Book 3 The Summer I Turned Pretty May 2026

“That’s the problem, Belly,” he said. “I never have to pretend with you. And that’s exactly why I can’t be near you right now.”

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Belly said.

“Because I can’t sit at that fire and pretend,” he said quietly. “Pretend I’m fine. Pretend we’re all fine. Pretend Mom—” book 3 the summer i turned pretty

And before Belly could say the thing she’d been holding in her chest since she was ten years old— It’s always been you, it’s always been you, why can’t you see it’s always been you —Conrad Fisher walked back into the dark house and closed the door softly behind him.

She stepped up to the railing, leaving a foot of space between them. The salt wind lifted her hair. She’d stopped straightening it this summer. She’d stopped a lot of things. “That’s the problem, Belly,” he said

Because that’s what you did at Cousins Beach. You showed up. You stayed. And you tried not to drown in the space between what you wanted and what you couldn’t have.

“Jeremiah just pretended to fall into the fire. On purpose. For a girl.” “Because I can’t sit at that fire and

Book 3. The summer everything broke.