Meet Me at the Lake

In the past, when Will goes to the restroom, Fern worries he has ditched her because of her boyfriend confession. Will returns, and Fern can tell he’s somewhat upset. They do shots and go to the dance floor. With everyone dancing around them, they are quickly pressed together. Will is physically flirtatious with Fern but never crosses a line.

Fern grows weary and dizzy from all the dancing and alcohol. Will brings her water, and they decide to leave. It’s storming, and Fern leads Will to her apartment nearby.

In a diary entry, Maggie talks about how Peter grilled Eric while they hung out. Then, she details an argument she and Peter had the next morning.

In the present, Fern cannot sleep. She feels terrible about what she said to Will about him giving up his dream. The rage reminds her of being a teenager, and Fern doesn’t want to be that way anymore. Fern returns to Will’s cabin and apologizes for what she said. Will is hard to read, but invites Fern inside. Fern admits she knows what she wants. She kisses Will, but Will does not kiss back. Feeling embarrassed, Fern tries to leave, but Will catches her arm and asks her to tell him what she wants. Fern reluctantly confesses that she wants Will.

The moment Fern says she wants him, Will sweeps her into a passionate kiss, pulling her close and lifting her off the ground. They kiss for a while. Both have wanted each other for years. When Will takes off his shirt, Fern notices he has many tattoos over his torso, including the name Sofia. She feels jealous of whoever Sofia is.

Fern tries to advance their foreplay into sex, but Will stops her. He’s wanted her for so long, he wants to take his time. They continue to kiss for a long time before eventually having long-awaited sex.

The next morning, Fern wakes up in Will’s bed. Fern asks about Sofia. Will says Sofia is his niece, and Fern feels silly for being jealous. Fern asks if Will misses Sofia. It’s the longest time he’s spent away from the family since her birth. Will does miss her, but he’s happy for the “total break from reality” (182). Fern feels sad that she’s the break and not his reality.

Fern and Will have coffee. Will has also bought his own coffee maker because he couldn’t stand the coffee pods in the cabin. As much as Fern loves what happened the night before, she worries about letting herself develop feelings for Will again, especially after his “break from reality”(182) comment.

In the past, Fern and Will change into dry clothes in Fern’s small apartment. Will asks about a photograph of Fern, her mother, and Peter. Fern tells Will about her family dynamic. Her grandparents lived at the resort until Fern was 12; then, it was just Fern, her mother, and Peter.

Will notices that Fern hasn’t begun packing for her upcoming move. Fern laments the idea of moving into her childhood home with her mom again. Will asks why Fern feels she must go home, and Fern doesn’t want to answer. Fern and Will snack on some of Peter’s bread, which Whitney brought when she came. The power goes out, and Will lights all of Fern’s candles and spreads them around the room. Will suggests Fern teach him how to operate a canoe when he eventually visits the resort. Fern agrees, but only if he shows her his art.

Will gives Fern the sketchbook he’s had on him. Some of his works are portraits of people. One is of his sister, Annabel. Will says it’s hard to find models, so Fern asks him to draw her. Fern poses on her bed while Will sketches her in the candlelight. Will explains that he’s not in Toronto often these days, but that he came back for his father’s engagement party. Fern suggests Will stay the night because of the storm.

Will asks about Jamie. Fern says he’s the “caramel pudding” of people. Will asks what dessert Fern would be. Fern confesses Jamie thinks she’s a lemon tart. Unlike Fern, Jamie loves working at the resort. Will suggests maybe Fern loves it too based on her tears at the art gallery earlier. Fern realizes Will is right. She does love the lake and the people of the resort. Fern recalls how she and her mother have grown closer since she left for college. She tells Will that she doesn’t have a choice about returning to the resort. She hasn’t told Jamie, Peter, or anyone else how she feels.

Fern asks if Will is in love with Fred. Will says he’s realized he isn’t. Will shows Fern the completed portrait. Fern feels Will really captured her.

In a diary entry, Maggie describes her period being late. She’s scared because she has a life plan and having kids right now doesn’t fit. She’s terrified she’s pregnant.

In the present, Fern goes swimming off the dock, which she has fond family memories of. Her grandparents used to sit on the dock, and when it was just Fern and her mother, they would have breakfast on the dock together. When Fern was a rebellious teenager, her mother still insisted she come to the dock in the mornings. Fern has been pushing through her mother’s diaries, but it’s hard to read them. She realizes how young her mother sounds at 22.

Fern thinks seriously about what she wants, which includes both Will and the resort. She remembers telling her mother about swearing off men after catching Philippe cheating. Fern’s mother responded that Fern has too much love to keep to herself. Fern feels she can’t let go of her mother. She realizes people and dreams both change. She wishes she could tell her mother that she’s decided to keep the resort and ask for advice.

Fern calls Peter to tell him about her decision and then invites Jamie over to tell him in person. Fern tells Jamie how much she appreciates his help over the last few weeks while she’s been figuring things out. Jamie jokes that he thought she’d fire him because she’s still in love with him. Amused, Fern tells Jamie that she’s keeping the resort. She wants to make some changes, and needs Jamie’s input because he’s important to the operation.

Jamie and Fern celebrate with alcohol. When Will walks in, Jamie explains that they are celebrating Fern’s good news. Once Jamie leaves, Will tells Fern he’s jealous she told Jamie before him.

Fern and Will quickly become intimate again. Will confesses that he was considering breaking up with Fred over text on their day together 10 years ago until he found out about Jamie. He still has resentment toward Jamie. Will also confesses that he didn’t need Fern’s help varnishing the mural; he only asked her to help so they could spend more time together. They have sex.

Later, Fern brings Will to dinner at Whitney’s home and tells Whitney about her plans to stay. Dinner goes fine until Will excuses himself to take a private phone call. He’s gone for a while, so Fern investigates. Will is distraught and asks to leave. On the way back, Will explains he was talking to Annabel, and she’s begun looking for her own place with Sofia. Fern wants to know more about where Will’s mind is, but Will doesn’t want to talk about it. Will declines Fern’s invitation to sleep together that night because he wants to call Annabel back. Fern laments that he isn’t with her when she sees his light on late at night.

In the past, Fern examines Will’s drawing of her. She’s spent years trying not to draw attention to herself. Fern feels that when she began lashing out as a teen, she unearthed a dark and rotten core. She’s worried for years that that’s who she is; she’s worked hard to be responsible and diligent to make up for that time. Now, looking at Will’s drawing, she sees herself through his eyes and feels beautiful. Will does not see the bad in her. Fern asks if she can keep the drawing, and Will agrees.

Will tells Fern about his grandmother. He spent a lot of time with her shortly after his parents divorced. Everyone struggled once Will’s mother left. Will was angry at her for abandoning them, and he lashed out by picking fights. Fern recognizes that she and Will have felt the same feelings of anger and desire to lash out. Will explains that living with his grandmother helped him work through his emotions. He vowed to never be like his mother, but worries they have things in common. Fern reassures him that he’s not like her.

Will asks Fern to elaborate about why she must return to the resort. Fern explains that everyone is expecting her to return, and she doesn’t want to disappoint her mother. Will feels there’s more Fern isn’t explaining. He wants Fern to tell him about it.

In a diary entry, Maggie describes finding a note on Eric’s bunk. He’s left because he doesn’t want to be a father. Maggie thought Eric loved her. She regrets that Peter was right and that she and Peter haven’t spoken in a month. She worries about what to say to her parents.