It Happened One Summer

“You are twenty-eight years old, Piper, and you have done nothing with your life. Nothing. You’ve been afforded every opportunity, given anything your little heart could ask for, and all you have to show for it is a…a digital existence. It means nothing.”

Daniel’s lecture after Piper is caught breaking into the Mondrian Hotel compounds Piper’s concern that she has no value. This speech sets up the novel’s theme of appearance versus reality, suggesting that Piper’s image is not real and has no substance. Showing Daniel that she can accomplish something is part of Piper’s motivation for restoring her father’s bar.

“Their job is dangerous and they don’t care how much it scares you, they go back to the sea every time. They’ll always choose it over a woman. And they’d rather die doing what they love than be safe at home.”

Piper’s mother, Maureen, warns her about the men of Westport with an assessment that reflects her experience with Henry, Piper’s father, giving Piper insight into her past. This warning foreshadows Piper’s meeting and falling in love with Brendan. Maureen’s statement sets up the ocean as a symbolic rival, capable of providing thrills a lover cannot.

“Westport was quaint and eclectic, located right on the cusp of the Pacific Ocean. A surfing destination. A cute village. She’d imagined an ocean view in a rustic but livable apartment, with lots of photo ops of her roughing it, with the hashtag #PNWBarbie.”

This description of Westport sets it apart from Los Angeles, making the two settings contrasts and foils to one another. Piper’s optimism shows through, but also her dependence on controlling her image on social media. She still identifies with her digital existence, with the power of appearances, and is content to compare herself to a Barbie doll.

“What is it like having such an accurate sense of where things belong? And who belongs where? [...] I can be in a room full of people that I know and still not feel like I belong.”

Piper’s confession to Brendan at their first meeting touches on an early point of contention in the enemies-to-lovers arc, when Brendan insists Piper doesn’t belong in Westport. This statement shows Piper’s vulnerability and creates the first opening for him to begin to see beneath appearances and fall in love with her. The confession also reveals how Piper is struggling with her identity and where she belongs, a current throughout the novel.

“Remembering the importance of each member of my crew and the people waiting on shore for them is my job. That makes this town my job. You wouldn’t understand the character it takes to make this place run. The persistence.”

Brendan’s lecture to Piper about the character of Westport sets up the contrast between what Westport citizens are like and how he perceives Piper. His statement of responsibility demonstrates Brendan’s understanding of the town, his dedication to those values, and the sense of protectiveness that he shows to those he cares about.

“You’re probably so used to it by now, you don’t stop to think of how…all these strangers and their responses to your posts are determining your enjoyment. Like, are you even experiencing the harbor right now, or are you trying to come up with a caption?”

Hannah’s comment when Piper asks her to take a picture of Piper posing at the harbor speaks to the theme of Appearances Versus Reality when she questions whether Piper is really participating in her own life. This statement influences Piper’s quest for self-discovery as she begins to set her social media aside and instead develop real relationships.

“Piper could admit a certain satisfaction that came along with making her own progress. Being part of a before and after that didn’t involve makeup or working with a personal trainer.”

Piper’s work on the bar is a reflection of her willingness to make a real effort to change and try to fix her life. She is working on something outside of herself and beginning to demonstrate the character and perseverance that Brendan identified as important aspects of Westport women.

“He was a set-in-his-ways fisherman. She was a rich, adventurous socialite. He couldn’t even order something new at a restaurant, and she dined with celebrities. Dated them.”

Brendan’s realization that Piper is famous makes him aware of how vastly different their lifestyles are. Her celebrity provides the obstacle that makes him initially decide not to pursue her. This is a key point in the romance structure and creates internal conflict that will need to be resolved.

“Piper didn’t want a sentimental attachment to Westport. It scared her to have this whole new aspect of her world, her existence opened up. What was she supposed to do with it?”

Piper’s reaction to meeting Opal and discovering she has a grandmother is complicated and shows that she is capable of more than shallow feelings. On one hand, she is curious about Henry and wants to learn more about him, especially since she feels guilty that she doesn’t have many memories of him. On the other hand, she realizes that developing ties to Westport will be a draw to Westport, and Westport is the opposite of LA.

“You keep witnessing these huge fails of mine, but I can’t hide behind a drink and flirty smile here. It’s just me.”

Part of the development of the love relationship between Piper and Brendan depends on both characters coming to discover who the other is. Piper realizes that things with Brendan have already progressed beyond her usual pattern because she isn’t able to maintain her flirtatious façade with him. He is seeing the real her, flaws and all.

“She’d thought nothing could make her feel sexier than a pair of Louboutins, but this man building her something by hand not only turned her on, it made her feel coveted. Wanted. In a way that wasn’t superficial, but durable.”

Their emotional connection develops when Piper and Brendan stop being enemies. When Brendan finally puts away his wedding ring, he is free to pursue his interest in Piper. She is flattered by the attention and realizes this relationship isn’t like other times she’s dated. Brendan signals that his interest in her goes well beyond her looks. At the same time, Piper is learning to place more value on things that have substance and durability.

“Men had bought her jewelry, taken her to nice restaurants—one eager beaver had even bought her a Rolls for her twenty-second birthday. [...] But none of those gifts had ever made her feel as special as this homemade meal.”

Part of Piper’s discovery of her worth happens when she sees herself through Brendan’s eyes and is cherished by him. On their very first date, where she has this realization, Piper realizes she is also becoming attached to him. She likes how he makes her feel, and that deepens their bond. She is learning that grand gestures don’t have to be expensive.

