This Summer Will Be Different
by Carley Fortune
Contents
Chapter 13
Overview
Over coffee on the deck, Lucy and Felix slip into easy intimacy that exposes how much they missed each other. They worry over Bridget’s sudden change of behavior and whether Miles is involved. Felix chooses to stay and picks up a restaurant shift, while Bridget notices their tension and pointedly probes, which Lucy denies.
Summary
Lucy wakes at Bridget’s and, missing their old routines, steps onto the deck for air. She finds Felix reading Pride and Prejudice, and their banter reveals comfort and renewed attraction. Despite last night’s bathroom encounter, they attempt normalcy as Lucy teases Felix about his book tastes.
Conversation turns to Bridget’s odd behavior—missing her dress fitting, canceling plans, and avoiding wedding talk. Lucy and Felix consider whether Miles did something, but both doubt he would cheat. Lucy admits to herself she missed Felix, and their shared look deepens the charged atmosphere.
Bridget interrupts, immediately sensing weirdness between them. Felix abruptly says he must go, explaining he picked up a restaurant shift to practice for tomorrow’s shucking competition. Bridget proposes visiting him for lunch.
After Felix leaves, Bridget presses Lucy about whether something happened last summer. Lucy denies it, deflecting Bridget’s suspicions even as the tension between Lucy and Felix lingers and Bridget’s unresolved turmoil remains the looming mystery.
Who Appears
- LucyNarrator; shares a charged morning with Felix, worries over Bridget, and denies Bridget’s suspicions about past events.
- Felix ClarkReading on the deck; admits he chose to stay, discusses Bridget’s behavior, takes a restaurant shift to practice shucking.
- Bridget ClarkActing unlike herself; interrupts Lucy and Felix, proposes outings, and pointedly questions their strange behavior.
- Miles LamAbsent fiancé; subject of concern about possible wrongdoing, though both Lucy and Felix doubt he cheated.