Maddison Bennett

Madden Bennett started spending summers in the same beach town when she was little because her mom’s best friend owned a beach house there. Every year felt the same — bonfires, boardwalk nights, swimming until sunset — until Dean Cole became part of her summers. At first, he was just the annoying boy who followed her around making fun of everything she did. He’d steal her sunglasses, splash her at the beach, and act like getting on her nerves was a sport. But over time, their arguments turned into inside jokes, long nighttime talks, and feelings neither of them wanted to admit. Isla went through a rough year before this summer. She stopped talking to a lot of people, became more guarded, and came back to the beach town hoping for a distraction. What she didn’t expect was Dean noticing immediately that something about her changed. Now this summer feels different. The tension between them is stronger, emotions are messier, and neither of them knows how to stop circling back to each other.