Happy Place

At the restaurant that evening, Wyn and Harriet touch, caress, and hold hands like old times, rekindling their love after being vulnerable.

Sabrina leads everyone to a tattoo parlor, where she giddily announces they’re getting matching tattoos, insisting they’ve talked about it forever. When Cleo says, “I don’t think so, Sab” (299), Sabrina demands to know why not. Harriet thinks it’s too sudden and Wyn adds they never decided on a design, and Cleo believes Sabrina should have talked to them instead of forcing them into whatever she wants. Harriet suggests a compromise: They’ll decide on the design now, but get tattoos later. Sabrina snaps that Cleo has many tattoos already, and yells that Cleo keeps canceling plans and Harriet hardly texts her back. Sabrina is losing the only place that ever felt like home, and no one seems to care that they’re growing apart.

Sabrina races off crying, and Harriet follows, promising this isn’t about their friendship but Wyn: Harriet can’t get a matching tattoo with him since they’re not together. Sabrina reveals that she somehow knew they were broken up.

Sabrina knew about the separation and fake romance because a few weeks ago, Parth visited Wyn, and he picked up Wyn’s phone and saw the two hadn’t texted for months. Sabrina is pissed Harriet didn’t tell her. Harriet realizes that this is why Sabrina has been pushing her and Wyn together all week, with the large bedroom, the cellar, and the cake. Sabrina scolds, “You’re losing the love of your life because you’re too indecisive to just pick a wedding date and venue” (305).

Cleo replies that Sabrina isn’t empathizing; she can’t just “decide what’s best for everyone” (305). Sabrina responds that she’s the only one making an effort in their friendship by sending the first texts, making calls, planning trips, etc. Harriet tries to calm them, worried their friendship will break. Cleo insists she isn’t angry, just disappointed and exhausted. They can’t only relive the glory days; they should stop pretending their friendship hasn’t changed because they’re growing up. Cleo wishes they could have talked on this vacation, instead of just partying.

Cleo and Sabrina agree that Harriet has all but cut them out of her life. Harriet couldn’t tell anyone about her breakup, but Cleo declares she’s supposed to lean on her friends when life feels heavy. The fight escalates. Wyn, Parth, and Kimmy overhear everything. Harriet wishes they could go back to their happy place.

Everyone retreats to their rooms. Harriet asks herself why she didn’t tell her closest friends she was struggling. She was afraid of their sadness, of ruining the group trip to their special place. The longer Harriet went without calling anyone, the harder it felt to burden her family and friends with her hurt, so she bottled it inside to not bother them. She also realizes that she has never wanted to be in medicine.

Wyn finds her and apologizes for coming to Maine. She promises that nothing is his fault: They are both to blame for keeping their feelings inside. When Wyn doesn’t tell her what he’s thinking or feeling, she over-analyzes what’s wrong and assumes she did something to hurt him and must fix it. Wyn promises to be more open. She explains her withdrawal from wedding planning: She was trying to be easygoing. Wyn understands. He’s sad she blocked his number because he tried to contact her many times to talk things out.

After resolving their issues, they have sex. Afterward, Harriet hopes the others will forgive them too. Wyn knows they will. As his dad used to say, “Love means constantly saying you’re sorry, and then doing better” (323).

On Sabrina and Parth’s wedding day, Harriet wakes up with Wyn’s arm around her. She sneaks out, walks to the coffee shop to get surprise drinks, but finds Cleo there already. Cleo and Harriet discuss their conflict. Harriet’s family never worked through fights, her parents and Eloise argued and then shut themselves up in their rooms, never resolving anything, so Harriet didn’t know how to do it.

Cleo understands why Harriet didn’t tell them about the breakup. She was in denial and if she vented, the breakup would be real. It wasn’t fair to scold Harriet about keeping a secret because Cleo has one too: She’s pregnant. They cry tears of joy. Cleo is worried she won’t be a good mom because Kimmy is more fun, but Harriet promises motherhood isn’t going to change their bond and that she’ll be an excellent mom. Cleo and Kimmy had to cancel Sabrina and Parth’s visit because they have baby items all over the house and farm. She also couldn’t get a tattoo due to being pregnant. Cleo worries she was too hard on Sabrina. Once Sabrina knows the truth, Harriet says, she’ll understand.

Harriet finds the spot listed on her itinerary for her personal time: a pottery studio. When she works with clay, her worries and the outside world melt away. She feels freer than ever when she makes pottery, as if it’s meditation. She doesn’t fret about being exact. Time slips away until she’s almost made a vase.

Wyn enters the pottery studio, which is on his itinerary too. Harriet shows Wyn how to mold the clay. As she teaches him, Harriet courageously tells him she hates her job. She doesn’t want to be a surgeon, though she feels ashamed of letting everyone down, especially her parents, who will insist she’s wasting her talents by not finishing med school. Wyn replies that a “happy potter is better for this world than a miserable surgeon” (347). She wants to move to Montana to be with him. Though they love each other, he pleads that she not follow him—she can’t “keep doing what other people want” (348). He wants to ensure Harriet finds her own path to joy.

Back at the cottage, Sabrina is missing. While Wyn searches the house, Harriet goes to the beach nearby. Parth is there; he forgives Harriet and Wyn for keeping their secret. Parth doesn’t know where Sabrina is; they fought last night, and she stormed out and hasn’t answered her phone since.

Harriet and Cleo finally find Sabrina crying in the chapel where her parents got married. Sabrina believes their friendship has run its course. She is heartbroken: Her whole life, she felt left out and unwanted until she met Harriet and Cleo. Harriet and Cleo deny that the friendship is ending. Harriet confesses that she pushed them away like she did Wyn. They promise to always will be family. Cleo reveals her pregnancy, and Sabrina screams with joy. After making up, Sabrina admits that she is worried about getting married, since not even Wyn and Harriet could last. Harriet assures her that she’s stronger and braver—she and Parth will go the distance.