Summer Romance

Ali and her mom, Nancy, whom her children called Fancy, used to celebrate the start of summer by watching the sunrise on the beach outside Beechwood Inn. Fancy would ask what Ali wanted from the summer, and Ali would list all her dreams. Ali has since continued the tradition with her kids. Instead of sitting on the beach, they take paddleboards out on the water. Beechwood is north of Manhattan and has miles of coastline on the Long Island Sound. They rent the boats from Linda Bronstein, row out, and tell each other about their dreams for the summer. Ali says she wants things to feel lighter.

Ali helps Frannie at the diner every Monday morning. She sits in the back office organizing deposits and bills. The works reminds Ali of when she was an accountant in Manhattan and gives her pleasure. She likes helping Frannie, too, because she and her husband, Marco, run the diner and have a baby, Theo.

After finishing the bookkeeping, Ali has breakfast at the diner and chats with Frannie about the divorce. Ali and Pete are using a mediator, but Frannie says if Ali needs a lawyer, Frannie’s little brother, Scooter, practices law. Frannie’s parents arrive, back from their Florida trip. They invite Ali and her kids over for a fun Friday night dinner, since their son, Scooter, is coming into town for a visit.

Ali makes a to-do list for herself while her kids are at camp. She has some coffee and remembers when Pete still lived at the house. She always made his coffee with cinnamon even though she didn’t like it. She remembers the first time she realized she could make her coffee the way she liked it. Sipping her coffee now, she removes her wedding band and places it on top of the cinnamon in the spice drawer. She then changes out of her sweatpants and into a T-shirt and overalls. She feels proud of herself and knows her kids have been looking “for clues about how [she’s] doing” since Pete left.

Afterward, she takes her dog, Ferris, to the dog park. She usually avoids the park because she doesn’t like running into people she knows, having grown up in Beechwood. However, today she feels confident, having removed her ring and donned real clothes. In the park, Ali watches in horror as Ferris urinates on an attractive man’s feet. The man jokes with her but isn’t upset. He introduces himself as Ethan, and Ali realizes that he might be flirting with her. When she says goodbye, she decides she’ll return to the park tomorrow.

Ali makes breakfast for her elderly neighbor, Phyllis, who lives in the twin house next door. Ali always admired Phyllis’s house and was thrilled when the matching home next door went on the market 10 years ago when she and Pete moved from Manhattan back to Beechwood. She has been helping Phyllis ever since. Today, they chat about spring, flowers, and Wuthering Heights while Phyllis has her eggs.

Later, Ali talks to Fancy about Ethan on her drive to the rec center to collect her kids.

Ali continues dressing in real clothes and visiting the dog park. However, she doesn’t see Ethan and feels silly. In her head, Ali hears Fancy telling her there’s no reason not to try. Back at home after walking Ferris, she realizes that Cliffy forgot his lunch and returns to the rec center to drop it off. While waiting for Cliffy, she watches the kids at the adjacent skate park. Then she realizes Ethan is there skating too. He approaches her at the fence and asks her on a date that night.

Frannie agrees to watch Ali’s kids so that she can go on her date. She and Ethan meet at the skate park, and he drives them to a surprise destination. After arriving at the marina, they take a boat to Connecticut to see Ethan’s friend play minor league baseball. They chat on the ride. Ethan is a lawyer and lives in Devon, Massachusetts. He’s in town visiting his family. He has never been married because he was told he’s unreliable. Ali tells him about her business and kids. On the way back, Ethan and Ali float on the water and continue chatting. His face changes when she asks where he grew up and mentions Frannie. He alludes to complicated dynamics with his family but doesn’t elaborate. Back at their cars, Ali expects Ethan to kiss her, but he doesn’t.

Ali and her kids go to Frannie’s parents’ house for dinner. As Ali starts telling Frannie about her date, Ethan appears on the patio. She realizes in horror that Ethan is Frannie’s younger brother, Scooter. She tries to confront him about why he lied, without making a scene. Ethan admits he wanted to tell her the truth but didn’t know how. He goes off to play with her kids and his dog, Brenda. Meanwhile, Ali asks Frannie questions about Ethan, learning that he recently went through a bad breakup because the woman thought he was immature. Shortly thereafter, Frannie realizes that Ethan was Ali’s date.

Over dinner, Frannie and Ethan’s parents announce that they’re buying a house in Florida and leaving Beechwood. They’re putting their beach attendant, Harold Webster, in charge of the inn and giving the house to Ethan. Ethan protests, but his parents insist it’s the best plan. Frannie is visibly upset too.

Frannie texts Ali about Ethan. Ali doesn’t want to upset her but feels confused because she genuinely liked spending time with him.

Ethan shows up at Ali’s house and invites her on a walk. They drive to the tip of Beechwood Point and sneak through a crack between two beachfront properties. Ali feels guilty about trespassing but admits the view is beautiful. While their dogs play, Ethan and Ali chat. Ethan apologizes for everything. He admits that he has been interested in Ali since high school and didn’t want to ruin their connection last night. He also asks more about Ali’s life. She explains that she left Manhattan when she got pregnant with Greer unexpectedly and decided to marry Pete. She wanted to be closer to Fancy too. They continue chatting about their lives, eventually making amends. Then Ethan reveals that he’ll be in town all summer because he now has to deal with his parents’ home.

Ethan drives Ali home. They exchange numbers, and Ali promises to call him when she has a free moment. After he leaves, Pete returns with the kids after soccer practice. Once he’s gone, Ali notices that her children seem upset. She suggests picnicking on the beach to distract them.