Page 87 of Plotting Summer

“So you do know her?” Sandra asks.

Panic rises in my chest, but Tala’s hand settles on top of mine, offering me the strength I need. “I am her.” I clear the emotion from my throat. “I’m Sunny Palmer.”

A collective gasp moves through the room, and I can feel tears pricking my eyes. No! No floodgate crying. I absolutely have to hold myself together.

“You’re Sunny Palmer?” Holland's brows are raised high and her lips are parted at first, but then she smiles. “Like, for real?”

I nod. “I wrote Secret Crush years ago, when I was young and naive, and I never thought there was a chance anyone would read it. Let alone all of you.”

“But why write under a pen name?” Holland's tone is more curious than condemning. “At least at this point in your career.”

My gaze drops to the floor. “Because of my pen name and⁠—”

“Sunny Palmer,” Hollands says, interrupting my confession. She sends an uncertain glance toward Joy. “As in Tristan Palmer?”

I give a sheepish nod. “I had a bit of a crush on him.”

“It sounds like more than a bit,” Virginia says under her breath.

I take a deep breath, ready to have this over with. “My first story is also based off a fictionalized version of real life. And real people. And I didn’t want anyone to discover the truth.” I finally force my gaze upward again. “About any of it.”

“Wait.” Cat looks completely dumbfounded. “Cali and Trenton are … you and Tristan?” I give another slow nod, and Cat’s widened eyes shift to Bridget, but she doesn’t ask her next question.

I follow her gaze to Bridget. “I don’t even know what to say besides how sorry I am.” My voice trembles. “I regret how I handled so many things. Most especially using your name.”

She pulls in a quick breath, and with the way her nostrils flare, it’s obvious how upset she is. And I don’t blame her at all. What I did was beyond foolish. It was reckless. “Does Tristan know? Or have you lied to him too?”

“He knows.”

Her eyes narrow as if she’s trying to determine if I’m being honest or not. Which makes sense. “Considering your track record, I’m not sure how valid your word is.”

“He knows,” Joy says, sending me a reassuring look.

Bridget glances between the two of us, her lips pursed. “And has he thought about the fact that you're hoping to get another best-selling book by coming back to Sunset Harbor?”

Her comment hits like a fist to my stomach. The idea of anyone thinking that’s why I’m here—or that’s why I’m with Tristan—makes my insides twist into knots. “I wouldn’t do that,” I say, tears blurring my vision.

“You wouldn’t?” she asks, lifting an eyebrow. “Forgive me for not believing you. You’ve obviously used him once. What’s stopping you from doing it a second time?”

“She’s not using me.” Tristan’s voice comes from behind, and my head whips to where he’s standing. His gaze is fixed on me. I have no idea why he's here, but the sight of him is like stumbling on an oasis in the middle of a sweltering desert. “The first three times I ran into her, she was desperate to get away from me. I actually had to sit outside the mainland store for over twenty minutes waiting just so I could talk to her when she came out. My plan had been to ask her out, but it didn’t take long to realize she wasn’t going to agree to that, so I was forced to use the guise of friendship to convince her to hang out with me.”

My heart swells briefly at his admission before Bridget’s voice deflates it.

“Or maybe she’s good at acting.” Bridget’s glare is so intense when it shifts to me that I want to look away, but I don’t. “She’s done it for long enough.”

Jane shakes her head. “The whole reason she left Sunset Harbor in the first place is because she hated hiding the truth, but she didn’t know how to tell everyone.”

“It’s true,” Tala says. “We only managed to get her home by forcing her to come get some boxes that we were storing. I didn’t tell her that Tristan had moved back in next door or she never would have come.”

“And, to keep her here, I stole her keys,” Grandma says proudly.

Virginia smirks and raises a hand. “I gave Deedee the idea.”

Tristan moves behind my chair, resting his hands on the back of it, and he glances down at me with a smile. “I’m happy to say we all eventually won her over to our cause.”

Bridget sits a moment in silence, her gaze distant, then she stands up. “Well, this has been a blast, but I’m gonna head home.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Cat stands, following Bridget as she makes her way across the inside of the circle we’ve formed.