Summer Romance

At Ethan’s, they change into dry clothes, have some wine, chat, and start to kiss. Ali tells Ethan that she wants to have sex, but he worries that she’ll regret it in the morning. They stop making out, Ethan tucks her in, and he sleeps on the couch.

Waking early, Ethan and Ali drive back to Beechwood so that Ali will be home in time to meet her kids. On the way, she shares more with Ethan about her mom, her early life, and her marriage. Then she asks if Ethan still plans to sell his parents’ house. He doesn’t want to keep it because he has no interest in being back in Beechwood. He likes who he is in Devon and doesn’t want to give up everything he’s built there. Ali goes silent, disappointed that her imagined future with Ethan in Beechwood won’t happen. After he drops her off, she goes inside and realizes that her romance with Ethan will be more intense than expected.

Ali welcomes her kids home, gets dressed, and checks in on Phyllis. Phyllis asks about Ethan, having seen him in the driveway. She encourages Ali to embrace the relationship since her own summer romance turned into a lifelong love relationship.

Ali takes the kids to the diner, where they meet up with Ethan and make plans to have a luau at Ethan’s parents’ house. After dinner, they go canoeing and discuss the upcoming party.

Ali and the kids go to Ethan’s for the luau. Frannie, Marco, and Theo are there too. Frannie immediately notices that something seems different about Ali. She’s happy that Ali and Ethan are happy but warns Ali to be careful as Ethan will “never ever leave Devon” (198). Shortly thereafter, Ali and Ethan close themselves in the pantry to kiss, where Frannie finds them together. They feign normalcy and make plans to organize the pantry the next day.

Ali is lost in thought the rest of the evening, realizing that things are developing between her and Ethan. In the morning, she wakes up and immediately starts thinking about him. She realizes how good he makes her feel and how comfortable she feels around him. Shortly thereafter, Ethan shows up at the house unexpectedly. He seems upset, revealing that he must return to Devon to prepare for an upcoming court date. Ali doesn’t want to admit how hard it will be to be apart for four days.

Pete arrives to get the kids. He criticizes Ali’s mess of unread mail. Suddenly angry, Ali stands up for herself. After Pete leaves, Ali talks to her mom. She feels frustrated that she stopped standing up to Pete years earlier just to fulfill Fancy’s idea of how her life should be. Ali hears Fancy protesting, but she continues to verbalize her feelings aloud. She looks around her house, suddenly aware of how dire her situation has become. She spends the next two hours sorting through her belongings, taking things to the garage to give to Pete or donate and cleaning up. Meanwhile, she wonders if Pete wouldn’t have left her if she’d done this sooner. However, when he returns with the kids, she realizes this isn’t true. Even if Pete had accepted her when she was more orderly, this isn’t the sort of love she wants.

Over the next few days, Ali and Ethan keep in touch via text. Meanwhile, Phyllis notices that Ali seems different. Ali continues to clean and organize her house. On Friday, when Ethan returns to town, Ali invites him to join her and the kids for dinner.

Ali is overwhelmed with feeling when Ethan shows up for dinner but is careful about showing him affection in front of her kids. They all enjoy a fun and easy dinner in the yard. Afterward, the kids go to bed and Ali and Ethan sit outside and chat. Ethan admits how much he likes Ali and makes her promise she won’t break his heart.

On Saturday, Ali showers, shaves her legs, does her hair, and packs up her kids for Pete’s. After he collects them, she goes to Ethan’s, where they immediately start kissing instead of organizing the pantry. Then they go into the guest room and have sex. Ali feels uncomfortable at first but eventually lets go of her anxieties. They spend the rest of the afternoon in bed. Ali can’t believe how good she feels. At five o’clock, Ethan goes out to grab food while Ali explores the house and imagines starting a life there with Ethan.

Ethan comes over on Monday to walk the dogs with Ali and brings two coffees. Ali is touched. After the walk, they visit Phyllis together.

On Tuesday, Pete takes the kids, and Ethan comes to visit Ali with snacks and wine. They hang out in the yard and talk. Ethan leaves before Pete drops the kids back off. After the kids shower and go to bed, Ali sits down “to decide on a budget” (232) for her upcoming mediation meeting. Feeling overwhelmed, she puts on her old business blazer and works until two o’clock in the morning. She’s proud of the binder she makes, which includes spreadsheets, hole punches, and labeled categories.

Ali dresses for the mediation meeting. She feels better than she has in a long time. Then she realizes how much she wishes Ethan could stay in Beechwood. She talks to her mom aloud, wondering if she can just enjoy their relationship for now.

During mediation, Ali’s expense calculations for alimony upset Pete. However, both Lacey and Ethan are on Ali’s side. They finish the negotiations, and Lacey prepares their formal divorce agreement.