Hot summer, p.1
Hot Summer, page 1
Advance Praise for Hot Summer
“Hot Summer is the perfect summer beach read, the perfect escape, and the perfect reality every romantic deserves—a book to make you believe in happily ever after. Cas and Ada’s chemistry sizzles and their love and tenderness could melt the hardest heart. If I hadn’t already been a hopeless romantic, Hot Summer would have made me one. Absolutely, hands down, one of the best romances I’ve read.”
—Karelia Stetz-Waters, author of Satisfaction Guaranteed
“Everhart’s sophomore endeavor sizzles with will-they-or-won’t-they chemistry. The scorching slow burn between Cas and Ada is so hot it nearly had me reaching for the SPF. What I loved most is that beneath the glitz and glam and cameras is a beautifully sweet story about two women learning about their own inner strength, all while going weak in the knees for each other. Hot Summer is a sexy and swoony sapphic spectacle—a perfect gift to all of us wishing every TV reality-dating show was a whole heckuva lot gayer.”
—Andie Burke, author of Fly with Me
“All the fun of binge-watching your favorite reality show, wrapped up in a sexy, swoony love story. A perfect summer read!”
—Elle Gonzalez Rose, author of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance
Praise for Wanderlust
“[A] perfect summer read—plenty of sexy enemies-to-lovers tension and enough immersive travel descriptions to feel like you got a whirlwind vacation, too.”
—Reader’s Digest
“Wanderlust will hit that sweet spot for those who are craving something fun with some more profound moments and a slow-burn romance that will have you wanting until the very last page. . . . [A] fun romp for those looking to travel within their book.”
—Culturess
“Debut writer Everhart crafts complex characters with well-developed backgrounds and plenty of entertaining banter. . . . Set against the backdrop of gorgeous international locales, this slow-burn rom-com will appeal to fans of travel and social media story lines as well as the forced proximity trope.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“[A] sparkling debut . . . Everhart’s layered characters leap off the page, and the no-nonsense approach to both Dylan’s abortion and her sexuality is refreshing. Far-flung backdrops—including Marrakech, Reykjavík, and Tokyo—add to the fun. Everhart is a writer to watch.”
—Publishers Weekly
“From the first page, I was all in for this thoughtful, thrilling, and romantic trip around the world. Everhart’s writing is both light and cinematic, tying the reader’s heartbeat to every moment of Dylan and Jack’s love story.”
—Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script
“Wanderlust is an absolutely stunning rom-com debut! Elle Everhart masterfully crafts a heartfelt and adorable love story while also delving into complex family relationships and seriously relatable real-life issues. On top of characters I immediately fell in love with, the book takes us on a gorgeous trip around the world—I was left with major travel envy! This romance had me smiling the entire time, even through my tears. Elle Everhart is a writer to watch!”
—Falon Ballard, author of Just My Type
“Elle Everhart more than delivers with a sparkling voice, mastery of craft, and character chemistry that sizzles off the page, all while unpacking the timely and critical topic of reproductive justice. Carefree yet complex Dylan and adorably uptight cinnamon roll Jack stole my heart and swept me around the world in this cinematic, immersive, steamy dream of a ride!”
—Courtney Kae, author of In the Event of Love
“Elle Everhart’s debut is laugh-out-loud funny, sizzling hot, and full of heart. Jack and Dylan are undeniable proof that opposites do attract, and following them around the world is the great escape we all need right now!”
—Jenny L. Howe, author of The Make-Up Test and On the Plus Side
“Elle Everhart’s Wanderlust is perfect for anyone who’s longed to travel the globe seeking love, adventure, and even themselves. This is a soaring escapist romance that unpacks timely real-life issues and reminds us that trusting your own heart can lead to destinations unknown and unforgettable, that going away means coming back, and that the best journeys are in memories, not miles. Wanderlust is a book to be whisked away and enjoyed in a sun-drenched somewhere.”
—Lillie Vale, author of The Decoy Girlfriend and The Shaadi Set-Up
Also by Elle Everhart
Wanderlust
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Publishers Since 1838
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2024 by Elle Everhart
Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Everhart, Elle, author.
Title: Hot summer : a novel / Elle Everhart.
Description: New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2024.
Identifiers: LCCN 2023055412 (print) | LCCN 2023055413 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593545126 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780593545133 (e-pub)
Subjects: LCGFT: Queer fiction. | Romance fiction. | Humorous fiction. | Novels.
