A bitter young mother and a doctor with a sad past meet during a vacation in a Michigan beach town, and learn to love and trust again. Aunt Dody plays matchmaker when her bitter niece Sadie turns up at her vacation home on the beach in Michigan with her two sons, having decided she needs a break to deal with the revelation that her husband has been cheating on her. Dody invites her handsome neighbor, the successful and charismatic doctor Desmond, over to her house repeatedly to introduce him to Sadie, who distrusts all men.
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However, thanks to Dody's maneuverings, Sadie cannot avoid Desmond all summer. Dody has cancer, and wants to enjoy herself and make everyone enjoy themselves. The holiday guests constantly participate in group activities that throw Sadie and Desmond together. They have a real physical attraction, but Sadie masks it with a duel of words and their verbal sparring is constant and fun to read. But suspicion is always around the corner. Sadie is suspicious of his character and always seizes on something he says to throw it back in his face after misunderstanding it, or is irritated with his close relationship with her aunt. Sadie misinterprets much of Desmond's caring behavior towards her as manipulation due to her own insecurities and tells him to back off, which angers him as well. They begin cautiously dating, but Sadie suspects Desmond of cheating on her with every beautiful woman he talks to. When she misinterprets his friendliness as flirtation at one occasion, she begins crying and runs from the table. When Desmond cancels a date to hang out with his cousin, Sadie immediately gets suspicious when she sees Desmond with a pretty woman, not realizing that she is the cousin. Sadie realizes how attached her sons have grown to Desmond, and how nice it is to have someone look out for you just for the sake of looking out for you. She also realizes how relaxed she feels around him.
And now Desmond reveals that he is having the same feelings too, despite also having been cheated on in the past, which led to him leading a nomadic lifestyle for a few years while he tried to find himself again, eventually settling down in Michigan. He loves being around a woman who is snarky and challenging, yet knows how to take care of other people and has a generous heart like Sadie's, and Sadie loves the pleasure of laughing and talking in Dody's company. They admit their feelings for one another, and begin a relationship.
Best part of story, including ending:
It's a tolerably funny, light-hearted read.
Best scene in story:
the awkward dinner scene which ends in tears was pretty funny.
Opinion about the main character:
I disliked Sadie for being sulky, selfish, neurotic and demanding. I liked him for being patient and nice.
