Summer Ever After: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

Chapter 5

Eighth Grade

Dear Diary,

I swear to be best friends forever with Capri Collins and to follow our BFF Code of Conduct to make sure we stay friends forever.

Code of Conduct:

Never reveal each other’s secrets. Be a vault.

Tell each other everything.

Be each other’s biggest cheerleaders.

Never like the same boy (which means I can never like Tristan Palmer because Capri swears she’s going to love him forever).

Always share answers to homework with each other.

Don’t use each other for our families.

Capri swears to never use me to get close to my famous parents, and I swear never to use her to get close to her popular older brother. Along with that, I promise to never date or kiss Walker Collins like every other girl in the school has or most likely will—we’ve heard the rumors. I’m team Capri all the way.

Don’t fight over stupid girl drama like jealousy or clothes, etc.

Never move away from Sunset Harbor.

Be the maid of honor at each of our weddings.

This is a binding document, sealed by our blood. And our signatures.

Jane Hayes

Capri Collins

“Welcome to Sunset Harbor. Population 1,900.”Actually, our population is going to 1,902 in a couple of weeks when Cara Barnes has her twins, but there’s no need to be that specific on the city website. I shake my head and keep typing. “Our small island off the west coast of central Florida boasts white sand beaches, a tranquil lifestyle, a friendly atmosphere, and warm, sunny weather.”

I smile to myself as I think about how our island is like a little piece of heaven on earth.

“Sunset Harbor is the perfect place for a vacation when you’re looking to get away and relax.” I speak the words out loud as I type, bobbing my head back and forth as I go. “The island is small enough—four miles top to bottom and half a mile wide with a beach side and a bay side. It’s only accessible by ferry or boat and doesn’t allow cars for transportation. Most people opt to explore the island by bike or golf cart.”

I reread what I just wrote, making a few adjustments. I’m about to type my next paragraph when my cell phone rings.

It’s Capri.

“I was wondering when you’d call,” I say, putting her on speaker.

“I just spoke with Tala and am completely obsessed with the Summer of Jane Hayes.”

“Eh, you shouldn’t be.” I sit back in my chair, abandoning the info page on the Sunset Harbor website. “The plan sucks.”

“Why? She said you went on a date last night with Beau Palmer.”

“A ‘date’ isn’t how I would describe it.”

“What happened?”

“I didn’t fall in love last night.”

I mean, I could’ve when Walker brushed the side of my cheek, but I didn’t, because he’s the wrong guy. He hijacked my date and my tropes.

I’ll just give her the highlights.

“Beau didn’t know it was a date and started talking about how I could help him with the city council. Then, when I told him it was a date, things got awkward.”

“Did you try to ease the awkwardness?”

“Oh, I tried! But it just made things worse.”

I cringe, thinking about the whole choking catastrophe. Or maybe it wasn’t a catastrophe at all. My mind flips to Walker’s arms around me, the strength of his hold, his woodsy scent. Ugh! This is all wrong. I’m supposed to be thinking about Beau’s arms around me.

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

“I promise you, it was.”

“Well, what did you do?”

I sink lower into my chair, embarrassed by what I’m about to say. “Did Tala tell you that I plan to use romance tropes to try and spark some chemistry?”

“Yes, and I love it! I’m already brainstorming the possibilities.” This is why I love Capri. She just gets me.

“No need to brainstorm. Yesterday, I made a list of tropes and of single men who live on the island.” I lean forward, shaking the computer mouse. “I’m sending them to you now.”

“Perfect. We are well underway to having you engaged by the end of summer.”

“Let’s not go that far. I’m not sure I’m doing this anymore.”

“Oh, come on. You’re not a quitter.” She pauses talking for a second. “Okay, I just pulled up your list of tropes.” She goes silent as she reads what I prepared. “Taking care of someone when they’re sick…classic.”

“Obviously,” I agree.

“I’m glad you included some of the lesser tropes like the ‘That’s my wife!’ statement because those can be just as powerful.”

I love that I don’t have to explain any of this to Capri.

“How could I forget about those? I live for moments like those. Or when the guy has a keepsake that he stole from the girl, and he smells it every night.”

“Or what about when he says, ‘Who did this to you?’”

My hand flies to my heart. “Don’t even get me started on how much I love that question.”

“I know. I feel the same way,” Capri sighs. We’re just on the same page. Have been for the last fifteen years. “I’m just glancing over the single men list. I see you’ve left off Tristan Palmer.”

“Didn’t I swear I wouldn’t date Tristan? Dating him is against the BFF Code of Conduct.”

“Yes, you did swear to that in eighth grade and even signed your name beside that oath in your diary.”

“A promise I still adhere to. As far as I’m concerned, Tristan Palmer is yours.”

“He’s hardly mine.” I can practically hear Capri roll her eyes through the speakerphone. “He doesn’t even know I exist.”

“You’ve been saying that since seventh grade.”

“Because it’s true.”

“Well, maybe if you moved back here, we could fix that, which if I remember correctly, moving away from Sunset Harbor is against the BFF Code of Conduct. So you’re in breach of contract.”

“I’m not in breach of contract. There were extenuating circumstances. You, of all people, know why I can’t move back. But this phone call isn’t about me. It’s about finding you the man of your dreams and living happily ever after.”

I laugh. “Spoken like a true romance author.”

“Shh! I’m on speaker. What if someone hears you?”

“Relax. I’m in my office with the door closed. Besides, I’m a vault, remember?”

“Yes, you’re a vault.” Capri releases a heavy breath as if she really thought I’d carelessly blow her Sunny Palmer cover like that.

Besides Tala, I’m the only other person who knows what she really does for a living. Everyone around here thinks she’s a book editor. Little do they know, she’s actually the one writing the book under a pen name.

