it’s somewhere peaceful,” Walter commented, as a group of rowdy kids (Will’s nieces and nephews) ran past them at full speed.

“You’re brilliant, Dad,” Anne said, and she kissed his cheek before darting back inside.

Freddy closed his eyes and let the sound of the waterfall fill his head with white noise. He was certain he looked extremely melodramatic, standing there by himself and brooding by the edge of the water.

“Hey.”

He spun around. His mind must have been miles away, because he hadn’t even heard her approach. God, she looked gorgeous. She was wearing a sky-blue dress that hugged her ankles, and her light brown hair hung in styled waves at her shoulders. He was so startled to see her that he physically couldn’t speak.

“So, I’m kind of missing my dance partner,” she said.

He just blinked at her. His mind had to be playing tricks on him. “What about Geoff?”

“We broke up. I tried to break up with him two days ago, actually,” she tucked her hair behind one ear and struggled to hold his gaze. “He didn’t quite get the message.”

Freddy was having a lot of trouble with this. He just kept looking at her like she had two heads.

Anne took a step closer, knowing that time was of the essence. And so, she put it all on the line. “A certain bride reminded me that the first boy I ever loved could also be the man I love for the rest of my life.”

Freddy took a steadying breath, and his patent smile slowly filled his face. “Took you long enough,” he teased, but Anne saw the tell-tale tears in his eyes. He stepped forward and looked more earnest than ever. “I’ll move to New York. I’ll get an apartment and a job, and—”

“No!”

“No?”

“You wanted to make a difference here. And you already have—I mean all the favors you called in for this wedding are testament to that.”

“I do want to make a difference, but if it means being with you, I’ll move there or anywhere else you want to go.”

Anne couldn’t help grinning at him. Her affection for him was just growing by the second. “Well, what if New York isn’t the life I want anymore? What if I want to stay here?”

“What about your dream job?”

“I’m not going to accept it. I love what I do on the video channel and my blog and everything. I have the freedom to do what I want. I can develop new ideas and try them out in my own kitchen, which is something I’d never get to do with Chef Rudolph.” She took a step closer to him. “Besides…you’re going to need someone to bake wedding cakes for you.”

He took both of her hands and pressed them gently. “Only if that’s what you want to do. I want you to pursue your dreams.”

Anne sighed. She was in grave danger of losing herself in those hazel eyes. And then her phone buzzed.

They gasped at the same time. “The wedding!”

It was a mad dash for both of them to run back to their cars and drive to the B&B. She wanted to wait for him to get changed, but he reminded her that they would miss the maid of honor far more than a guest in one of their seats. She was hard-pressed not to pull him in for a kiss, but there just wasn’t enough time.

“Cutting it close!” Beth cried the moment Anne had taken her place in line for the procession. But all was forgiven when she saw the dopey grin on Anne’s face.

Throughout the ceremony while everyone’s eyes were on the happy couple, Walter couldn’t help but notice that Anne’s gaze kept wandering to a specific person in the crowd. It was enough to tell him what had happened, especially when she almost forgot to take Beth’s bouquet during the exchanging of the rings.

Still, she was denied the chance to spend any one-on-one time with Freddy as she was busy with maid of honor duties. They posed for endless pictures, and then the reception, followed by speeches and toasts for the happy couple, and finally, the first dances.

Anne tried to ignore the looks being thrown at them by Beth and her parents as she joined Freddy on the dance floor.

“People keep asking me if I’m Geoff,” Freddy whispered, once the music started.

She shivered a little at the feeling of his breath against her ear and had trouble, for a moment, forming words. It was the first time they had ever danced together, and he was surprisingly good at leading. She, on the other hand, stubbed her foot against his a few times. “Sorry, I’m awful at this. Whereas you are annoyingly good at everything you do.”

“Not everything,” he said cryptically.

She leaned back and met his gaze. “For example?”

“Baking pastries. Using social media. Telling someone how I feel about them.”

She smirked. “You did a decent job of that with the picnic. But your letter was a little…vague.”

“My point exactly.” He sighed. “I was too afraid to tell you. I thought I was being foolish and just holding onto a childhood crush.”

“Me, too.” She moved her hand so it was against the back of his neck, and she felt his pulse kick up at the contact. “Doesn’t feel foolish now.”

Freddy could only nod his head. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but it might have been too awkward in front of her entire family, especially those who still confused him with Geoff.

And so, they were forced to wait just a little while longer.

Chapter Text

Once the cake had been cut, final toasts had been made, and the guests were invited to dance, it was pretty easy for Freddy and Anne to sneak off unnoticed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stay away long (there were family members she had yet to speak to), but she couldn’t resist Freddy’s grin as he took her hand and pulled her away from the party.

“Where are we going?” she said in a hushed voice when she realized they weren’t walking towards the main house.

“I had a sudden idea,” he said, and she realized they were walking towards the guest cottage.

