It Happened One Summer

Piper confides to Hannah that she’s been intimate with Brendan. She looks back at her Instagram feed to remind her of her life in LA and realizes she’s come far from that girl. She tells Hannah she’s not cut out for Westport. She’s not strong like a fisherman’s wife; she couldn’t bear to lose someone as Opal and their mom lost Henry.

Piper thinks that “she needed to feel like herself. Needed a reminder of her old life” (235). She and Opal dress up and go out. The women of Westport welcome Piper and ask her for makeup tips and advice about men. Piper agrees to host a Labor Day party and suggests they dance.

Brendan watches Piper dance and “weave her magic over everyone in her vicinity” (241). He realizes he loves her and worries about whether he will be able to keep her interested in him. Brendan takes Piper back to his house. When he tells her there is nobody like her, he is astonished that she doesn’t believe him. She feels people’s interest in her can only be momentary. Since she’s drunk, Brendan decides they will talk this out tomorrow. He kisses her goodnight and falls asleep holding her.