One True Loves

Over breakfast, Emma and Jesse discuss the things he missed about home, and he names dishes from restaurants they used to frequent. Emma mentions how some of the restaurants have closed down, and a flash of sorrow crosses Jesse’s face. This alerts her to how he may be more resentful than he is letting on, about how the world has moved on without him.

Emma and Jesse talk about Blair Books, and she reveals that she still keeps the “Travel the World” bookmarks. Jesse is surprised, remembering how much Emma used to hate them; she asserts that she likes them now, thinking about how she was a different person when Jesse left.

As they proceed to leave after breakfast, Emma notices that Jesse is driving. She asks him about it, as he technically doesn’t have a license anymore, but he brushes it off. Jesse gets into Emma’s car to talk to her. He reasserts how much he missed her, and they kiss. Before Emma leaves, Jesse asks her to come to the family cabin in Maine with him, for a few days. Although initially hesitant, Emma eventually agrees to leave with him that night.

Emma asks her parents to cover for her at the bookstore while she is away. While getting lunch, she receives a message from Sam about dropping off a couple of things for her at the store, and rushes there, hoping to see him. She catches him in the parking lot, and they each admit that they have missed each other. Emma kisses him, but Sam pulls away. He knows she loves him, and he can wait while she figures things out, but he cannot pretend that things are as they were. He asks Emma not to call him anymore; when he is ready to hear what she has decided, he will call her. As Emma heads back to the store, she accepts that she will ultimately have to make a choice between Jesse and Sam.

Jesse picks Emma up from work and they head to her parents’ place for her to pack; Jesse is surprised to see how much things have changed, and how much has remained the same in the house. They head to Marie’s after, where Emma’s family is gathered, to say a quick goodbye. Jesse receives a warm greeting from everyone gathered there, and is overwhelmed by it all, including the fact that he now has two nieces. After saying their goodbyes, Emma and Jesse set out for the family cabin in Jesse’s car.

Emma and Jesse stop for food on the way; while they eat, they reminisce about the past. Emma pulls out an envelope of things she has kept of their time together, including the ruby ring, to show Jesse a photograph from the past. Jesse is touched to see the memorabilia. While Emma is rifling through the envelope’s contents, she finds the letter she wrote to Jesse before dating Sam, but puts it aside. She also puts away the article about Jesse’s disappearance. She knows Jesse noticed it, but he is still unwilling to talk about it. Quietly, they continue driving.

Emma and Jesse reach the cabin at 2am, and Emma is surprised to find that everything is just as she remembers, although she is a different person than who she was the last time she visited. Neither Emma nor Jesse are tired, so they have a drink together and talk. Jesse is surprised to learn that Emma has not traveled since his disappearance. He also notes how different her hair looks now. Emma and Jesse sleep together, and Emma finds herself thinking that “[this] is what [she’s] always wanted. [She] will always want this” (235). They fall asleep together just before dawn.

Emma comes downstairs in the afternoon to find Jesse already up. He puts together breakfast for the two of them, and tells her that he bought a 12-pack of Diet Coke, “because I know Emma Lerner, and Emma Lerner needs a steady supply of Diet Coke in the house” (245). Emma privately muses that this is neither her name, nor does she drink Diet Coke anymore.

Emma and Jesse head out for a walk after breakfast, with plans to go out for dinner that night. They reminisce about their life together. Emma wonders how Jesse spent all the time he did alone on the island. She’s certain he’s not adjusting as well as he is presenting himself to be, but doesn’t want to push him to open up either.

Emma and Jesse go to a restaurant for dinner, but leave almost immediately, because they don’t want to waste time drinking wine and eating a lobster they don’t want. They head to another restaurant to pick up food. Emma checks her emails in the parking lot. There is an email from Tina, the assistant manager, submitting her resignation; there is also an email from her wedding venue regarding a requested cancellation, and Emma realizes Sam is prepared to leave her. She gets a sudden urge to drive back home to Sam.

Jesse brings back a pepperoni and pineapple pizza which used to be Emma’s favorite, and Emma doesn’t tell him that she doesn’t eat cheese anymore, as she has become lactose intolerant. On the way back to the cabin, Jesse drives too fast, despite Emma’s request that he slow down. They get pulled over by a cop who demands to see Jesse’s license and registration. Jesse only hands over the latter, and Emma explains how he has only recently come back from sea and doesn’t have his documents in order. She hands the cop the article from her envelope as proof, and though still skeptical, the cop asks Emma to drive instead. He warns Jesse that he will be arrested if he drives again. Jesse passes Emma her license to show the cop, before he lets them go.

Jesse notices the name change on Emma’s license, and mentions it to her. They drive in silence, Jesse angry about the name change, and Emma angry about getting pulled over. They make up by the time they get home, Jesse asking that they call it even. He suggests that they make love on the kitchen counter like the day of their wedding, and though Emma initially protests, worried about hygiene, she quickly gives in to his persuasion.

Afterward, when they prepare to eat, Emma reveals she can’t eat cheese anymore. She also clarifies other things, like how she changed her name back to Blair because she rebuilt her life around the store: “Blair Books is my store. I love it. And I’ve built a life around it. I am a Blair” (262). She explains that she doesn’t want to travel anymore; she feels happy and settled in Massachusetts, and wants to run the store until she retires and hands it over to her children someday. Jesse asks that they just go to bed and not worry about “pizza and last names and the bookstore” (262). Emma agrees, but for the first time, feels the distance between her and Jesse.