This Summer Will be Different

Lucy and Felix sit side-by-side at the Clarks’ Thanksgiving dinner. Lucy is acutely aware of every time their hands and knees brush. When she goes to bed, Lucy feels “like an everlasting sparkler […] no end to the burning” (140). She decides that there is no harm in sleeping with Felix one more time. Lucy sneaks down to Felix’s room, where the two of them have sex. Afterward, Felix plays with Lucy’s hair tenderly. Sensing a change in his demeanor, Lucy reminds him not to fall in love with her, and he agrees.

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.