Classification: LCC PR6105.V476 H68 2024 (print) | LCC PR6105.V476 (ebook) | DDC 823/.92—dc23/eng/20231204
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023055412
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023055413
Ebook ISBN 9780593545133
Cover design and illustration: Sandra Chiu
Interior art: Heart float © BudOlga / Shutterstock
Book design by Alison Cnockaert, adapted for ebook by Maggie Hunt
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
pid_prh_7.0_147301320_c0_r0
Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
About the Author
_147301320_
To Emmet, whom I love more than anything.
And to you—thank you for reading. x
It’s hard here in paradise.
—“Sideways,” Carly Rae Jepsen
1
There was nothing quite like stumbling into the office still half-drunk from the night before.
Cas had chewed an entire pack of gum on the way in that morning but, as a quick breath test in the lift up to her office confirmed, last night’s gin was still very much present on her breath. And coupled with the, well, artful way her eyeliner was smudged under her eyes, she looked like she’d rolled out of the sewer before dragging herself to work.
In her defense, this wasn’t Cas’s usual commute. It was rare that she had to be in this early after a late-night event, and Cas would never have let herself drink so much if she’d known she was going to have to be here at this ungodly hour. And she especially wouldn’t have drunk so much if she’d known she was going to be in a meeting with their chief marketing officer. In typical Robert fashion, though, he’d only felt the need to text her and request this god-awful eight a.m. meeting at nine last night when she was already five drinks deep.
Because he was nothing if not considerate.
And, all right, she shouldn’t be drinking that heavily on the job, but it was the only thing that helped her pretend these dating events for Friday, the premier dating-app company she worked for, had anything to offer her these days. She could only host awkward singles mixers and talk to the same carbon-copy people about their very particular interests for so many nights in a row before she wanted to go lie down in the middle of the motorway and hope for the best.
Cas leaned forward and examined her reflection in the lift doors. She’d genuinely tried to make herself look presentable this morning, had even borrowed some of her roommate Aisha’s vi
“Fuck,” Cas muttered. She might have just been happy that she was able to show up here so early in the first place (gin stench, dry mouth, and all), but there had been something . . . suspicious about Robert’s message after she agreed to the meeting. Something that told Cas she needed her wits about her this morning.
21:34
Robert: Great! If you could refrain from mentioning the meeting to anyone, I’d appreciate it. Talk tomorrow.
The fact that he had asked her not to let anyone know, not even her direct supervisor, had set off immediate alarm bells in Cas’s head. She’d had to order herself another gin to keep from immediately texting Skye, her closest friend at work and her second roommate, to overanalyze it. The only solution, at that point, had been to hope she’d drink so much that she’d forget.
A solution she was clearly regretting now.
Cas scrubbed some eyeliner off with her index finger before slashing open the zipper on her crossbody bag. She unearthed her lip balm and swiped a thick coat across her lips as the lift floated to a stop on the ninth floor.
The lift opened onto a small lobby, little more than a reception desk and a pair of armchairs in Friday’s signature purple. They’d left the standard concrete on the floor—seemingly an aesthetic choice, although Cas couldn’t imagine that Friday would have been able to afford anything other than the bare minimum in the early days—but there had been concerted efforts to warm it up since they’d moved into this space six years ago. Cas hadn’t been here then, they’d moved into this building about a year before she joined and started running their live events, but she could only imagine what this place must have looked like without all the rugs and plants and soft touches their receptionist and general genius, Jana, had added.
Jana smiled as Cas stepped off the lift. “Morning, Cas.” Her gaze flicked quickly over Cas, probably taking in the way she was practically dragging her body behind her as she walked. “Looks like you had fun last night.”
Cas laughed, though it sounded more like someone had thrown gravel into a blender. “You know how much I love First Date, Speed Date night.”
“I need to go to one of those at some point,” Jana said. The phone started ringing and she turned toward it slowly. “My single life is, like, fucking tragic.” Jana paused. “Thank you for calling Friday, how may I direct your call?”
“That makes two of us,” Cas whispered as she unearthed her ID card and tapped it onto the reader on Jana’s desk to sign in for the day. Jana turned her head away from the receiver to laugh.
“Of course. Hold, please.” She clicked a few buttons on the phone before dropping the receiver back onto the base. “Don’t talk to me about tragic,” Jana said, rolling her eyes. “You’ve got a new person on your arm every week.”
