This Summer Will be Different

Lucy watches Felix unloading groceries, noting that he’s bought her favorite butter from a local dairy shop. Felix asks if it’s all right that he’s staying, and Lucy says yes, even though she knows that she will struggle to suppress her attraction to him. Felix tells her that she can stay in his room while he sleeps on the pull-out couch in the living room.

Later, Lucy fills a glass of water in the bathroom when Felix walks in, clad only in underwear. Startled, she spills the water on his chest. She stumbles as she tries to dry him off, and Felix catches her. The two of them end up pressed close together. Lucy pulls away and runs back to Felix’s bedroom.

The narrative shifts to four years earlier, when Lucy is 25. She is thriving as a bridal consultant at In Bloom, until the day that Stacy pulls her aside to inform her that she will be closing the business at the end of the year. Bridget books them both a trip to PEI after seeing Lucy’s distress. Felix picks them up from the airport. Lucy notes that he seems self-assured and that the trace of sadness is gone from his smile. Though the two flirt over the next several days, she is confident that they won’t repeat their tryst. However, her resolve weakens as Felix shows her care and consideration.

It is Lucy’s final night in PEI. Lucy tells Bridget that she is considering taking over In Bloom from Stacy. Bridget enthusiastically encourages her. Lucy expresses worry about her parents’ disapproval, but Bridget tells her to ignore them, pointing out that they always undermine her decisions.

Lucy, Bridget, and Felix prepare dinner together. As they watch Felix shuck oysters, Bridget notices the small scar on his wrist from the previous summer. Felix comments that “someone distracted [him, but] it was worth it” (91). Lucy is so distracted watching him that she spills an oyster on her dress.

In the narrative present, Lucy wakes up before Bridget. She listens affectionately to Bridget’s snoring. Being together on the island has made her realize how much she misses living with her best friend. Lucy heads to the deck, where she finds Felix reading Pride and Prejudice. Lucy turns to go, but Felix asks her to stay, saying that “[they] can handle being in the same room” (99). They discuss Bridget’s predicament. Both think that her distress has something to do with her fiancé, Miles, but neither of them believes that Miles would cheat on her. After several glasses of wine, the conversation shifts to the previous summers, and Lucy admits that she missed Felix. They are interrupted when Bridget steps onto the deck. Bridget invites Felix to stay for the day, but he deflects. When he leaves, Bridget asks again why they are being weird. She tells Lucy that the prevailing theory in the Clark family is that Lucy turned Felix down the previous summer.

Lucy and Bridget drive to Summerside, PEI’s second-largest city. The drive reminds Lucy of her first visit, which brought her closer to Bridget as she discovered new facets of her friend’s personality, brought out by being on the island. Lucy cautiously mentions Miles again, but Bridget deflects. Lucy decides not to press her, recalling their most recent fight. Lucy had brought homemade brie and bread to Bridget’s house, but Bridget had refused to eat anything because she was dieting for her wedding. Lucy snapped that if marriage meant starving, she would never get married. Bridget retorted that she would never get married because she prioritized her job over her relationships. Seeing how hurt Lucy was, Bridget promptly apologized, but her words stuck.

Bridget and Lucy head to Shack Malpeque for lunch. On the way, Lucy texts Lillian, her contact at Cena, asking to reschedule their meeting to Monday. Inside the restaurant, Lucy and Bridget sit at the counter where Felix is working. Watching Bridget and Felix laugh together, Lucy reflects on her relationship with Lyle, who is six years older than her. They aren’t nearly as close as Bridget and Felix.

Bridget’s phone rings, and she steps outside to take the call. Left alone with Felix at the counter, Lucy gathers her courage and apologizes to him for how she left things the previous year. She is grateful for his kindness and states that she “[owes him] big-time” (109). Felix accepts her apology and coyly suggests that she pay him back later.

Later that day, Bridget and Lucy await Felix and Zach to arrive at Summer Wind, where Felix will practice shucking for the Tyne Valley competition. Lucy texts Lillian to confirm a new meeting time on Monday evening. Despite the ostensibly exciting opportunity, Lucy feels uncertain, wondering, “Do I want [this?] Who is my success for?” (111).

Felix and Zach arrive. Briefly, Lucy imagines spending the rest of her life with the Clarks, but she quickly shakes herself out of the daydream. Bridget’s phone pings—glancing over, Lucy reads a text from Miles beseeching Bridget to talk to him in person.

Lucy times Felix while he practices several rounds of shucking. Zach notices her staring at him and, when Felix steps away, asks Lucy if anything is going on between them. Lucy denies it, but Zach playfully accuses her of lying.

As the evening winds down, the subject of Bridget’s wedding is again raised. Zach and Felix urge Bridget to come clean. The ceremony is scheduled for less than a week away, and some guests are already on their way. Bridget’s eyes fill with tears as she says that she’s not ready to discuss it.

Even though Bridget assures her that it is not due to lack of trust, her best friend’s unwillingness to confide in her offends Lucy. Bridget excuses herself to go to bed, and Felix follows her upstairs. The sound of their argument carries out to the deck before going silent. Minutes later, Felix exits the house, announcing that he will take a walk.

When Felix hasn’t returned after 20 minutes, Lucy looks for him. She finds him sitting on a nearby beach, drinking from a bottle of whiskey. Without thinking, she sits beside him and places her hand on his. Lucy asks about Bridget, but all Felix will say is that Bridget is “homesick” and worried about Lucy.

Felix looks into Lucy’s eyes and asks her to tell him how she is really doing. She admits her internal conflict about the future of In Bloom. Lucy worries that her world is shrinking as she gets older, feeling confined to her desk job and limited by the need to earn money. Felix squeezes Lucy’s hand and asks her to tell him about “her farm.” Felix is the only person who knows about Lucy’s secret fantasy of owning a cut-flower farm. As Lucy describes her dream farm, Felix encourages her, saying, “Tell me everything” (127).

The narrative shifts back to Thanksgiving, three years ago. On January 1 of that year, Stacy signed ownership of In Bloom over to Lucy. Lucy missed her annual PEI trip that summer because of her duties at the shop but manages to travel over the Thanksgiving weekend to spend the holiday with Bridget and her family. She is determined not to revive her fling with Felix.

Arriving at Summer Wind, Ken and Christine welcome Lucy and inform her that Felix’s flight has been delayed. Lucy feels a mixture of relief and disappointment.

Later, Lucy and Bridget prepare for a party at Zach’s house. Lucy casually asks if Felix is seeing anyone, to which Bridget replies that he hasn’t had a serious girlfriend since his ex, Joy. Joy is Bridget’s former best friend—they had been close since childhood and were like family to one another. At 22, Felix proposed to Joy. Though Joy initially accepted the proposal, she ended their engagement after a week. Bridget and Joy’s friendship doesn’t survive the breakup, and Bridget nurses a lingering wound.

At Zach’s party, Bridget spots Joy, an attractive and put-together young woman. Bridget is visibly upset by her presence but pulls herself together enough to go over and greet her. Joy is friendly, complimenting Lucy’s work at In Bloom. She reveals that she and Felix are still friends, news that further upsets Bridget, who takes this as confirmation that Joy matters more to Felix than she does. Bridget drinks heavily that night, eventually falling asleep on Zach’s bed. Joy offers to return to Summer Wind and help get Bridget to bed safely.