Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Neil picks up Anna for their date and asks why she got divorced. Anna silently considers all the insignificant things that contributed to the end of her marriage. Dan became depressed and unhappy with his work, aging body, and the lack of adventure in their lives. Once he got on antidepressants and took up cycling, his mood improved, but he asked Anna for a divorce. She says, “I’m fine, life goes on” (62), the phrase she keeps repeating whenever anyone asks how she is.

Neil says that fishing is the one activity that helped him deal with his divorce. He sees cyclists passing by and curses them. His wife left him for a guy who cycles. They discuss their mutual hatred for cyclists who take over the road. Will texts Anna, asking about the topic of her column, and she is angry that he’s interrupting her date. Anna casts her line and accidentally hooks Neil in the face, and the date ends since he must return home to remove the barb and hook. Neil spots cyclists on the road and decides to try to run them off the road for “fun.” His behavior horrifies Anna, and she begs him to stop.

At home, Anna is still shaken from her disastrous date and alone since the kids are with Dan. She goes into the garage, which once was Dan’s home gym, a place she rarely goes because it reminds her of the pain of her divorce. Determined to reclaim the space for herself, she declutters and adds a rug and a chair to make it a reading room. She completes the project by replacing a photo of Dan and the children with one of her and Lottie riding their bikes together in childhood. Her face was bruised since the photo was taken after a bike accident. Anna sees the photo as a symbol that reminds her that she can go on after being hurt.

Dan brings the children home and complains about Ethan quitting football. Anna explains that Ethan didn’t like the sport, and she let him choose another. Dan offers her his Apple TV password so she can watch the newest episode of a show they used to watch together. The encounter reminds Anna simultaneously of why she loves Dan and why they’re divorced.

Influenced by Sylvie, Jess declares she’s giving up meat to protect the environment, so Anna suggests they try a vegan restaurant for dinner. Their waiter, Caleb, is charming and attractive, and Anna senses he’s flirting. Jess says Anna should ask him out, but Anna thinks he’s too young for her. Jess blurts to Caleb that her mom wants to ask him out. Anna explains her column, and Caleb, who says he’s 27, agrees.

Will emails Anna and apologizes for their previous heated exchange. He earnestly wants their collaboration on the column to work and asks her to have coffee to discuss her most recent date. Will likes the column despite pointing out four typos. Will’s companion column uses the fishing metaphor to explain using a dating app. It ends it by saying he “[…] hook, line, and sinker’-ed […]” the woman (78), which Anna finds off-putting. Anna thinks he’s a “serial shagger,” and Will accuses her of “slut shaming” him. During the banter, Anna notices Will’s soft lips and green eyes and, for a moment, loses herself, wondering why she is attracted to him. Will explains that the last time he fell in love, he was hurt and has since struggled to move past surface-level dates for fear of another heartbreak. He’s crying, and Anna moves near him, rubbing his back for comfort. Will laughs, knowing he pulled one over on her. His joke doesn’t amuse Anna, and she returns to the office with a new resolve to win the war.

Jonathan loves their columns and says Crispin will soon interview everyone in the company in preparation for cutbacks, but the local journalists will remain valuable. Anna is spending the weekend covering the Hay Literary Festival, an event she looks forward to each year. Will announces he will also attend the festival, much to Anna’s dismay, as she feels he is again encroaching on her territory. Will offers to ride together, but Anna is too infuriated to answer. Steph tells Anna that Will only attends the festival because a woman who likes him asked him to be on a book panel. Steph agrees with Anna that Will is insufferable but adds that he is “hot.” She asks Anna to join her and others for drinks that night, but Anna declines, and Steph is frustrated that she never goes out with them. Anna agrees to ride to the festival with Will to strategize about the column during the car ride. Anna catches herself admiring Will’s shapely form under his trousers.

Neil asks Anna out again, but she says she’s not ready to date. Caleb texts and invites her to a party that doesn’t start until 10 o’clock. When Anna tells Lottie, she offers to stay the night with the kids. Lottie helps Anna find an outfit and encourages Anna that she will find joy again. She says going to the party is a step in the right direction. Anna discovers that Jess threw away her favorite toys, and she tearfully takes them out of the trash and hides them.

At the party, Anna meets Caleb’s young, eccentric friends. At first, Anna feels awkward, like she doesn’t fit in, but Caleb takes her to the roof and asks her what she wants from life. Feeling strangely vulnerable with Caleb, Anna says she wants “[…] to laugh again, I want some of the lightness back. I want my life not to be over when I’m barely halfway through. I want to not feel like I’m a failure because I got divorced” (91). Caleb tenderly kisses her on the cheek. Caleb has an ampersand tattoo that symbolizes life’s finitude and a reminder that life can always begin again.

Anna unknowingly eats a brownie laced with marijuana and takes shots of tequila. Soon, she is pleasantly drunk and high, spinning and dancing with Caleb, who makes her feel young and free. Caleb’s tattoo artist gives Anna the same ampersand tattoo. Anna calls Dan and leaves him messages. 

While on the roof listening to a group debating God’s existence, Anna begins sobering up and finds their debate immature and pointless. Too drunk to go home, Anna sleeps at the house. Later, she awakens to frantic texts from Lottie and scrambles to get home. Only 22, Caleb asks if he can see her again, and Anna declines. Back home, Anna rearranges her bedroom to make Dan’s side of the bed look less empty. She discovers her tattoo.

