Chapter 27 Summary: A Legally Binding Sex Pact

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Campbell picks up his niece Isla from her first student council meeting. Isla is upset that a boy who flirted with her all summer asked another girl to homecoming. Campbell tries to console her, but the conversation makes him think of his own hot-cold behavior toward Hazel. He realizes he left his wallet at Hazel’s house after a previous lunch delivery. That evening, instead of waiting, he walks to her house. Hazel is trying to hang curtains in her sitting room. Campbell insists on doing the job properly and helps her, leading to a charged encounter. While standing on a ladder behind her, his hand accidentally lands on her bare ass. The sexual tension explodes. Campbell admits he wants “dirty, rough, meaningless sex” but has been acting cold to protect her. Hazel, insulted by his assumption that she can’t handle a no-strings fling, proposes a written agreement. She drafts a “legally binding sex pact” on a notebook page: they will enjoy casual sex as long as it’s convenient, won’t let it interfere with business, and won’t pursue romance. Both sign, and Campbell grabs her.

Key Events

• Campbell’s niece Isla is heartbroken after a boy she liked asked someone else to homecoming.
• Campbell admits to himself that he’s been acting like a “hot-cold man baby” toward Hazel.
• He retrieves his wallet from Hazel’s, staying to help hang curtains.
• While on the ladder, Campbell accidentally touches Hazel’s bare butt, escalating the sexual tension.
• Campbell confesses he wants meaningless sex but has been fighting it.
• Hazel calls him out for making decisions for her and proposes a sex pact.
• They both sign the agreement, and Campbell kisses her.

Character Development

Campbell Bishop
Campbell’s internal conflict deepens. He wants to be a gentleman but is driven by physical desire. His conversation with Isla forces him to see his own hypocrisy. By signing the sex pact, he moves from avoidance to a contractual arrangement, revealing his need for clear rules to manage emotional risk.

Hazel Hart
Hazel takes charge of the situation. She refuses to be treated as fragile or incapable of handling a fling. By drafting the pact, she asserts her agency and matches Campbell’s bluntness with her own. Her writing block is referenced—she’s written more since he kissed her—suggesting that physical release may also unlock her creativity.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Agreements as Emotional Shields
The “legally binding sex pact” is a symbolic contract meant to control intimacy. Both characters use written rules to avoid the messiness of real feelings, foreshadowing the inevitable emotional complications.

Hot-Cold Behavior
The chapter contrasts genuine warmth (Campbell with Isla, his willingness to help with curtains) with cold withdrawal (his week of ignoring Hazel). This pattern echoes the boy’s treatment of Isla and underlines the theme of emotional immaturity.

Domesticity as Intimacy
Hanging curtains together is a small act of homemaking. It creates a shared space and forces physical proximity, breaking down Campbell’s defenses. The mundane task becomes a stage for raw attraction.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 27 is the pivot where Campbell and Hazel stop circling each other and name their desire. The sex pact injects a contractual twist into their relationship, raising stakes for the rest of the novel. It also links Campbell’s family obligations (the Bishop Brothers business) with his personal choices, since Hazel is a client. The pact is both a solution and a trap, promising freedom while likely creating new tensions.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Campbell’s conversation with Isla affect him so strongly?
Isla’s story about a boy who blew hot and cold mirrors Campbell’s own treatment of Hazel. It forces him to see his behavior as immature and hurtful, pushing him to finally confront Hazel instead of avoiding her.

2. What does the sex pact reveal about Hazel’s character?
Hazel refuses to be a passive participant. By drafting the pact, she demands equality and control. She is pragmatic, direct, and unwilling to let Campbell dictate the terms of their physical relationship, even if the pact is a playful fiction.

3. How does the setting of Hazel’s half-finished house contribute to the chapter’s mood?
The house is in limbo—unpainted floors, cardboard-box TV, no curtains. This physical incompleteness mirrors the characters’ emotional state. Hanging curtains gives Hazel a sense of permanence and control, which contrasts with the unstable nature of the new sex pact.

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