Chapter 8

Back at Summer Wind, Lucy pours rye and starts grilled cheese while Bridget showers and sings, her earlier beach breakdown lingering in Lucy’s mind. Lucy notices new family photos on the fridge, including one from Thanksgiving where Felix’s gaze is locked on her. She burns the sandwiches, unsettled by the implication and by Felix’s current distance.

That evening on the deck, they sip rye and shelled peanuts, remove bothersome wind chimes, and skirt unspoken worries. Lucy’s thoughts drift to her first night with Felix in his room and all the clues she missed. Bridget returns with a blanket and, after small talk about the photos, asks what’s going on with Lucy and Felix; Lucy deflects.

Bridget proposes they go “full PEI”: eat seafood, do coastal highlights, and avoid wedding and work talk. She insists they attend Felix’s oyster-shucking contest and have him stay over, forcing Lucy to extend the trip to Sunday night. The plan leans into their first-visit nostalgia and a pause from current pressures.

When Bridget calls it a “last girls’ trip,” Lucy fears a health crisis; Bridget reassures her she’s fine, just homesick and stressed. Lucy probes about Miles, but Bridget gives minimal assurances. The tension shifts into a brief argument when Lucy mentions rescheduling an important meeting and her wedding-flower workload; Lucy quickly backs down, reaffirming her loyalty.

They reconcile under the shared blanket, confirm their no-wedding/work bubble, and close the night by acknowledging rule three—don’t fall in love with Bridget’s brother—underscoring Lucy’s secret history with Felix and the emotional stakes of the days ahead.