Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Anna walks to Will’s cabin, and he offers to let her sleep in his cabin, but Anna wants to call guest services to get the code. She asks him to hike with her to the main cabin, where there’s cell service. While walking, Anna asks Will what happened with Maeve. Will says that he proposed to her, and she declined. Anna shares that Dan proposed after discovering she was pregnant with Jess. Anna explains that no single event had ended their marriage; it was a protracted process of falling out of love. Anna dials guest services but gets the answering service. Will says she can stay with him, and he’ll sleep on the floor.

Back at the cabin, Will gives Anna a t-shirt to sleep in, and she secretly inhales his scent. She refuses to let him sleep on the floor, so they share the bed. Will begins falling asleep, and Anna wonders why he isn’t trying anything and if that means he isn’t attracted to her. Anna hasn’t had sex in two years, and everything in her body and mind wants Will. She touches his back, and he grabs her hand. He asks what she wants, and Anna says she wants him. Will kisses her, touches her, and they have sex.

Anna wakes up alone, but Will is outside stoking the fire to make her tea. They go skinny-dipping in the lake and spend most of the day in bed in her cabin. Anna feels “reborn,” as her body and spirit reawaken to desire and pleasure. On a walk, they discuss defining what’s happening between them and agree that they won’t tell anyone at work. Will confesses that he’s had a crush on Anna since he started working at Bath Living. Anna explains that her hesitance after Hay resulted from worrying that something in their dynamic had changed, but she wants to be with him now. Will says the timing is tricky since he is interviewing for the Paris job. However, Will seems hurt when Anna calls what they’re doing “just a weekend in the woods” (242). 

They are intimate again, and a photographer named Greta, who is there to photograph them for the Times, interrupts them. Will implores her not to use the revealing photographs of them naked, wrapped up in a blanket. Anna and Will share a laugh over the debacle, joking about their “unprofessional” behavior. Will whisks her back to the cabin for more “unprofessional” conduct.

Anna and Will spend most of their time in bed or long walks in the woods. They avoid any talk about the future. On Sunday, Will makes breakfast sandwiches, and Anna says she’ll take hers, “However it comes,” a phrase Will’s mom used. Will encourages Anna to say precisely what she wants instead of settling. Will wishes they could stay at the retreat indefinitely, but Anna says she can’t leave her children. Anna feels instinctively that she needs to check her phone. Will begs her not to: “When we let the outside world back in, the spell will be broken” (249). Jess has left her several messages, begging her to come home. Anna contacts Dan, who says Jess is emotional and went with Sylvie for milkshakes. Will helps Anna pack so she can catch the next bus home.

Sylvie says Jess got her period and stained the couch. Feeling guilty, Anna wishes she could have supported Jess. Sylvie gifts Jess a moonstone to symbolize womanhood, but Jess just wants to go home. After Anna apologizes, they watch their favorite movie together. Jess asks Anna about her weekend with Will, but Anna insists it was just work. She brainstorms ideas for her column and considers speed dating. Noah knocks to report raccoons in the trash and reminds her about the council form. Ethan and Jess suggest that Anna should date Noah next. She sends Will a benign text after debating over what to say.

Anna obsessively checks her phone, but Will hasn’t responded to the text. In the middle of the night, the smoke alarm battery dies, and Anna doesn’t have a ladder because Dan took it in the split. Ethan wants to call Dan for help, but Anna refuses and goes next door to Noah’s. While Noah goes to the basement, Anna sees a photo of him and his late wife. Noah looks younger and happier in the picture. Noah totes the ladder to Anna’s house and repairs the smoke alarm. Jess and Ethan ask Noah if he will go out with Anna for her work project, and he agrees. Anna is tired of asking others for help and will purchase a ladder the next day.

At work, Anna avoids eye contact with Will, who texts an apology for not responding because his phone is broken. During a video meeting with Jonathan and Crispin, Anna blushes at Jonathan’s praise for their weekend retreat. Crispin critiques her latest column about her date with Michael, saying it lacks emotion. Anna insists that the date proves that not all connections are romantic, noting that she and Michael are now friends and that she’s helping him find a date for the Regency ball. Crispin wants Anna to attend the ball with one of the past dates to keep readers engaged. Will says he’ll go on a date in Paris since he has an interview there. Anna finds it “contrived” but agrees, concerned for her job.

