51 pages • 1 hour read
Tessa BaileyIt Happened One Summer
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 19-22Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary
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.
Chapter 20 Summary
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.
Chapter 21 Summary
Piper joins Brendan in his kitchen for coffee and realizes that he has stripped away all her defenses. She thinks, “No more smoke screens or hiding or flirting her way to safety with this man” (253). He takes Piper for a cruise on the Della Ray and lets her steer. Then he gives her a tour of the boat, showing her the equipment and the crew cabin. He tells her more about his relationship with his wife. He gets Piper to agree to be his girlfriend. But she wonders who she will be if she stays in Westport.
Brendan’s determination to get past her defenses increases Piper’s desire for him, and she realizes “her heart was involved. Heavily” (266). She playfully lets him take pictures of her as she undresses. They have sex on his bunk, and Piper introduces an anal element into their intercourse. The intensity of their sexual pleasure is heightened by their new boyfriend-girlfriend status, and Piper enjoys the emotional connection as well. Brendan is a warm, dedicated, capable man whom she can respect. But she still hasn’t decided about returning to LA.
Chapter 22 Summary
As he takes Piper home, Brendan hopes that their new connection means she will want to stay in Westport. He’s completely enthralled with her: “He wanted to spend decade upon decade deciphering all the little components that made her up” (273). But he is also worried whether Piper will feel like she is sacrificing to stay in Westport. Brendan visits Fox to have a beer and ask about what he can offer Piper. Fox freely offers sexual advice, but Brendan wants to make Piper happy. He decides to show her he can give her the luxurious, expensive things she likes. Brendan suggests that he, Piper, Hannah, and Fox travel to Seattle for the weekend.
Chapters 19-22 Analysis
In this portion of the novel, Brendan continues his pursuit of Piper, trying to woo her past her reservations. His refusal to have sex with her while she is drunk, instead choosing to hold her while she sleeps, shows his tenderness and confirms that he wants to take care of her. When Brendan invites Piper for a cruise on the Della Ray—and lets her steer—he is not only letting her into his life but also showing her that he is willing to let her set the direction. He wants her to see that the ocean, his element, his world, is beautiful and that the dangers can be dealt with to a certain extent. He wants her to feel safer about being with him and he shows her, without saying the words, that he wants to share his life with her.
Piper again demonstrates that it is easy for her to expose her body; she readily flirts with Brendan and suggests letting him take nude photos of her that he can take on his fishing trips. She is more guarded with her heart. She agrees to the cruise, showing that she is ready to venture into his life to some extent, and giving him pictures of her, and having sex with him in his bunk, are ways to imprint herself on this part of his life. She wants to connect with him, but she can’t reconcile what that will mean for her life in Los Angeles.
Fox’s emphasis on superficial interactions and pleasure highlight Brendan’s fear that these are the attractions that life in LA holds for Piper. As before, he is worried that a fisherman is out of her league. So, he hopes to compete by taking her to the city and spending money on her. In a way, he is trying to duplicate what he’s seen on her Instagram feed, thinking that is the life Piper wants and enjoys.
Piper’s night out with Opal shows how her relationship with her grandmother is developing. Opal offered Piper something important in helping her understand Henry; now, Piper wants to offer her grandmother the joy she’s been missing out on, living alone in her apartment. She’s also comparing her life in Westport with her life in LA and hopes that she will reach a better understanding of herself and her direction. She also wants, simply, to have fun.
The interactions at the bar show that Westport is willing to welcome Piper, as several women ask Piper for advice on how to be glamorous and attractive. Piper’s willingness to share shows the giving aspect of her personality and her gift for making friends. She can have fun in Westport. She experiences a moment of questioning, however, after she agrees to throw a Labor Day party. It’s another commitment to Westport, and beyond just restoring the bar, hosting a party will make her part of Westport.
Her realization that her heart is involved with Brendan and their new committed status put Piper further into unchartered territory. She enjoys Brendan’s strong sexual interest in her and appreciates his awareness of her thoughts and feelings, especially in how he tries to address her fears about his job by showing her the solidness of his boat. She is willing to enter this space with him, literally and metaphorically, but she isn’t sure how far she’s willing to go. A rogue wave pulled Henry overboard and drowned him; Piper doesn’t want to drown in the same way.
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By Tessa Bailey
