The Love Haters

Katie successfully passes her SWET training while Hutch continually laughs at her swimsuit mishap the rest of the day. When she gets home, Rue greets her with another gift of clothing. Rue says she wants to help because Katie reminds Rue of her younger self. Hutch joins Katie and the Gals for dinner, where he tells everyone about the swimsuit mishap. Katie thinks she will finally tell Hutch about her job when her phone starts lighting up with text messages.

Katie sees that an article from a gossip column has been posted about her, titled “Real-Life ‘Katie’ from the Song Exposed! Ex-Fiancee of Lucas Banks has Really Let Herself Go” (116). Katie sees the hurtful comments and falsities about her, but what hurts her most is that the picture that accompanied the article was from five years ago, before she had experienced heartbreak and the toxicity of fame with Lucas. Katie throws her phone across the lawn as Hutch appears to check on her, and she walks away from the dinner and into the town.

She sees everyone happy and celebrating in the main square and feels worse. Feeling stuck in her body, Katie thinks about what Beanie would say, and she ultimately decides she needs to stand up for herself regardless of what everyone else thinks. Hutch finds her, and when he asks what’s wrong, Katie tells him the truth about her relationship with her body image and her brief experience with fame. When Katie tells him that the article said she was so ugly that “she should kill herself,” (118) Hutch only laughs at the absurdity of the situation. He tells Katie something that is obvious to him but has not occurred to her: The spiteful commenters are jealous of her beauty and of her past relationship with the famous Lucas Banks. Hutch admits that he is attracted to Katie and can’t stop thinking about her, and they kiss.

Katie can’t believe how joyful she feels kissing Hutch, but they are interrupted by a call from Rue asking them to come back to dinner. On the way back to Rue’s, Hutch tells Katie about how Rue took care of him and Cole after their parents died in an accident. His father was driving while intoxicated, with his wife and sons in the car, and he hit Rue’s car. Both of Hutch’s parents died in the accident along with Rue’s husband, Robert. Hutch never mentioned to Rue that his father was drinking, and he isn’t sure what she may have learned after his parents’ autopsy. Katie hugs Hutch as he explains that although he has never told anyone this story before, everyone in his hometown knew it, and he and Cole were bullied by their classmates. He says that Rue rescued them when she didn’t have to, taking them in and raising them as if they were her own despite the hardship of her own loss. Hutch admits that he doesn’t want to be famous because of the past it would drag up and how it would affect Rue, and Katie wonders if they should be making any videos of him at all. Later, Katie texts Cole that there is no way Hutch will make a “Day in the Life” video.

Hutch’s reassurance helps Katie stay away from the article and comments for the rest of the night. Katie continues to give sarcastic answers to Beanie about her beauty list but finds herself starting to admire things about herself that she hadn’t realized before. When Hutch picks her up that morning, Katie can see that something is wrong as he is acting cold and distant. Yet Katie’s fears shift once they make it to the air station and prepare for her first flight, especially as she is dreading having to weigh herself and share that information with others. When she steps on the scale, Mira, the pilot, tells her she doesn’t need to look at the number and doesn’t make a big deal about it, relieving Katie. Hutch continues to ignore Katie as they board the helicopter, but he gives her a snack when he learns that Katie hasn’t eaten breakfast. The training mission turns into a rescue when they get a distress call, and the mechanic, Vanessa, talks Katie through what they are going to do.

Katie fears for Hutch’s safety as she learns he will have to jump from the helicopter into the stormy waves below, but they are able to save a stranded boater without a hitch. When they get back to the hangar, Katie asks Hutch if she did something wrong for him to be ignoring her, and he admits that he spoke to Cole on the phone for the first time in a year last night. Cole talked to Hutch about Katie and persuaded him to do a “Day in the Life” video. Though Katie still protests that he doesn’t have to, Hutch knows he has to do the video to help Cole, but he wants to get it over with quickly and asks if they can shoot it tomorrow. Katie feels angry with Cole for forcing Hutch into this.

Katie knows she can never post the mini-documentary she makes of Hutch, but she will show it to Sullivan to keep her job. The next morning, Katie shows up at Hutch’s houseboat to spend 24 hours filming him. She feels uncomfortable about making him uncomfortable. As soon as she arrives, George Bailey charges at Katie again and this time knocks her into the water with all her things. Remembering everything Hutch has taught her about swimming, Katie is able to competently get untangled from her bag and out of the water. Even so, Hutch jumps in to save her and apologizes for his dog once again, trying to figure out why his dog always jumps on her. Afterward, Hutch is apologetic rather than annoyed with Katie, and their filming goes well during the day. Hutch reveals that his houseboat actually belonged to Rue’s husband, Robert, who died just after restoring it. While Hutch is in the other room, Katie sees that he has kept the hibiscus hairclip she lost after the day they first met.