“I’m here. At this table. In Westport. [...] Trying to figure out what to do when no one is watching.”

In a conversation on their first date, Piper describes to Brendan where she is in her journey of self-discovery. Away from having to perform for admiring crowds in LA and in Westport, where she has put aside her digital existence to focus on a real one, Piper is trying to discover what she values and cares about. She feels present in her life in Westport—present with Brendan—in a way she didn’t in LA.

“Her daily life in Westport was fulfilling in a way she never expected, but she was still an outsider here. In LA, her fit was seamless, at least outwardly. She was good at being Piper Bellinger, socialite.”

The emotion Piper experiences when she thinks Brendan is hurt, and in their second sexual encounter at the hospital, leaves her wondering where she stands in terms of her journey of self-discovery. She is still attached to her old identity and doesn’t see herself as a Westport woman—the kind of woman a man would continue to wear his wedding ring for seven years after her death.

“He could put every ounce of his effort into keeping Piper, and she still might leave. Could dance off into the sunset at a moment’s notice and go back to her extravagant life, leaving him reeling.”

Brendan’s fears about whether he will be able to attract Piper stem, again, from his perception of the vast divide between LA and Westport, his life and hers. He likes a challenge but he is aware he can put in the hard work and not win the reward. He doesn’t want to lose her and his feelings make him vulnerable, another aspect that allows the love relationship to grow.

“I’m not, um…built for this whole worrying business, Brendan. Keeping the home fires burning. Wrapping a cardigan around my shoulders and pacing the docks, clutching a locket or something.”

Piper is still trying to define herself in terms of LA versus Westport, and as before, she does not see herself as the kind of woman who fits in Westport. She thinks a Westport woman needs to be tough like Desiree, Brendan’s wife, and doesn’t yet realize she can simply be herself.

“‘Brendan, I will always love shopping and fancy hotels. Like, love them. But I don’t need them. I don’t need you to do’—she encompassed the lobby with a sweeping gesture—‘all of this in order to make me happy.’”

In Seattle with Brendan, Piper reaches a milestone in her journey of self-discovery when she realizes she doesn’t have to feel guilty for liking nice things. But she also realizes that a luxurious lifestyle isn’t necessary to be happy. She has developed to the point where she would rather have fulfilling relationships, valuing substance over appearances.

“She was participating in her own life. Not just posing and pretending. The world was so much bigger than her, and she was really seeing it now. She was really looking.”

Hand-in-hand with the growth of her love relationship with Brendan, Piper has learned to look outside of herself. She has moved almost entirely away from her dependence on social media or her wish to curate an attractive image for others. She feels comfortable simply being herself, and that security is reflected in her contentment with and appreciation for the world around her.

“Was there a nagging part of Piper that wanted to fall back into this lifestyle she was guaranteed to be good at? Yes, she’d be lying if she said there wasn’t. It would be second nature to strut into a dark club to the perfect song and be applauded for accomplishing absolutely nothing but being pretty and rich and photogenic.”

The romance genre demands that there are bumps the romantic leads need to work out. Piper’s is that she hasn’t yet firmly decided where she belongs. She is tempted by Kirby’s offer to welcome her back to LA with a big party. That life seems easy and effortless to her now, whereas having rich relationships takes effort and holds the possibility of hurt.

“I want you. However you are, whatever you are, I want you. And I’ll fight to get inside that head as many times as it takes.”

Brendan senses that Piper is wavering and declares his commitment to the relationship. He emphasizes that he cares for her as a person, who she is deep down. This shows that Piper is at last engaged in a real, genuine love relationship, and demonstrates Brendan’s nurturance and care that he wants to connect with her on all levels, not just sex. He is not willing for their relationship to be superficial.

“In that moment, something clicked into place inside of Piper. Something that hadn’t even existed before she landed in this northwest corner of the map. It was the welcome home Henry Cross had deserved but never got. It was a proper burial, an apology for deserting him, and it soothed the jagged edges that had appeared on her heart the more she’d learned about her father.”

When Piper paints the bar sign with the name Cross and Daughters and puts up the sign, she signals to all of Westport that she has completed her journey of self-discovery and arrived at who—and where—she wants to be. She has connected with her father and honored his legacy by restoring the bar, and by adding her name to the sign, she signals that she feels that she belongs in Westport and she wants to stay. She is putting down roots.

“She’d just wanted to show him it hadn’t been for nothing. That she could create something worthwhile if given the opportunity.”

Piper’s disappointment that Daniel won’t be coming to the Labor Day party makes her question if refurbishing No Name has value. She seeks Daniel’s approval as her father figure since she has already tried to make peace with Henry. She wants to show she has learned to value important things, but Daniel isn’t available to see or validate her. Also, his lack of appearance means LA and Westport remain separate, perhaps incompatible, and Piper isn’t sure how she is supposed to reconcile those two parts of herself.

“Those visits [with Abe and Opal] made her feel a million times better than the momentary bursts of internet stardom. Because it was just her, living in real moments, not fabricating them for the entertainment of others.”

In keeping with her journey of self-discovery and seeing beyond appearances, Piper can see with clarity, once she’s back in LA, how little her celebrity or her digital existence means to her now. She is more invested in the friendships and relationships she’s cultivated, with Brendan most of all. She no longer sees her life as a performance but as an experience that she is in charge of.