This Summer Will be Different

On the day of the Tyne Valley competition, Lucy wakes up to find that she’s overslept. Panicked, she calls Farah, who chides her to relax and enjoy her vacation. Lucy finds Bridget and Felix sitting at the breakfast table, speaking quietly. Seeing Felix reminds Lucy of last night when they stayed up talking until almost 2:00 am. In the kitchen, Felix’s fingers accidentally brush Lucy’s as she fills her coffee mug, causing her to spill coffee grounds all over the counter.

Felix, Bridget, and Lucy get ready for a day out, planning to visit Green Gables Heritage Park. All three are fans of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. Bridget becomes increasingly absorbed in her phone as time passes. By the time they are ready to leave, Bridget announces that she needs to stay behind to take care of something, so Lucy and Felix depart together.

On the drive to Green Gables Heritage Place, Felix is unusually fidgety. Lucy asks if she is the reason, but he replies that she doesn’t make him nervous and attributes his demeanor to the upcoming competition.

Lucy and Felix enjoy a fun day together at Green Gables, quoting lines from the movies back and forth. As they walk through Lover’s Lane, Lucy resists the urge to hold Felix’s hand, an act she deems “for boyfriends, not former lovers” (156). When her feet ache, they rest briefly, and Felix massages her feet. While they rest, Lucy vents about her nerves about the upcoming Cena deal. Felix tells her that he is sure she can handle it but isn’t sure she truly wants it. Lucy says that she would feel like a failure if she declined the contract.

On the way out, they pass a display of cards bearing messages from visitors. Felix picks one up and writes, “This is Lucy’s happy ending” (159). For the first time in a while, Lucy feels like everything will be alright.

The narrative shifts to the autumn of two years ago. Bridget has just moved out of the shared apartment to live with Miles, and Lucy is taking it hard. She begins dating Carter, one of Miles’s long-term friends, to curb her newfound loneliness. Though Carter is nice, Bridget and Stacy both think that Carter is “drab,” and Lucy often thinks of Felix when she is with him.

In September, Hurricane Fiona devastates PEI. Though Summer Wind and the Salt Cottages are unharmed, Felix faces a weeks-long power outage. After the storm passes, Bridget calls to invite him to Toronto.

On a Wednesday in October, Bridget, Miles, Lucy, and Carter meet Felix in a bar in downtown Toronto. Although Felix has a new girlfriend named Chloe, Lucy is still nervous to see him. She relaxes once they settle into dinner, and by the night’s end, she invites him to tour In Bloom.

Felix arrives at In Bloom the next day, complimenting Lucy’s recent redesign. He buys one of her arrangements and offers to take her out to dinner. Lucy introduces Felix to Stacy. Minutes later, Stacy pulls Lucy aside and asks whether they have slept together. Lucy admits that they have but that she hasn’t told Bridget. Stacy reacts with dismay, urging her not to keep secrets from Bridget. She tells Lucy point-blank that dating Carter is a waste of time because she will never fall in love with him and encourages her to try things out with Felix instead. Lucy declines, reiterating that their affair was just a fling.

Stacy leaves, and Felix helps Lucy close the shop. They go to a bookstore, where Lucy flips through Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden. When Felix asks about it, she admits her dream of starting a cut-flower farm. It is the first time she’s told anyone about it. Felix buys her the book and tells her to “dream big.”

Over dinner at a tapas bar, Lucy teases Felix about his current relationship, asking if he “finally ran out of tourists” to seduce (171). Felix responds that he was never the philanderer she thinks he was. Lucy asks about his prolific reading, and Felix reveals that he never went to college, already certain that he had his future lined up. They discuss travel; Felix wants to travel all over the world, but Lucy finds herself drawn back to PEI. Felix suggests that she settle down on the island someday and start her flower farm. Lucy makes him promise not to tell Bridget about her dream, certain that Bridget will push her into action before she’s ready.

A week after Felix leaves the island, he mails Lucy a packet of orange dahlia seeds. Lucy sends back a clothbound copy of Wide Sargasso Sea.

On the drive back to Summer Wind in the narrative present, Felix and Lucy agree that Bridget has had enough time to think. When they arrive, Lucy tells Bridget that they need to talk. She’s hurt that Bridget is keeping secrets from her and points out that if the roles were reversed, Bridget would make her come clean. Bridget says that that isn’t necessarily true, which makes Lucy feel a pang of guilt. She feels “a crack” opening in their friendship now that they both have secrets from one another. Lucy resolves not to leave PEI until they have told each other the truth.

