This Summer Will Be Different
by Carley Fortune
Contents
Epilogue
Overview
At their Primfield House housewarming, Lucy and Felix celebrate moving in and starting their farm. Bridget, Miles, and Rowan arrive as a surprise, and Bridget’s heartfelt toast affirms chosen family. After a cozy bonfire with friends, Lucy and Felix reaffirm their partnership, putting marriage and children aside for now.
Summary
The following summer, Lucy and Felix host a bustling housewarming at Primfield House, their nearly finished modern farmhouse and future flower farm. The greenhouse is up, the barn foundation poured, and Lucy now lives on PEI, traveling to Toronto monthly while Farah manages In Bloom. Questions about the farm and island life swirl as guests explore.
Lucy loses track of Felix until Bridget appears on the staircase wearing a lopsided floral crown, revealing she, Miles, and baby Rowan have secretly arrived. Felix admits orchestrating the surprise. Bridget gives a tender, funny toast honoring Lucy’s strength, their adult friendship, and the wild routes love takes, making both Lucy and Felix emotional as everyone toasts the couple and their new home.
Later, with only close family and friends remaining, the group starts a bonfire. Lucy and Bridget talk about partnership, Lucy’s recent overwhelm launching the farm, and how Felix steadied her. Lucy relishes the ease of being a team and admits she misses Bridget, who plans two more years in Australia before returning to Toronto. They joke about Felix’s plan to build a playground and confirm Lucy and Felix aren’t thinking about marriage or children yet.
Bridget gifts rye, vintage-style glasses, and peanuts—echoes of old times. Around the fire, stories and inside jokes flow, including Felix’s oyster mishap and the secret of Lucy and Felix not recognizing each other at first. The warmth cements Lucy’s sense that this is the life she wants.
As Zach breaks out Trivial Pursuit, Felix braids Lucy’s hair and whispers he’s been waiting to be alone. They stage brief exits, slip inside, and kiss, savoring the perfect end to their best day. Hand in hand, they head upstairs, content in the home and future they’re building together on their island.
Who Appears
- Lucy (Bee)Narrator; hosts the Primfield House housewarming, reflects on partnership, farm plans, and postponing marriage and children.
- Felix (Wolf)Lucy’s partner; co-builds the farm, engineers Bridget’s surprise visit, offers steady support, and shares an intimate close to the night.
- BridgetLucy’s best friend; arrives unannounced from Australia, delivers a heartfelt toast affirming friendship and family.
- ZachFelix’s friend/contractor; oversaw the house build, debates trivia, and gifts a Trivial Pursuit set.
- LanaZach’s girlfriend; hints at proposing first, joins bonfire storytelling and trivia.
- MilesBridget’s husband; arrives with Rowan, shares the family surprise and evening by the fire.
- RowanBridget and Miles’s baby; part of the surprise arrival, cherished by family.