Every Summer After

Sam takes up running, and, the summer that he and Percy are 15, he wants to train Percy too. He charts out a program, and they begin running together in the mornings. Percy is not a natural runner and doesn’t enjoy it much; she ends every session by jumping into the lake. Two weeks in, Charlie encounters Percy and Sam in the Floreks’ kitchen after a run. Charlie berates Sam for forcing Percy into an activity she doesn’t enjoy. Charlie suggests that she try long-distance swimming instead, and Percy likes this idea. However, Sam dismisses Charlie’s offer to train Percy and says that he will train her himself.

Percy enjoys training in the lake much more. Sam insists that she needs a goal, and they decide she will swim to the other side of the lake by the end of August. On the day of the final swim, Sam is nervous, but Percy reassures him that she will be fine: Sam will be rowing alongside her throughout, with an extra life preserver. Despite struggling toward the end, Percy makes it across without stopping, and Sam is both relieved and amazed. Percy’s parents, Sue, and Charlie are all present for the swim and proudly congratulate her.

Post-Thanksgiving, Delilah sets Percy up on a double date with her cousin Buckley Mason, whom everyone just calls Mason. Delilah is seeing Mason’s best friend, Patel. When Sam comes over for New Year’s Eve, he asks Percy how the date went. Percy confides that she’s not sure what to think, as despite going on two dates, she doesn’t think Mason wants to be her boyfriend. However, Sam thinks differently and rejects Percy’s assertion that boys aren’t interested in her romantically.

Percy and Delilah are invited to Mason’s 18th birthday party at a swanky hotel. Mason gifts Percy a silver bracelet and asks if she will be his girlfriend. Percy is unsure what to say. When Mason kisses her, she imagines that she is kissing Sam. Percy emails Sam about Mason and asks him what to do. Sam questions her feelings for Mason, and when Percy reveals that she likes someone else more, Sam replies that she has her answer.

Percy admires the Floreks’ house from the outside, amazed at how well cared for it is. She and Sam discuss its upkeep, which Sam has taken responsibility for; Charlie offered to help, but he has been busy with work. Charlie works in finance on Bay Street and lives in Toronto, though he is currently at the Tavern helping Julien Chen in the restaurant. Julien has been the chef there for years.

As they walk toward the house, Sam tells Percy that a family of four has moved into Percy’s old cottage next door; the children are eight and ten. Looking at the cottage makes Percy teary and emotional, and she admits to Sam that she longs for the past. Sam asks her if she can still swim across the lake like she used to, and she takes up the challenge. Sam promises her a present if she succeeds. Percy jumps in and begins swimming. However, less than halfway across, she gets a cramp and is forced to stop. A panicked Sam, who has been following in the boat, pulls her in and massages her leg to help relax the muscle. The sexual tension between the two begins to rise, as Sam states that Percy is still the most beautiful woman he has ever known. Percy remembers Taylor and tells Sam that what they are doing is a bad idea. She suggests that they swim back to cool off.

Percy waits on the dock as Sam heads into the cottage to change. She daydreams about an idea for a story—something she hasn’t done in a long time. When she tells Sam this, admitting she hasn’t written in years, he reveals that he still has her autographed copy of “Young Blood.” Percy asks if Sue hated her for cutting contact; Sam assures Percy she didn’t, though she was concerned and a little hurt, as Percy had been like family. Sam also reassures Percy that he doesn’t hate her either. The moment passes; Sam suggests they head back toward the raft and playfully tosses Percy into the lake.

Percy takes a summer job at the Tavern when she turns 16. Her parents are concerned that she wants to spend all her time with Sam; they ask her not to get too attached so young. Percy dismisses their concerns and insists that Sam is her best friend, who will always be a part of her life. She argues that working will help her learn responsibility. She does not tell them about her seemingly unrequited crush on him. At the Tavern, Percy enjoys being a part of the team, alongside Julien, Charlie, and Sam; the best part is that Sue puts her and Sam on the same work schedule.

One evening, Sam and Percy take the Banana Boat to get ice cream in town, and they discuss Mason. Percy insists that he is not officially her boyfriend, despite the fact that she kisses him. Sam reveals that he has also kissed someone.

Percy’s parents leave Percy home alone in the cottage for the first time, as they are attending a party for the civic holiday. After a hot shift at the restaurant on Saturday evening, Charlie, Sam, and Percy go skinny-dipping in the lake. Percy asks Sam to wake her up the next morning so she can complete another swim across the lake.

Sam comes over the next day. As Percy is getting ready, Mason calls the cottage to wish her luck for her swim. Percy admits to Sam that if Mason didn’t call every week, like he has been doing, she would have forgotten his existence. Sam is surprised at this, but Percy reminds him that she likes someone else more. However, she says that she isn’t sure this person knows that she likes him, as he can be hard to read.

Percy finds the swim across the lake far easier this time and finishes seven minutes faster than the last. Sam has to work that evening, so Percy watches The Blair Witch Project by herself. The movie terrifies her and, alone in the cottage with a storm raging outside, she gives up trying to distract herself and calls the Floreks to ask if she can stay over.

Sue is already asleep, so Sam comes to get her. Too scared to sleep alone, she asks if she can sleep in Sam’s room, saying that she doesn’t mind sharing the bed. Sam nervously agrees. Lying next to each other, Sam brings up the girl he kissed, Maeve, but insists it wasn’t a big deal. She is also not the first girl he has kissed, and he has done more than just kiss with other girls, which makes Percy jealous. Sam counters that she “makes out” with Mason, and Percy confesses that she’d rather be doing so with someone else. On his insistence, Percy admits the “someone else” is Sam, and he kisses her.

Percy wakes up the next morning with Sam’s arm wrapped around her and Sue knocking at the door. When they head down to breakfast, Sue is surprised to see Percy, especially as Sam admits that she slept in his bed. Sue sits them down and gives them a talk about taking things slow and respecting boundaries. She thinks that they are both smart and kind people and trusts them both, but she asserts that the next time Percy sleeps over, Sam will be on the couch.

Sam and Percy continue hanging out over the summer, but they don’t address the kiss. Percy’s phone calls from Mason continue, but she decides to break things off with him face-to-face once she is back home. A week before she has to leave, Sam takes Percy out on a hike and finally brings up the kiss. He admits that it was the best night of his life, but he also says that they shouldn’t rush things. Percy is his best friend, and he doesn’t want to ruin that. He is also inexperienced with relationships and doesn’t want either of them to feel pressured into something that might distract from their academic pursuits and dreams—especially going into their final years of high school. Percy is upset that Sam wants things to go back to the way they were, but Sam promises her that he doesn’t want another girlfriend, which makes her feel better.