On the way to the Tyne Valley competition, Felix is noticeably nervous. Bridget teases him about seeing Ray, Joy’s father. Ray is Felix’s former boss, and Felix will represent Ray’s seafood business at the competition. On arrival, Ray greets them warmly. He fondly recalls Felix’s first shucking competition, which he won at 17. Lucy notices that most of the crowd is in jeans and T-shirts. She feels out of place in her fancy dress and wonders if this is a sign that she can’t fit into Felix’s world.

Joy walks over, and Lucy is surprised to see Bridget greet her warmly. Joy and Felix interact amiably, and Lucy feels jealous of their easy camaraderie. She takes Bridget aside to ask about her changed demeanor; Bridget reveals that Joy reached out a while ago and that the two have been repairing their relationship. Lucy pretends to be happy for them.

As Felix prepares to compete, he tells Lucy more about his relationship with Joy’s family, revealing that Ray taught him all he knows about working with oysters. He used to work for Ray’s family business, McInnis Seafood, but left after Joy ended their engagement. Lucy asks if he’s ever considered getting back together with Joy. Felix wonders if she is jealous, but he is called up to begin shucking before she can answer.

The emcee announces the start of the competition. Ray finishes first and immediately goes to hug Felix. Bridget tells Lucy that Ray was just as upset as Felix about the breakup—he had been hoping that Felix would join the family business. Lucy recalls the night of the breakup and how devastated Bridget was. She tells Bridget that maybe she and Joy can rebuild their friendship. Bridget reacts in surprise; she thought that Lucy would tell her that rekindling the friendship was a bad idea, so she didn’t tell her earlier. Bridget states that “no guy is worth losing a friendship over” (193).

Felix is called up in the eighth heat. Lucy, Bridget, and Joy all shout encouragement as he shucks his batch of oysters. He finishes in less than two minutes, setting a personal record. Joy runs onstage to embrace him, and Lucy feels another surge of jealousy. When the rankings are announced, Felix is awarded third place. Before he goes up to the podium, he kisses Lucy’s hand in front of everyone.

On the way back to Summer Wind, Felix reaches for Lucy’s hand in the darkness, but she pulls away. She thinks that if she opens up to Felix, their connection will be another thing she must eventually let go of.

Lucy wakes up in a bad mood, with In Bloom and Bridget’s wedding on her mind. She asks Zach how many women Felix has slept with in the past year, and he replies that Felix has been actively dating and looking for a partner, which worsens Lucy’s mood. Lucy calls Lillian from Cena to reschedule their meeting once again. She promises that “work is [her] only priority” and is stung by how true it feels (201). Felix enters the room and asks Lucy what’s wrong, but Lucy tells him that he can’t help.

Lucy recalls the previous summer when her life “fell apart in a series of three events” (202). In Bloom is robbed and ransacked, Carter breaks up with her, and Stacy is diagnosed with cancer, dying within weeks of her admission to the hospital. Stacy leaves behind a note for Lucy that reads, “I loved you like you were my own” (202). After the funeral, Bridget books Lucy a solo trip to PEI—Summer Wind is being renovated, so Felix has reserved one of the Salt Cottages for her.

Felix picks Lucy up at the airport and brings her to the cottage, which is neatly organized and beautifully decorated. The results of Felix’s hard work stun Lucy. She realizes that he is now a full-grown man, “the person he was meant to become” (208). Felix spends two days with Lucy, cooking her meals and comforting her when she cries. With each day spent on PEI, Lucy begins to feel better. On the final day of her stay, Felix drives Lucy to a beach along Point Prim Way, where they share a picnic. He reveals that he and Chloe have broken up, and Lucy shares the news of her breakup with Carter. She admits to being a less-than-perfect girlfriend, more absorbed in the business than in her relationship with Carter. Felix counters that In Bloom is a part of Lucy and says that Carter should have appreciated his luck in having her. Moved, Lucy realizes that her connection with Felix has grown beyond the physical. She kisses him and says, “I want you” (217).

Lucy wakes up in Felix’s bed. They have spent the night together again, but this time feels more meaningful. As Lucy makes breakfast, she notices all the books she has sent Felix displayed front and center on his bookshelf. She opens Great Expectations and finds an underlined quote: “I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be” (222). Lucy begins to wonder if he is falling in love with her. When Felix enters the room, Lucy looks at him and feels, rather than their usual electricity, a deep affection and fondness for all the little things she knows about him. She begins to panic, recalling Bridget’s request that she never fall in love with Felix. Lucy asks Felix to drive her home, fabricating a work emergency. On the drive, she apologizes for cutting off their time together and offers to buy him breakfast the next morning. Felix tells her that there is no need to apologize; they had fun, like always. Lucy takes this to mean that he has not developed deeper feelings for her. The following morning, Zach arrives to say that Felix can’t make it to breakfast.