Meet Me at the Lake

In the present, Will hasn’t left any note, text, or voicemail for Fern, and he’s nowhere to be found. As the day grows longer with no sign of Will, Fern’s anxiety spikes. It’s the day of the dance, and Will has abandoned her again. She knows something is wrong, and her desire for a future with Will becomes more urgent.

Fern attends the dance, still hoping Will will show. Jamie has done a great job setting up the dining room for the party. Everything is so thoughtful and whimsical that Fern forgets about Will for a while to enjoy herself. It feels right to be surrounded by the resort’s guests and staff. Fern wishes her mother were there to see it.

With no sign of Will, Fern decides to leave early, but Peter reels her in for a dance first. He tells her how much she’s like Maggie, and they talk about how much she’s like Peter too, despite not being biologically related. Fern asks if Peter’s grief would be easier if he and Maggie had married. Peter says he didn’t want marriage; he wanted Maggie. They always had each other, and that was what mattered. Fern applies this logic to her desire for Will.

When she leaves, she checks the computer to find that Will checked out of his cabin early that morning. There’s a note on the file that says he’ll send for his things, showing he left in a hurry. Whitney chases after Fern, and Fern explains what happened. Whitney is furious but agrees to let Fern be alone.

Fern calls Will dozens of times until he finally picks up. He tries to tell Fern he can’t talk, but Fern wants answers. Will tells her Sofia is sick. Fern wants to rush to Toronto to help, but Will says no. Will says their relationship was a mistake and he cannot continue it. Fern doesn’t believe him. She confesses her love to Will, but Will does not say he loves her in return. He tells Fern they need to stop living a fantasy before hanging up.

Enraged and wanting to lash out, Fern goes to Will’s cabin, planning to set his things on fire, but slips on his sketchpad. She finds recent drawings of herself, showing Will has started creating art again. She also finds another drawing of her sitting on a dock. Her hair and outfit are exactly how they looked nine years ago, when Will did not attend their meeting. Fern realizes he was there the whole time and breaks down sobbing.

In the present, Fern packs up her Toronto apartment. She hasn’t heard from Will. She sent him a text message instructing him not to contact her anymore, and to go through Jamie for any unresolved resort business. However, she wishes he would reach out. Fern is undecided about packing Will’s old sketch of her, which she’s framed.

Annabel visits Fern’s apartment. She found Fern by looking her up online and getting her address from Philippe. Annabel says Sofia is doing better. She had meningitis. When Will found out, he went straight from Fern’s house to the hospital. Annabel says Whitney called Will yesterday to rage at him. Annabel took the phone, and that’s how she learned about the situation with Fern.

Annabel wants to explain Will’s behavior and encourage Fern to forgive him. Will doesn’t know that Annabel is there. She talks about their mother, who Will idolized until she abandoned them. Their mother and Will are very similar and were close until she left. Annabel indicates Will and his mother share mental health conditions, but it’s not her place to elaborate. She wants Fern to know that Will struggled once Sofia was born, and gave up everything he loved and had to contribute to the family. Fern is the only thing that has made Will happy in years. Annabel suspects that Sofia’s illness proved to Will that he couldn’t be happy, and that his mental state is impacted again.

Annabel encourages Fern to contact Will, and that he won’t contact her because he’s respecting her request. Annabel and Sofia will be gone tonight, and Fern can find Will alone at their house. Annabel leaves Fern with the address.

Fern visits Will’s house that evening. She almost threw away the address but changed her mind. When Will opens the door, he looks terrible. Fern is nervous. She says she’s missed him. She presents him with the drawing of her from nine years ago and asks for an explanation. Will invites her inside.

Will apologizes for what he said over the phone. He’s never wanted anything like he wants Fern. He’s in love with her, but he’s unsure if they can make it work. Fern reiterates Will’s advice to her from a decade ago, that it’s still his life.

Will explains that nine years ago, he lost his nerve. He’d been working an office job, wearing a tie, and not making art. He’d failed every part of his one-year plan, and he didn’t want to have to see himself through Fern’s potential scrutiny. Fern reassures him that things might have gone differently if he was honest with her. Will feels it would have been selfish to pull Fern back into his life at that time, but Fern wishes he had. Being with Fern has made Will remember all the things he used to want. He’s still figuring things out, but he knows he wants Fern in his life.

Fern stays the night and makes Will pancakes using her mother’s recipe the next morning. She also presents Will with a list of things—a plan—to earn her trust and forgiveness. She wants an apology and total honesty. Will apologizes and confesses that he was the one who proposed a deal with Maggie as a way of making things up to Fern. He’d secretly hoped to eventually encounter Fern at the resort. He also confesses that he takes medication for anxiety. After Sofia’s birth, Will found himself having disordered anxious thoughts. He worries that he could end up in the same state if he has more kids. Fern is confident that they can handle these hurdles together.

Fern explains how Will’s abandonment impacted her, and how she worried all summer that she was Will’s escape from reality. Will and Fern agree that they want to be each other’s reality, not an escape. Will wants to allow Fern into his life. They confess their love for one another again.

Fern stays with Will, Annabel, and Sofia for a week, getting to know the family and helping out. Fern and Will plan for Will to visit Fern every weekend at the lake. When Fern returns, she gives Peter her mother’s diaries. She feels Peter will appreciate reading about Maggie’s feelings for him. Fern busies herself with friends and work. One day, she finds Peter playing music in the kitchen again—the first time since Maggie’s death.

At the New Year’s formal, Fern invites Will to move in. Will rearranges his work to where he only goes to Toronto one day a week. Living together is a dream, and there’s strong coffee every morning. They make a space for Sofia to stay in the guest room when she visits.

Fern renames the resort restaurant to “Maggie’s” to honor her mother. She visits the dock by herself to recall their mornings together. Filling her mother’s shoes is difficult, but it’s made easier by Will waiting at the house when she finishes work.

On June 14, they paddle the canoe to a little island for a celebratory lunch. Will proposes with his grandfather’s ring, which he’s worn on his pinky as long as Fern has known him. When they return to the dock, Whitney, Cam, Jamie, Peter, Annabel, and Sofia are waiting to congratulate them on their engagement. Fern and Will sit on the dock and make plans for their future. Will feels they’re exactly where they are supposed to be.

Fern begins her first diary entry. She isn’t sure what to write, but addresses her daughter, with whom she is pregnant. She and Will are very excited to welcome her into the world and introduce her to the wonderful people at the resort. Fern plans to eventually give the diary to her daughter. She writes about how they’ll sit on the docks and drink coffee together, just like she and her own mother did.