Anna can’t stop thinking about Will. He disappears from the office and texts her to meet him in the archive room upstairs. As they undress and kiss, they tease each other about things getting “messy” and this just being about sex. Will says, “No one gets attached, no one gets hurt” (271), but Anna senses he means it when he follows with “I don’t want to hurt you […]” (272). Talking ceases as Will removes her skirt.

Anna meets Loretta at a museum on her lunch break, and Loretta exclaims that she is “positively glowing.” Though Anna has told no one else about sleeping with Will, even Lottie, she feels at ease sharing with Loretta. Anna isn’t sure how to categorize the relationship, but Loretta encourages her not to overthink it and to enjoy herself. Anna and Will continue to meet in the archive room daily, though they don’t talk or text outside of work. The intimacy they had at the retreat is gone, replaced with almost wordless sexual encounters. Still, Anna enjoys the thrill of the secrecy and anxiously awaits Will’s daily email with coded language summoning her to their secret place.

Will asks Anna to film the charity choir concert he’s been working on with Loretta. Anna agrees, though her photojournalism skills are rusty. They are alone in the break room, and Will moves closer and touches her face just as other people enter the room, interrupting them. Dan asks Anna to meet for coffee and shares that Sylvie is pregnant. Dan is nervous about becoming a father again. They go to a pub for a drink, and Dan openly shares that he fears Sylvie has unrealistic expectations for parenthood. He also worries that the children will feel like they’re being “replaced” by the new baby.

They reminisce about their early days with Jess, and Dan claims Anna fell out of love first. He apologizes for the way his deteriorating mental health affected their marriage. Dan wants more time with the children and asks to adjust their custody agreement. In turn, Anna asks Dan to help with the children’s laundry, reminding him that she works full-time. Anna feels like this is “[…] the most honest, constructive conversation we’ve had since the divorce” (286), and she appreciates Dan’s willingness to work together for the children. Anna realizes she is done with having children and worries she might have gotten pregnant with Will.

Anna is still worried about an unplanned pregnancy with Will, even though they used protection. She goes with Will to Bath Abbey for the Raise Your Voice concert. The choir consists of people like Simon with physical and neurological disabilities. She meets Rory, Will’s father, and Simon. She and Will conduct interviews and then film the concert, which is moving and beautiful. Will holds her hand, and Anna enjoys the intimacy they haven’t shared since the retreat. She tells Will about Dan and Sylvie’s baby and that she’s realized she doesn’t want any more children. Will’s reaction makes Anna both happy and sad, knowing that he wants to be with her and that he’s young and wants to be a father. Later at home, she panics and takes a pregnancy test, but it’s negative.

Noah and Anna go on their date, and Lottie babysits the children. Just as they’re leaving, Will arrives to deliver flowers as a thank-you to Anna for her help filming the concert. Will takes the flowers inside since Noah and Anna must catch the bus, and Noah says that they aren’t “thank-you flowers” and that Will loves her. Noah is socially awkward, and Anna is annoyed with him, but as they tour the Roman Baths, she gets to know him better. Noah shares that his late wife, Gemma, was studying to be a plant biologist when she died. She tended to the sickly hedge in their yard, intent on reviving it. Now that she’s gone, Noah feels like her spirit lives on in the thriving hedge. Anna apologizes for being insensitive about the hedge and not knowing what it meant to him. It’s been eight years since Gemma died, but Noah hasn’t considered dating. He thanks Anna for inviting him; she promises to be a better neighbor.

Anna returns home to find that Will has stayed, eaten dinner with Lottie and the children, and is playing charades with them. He’s excellent with the children, and Lottie loves him. While Lottie puts the children to bed, Will and Anna are alone. He kisses her and tells her that what they have is genuine, but Anna doesn’t want her or the children to get too close since they “[…] want such different things” (303), which hurts Will. He leaves, and Anna regrets not saying more but doesn’t know how to make their situation work.

Anna is the youngest person at a speed-dating event with Loretta. Though none of the men is a good match, she enjoys meeting new people, including Roger, who reminds her of her grandfather. Suddenly, Will appears at her table, claiming he’s there for “research.” He’s drunk, and Anna can tell something is off. He asks her to come home with him, and she knows he got the Paris job. Will says he’s not taking the job because he’s in love with her. She says he can’t stay in Bath just for her and lies, claiming that she’s just been using him for sex and to get over her divorce. Will cries, and Anna immediately regrets hurting him intentionally. However, she doesn’t want a repeat of her relationship with Dan, “[…] where I’ve been loved reluctantly, stayed with reluctantly […]” (312). Loretta meets Roger and leaves with him.

