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Summary
Chapter Thirty-Three
Belly visits Jeremiah at the local country club, where he works as a lifeguard at the swimming pool. He looks so professional at work that she becomes impressed and even a bit intimidated. He introduces her to his co-lifeguard, a girl in a bikini named Yolie. The girl informs Belly that she has heard a lot about her from Jeremiah, which takes Belly by surprise.
Belly takes a seat on a lounge chair by the pool, and Jeremiah joins her a little later. He teases her about Cam being a “straight edge” because her boyfriend does not drink, do drugs, or get into trouble like most of the other teens at Cousins Beach. Belly replies this is what she likes about him: he’s different. Jeremiah surmises that Belly means Cam is different from Conrad. He asks if she’s over her crush on his brother, and Belly insists that she is. “We’ll see,” Jeremiah replies before walking away.
Chapter Thirty-Four
One afternoon, Belly is sitting with her mother and Susannah at the summer house. She informs them that she plans to play miniature golf with Cam that evening. For Belly, this is a big step because she hasn’t been to the course, called “Putt Putt” since she was thirteen. That summer a few years ago, she got her period for the first time while playing mini golf. She was wearing white shorts at the time and remembers how mortified she felt that her brother Steven noticed. Belly feels that going back to the course, several years later with Cam, will be like reclaiming Putt Putt for her younger self. Laurel and Susannah both wish that Belly wasn’t spending so much time with Cam. They miss having her with them at the house. Belly promises to come home early from her date to watch a movie with them.
As Belly listens to music on headphones, Susannah and Laurel have a private conversation, not realizing that she can overhear. The two women discuss how they’ve been hiding something from their kids. Susannah thinks that Conrad suspects something and worries that he will struggle once he learns the truth. Laurel urges Susannah to tell her sons what is happening, but her friend would prefer to wait until the end of the summer. Belly assumes they are discussing the Fishers’ plans to divorce, which the boys already know about.
Chapter Thirty-Five
That evening, Cam takes Belly out for a game of miniature golf. They end up staying later at the course than Belly had planned. However, after they drive back to the summer house, she lingers in the car even though she’s already late. Cam asks if he can kiss her. She tells him that he should just kiss without asking first, so he does. Belly enjoys the moment but wishes that Conrad had seen them together. She tells herself it’s not because she still has feelings for him, but because she wants Conrad to understand that her crush is truly over. She wants him to see it with his own two eyes.
Analysis
Cam serves as a contrasting character for Conrad, but Jeremiah fulfills this function as well. The two Fisher brothers demonstrate contrasting characteristics and behavior. Jeremiah is warmer and nicer than his older sibling, who is cold and aloof. Jeremiah and Conrad both display some jealousy about Belly’s relationship with Cam, which is why they tease him and call him “Cam Cameron.” However, Conrad makes biting remarks when he talks to Belly about her boyfriend. On the other hand, Jeremiah shows genuine concern and consideration for her and her relationship. He sincerely asks Belly if she has feelings for Cam when she visits Jeremiah at the country club. In general, he treats her with greater sensitivity than Conrad does. Their contrasting behavior shows that the brothers are different characters with different connections to Belly.
Susannah believes that having one perfect summer with her children and the Conklins can help ease the family into the difficult days ahead. As a result, both she and Laurel wish that they could interact more with the teens and that their time together was less fraught. The two women lament the fact that Belly has been busy with Cam and is rarely at home. They’re also concerned about Conrad’s recent behavior, in particular his mood swings. The idea of having a “perfect summer” seems intended to make up for a secret that Susannah and Laurel have been keeping from the kids. Belly believes this secret is the Fishers’ upcoming divorce, which all three teens know about already. However, Susannah’s recent weakness and lack of energy suggest that something deeper could be happening. The two families seem on the verge of a crisis that even a perfect summer will not be able to fix.
Belly has fanciful notions about romance. She wants the boy that she dates to sweep her off her feet and to display passion and fire. After the miniature golf date with Cam, he politely asks if he can kiss her. She agrees to the kiss but wishes he had done it without asking first. For her, asking makes the moment awkward. She tells him to just kiss her the next time without asking. Cam turns red in the face for a moment but then interrupts Belly in the middle of a sentence to plant a kiss on her lips. Even after Cam takes her by surprise and kisses her suddenly, Belly’s thoughts quickly turn to Conrad because she thinks he’s more likely to display the kind of passion she wants. Even though Belly tries to convince herself she is over Conrad, kissing Cam proves to her even more that Conrad is more likely to check all the boxes for Belly’s ideal boyfriend.
