In the present, Percy sits alone in her motel room reading a newspaper tribute to Sue Florek and feeling the loneliness and dread she has spent years suppressing. She avoids calling Chantal because talking about Sam feels overwhelming, then decides to walk into town for food and wine. On the main street, she is shaken by the sight of the Tavern closed in darkness, with a sign announcing it will remain shut until August while the family mourns Sue.

Percy notices a light inside, goes around to the kitchen door, and finds Sam washing dishes. The shock of seeing him as an adult hits her immediately, and for a moment they can only stare at each other. When Sam recognizes her, he crosses the room and pulls her into a tight hug, telling her, “You came home.” Percy apologizes for Sue’s death, and Sam comforts her, explaining that Sue had been sick for years and died at fifty-two.

Percy admits she was unsure whether she was wanted there, and Sam says of course she is. When Percy says Charlie called her, Sam reacts with clear irritation, but he does not push her away. Percy starts helping with the dishes, and their old rhythm returns through teasing and banter. Sam explains that Sue did not want a dull church-basement reception after her funeral; she planned a party at the Tavern instead and even prepared food in advance while she was still well enough.

Sam then takes Percy out for ice cream, and they sit on a familiar bench by the water. The conversation is sparse at first, but their old habits and chemistry quickly resurface in jokes, shared ice cream, and the “three updates” game they used to play. Percy says she still lives in Toronto, her parents are traveling, and she works as an editor at Shelter. Sam tells her he became a doctor, specialized in cardiology, and now lives in Barry’s Bay.

Sam explains that he stayed in Kingston for his residency but returned because Sue was ill for a long time and he wanted to help with her treatments, the house, and the Tavern. He has been working shifts at the local hospital while caring for her, and he admits that Barry’s Bay no longer feels like a place he needs to escape. Percy is struck by how much of Sam’s life she has missed and by the future she once imagined with him. The chapter closes with tenderness and familiarity still intact, as Sam lightly jokes about Percy having bangs again.