Beach Read

Chapter 2 begins with January’s flashback to her dad’s funeral, where she meets the other woman for the first time. The woman, Sonya, gives January the key to the lake house as well as the final letter from January’s dad. In a tense moment, January’s mom catches Sonya speaking to January, and it becomes clear to January that her mom already knew about the affair.

In the present, January closes her Word document, deciding that she can’t write at the moment. Before leaving her computer, she reads an email from her agent, Anya, adding to January’s stress about getting the manuscript done. Increasingly drunk on gin, January wanders the house for a place to crash that won’t remind her of her dad having sex with Sonya. She settles on the couch and reminisces about her childhood days on her dad’s boat, just the two of them, deciding that was likely his way of alleviating his own guilt about the affair. She drifts to sleep but is awoken at 12:30am by the sounds of “Everybody Hurts” by REM coming from the house next door. Through her window, she can see there is a raging party going on. She closes her windows, but the sound still comes through, so she goes next door and knocks. When no one answers, she returns home, deciding to read a book on her back deck instead of trying to sleep with all the noise.

January is startled by the presence of her neighbor on his back deck despite the party raging inside his home. She cannot see his face in the dark. They exchange more banter that deescalates when January remarks, “I’m so tired” (24), restraining herself from ranting about her life’s situation. The Grump stiffens in response to this display of emotion, reminding January of her ex, Jacques, who would frequently clam up and leave when she was emotionally vulnerable. January expects the Grump to respond the same way, but instead, he tells her he’ll end the party and retreats inside to keep his word. The partygoers shout “EVERETT” but quickly turn down the music at his request.

January wakes up hungover to a text from Anya, once again badgering her about the manuscript. It reminds January of her first hangover the morning after Anya sold January’s first book to the publisher. January and Jacques got drunk on champagne and walked the Brooklyn Bridge.

January decides to try to vomit to make herself feel better. In the bathroom, she spots a photo of her dad and Sonya, which she promptly turns around. She also spots a copy of her third book, as well as a copy of her college rival’s bestseller. She retches into the toilet, cleans herself up, and decides to head into town. She reads a text from Shadi informing January that she made out with the guy she was interested in, nicknamed The Haunted Hat.

As January drives into town, she reminisces about when her dad gave her a Kia Soul and encouraged her to move to New York to live with Jacques after college. She speculates it was her dad’s way of easing his own guilt about having a second home with Sonya. When January gets to the main drag, she decides to stop into a small coffee shop called Pete’s. Inside, she discovers it’s attached to a bookstore by the same name. The barista, whom January finds to be very warm and inviting, makes her a free coffee. Before leaving, January decides to explore the bookstore and learns the barista runs that part of the shop as well. They introduce themselves, and January learns that the woman is Pete. January says she’s a writer, to which Pete responds, “Ohhh, another writer in town!” (32). Pete checks their inventory for January’s books and, after finding out that the store doesn’t have them, vows to order them as soon as possible. Pete invites January to her book club, which January accepts, seeing it as a good networking opportunity. When January turns to leave, she nearly knocks over a pile of signed copies of Gus’s bestseller. January begins the horrifying realization that her neighbor, The Grump, may be Gus. Just as she’s putting it together in her mind, Gus enters the store, and January dives behind a display to hide.