Cas attempted a smile, but the tightening around her eyes made her feel like her gesture probably looked less amused and more . . . unsafe to be around.
“Well, someone’s got to make sure the scrubs we recruit are worth our time.”
Jana barked a laugh and lifted her mug off her desk with a flourish. “You’re too much.”
“That’s what they tell me. Hey, do you know if Robert is in his office?”
“Haven’t seen him this morning, but let me check the system,” Jana said. “Sometimes he likes to sneak in.”
She took a sip of her tea and started rapidly tapping her mouse with her free hand, her eyes scanning the screen for a few seconds before she clicked her tongue. “Yup. He’s here—must have shown up while I was putting the kettle on.”
“Perfect.” The sooner she got this meeting over with, the better. “Thanks, Jana.”
“Of course.” Jana flashed a wink. “I hope the meeting goes well.”
“I— What do you know?”
“Nothing you won’t know in about ten minutes. Now go, you’re going to be late.”
There was no sense pressing Jana for more. Cas had worked with her long enough to know that Jana said exactly as much or as little as she was ever going to. Cas half waved and walked off into the office, slinging her ID badge around her neck as she went.
The office was quiet for eight in the morning—most of the events team tended to arrive around eleven or even later if they were out on location organizing some details for whatever they had going on that evening, but the day staff were numerous, about a half dozen other departments in all. It was still a little before eight, so Cas supposed most people would be rolling in over the next hour or so, but it was almost apocalyptic, how silent the office was at the moment. The few people she did see were wearing large over-ear headphones and typing quietly on their keyboards, and honestly, Cas was jealous of them, in spite of the early hour.
She’d do anything to hide in her music and clack away on her keyboard every day and get paid for it. Her eardrums would certainly thank her if she started spending less time a meter away from pub speakers, and it would be nice, for once, to switch off. To work without having to plaster some big smile on her face and act like the sun shone out her arse.
Where most everyone at Friday worked at long, open tables, the executive offices were private, tucked away in the corner and lined with gorgeous windows. A few years back, they’d built a partial brick wall to separate the executive suites from the main floor, and it deadened whatever sound there was as Cas walked into the assistant bay outside the offices.
Robert’s assistant, Colby, was sitting, as he always was, at his desk, and he smiled perfunctorily as he finished typing. “Go on through. I’ve let Robert know you’re here.”
“Thanks.” Cas took another long, bracing sip of her iced coffee and opened Robert’s door. And promptly squinted into the too-bright sunlight shining through his windows. It felt like someone was pointing a laser directly into her retinas.
“Ah, Cas.” Robert was smiling, but there was no trace of warmth in his voice. “Good morning. I hope the hour isn’t too early for you.”
“No, not at all.” They both knew Cas was lying through her teeth but neither of them challenged it.
“Well, good,” Robert said, his eyes still on his computer screen as Cas sat down on the hard purple chair opposite his desk. “Because there are some big things I’d like to talk with you about.”
That couldn’t be good.
“Oh?”
Robert turned in his chair so he was finally facing her. “I have a proposition for you.”
Robert tented his long fingers in front of his face, his glasses halfway down his nose so he could stare at Cas over the rims, the way he always did when he was trying to be particularly scary at their all-team marketing meetings.
It was an expression that was, unfortunately, highly effective. Robert’s blue eyes were famously like ice. Sharp and unfeeling and deadly, like those meter-long icicles that fell off roofs in Norway and impaled people.
“Okay?” Cas had long since learned not to try to anticipate where things were going where Robert was concerned. He often had very different ideas about what was reasonable or, hell, even feasible.
“You may have already heard, but the exec team has recently been talking about developing . . . closer ties with some big media properties.”
She had heard, funnily enough. Not a lot, just a passing comment one of the higher-up assistants made in the break room, about how much work scheduling was “now that we’re trying to get TV execs on board.” Cas hadn’t really thought anything about it at the time; these things hardly ever mattered to events. They were much lower in the office hierarchy despite the fact that their work was what kept the lights on.
“I’ve heard whispers,” Cas admitted.
Robert nodded sagely. “I figured. Though I’m sure those whispers were far from thorough, so for clarity’s sake . . .” Robert grabbed a stack of papers from the corner of his desk and flipped it around with a flourish. There was a flow chart—no, an organizational chart—for some new marketing integration division and . . . holy hell.
