Summer in the City

They continue their intimate relationship while Elle finishes her screenplay. When she’s close to the end, Elle allows Parker to read her unfinished work—something she’s never allowed anyone to do before. As he reads, he leaves encouraging notes in the margins about thing he loves. When they return to New York, Elle realizes she missed it. Elle receives a text from her agent, Sarah, stating that a studio head wants to meet her in person next week for an exciting opportunity. Though taking these meetings makes Elle nervous, she is excited for the future. Elle begins to pack but is sad to be leaving the city. Parker and Elle have one last dinner together: He hopes that she will stay. She reminds him that he’s supposed to be returning to San Francisco, and she flies home to Los Angeles in four days. After this statement, they don’t talk much for the rest of the evening.

Over the next few days, Elle doesn’t see Parker much. Penelope sends her a leak announcing Parker’s impending ascent to CEO of Virion. Virion’s stocks begin to rise as the acquisition seems ready to close. On her final day in the city, Parker knocks at Elle’s door dressed for a run. He brings her favorite latte and claims they will be attempting their walk of the entirety of Manhattan today. They spend all day walking its length and finally finish at the Staten Island Ferry Building, where they take a picture together to commemorate the achievement.

Elle and Parker return to their apartments to bathe and sleep together one last time, as a goodbye.

News breaks the next morning that Virion is buying Parker’s company, Atomic, for $15 billion. Elle can’t help but wonder if Parker has been distant their last few days in the city because he was more focused on his company’s acquisition. Before Elle can leave for her flight, Parker asks her if she’d be willing to accompany him somewhere. He takes her to Fifth Avenue, which is completely abandoned. He tells her that he’s not taking the Virion deal because they insist on selling his customers’ data, and he won’t allow it. Instead, he will go back to running Atomic and focus on doing what’s right. Parker then professes his love for Elle and intends to move his business to New York City so they can be together. Elle admits to loving him too, after which Parker lowers to one knee and proposes. Elle says yes, and he offers her one more gift—the deed to the Gramercy townhouse of her dreams. Instead of reacting with gratitude, Elle reacts with horror followed by anger. She claims he doesn’t know her at all if he thought it would be okay to buy the house. She explains her dream was to buy it on her own terms—a freedom and accomplishment he stole from her. Elle withdraws her acceptance of the proposal, breaks up with Parker, and flees.

Elle returns to Los Angeles with her completed screenplay. Though she convinces herself this is for the best, she feels like she’s lost everything. The studio executives offer her a three-movie deal after reading her script, and filming begins in the fall. The pain of the breakup inspires Elle to write several more scripts. Cali sells her apartment, claiming the city is bad for the baby. Despite trying to move on, Elle reads every headline that involves Parker: Atomic drops the Virion deal, and Parker gives most of his wealth to charity. When Penelope states that Elle is miserable without Parker, Elle insists that his money and power will diminish her. She will be seen as his trophy wife and nothing else. Penelope disagrees, but Elle clings to the idea that her mother would hate him despite Penelope claiming that her mom would simply want her to be happy. Penelope calls Elle the most money-obsessed person she’s ever met and says that her love life is suffering because of it.

Eighteen months later, Elle gives her first interview on “the Summer’s Biggest Blockbuster” (268). The journalist asks Elle where home is for her and where she’s happiest; though Elle answers Los Angeles, she knows in her heart that isn’t true anymore—home has become New York City. Afterward, Elle drives two hours from Los Angeles to the storage unit where her mom’s belongings have been kept since her death. Going through the items bringing back nostalgia, and Elle discovers things about her mom’s life prior to having children. Elle finds one of her scripts that was annotated by her mother; at the end, she finds a message. The paragraph instructs Elle to not save the best lines for her characters, but to say them herself. She wants Elle to live her best stories and remember there’s never just one start or ending. She can continue to give herself new beginnings.

The passage motivates Elle to book a flight to New York. She visits the Gramercy townhouse that she now has the money to buy. After emailing the real estate agent, Elle has learned the owner has agreed to show her the house off-market. A tour of the house makes it clear the home has been designed specifically for Elle and Parker: It has a basketball court on the bottom floor, an office for a writer, pictures on the wall in the master bedroom that depict Elle and Parker throughout the city, and a terrace covered in roses. The real estate agent reveals the owner is Parker, who purchased the house during the summer he spent with Elle. Elle realizes he was renovating it as they were falling in love, remaking it for them to share. After asking how much Parker paid for the house, Elle puts in an offer of the same amount, which he accepts.

Elle attends a cocktail party with heiress Edith Adelaide. Elle asks how Edith deals with people assuming her husband made a fortune or that she has everything only because of an inheritance. Edith admits it bothers her, but she consciously decides to live her life for herself rather than for other people. She tells Elle that the only important thing in life is who you love and who loves you. At the party, a woman introduces herself to Elle as a fan. Elle realizes it’s Parker’s mother when he appears behind her. After the shock ebbs, Elle and Parker step away for a private conversation where they both admit they’re miserable. Though the pull toward each other is magnetic, they are interrupted before either can act on it. They part ways after Parker gives Elle his number.

On Elle’s first night in the townhouse, she calls Parker. Parker comes over with pizza, and they continue their conversation from the cocktail party. Parker apologizes for not understanding she needed to buy the townhouse on her own and for taking that accomplishment away from her. Elle apologizes for how that day happened. Parker asks Elle to date him, and she agrees. The next morning, they start up their morning runs again. Elle begins changing the interior of the house. Parker helps her paint, but they make a mess when they become physically intimate and covered in paint.

In July, they take a trip to Upstate New York, continue their city runs, Elle writes screenplays, and they volunteer at animal shelters. Parker continues to help her renovate into August, and they adopt a dog together. By the end of summer, Elle asks Parker to date her forever. He pulls out a ring from his pocket that’s been in waiting, and she accepts. The ring is made of delicate diamonds arranged into the shape of a flower that will never die.