In the summer of 1996, Allison Story watches from the upper deck of her house as Gull Cove Resort is transformed for the summer. Her mother, Mildred, is throwing a party for Adam and Anders’s return home from college, although Mildred feels overwhelmed in planning a party and has to rely on her assistant, Theresa, to take over. Allison and her younger brother, Archer, share memories of their recently-deceased father. Archer remarks that “it’s weird [...] how the house can be so full right now but still…empty” (86). Allison thinks of how her father’s death left a void in all of their lives. Archer tries to convince Allison to come to a party next Saturday with him and Adam, but he is interrupted by a fretful Mildred, who asks Allison to make sure the flowers look okay. Allison bumps into Matt, the son of her mother’s assistant, Theresa. Matt is “cute, charming,” and “persona non grata among the Story siblings” (92) because he recently hooked up with Anders’s ex-girlfriend, Kayla. Matt is flirtatious with Allison and asks her out for coffee. Before Allison can answer, her older brother Adam arrives home with Anders in tow. As she runs to greet her brothers, Allison thinks of what her father would say about choosing between her brothers and the boy she likes: “Family first, always” (94).