Crispin announces that they are closing the print publication of Bath Living and moving to an online-only model. He tells Will and Anna that their column has been a hit and that Apex Media will retain them as freelance journalists. Looking painfully at Anna, Will announces he’s accepted a new position in Paris. He’ll complete the final date on the Eiffel Tower to finish his collaboration with Anna. Anna agrees to the new position but negotiates for a higher salary. When Crispin disagrees, Will says that the company should pay her the same as he was and silently coaches Anna to ask for a 25% raise. Crispin agrees to 20. Anna congratulates Will and apologizes for what she said at the bar. Will is cold and asks that she not contact him after he leaves and not to attend his going-away party. Anna says goodbye to Jonathan, who plans to move to Italy. He silently acknowledges he knew about her and Will and encourages Anna not to be sour on life but instead “[…] embrace the soft, gooey middle that makes it all so delightful” (320).

Seeing that Jess is struggling, Anna takes her outside to talk, and Jess reveals that Penny has been relentlessly bullying her online for months. She shows Anna the string of texts and social media posts that indicate a pattern of abuse, which explains Jess’s withdrawn behavior. Anna apologizes for not being more present and aware of what was happening. She explains that they must alert the school about Penny’s dangerous behavior. Jess threw away her Sylvanian Family toys because of Penny’s bullying but is happy that Anna rescued them from the trash.

It’s been two weeks since Will left, and Anna immerses herself in re-engaging with herself and the children. She and Dan have a meeting with the school, and as a result, the administration suspends Penny, and the school institutes a new anti-bullying policy. She limits the children’s screen time at home and is in the process of adopting a new cat. Noah cuts down the hedge, saying that Gemma’s memory isn’t in the hedge but in his heart. Anna needs to go on one more date to complete the column, and Jess and Ethan suggest she go out with Ethan’s new swim coach, Andre. Fortunately, Andre is attractive and single and gladly accepts Anna’s invitation, telling her she can join him for a climbing adventure on Sunday morning.

Anna hosts a pottery party at her home. Noah and Lottie attend, along with Loretta, Roger, Michael, and Jane, a fellow Austen lover whom he met online. Anna is pleased that her dating experiment brought her all these new friendships. Lottie is giving birth soon and asks Anna to be her birth partner because Seb is squeamish around blood. Anna confesses that she’s worried Lottie has lost respect for her since her life has fallen apart post-divorce. Lottie says she has grown in respect for her and has seen how she’s managed it all. Lottie will help Anna redecorate the house, and Anna looks forward to the new season.

Anna’s date with Andre goes well, and when he asks her out again, she says yes. However, she later has a panic attack and texts him to decline. Unsure of what is causing her anxiety, Anna turns her attention toward finishing her column on the retreat. Sorting through Greta’s photos, she stumbles on the one Greta took of them wrapped in the blanket. Will’s handsome face strikes her, but she is more captivated by her happiness. Though Will has barely communicated except via a work email, Anna throws caution to the wind and composes a vulnerable article bearing her soul and revealing that she fell in love with Will at the retreat. She includes Greta’s photo and finishes the article with “PS: Will, I am in love with you. Call me” (337).

Anna receives positive feedback on the Times article from everyone, including Crispin. Anna attends the Regency ball with Noah, Michael, and Jane. Michael loans her a stunning Regency-era dress, and Jane styles her hair. At the ball, Anna worries about what Will thinks of the article as she tries to enjoy herself. He’s had his Eiffel Tower date, and she wonders if he made a connection and has moved on. Noah and Anna join the dancing, and suddenly, Anna sees Will approaching her. He cuts in on Noah and dances with Anna. When he read the article, he hopped on the train to get to her. Anna loves Will but worries about how they will manage the long distance. Will assures her everything will work out and to enjoy the moment. Since Will isn’t in costume, he must swap clothes with Noah to stay at the ball. Will and Anna share a passionate kiss, and everyone cheers.

The narrative moves forward nine months, and Will and Anna rotate visiting each other in Paris and Bath. Lottie had her baby named Josie, and Sylvie and Dan named their baby boy Will. Anna still worries that Will is giving up fatherhood to be with her, but he is content, and his early statement about children was to impress her. Jess is doing much better at school and finding new friends. Will is great with the children, but Anna secretly enjoys it when she has Will to herself. Will and Anna attend Loretta and Roger’s wedding, and Loretta reveals she got a matching ampersand tattoo.