Fangirl Down

Josephine and Wells’s time together in Palm Beach heightens the tension and stakes of their intensifying relationship, complicating each protagonist’s Journey Toward Fulfillment and Personal Growth. Before Josephine and Wells parted in San Antonio, they agreed to pause their romantic and sexual affair to maintain a more professional relationship. This arrangement is particularly important to Josephine, who fears that she isn’t earning the respect she wants in the golfing world and that her identity is being absorbed into Wells’s. However, as soon as the characters part ways, they begin to realize the difficulty of being apart and the ways in which their time together has taught them important lessons. Wells’s unexpected arrival in Palm Beach alters the parameters of the two protagonists’ dynamics and compels them to make challenging decisions about their futures together and apart.

Wells’s appearance in Palm Beach acts as a manifestation of his love for Josephine. Both characters know that Josephine doesn’t like people “making a fuss about [her] diabetes” as it “reminds [her] there’s something to fear” (252). However, driving to Palm Beach to check on Josephine is Wells’s way of conveying his concern for, and investment in, Josephine’s well-being. For Josephine, Wells’s willingness to be there for her in spite of the logistical inconvenience offers her a window into a new sort of loving relational dynamic.

When they’re reunited in Josephine’s apartment, the narrator inhabits Josephine’s headspace and reveals that the “loneliness inside her [...] [flees] as soon as they [are] touching, and slowly it [is] replaced with relief, security, a sense of balance, and peace” (252). This moment of interiority indicates that Josephine doesn’t regard Wells’s concern as an attempt to disempower her. Rather, his devotion to her makes “her feel…like an equal member of a team” (253). His sacrificial and selfless behavior in turn inspires Josephine to forgive him for their miscommunications in San Antonio and to welcome him back into her life. In turn, the characters begin to embark upon a more defined romantic and sexual relationship.

Josephine and Wells’s decision to start formally dating ushers them into a new era of their lives together, foreshadowing obstacles in their relationship. Overcome by Wells’s unexpected ability to “[r]espect, challenge, arouse, and respect her, all at once” (268), Josephine realizes that she is in love with Wells and agrees to be his girlfriend. This decision is inspired by Josephine’s intense emotions and fails to take into account how her future in Palm Beach might threaten her future with Wells. The progress on Josephine’s family’s pro shop quickly becomes an obstacle in the characters’ journeys toward romantic fulfillment and bliss. For as long as she can remember, Josephine has wanted to make the shop her own while preserving her family’s legacy. However, her competing feelings for Wells make her wonder if she should give up on this dream to be with Wells as his caddie. Meanwhile, Wells has never wanted anyone as badly as he wants Josephine and can’t imagine his golfing future without her by his side.

At the same time, Wells also knows how important the pro shop is to Josephine and fears that his love for her might keep her from realizing her own dreams. These competing desires reveal the ways in which the individual’s heart might be torn between various goals and dreams. In turn, the novel is suggesting that even in intense emotional affairs, both members of the relationship have unique identities, callings, and needs. The ways in which Josephine and Wells will handle these conflicts in the final chapters will determine the sustainability of their relationship.