Painfully hungover, Anna wakes up the following day to get the children ready for Dan to pick them up for school and prepare for Will to pick her up to go to the festival. Will arrives early, and Anna is embarrassed that he sees her so disheveled and disorganized. While the children eat breakfast, Ethan peppers Will with questions about his work, and Anna listens as he effortlessly converses with her children. 

Dan arrives and asks to speak to her alone. He chastises her for drinking too much, calling him in the middle of the night, and being “unhinged.” He also suggests she be more attentive to her appearance. Anna is on the verge of tears, embarrassed that Will overheard the conversation and has witnessed “Anna’s shit show life” (103).

After making herself presentable, Anna and Will leave for Hay in an MG car he borrowed from his father. Will is dressed impeccably and has brought freshly brewed coffee for them. Anna jokes that he’s too perfect to be a real person. Anna shares the details about her disastrous date, and Will suggests they write their columns about age-gap dating. Her skin tingles when he touches her arm to see the tattoo. Since Anna has seen Will’s dating profile, she knows he prefers dating younger women. Will defends his preferences, stating that everyone has preferences in dating, and the apps force people to be specific when creating a profile. Since she’s shorter and older than his preferences, Anna jokes that she’s off his list, but she blushes when Will says he’d “make an exception” (110). Will says the apps are inefficient in conveying certain attractive qualities like sexiness and stage of life, and Anna agrees.

Anna assumes Will is a serial dater and is not looking for a committed relationship. Will argues that he believes in finding his soulmate and sees no point in going on successive dates with someone he doesn’t see a future with. He’s not entirely ready for marriage at 30, but he’s not opposed to settling down if he finds his soulmate. Anna accuses him of using the apps to filter through many women to find his “perfect” woman who doesn’t exist. Will changes his tone, obviously hurt by her accusations, and claims she is bitter about relationships because of Dan. He says she shouldn’t let Dan speak to her like he did at the house. Anna stifles tears and says she doesn’t want to talk for the rest of the drive.

Anna is staying at a bed and breakfast directly across from Will. He asks her to attend his evening panel. In her room alone, she replays the conversation from the drive, considering that she too harshly judged Will. She knows most men seek the opposite of her: younger women who are fertile and “baggage-free.” Will’s talk is a success, and Anna is impressed at how well he handles public speaking. Will is genuinely happy she came and introduces her to Henrietta Stone, the editor of City Book Review. Henrietta reveals that Will turned down their offer to be an editor. Will nervously counters that the timing wasn’t right for the job. Will invites Anna to dinner, and she asks him to explain why he refused the offer.

Will has four brothers, and the youngest, Simon, is disabled due to a car accident. Since his mother died, he and his brothers have always helped his father care for Simon. Will didn’t want his brothers to give up their happiness to stay in Bath, so he put his career advancement on hold so he could stay with Simon. He met Maeve in a bookshop and fell in love, but the relationship ended, leaving him heartbroken. Simon’s older brother and family have returned to Bath, freeing Will to move and pursue his career goals. He feels he’s behind, so he jumps on every opportunity at Bath Living, not to encroach on Anna’s territory but to build his resume.

Seeing Will in a new light increases Anna’s attraction to him, and their banter at dinner becomes more flirtatious. She shares that she gave up the chance to work at Al Jazeera because she didn’t want Dan to give up his job, and she was pregnant with Jess. Will compliments Anna on her journalism, saying her column is why he came to work for Bath Living. 

Anna once considered taking pottery but has no hobbies because of the children, and Will says she deserves to spend time on things she loves. He asks her to have drinks after dinner, and Anna feels something shift between them, but “[…] this new friendliness with Will feels more dangerous than being antagonistic toward him ever did” (130). 

Later, Anna calls it a night, fearing they’re about to cross a line. She can see into Will’s room from her, and he is in boxers. Will catches her watching him, and she jumps back from the window. They exchange flirtatious texts, and Will asks her to undress. Anna removes her shirt and skirt, and Will asks her to come to his room. Anna teasingly tells him the “show’s over,” but as she slips into bed, she feels newly alive and optimistic.

Anna thinks she dreamed of the sexy exchange with Will the previous night. She checks her texts to confirm it was real and decides to shower, shave her legs, and purchase new underwear. Thinking of taking things further makes her feel excited but a bit naughty since he’s a coworker. However, buying new underwear makes her feel good. Will texts her good morning but says he must return home early. He won’t say why but says a friend is driving him home, and Anna can keep his car for the rest of the trip. Anna is disappointed and no longer wants to be at the festival. She sees Will getting into the vehicle of a tall blonde and assumes Will is moving on to someone who interests him more.

Back home, Dan returns the children and says Jess is very moody and unpleasant to be around. Sylvie doesn’t understand Dan and Anna’s arrangement, and Dan thinks it would help if they met. She reluctantly agrees, but she knows from stalking Sylvie’s social media that they won’t get along. 

The children often have trouble transitioning back home, so Anna gives them space. Jess is upset because she wasn’t invited to Penny’s party and feels left out. Ethan wants Anna to go out with Ryan Stirling, the star of a detective show and a local theater performer. Though Anna thinks he’s handsome, she isn’t sure she can land a date with him. Jess suggests she go out with their delivery man, Michael. Since her crush on Will isn’t panning out, she agrees.