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind when she remembered that this was basically where Freddy had been living for the last month. Even when she was a teenager, she had wondered what it would have been like if they had gone all the way…and now that they were adults, it was a very real possibility. He still hadn’t told her his idea yet. And so, heart pounding, she followed him through the small living room and into the—kitchen.

“What are we doing in here?” she asked, a little confused.

“I was thinking…what if you used this as a studio space? You’d be away from the noise and constant traffic of the main house, and it would give you privacy.”

Anne blinked at him. “Are you asking me to move in?”

“No! I mean, well…I’ll be moving into the master suite in the main house. It’s important for the host to be in the main building in case of emergencies, so the guest cottage would technically be free if you wanted. I was just thinking…for filming…”

She grinned at him, realizing he was probably fighting the same bubble of nerves and anxiety in his chest about these very real, very adult steps in their relationship.

“I love it, Freddy. As a studio or a home. We can figure all those details out later,” she said, but she took his shoulders and turned him towards her in a very Freddy-like gesture. “Now, would you please just kiss me?”

He laughed and pulled her into his arms, more than happy to comply with her request. He’d been dying to do so for days. Their lips melded together as if they were simply picking up where they’d left off twelve years ago. It had hints of new and exciting territory (they both had a bit more experience under their belts, after all) but it still felt familiar. Anne lifted a hand and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, and he let out a soft groan.

“How is it you still know how to drive me crazy?” he asked, pulling her even closer and kissing her for all he was worth.

Eventually, they had to admit it was time to head back to the wedding. They would most certainly be missing the maid of honor. Once she had cleaned all traces of her lipstick from his face and fixed her own, they walked back together. This time, hand-in-hand.

It didn’t take long for one of her family members to make things potentially awkward, but Anne handled it like a champ. “Geoff didn’t work out, but this is Freddy. He’s my boyfriend.” It felt like a relief to finally say it aloud.

Hours later, once they had seen the happy couple off in their car, Anne ran upstairs to get changed so she take care of a few last-minute things before the night was finally over. She made sure the caterer, DJ, and photographer had all been paid, and she even helped load up their equipment. Freddy was right there with her, still in his lovely suit. Though, he had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, which was a very nice look for him. Anne was hard-pressed not to be too distracted by just how handsome he looked when he was hard at work.

“Thank you so much for taking a risk letting me cater my first wedding,” George, the owner of the food truck in town, said as he shook both of their hands.

He had been so flexible to change the presentation of his dishes and had even added a signature side for the happy couple: bacon-covered mac ‘n cheese (a combination of the bride and groom’s favorite foods). Everyone had raved about the food. Anne promised to help him set up a website and get him better equipped with a social media presence. He, in turn, said he would promote her wedding cake-baking skills to anyone who needed them since the cake had been a huge success. She scribbled out her old address and told him she’d get him some updated business cards soon once she figured out her new living situation.

“The cake was perfect, dear,” Penny said, and Walter and Freddy were quick to agree.

Anne was a little overwhelmed by so much praise. It felt like new things were already beginning for her.

Several of Will’s relatives offered to help tear things down before going to bed, but Freddy was the one to declare that it could wait until the morning. They had all worked so hard, and both sides of the family (as well as a few friends) had been essential in getting things ready that morning. They all deserved a break.

Anne waited until she and Freddy were alone on the porch, and she felt very much like a teenager again when she grabbed his hand and snuck him into the house through the breakfast room and up the stairs. They heard someone walking down the hall towards them, and so they darted quickly into her bedroom. Once the door was closed, they leaned against it and stifled their laughter.

Freddy’s mood sobered when he observed his new surroundings. “I’m in Anne Elliot’s bedroom.”

“You’ve never seen it before, have you?” she recalled.

“You sent me photos once. I still have most of your letters.” He paused and glanced at her, wondering if she’d think he was far too sappy and sentimental.

But Anne didn’t say anything. She just opened the drawer on her writing desk and pulled out a stack of letters, bound in an old blue bandana. “Found these while trying to pack a few things up.”

He pulled her close and kissed her.

They spent hours poring over her old keepsakes, especially the ones she had found from Camp Dorset. There was a long-forgotten photo album that brought back a whole host of memories for both of them.

“Whatever happened to Mark?” Freddy asked, staring down at the suntanned and highly muscular teenager standing next to him in the photo. “God, I really was a beanpole. What on earth was I thinking with that hair?”

Anne laughed. “Mark is an auto salesman somewhere in Indiana. And a body-builder, from what I can tell from his social media.”

“Speaking of which…” Freddy pulled out his phone and snapped a selfie.

“Wait, you’re not posting that one! My eyes are half-closed!” Anne protested, grabbing the phone away from him. After several more attempts, and a few candid ones where she was laughing almost so hard she was crying, she only approved the use of one picture out of several dozen they had taken.