“Okay, but you still haven’t told me what happened on your date with Beau last night.”

My head falls into my hand as if my palm can help hide my embarrassment. “I put a piece of rice in my hair, hoping Beau would take it out, but he didn’t even notice.”

“That’s not that bad. So what if one trope didn’t work? Maybe it will the next time.”

“Then, I pretended to choke,” I say dryly.

“Damsel in distress. Nice move!”

“It would’ve been a nice move if Beau was the one to save me, but he wasn’t.”

“Who was?”

“Your brother.”

“Heath?”

I can see why Capri’s mind went there. Tala’s husband, Heath, is more like a brother to her than Walker has ever been. And Heath lives on the island. But despite understanding Capri’s guess, I still roll my eyes in exasperation.

“No, not your brother-in-law. I’m talking about Walker.”

“Walker? What’s he doing in Sunset Harbor?”

“I’d like to know the same thing. He said he was here for a few weeks, staying at your mom’s house.”

“He’s in such a bad headspace right now. I know my mom’s been really worried about him. How did he seem?”

“He seemed normal to me.”

Incredibly handsome, overconfident, charming, and an endless flirt.

“After the whole choking thing, Beau got called to an emergency at Seaside Oasis, and the evening was over.”

But not before your brother pulled the rice out of my hair, making my heart stop completely.

“The entire night was a disaster. Nothing went as planned, and it was probably a good thing it ended early, because I don’t think I could have handled another embarrassing moment.”

“Jane, you don’t embarrass easily.”

“Well, something about this situation makes me embarrassed. I think it’s the pathetic desperation behind it.”

“So what are you going to do? Are you giving up on the Summer of Jane Hayes?”

“I probably should. Pretending to choke to get a guy’s attention was a new low, even for me. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I do have some self-respect.”

Capri laughs. “Okay, maybe faking choking wasn’t the best plan, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. You just need to weed out some of the tropes that cross boundaries.”

“You mean I shouldn’t fake my own kidnapping to hit the captor/captive trope?”

She laughs again while I suppress a smile.

This is humiliating on so many levels. How did I even get here? Oh, I know. I’m lonely and just want the real-deal, happily-ever-after love story.

Haven’t you ever wanted something so bad you can feel the ache even in your bones?

That’s where I’m at.

But Capri’s right. Some of the tropes on my list cross lines. I’m not about to have a Vegas marriage or an age-gap romance with somebody twenty years older than me. There are limits to my desperation.

If I reign in my tropes a little bit, maybe it will make it so I continue on.

It’s not like me to quit.

Did Michelangelo give up on the Sistine Chapel on day one? No. He painted for four years until he had a masterpiece.

I’m painting a masterpiece, and this is only day one.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me not to give up. I’ll cross off the tropes that are too far-fetched and forge ahead with the ones that could still work.”

“I’m glad. I have no doubt that you’ll be in love by the end of summer. You know what you want, and you go after it until you get it. To anyone else, your summer romance plans might be ridiculous. But for you, it’s perfect.”

“I mean, I know it’s a little ridiculous.” Okay, maybe it’s a lot ridiculous. And I’m probably setting myself up for failure with some of these tropes, but I’ll never know if I don’t try, right? “I really want the kind of love in romance books or in movies. The kind of love my parents have.”

“I know you do, Jane. That’s why I like you so much. You’re unabashedly you.”

My brows furrow. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

“It is. Now, since things didn’t work out with Beau, we need to pick someone else for you to go out with. I see a few men on your list that don’t live in Sunset Harbor, and if I know anything about you, Jane Hayes, you’re never leaving that island. You’ll die there and be buried at the beach since there’s no cemetery.”

“So?”

“So I can’t believe you’re entertaining the idea of dating someone that doesn’t live on the island. If having the kind of marriage your parents have is number one on your list of importance, being a resident of Sunset Harbor is number two. And it’s a close number two.”

“I know.” I brush my fingers through my brown hair. “I refuse to fall in love with anyone who isn’t willing to grow old with me on this island. That’s why I started with Beau. Ever since he moved back to the island, he’s been so invested in the community. He’s here for the long haul.”

“But that was a crash and burn?”

“A major crash and burn.” I glance at my sheet, zeroing in on a name. “But today is a new day.Maybe I’ll stop by Dax Miller’s mechanic shop on my lunch break.”

“Dax Miller? Whoa. You’re swinging for the fences on that one.”

It’s true. Dax and I have never really hung out. I was in the principal’s office for student council, and he was there because he was in trouble. But that was almost a decade ago. Dax is friendly around town in a please-leave-me-alone kind of way. But nobody really wants to be left alone.

“What trope do you have in mind for Dax?”

“What about the bad-boy trope? I mean, I know he’s not a typical bad boy—more like a rebel—but he’s the closest thing we have to a bad boy on the island. So maybe I’ll just show up to his shop and test the waters before I completely commit my time and energy to him.”

“Yes, the bad-boy trope! I love that idea. I’ll be anxiously waiting to hear how it goes.”

“As always, you’ll be the first person I text.”

“Okay, good. For now, I have to get back to editing my next book. The deadline is coming so fast.”

“And I should get back to working on the Sunset Harbor website.” I shake the computer mouse, waking up the computer again. “I’ll talk to you later.”

I hang up the phone, pick up my pink papers, and flip to the list of tropes, crossing out a few that are beneath me. It would’ve been amazing to have someone growl, ‘That’s my wife!’ But I’d have to be married to hit that trope, so it’s out of the question.

I also scribble over Damsel in distress and Extract something from hair.

Those tropes are ruined for me now.

I can thank Walker Collins for that.