Page 33 of How to Write a Rom-Com

“Miss Lucy!” I hear a deep voice bellow. I turn to find a very sweaty Max heading my way. I smile and wave, waiting for him to fall in step beside me. “How are you enjoying your time at our lovely lake?” he asks, patting me on the back.

“I love it. It’s beautiful here,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at the distant sunset.

“Look at this little one!” he says, moving his attention to Cammy. The baby is sitting on Nora’s lap, eating small pieces of chicken off her plate. She smiles and mumbles gibberish to him. “She’s getting so big, Nora.”

“You’re telling me. She’s a giant,” Nora says, rubbing the baby’s head.

“That’s good. Maybe she’ll grow up to be a star ballplayer and finally put my wife out of business,” he mumbles and we all chuckle.

“What about your wife?” May calls, walking over in three big strides from the next table over. She stands next to Max with her hands on her hips and eyes him accusingly.

“Only good things,” Nora says in a placating voice.

May continues to eye Max. “Likely story,” she says, pursing her lips. When she’s finished her stare-off with Max, she moves her attention to Cammy, taking her off her mother’s lap without even asking—a trait I’m learning is essential to the May character.

“Hey Lucy,” Nora says, nudging my arm to get my attention. “Why don’t you come to Cammy’s party next week?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose,” I say, covering my mouth as I finish chewing. I know I’m supposed to be learning all I can about the people in this town, but attending a party at someone’s house I met an hour ago seems like a stretch.

“Oh please, you don’t really have a choice in this town. We impose ourselves on you,” Jill answers from across the table.

“It’s in my yard, super casual,” Nora adds.

“Oh, then sure, I guess so. That sounds great,” I say, feigning excitement. I never understood the point of birthday parties for babies. They don’t know what is going on. Seems like a waste of money to me. But if it is a birthday party, there is sure to be cake. I like cake.

“Great. I’ll text you my address,” she says, pulling out her phone.

After we exchange numbers, Nora turns her attention back to the baby, and I observe the conversation among the group. I watch them swoon over Cammy, joking with each other, as if they are one family, rather than two separate ones. I’m realizing that this town is like one big family, with roots that stretch for generations, like the ones I’m looking at right now. It’s no wonder Nora would want to raise her family here. In Hudson Hollow, you get several families for the price of one.

After I eat, I wander onto the beach and kick my boots off. I try to remember the last time I felt sand between my toes. Elle and I took a trip to Long Beach Island last year at this time, but I never made it back to the beach again that summer. That’s the thing about publishing, everyone takes the summer off,exceptthe assistants.

I sit down on the sand and prop my arms behind me. The sun has dipped below the mountains and the sky is hazy with tones of purple and pink. I love summer skies like this. You don’t get to appreciate them too much in the city—the tall buildings get in the way.

My solace is interrupted by the DJ starting his set, kicking off with some heavy dance beats. I hear the protests of people being dragged onto the dance floor by May, who is clapping her hands and singing along to the music. Brett and his bandana are among the small crowd, his arms flailing behind him as he pushes his chest out. He might just give me a run for my money forworstdancer. I stifle a laugh. When I said I wanted to become one with the locals, I didn't actually expect to be sitting around the campfire, singing kumbaya or anything.

Well, there is definitely some kumbaya shit happening here.

Nora and Jill join the group, and soon almost everyone is on their feet. I think back to the last family wedding I went to when barely anyone left the tables. Soon, the song transitions to line-dancing country, and I immediately recognize the introductory notes of “Cupid Shuffle.”

“Lucy!” Oh, no. I’ve been spotted. The twins come barreling toward me, their breathing ragged from jumping around with the other kids.

“Come dance!” Mia whines, grabbing my hands with both of hers. I let them drag me to the dance floor, where I see May doing the same to Liam.

I fall in line with the twins, Nora and Jill are behind me, and Max and May in front. My back bumps into the person next to me. I turn around and am chest to chest with Liam. I wait a moment, taking the time to appreciate how marvelous he looks. He smiles my favorite crooked smile. We’re so close that I can’t help but breathe him in. I let the scent of smoke and aftershave fill my lungs and feel the tingles that his touch against my arms send throughout my body.

The moment doesn’t last more than a few seconds before we both step back and gain our composure. I give Liam a tight-lipped smile and he opens his mouth to say something, but we are both almost thrown over by the line of people shuffling from right to left. Liam laughs and makes a motion that says, “Shall we?” And we do.

“To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right…

To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left…

Now kick, now kick, now kick, now kick…

Now walk it by yourself.”

We move in sync to the lyrics, except when it comes to “moving it by yourself” which Liam interprets as subtly swaying side to side, shaking his hips like he is doing a hula-hoop—the twins laugh so loud they practically shriek. I shake my hips in a circle when we change direction, a smile never leaving my face the entire time. Jill stares at her brother in disbelief, and I have to assume he’s not usually this animated on the dance floor. Our eyes meet and she smiles.

I hold Mia’s hands as we shuffle back and forth. I show her how to kick her legs in rhythm to the music. Liam lifts Robbie over his head and does the dance with the kid dangling over his shoulder. In the movie version of this small-town adventure, this moment would take place in slow motion—the light from sparklers glowing in the distance, the bodies and faces around us blurred except for the main characters, my hair bouncing as I shake my body, and the light in my eyes matching the warmth I feel from the people around me.

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