Guests of Honor and A Slight Misstep

In these two chapters, we are welcomed to River Deane’s mansion in the hills, meet his family, and some of their friends and watch as Cara and Griffin take in their first L.A. fancy-people pool party experience. 

While it’s all very intimidating in some ways (the luxurious setting, for example) Cara quickly learns that her expectations don’t necessarily match reality. People are people, and these people are nice. They have dogs. And River’s wife Naomi is instantly able to disarm Cara upon their arrival.  

Naomi 

I’m not going to do a deep dive on Naomi, but I do want to say that I actually wish I could fit more of her into this story. She’s basically the friend we all crave, she lights up any room she’s in, she’s the nurturing presence who always knows the right thing to say and do. I love her so much, and I kind of hate that she’s not a main character, but I think her role is so important. She sets the tone for how Cara decides she’s going to interact with everyone – instead of masking to seem “better” than she thinks she is, Naomi gives her permission to let her guard down and be her real self. 

I’m so happy for her, you know? Until, of course, the pool incident occurs, and we get to see a side of Griffin we haven’t seen yet, and one that Cara doesn’t even see too often.  

Griffin 

I think there is actually a lot of nuance to that incident and I hope it demonstrates that Griffin isn’t just a one-note, excited golden retriever in every situation. He has feelings, and insecurities too. I’m not even mad at him for his lowkey aggro teeth-baring at Styles for hastily jumping into the pool after Cara. He might feel like it should have been him springing to action, and maybe he feels like an ass for not reacting that way, for being too busy chatting up his idol to attend to his wife. 

And of course, a slight tinge of territorial jealousy about another man paying attention to her, touching her, even if Styles’ intentions were not nefarious. 

Styles 

As these scenes unfold we’re also introduced to the mysterious snow globe thief from the prologue and learn about his connection to River. He’s already familiar to Cara and Griffin who are aware of his podcast. What I hoped to establish is that while Cara certainly admires River for his iconic superstar existence, she admires Styles maybe just a little bit more, because she sees him as a regular person who achieved a more attainable sort of dream. Not that there wasn’t luck involved, but he was able to capitalize on that luck in a meaningful way. 

Combine that with the way he oozes personality and charisma, and he’s a pretty inspiring and attention-grabbing guy. Maybe a little too much for some. And maybe that’s all him, or maybe some of it is a bit of a put-on, for show. There is definitely an ego at the wheel, but not in an arrogant or overbearing way. He’s just not done striving for something more, reaching for the next rung on the ladder. I think Cara really digs that energy. She’s definitely drawn to it, as she comes out of her wallflower state to join his conversation.  

Obviously, their accidental collision is meant to create that tension with Griffin I talked about above. Styles’ first-responder reaction is genuine and meant to show that he’s a fast thinker and a fast actor. I also think he feels responsible. He didn’t meant to knock Cara, a virtual stranger to him, into the pool, and his impulse to rescue her is definitely part of his good nature. But I think it may also hint at a need for control, especially controlling a perceived narrative.  

Oh dear, I may have said too much… 

The pool party continues in the upcoming chapters, so stay tuned!