It wasn’t until a long time later, after they had kissed each other senseless and he had escorted himself back to his own bedroom in the cottage, that she saw his post on Instagram. As it happened, he had chosen two of the candid shots. The first was the one where she had jokingly grabbed his face in her hands and was squeezing his cheeks like a doting aunt. It was goofy and slightly out of focus. And he had somehow gotten one where she was just looking at him with a soft smile on her face while he grinned at the camera. She loved them both. And once she told him how to tag her username in the post, it was the most traffic his profile had ever seen.

One of the top comments was from her own sister, with far too many hearts and flame emojis and the words: “it’s about damn time!”

Two weeks later, Anne helped her dad and stepmom pack the last boxes into the moving truck. She had to fight back a sudden wave of emotions when her dad took the keys to the B&B and placed them in Freddy’s hand.

“Take care of the place,” Walter said, his voice shaking a little bit. He cleared his throat. “And that goes for Anne, too.”

She rolled her eyes, but with a great deal of affection, and pulled her dad in for a crushing hug.

“Call us, okay?” Penny said, and she wasn’t hiding the fact that she was crying.

“I’ll do better than that. I’ll come visit,” Anne replied, hugging her stepmom tightly.

Penny kissed Freddy on the cheek and gave him an indulgent smile. Anne and Freddy stood on the porch for a while as they watched the two cars make their way down the driveway.

“Feels like the end of an era,” Anne said. Her own bedroom upstairs was now a guest suite, and while Freddy had insisted on keeping much of the place the same, he would need to replace some of the more sentimental pieces that Walter wanted to take with him.

Freddy wrapped his arm around her waist. “But it’s also start of something new.” With that, he took her hand and led her toward the cottage.

“Why are we going over here?”

“Would you just trust me, please?” he said, giving her a loving but exasperated look.

She followed him inside and, once more, into the kitchen. But she gasped when she saw what he had done. “A new oven! With a gas range! How did you even sneak this in here?”

Freddy was about to open his mouth to explain how he had pulled it off, but Anne basically tackled him in a hug, and then, she was kissing him passionately.

“I need to buy you more appliances if this is the thanks I’m going to get,” he said, pulling back to grin at her.

Anne smirked. “Well, I have a surprise for you, too.” And with that, she gently pushed him towards the rear of the cottage where she had told him she was just using it for storage and not to disturb it.

The moment he opened the door, he saw that she had unpacked all of her belongings inside. She had even hung up a few of her favorite family photos and pieces from local artists.

“Are you sure?” he said, spinning around to look at her. “You’re okay with staying here?”

“Oh, you’re not getting rid of me that easily, Frederick Wentworth. You’re stuck with me now.”

He pulled her into a tight hug and said they should go out to celebrate, but Anne had other ideas.

She shut the bedroom door.

They were still learning quite a bit about the grown-up versions of each other, and while a lot of it felt like familiar territory, there would always be something new to uncover along the way.

“Well, we’ve never done that before,” Freddy declared, catching his breath as they lay side by side on the bed. Their clothes were scattered all over the floor, along with a box of Anne’s books that had somehow gotten knocked over.

Anne smiled when he leaned over and kissed her. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too.” He smirked and suddenly stepped away from the bed to grab something.

“What are you doing with that?” she demanded, once she saw that he had retrieved the sparkly and highly decorated wedding book.

“Just looking for some inspiration for our next event.” He thumbed through some of the pages and laughed at the ridiculously over-the-top choices young Anne and Beth had made. “Hot pink and green were your colors of choice? Anne!”

“I was twelve and obsessed with watermelons!”

He just laughed and flipped through each humiliating collage, until he stopped and pulled a photograph that was still stuck between two pages. “Look at us,” he said, setting the book aside so he could lie beside Anne.

She sat up on her elbows and held the photo beside his face as if making a direct comparison.

“Looking to see how many gray hairs I have now?” he said, looking a little self-conscious under such direct scrutiny. And really, the sight of a naked Anne beside him was quite stunning.

“What if we hadn’t lost touch?” she mused aloud, voicing the same thought that had been plaguing him since the day he saw her at the garden center—and every day before that when he had happened upon her posts on social media (or sought them out, if he was being honest).

“I have no idea. My hope would be that these two young fools would have realized they had met their match and held onto it. But maybe it was always supposed to happen like this.”

Anne smirked. “Are you saying it was…fate?”

He rolled his eyes. “I know you’re far too practical to believe in it—”

“No, I think I’m coming around to the idea.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

He hummed happily, and there was a beautiful sparkle in his hazel eyes. “Maybe we should take that compatibility test again, this time for real.”

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about us being well-suited, Freddy. In all areas.” And to prove her point, she pulled him on top of her again.

They had spent too long trying to live life separated from each other. Anne felt like they had to make up for lost time. By the ardent look in Freddy’s eyes, she could tell the feeling was mutual.

There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison.