Books
BDG Chief Content Officer Emma Rosenblums highly anticipated debut will be top of your reading list.
Heres a first look at the book, which is out in the UK on June 8.
Rachel Woolf knew how to get people drunk.
Entertaining was her specialty, something she enjoyed doing and was actually good at.
She wasnt good at much.
Then shed bounced around afterward from marketing job to marketing job, never truly finding her path.
Or smarter than Rachel.
She wasnt great at finding boyfriends, either.
Shed lived with someone once, Benji Malin, in a small apartment in Murray Hill.
But Benji had broken it off when she insisted they get engaged.
Thank God for Viagra.
She had a life there.
She was someone there.
No one in Salcombe knew how sad her existence really was.
On Labor Day, she spiraled into a depression that didnt end until the next Memorial Day.
And then there was tennis.
Rachel loved playing she was on the courts at least three days a week, more in the summer.
So that gave Rachel and Emily a shot of going far, maybe even winning it all.
She was supremely dedicated to making this happen.
Shed already had one lesson with the new pro, Robert, and he was talented.
Plus, he was extremely handsome and charming.
He made her feel like a star.
She thought about this while she set up her house for drinks later that night.
Micah was the gay, college-age son of Judy and Eric Holt, who lived on Navy Walk.
The party was called for 6:00 p.m., but she assumed people would come at more like 6:30.
At 5:45, Micah arrived, looking very Timothee Chalamet in fitted white jeans and an electric-blue sweater.
Boys nowadays were a different species.
Thanks for having me!
I got Willa to fill in for me at the club, so Im all yours.
Let me know how I can help with the setup, said Micah, smiling amiably.
He stood as she entered.
Need me to do anything with the food?
Looks great, thanks, said Rachel.
Micah was only twenty, but he struck Rachel as older than his age.
Rachel had always suspected he was gay.
He was too beautiful and clever not to be.
All good, said Micah, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.
Im an English major like everyone else.
Im going abroad this year to Madrid.
Otherwise, happy to be out here bartending.
Im trying to enjoy the moment, you know?
Rachel didnt know, and it made her feel old.
At 6:30 on the dot, the first of her guests arrived.
It was Sam and Jen Weinstein.
Rachel had known Sam forever; hed also grown up coming out to Salcombe.
He was younger than she was, forty to her forty-two, but theyd hung in the same circles.
Which meant that shed dated him long ago, when she was twenty-one and he was nineteen.
They all played adults together, drinking wine with dinner and doing laundry loads of sheets and beach towels.
Shed been proud of that.
But he politely rejected her offer, citing the need for freedom at college.
Rachel had been devastated but played it cool.
That was her thing, even then.
The following year, the summer after Rachel graduated, shed attempted to get back together with him.
He was older and broader; another year away from home had made him even more appealing to her.
He turned his head when she tried to kiss him.
Im sorry, but no, hed said.
I do like you as a friend, though.
Her face stung with embarrassment, and shed slunk home without saying goodbye to anyone.
Sam, Jen, hi!
Rachel said, welcoming them in.
Sam gave Micah a bro-y hand clap, and Jen went over and gave his shoulder a squeeze.
He retreated to the kitchen.
Its great to see you again, Jen said as she embraced Rachel in a small, awkward hug.
I hope you had a wonderful winter.
Im so glad to be out here.
It was impossible to hate Jen, even though Rachel surely tried.
Sam and Jen were a golden couple in Salcombe, beloved by the whole town.
Even their three little kids were beautiful and well-mannered.
At least Rachel was a better tennis player than Jen, whod only taken up the game recently.
This gave Rachel some comfort.
Also, shed fucked Jens husband first.
Extracted fromBad Summer PeoplebyEmma Rosenblum.
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This article was originally published onMay 25, 2023
