<i>The Summer I Turned Pretty</i> Season 2, Episode 7 Recap: Laurel Saves the Day

Spoilers below.

Here’s the thing: If Belly had asked for Laurel’s help with the beach house from the beginning, maybe they wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble. Why did a group of teenagers think they could win a real estate battle on their own? Do you know what a mortgage is?? (I barely do.) Let the adults handle it!

But in Belly & Co.’s defense, the adults in their vicinity weren’t taking them seriously. Laurel, meanwhile, was at an author’s convention in New York. Belly didn’t know how to tell her mother that she had stolen away to Cousins Beach to help Jeremiah look for his missing brother, so instead she told her she was staying at Taylor’s house. But thanks to a wild night with cheap alcohol, that lie completely crumbled. Belly got too drunk, called her mom for help, and poor worried Laurel arrived the next morning to find the house in shambles and her daughter a hungover wreck.

Laurel’s furious wakeup call turns into a confrontation between her and her teenage daughter. Belly accuses Laurel of being angry with her since Susannah’s funeral (she was), not facing her grief, and worse, abandoning Susannah’s boys after her death. When things get heated, Laurel slaps Belly and instantly shows remorse. Belly storms off and sees that Conrad and Jeremiah overheard the whole fight.

Jere goes to comfort Belly on the beach. Reflecting on their disastrous party last night, she tells him that there’s “nothing left between me and Conrad.” He replies, “There will always be something between you and Conrad.” Do I sense foreshadowing?

Laurel is surprised to find out the house has already been sold. She thought Susannah and Julia came to an agreement about the house before she died. This angers Steven and Conrad, who wish they had a heads up that a sale was even possible. Steven, like Belly, chastises his mom for not putting enough effort into her kids following Susannah’s loss. I feel for Laurel. First, she seems to have much less screen time this season with Susannah gone. Their fun Mom Nights Out were a delightful break between the teen drama (I’m saying this as someone between her and Belly’s ages), and it gave the show some depth. And second? She, too, is grieving Susannah—her best friend. She was closer to her than Belly and Steven were, and they’re vilifying her for how she chooses to handle her passing.

Still, Laurel realizes that she doesn’t have to be the strong, unfeeling mom to keep her family together. She can feel what she needs to feel around her kids and show them that she’s in pain with them, too. “I should’ve been there for you, or let somebody be there for me,” she tells Belly. Laurel and Belly forgive each other and hug. She decides to invite Julia for a chat.

Taylor won’t stay for this part, so she heads home, but instead of taking the bus, Steven lets her borrow his car for the hours-long drive home.

When Julia arrives, Laurel asks her to back out of the sale, but she refuses. Then the truth comes out: Julia is mad that Susannah never called her to tell her she was ill. Instead, she wrote a letter about the house, and that was where she revealed her cancer diagnosis and state of her health. Julia goes on to reveal that her dad left her mother and remarried six months later. She doesn’t belong in Cousins like Laurel, Susannah, and their families do. The house is just another reminder of that—and of other things that still haunt her, like the fact that she never wrote or called Susannah back, or even said goodbye. She bought a plane ticket to go to the funeral but couldn’t bring herself to go. It’s this that really bothers Julia: She wishes she tried harder to fix things between her and her sister. Laurel reminds her that this is the perfect opportunity to make things right.

At last, Julia decides to pull out of the sale. (See what happens when you let a grown-up get involved?) The next step is convincing Conrad and Jeremiah’s dad to buy the house from her. But we get a few sweet moments of resolution before that battle.

Conrad approaches Belly about the fight they had last night. He wishes he didn’t end their relationship the way he did. And more importantly, he doesn’t want her to regret the night when they slept together at the beach house. (She doesn’t.) “I loved you. And I know you loved me too,” she says. It seems like Conrad is eager to fix things and rekindle their romance, but Belly seems ready to move on. Elsewhere in the house, in a more adorable conversation, Skye reveals to Julia that they had their first kiss with a guy who loves whales. Julia nearly squeals with excitement.

Adam—Conrad and Jeremiah’s dad—tries to resist being steamrolled into buying the beach house. It turns out he’s not just being a dick; it’s easier for him to let the place go because there are memories of Susannah everywhere. (Everyone is just hurting!) Laurel convinces him to “do this one last thing for her” and understand what it means for the boys. In the end, Adam won’t dissolve his sons’ trust funds to purchase the property, but he’ll sell their Boston house for it instead. The boys will be away at college anyway, so the Cousins house can be their primary residence. Success!

On the beach, Conrad and Jeremiah regroup, especially after last night’s fight. Jeremiah admits that he doesn’t want to be the happy guy everyone expects him to be all the time, and Conrad apologizes for not seeing his pain. They promise to talk about everything, no matter if it hurts. In line with this promise, Conrad reveals he got into Stanford as a transfer student, but says he’ll stay at Brown to stay close to family. Jere won’t let him give up his dream. He arranges for the group to help Conrad study for his final tomorrow so he can keep his Stanford admission.

During their emergency study sesh, Belly sets up a cheeseburger reward system, but Conrad wants more than that. “What else do I get?” he asks suggestively. (Girl???!?!?) In the middle of the night, Belly finds Conrad lying by the pool. She tries to tell him she has feelings for Jeremiah, but he falls asleep before she can finish the sentence.

The next morning, Laurel remembers one of her final moments with Susannah on the dock as she tried finishing her book. Susannah joked that Laurel was just trying to draw out the story, to avoid the truth that Susannah didn’t have much time left. Back in the present day, Laurel takes photo of Jeremiah, Belly, Conrad, and Steven, per tradition. She allows for Belly to ride with the brothers to Brown. (There will be consequences for her drunken partying later.) Steven, with a new romantic outlook thanks to his love for Taylor, encourages Conrad to tell Belly how he feels. Somehow there is time for them all to jump into the pool before Conrad’s exam.

While Conrad takes his final, Jere shows Belly around his school Finch (it’s one of the schools her guidance counselor recommended), and their campus tour looks a lot like a date. While taking a look at the volleyball trophies and the gym, Belly imagines herself here—especially with him around.

In the Brown parking lot, Belly asks Jeremiah for a second chance, but he’s still guarded. “If I fall for you again, I don’t think I can take it if you change your mind like last time.” She promises she won’t—things are different now! After spending most of her life dreaming of being with Conrad, Belly has learned after this hellish year that dreams aren’t real. “Real” is what she wants, and that is Jeremiah. Finally, she kisses him, and they make out in the parking lot. Then Conrad appears, looking confused as hell.