The Summer I Turned Pretty, #3
We'll Always Have Summer
by Jenny Han
Contents
Chapter Eight
Overview
Lonely after Christmas, Belly secretly escapes to the Cousins house and unexpectedly runs into Conrad. They share a quiet, intimate day that reawakens Belly’s feelings, though she resolves Jeremiah is still her future. Conrad disappears by morning, and Belly hides the trip from Jeremiah, underscoring lingering secrets and unfinished history.
Summary
Home alone after Christmas, Belly grows restless and decides to drive to the Cousins beach house without telling anyone. She settles in for a solitary, cozy night but is startled when someone tries the door—Conrad, just arrived after a delayed flight. Their unexpected reunion feels charged yet familiar.
They exchange easy banter while Conrad offers to make a fire. The next morning, Belly injures her back slipping on the stairs, and Conrad gently carries her to the couch, assuring her he has her. In that moment, Belly realizes she still loves Conrad, but she resolves to confine those feelings to the past and to choose Jeremiah for her future.
The pair spend the day companionably apart-together: Conrad reads, Belly watches classic films, and they debate Casablanca—Belly romantic, Conrad pragmatic. By the following morning, Conrad is gone without a goodbye, reinforcing his pattern of quiet exits.
Driving home, Jeremiah calls, and Belly withholds that she’s returning from Cousins. She decides, like Ilsa choosing Laszlo, that Conrad is an important piece of her past, while Jeremiah is the person she intends to build her life with—though the lie hints at unresolved feelings and secrecy.
Who Appears
- Belly (Isabel) ConklinLonely after Christmas, sneaks to Cousins, reunites with Conrad, realizes lingering love, resolves to choose Jeremiah, and hides the trip from him.
- Conrad FisherArrives unexpectedly at Cousins, tends the fire, comforts Belly after her fall, spends a quiet day with her, then leaves without goodbye.
- Jeremiah FisherCalls Belly while she’s driving home; she conceals the Cousins trip, reaffirming him as her intended future despite revived feelings for Conrad.