Chapter 16 Summary: Staff Dorm Move-In and Unspoken Baggage
⚠️ 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
Chapter 16 opens with Olivia Grayson packing her car while guiltily enjoying her mother Shannon’s stricken reaction. Shannon silently watches, then offers only a peck on the cheek, refusing to be happy about Livvy’s new job at the Saint. Livvy responds childishly by sticking her fingers in her ears, missing the haunted expression on her mother’s face.
The scene shifts to Traci Eddings, standing in the freshly renovated staff dorm lounge, sipping coffee and surveying her work. She personally oversaw every detail—from bamboo blinds to cleaning schedules—much to Charlie and Madelyn’s annoyance. Traci sees the dorm as a creative outlet more rewarding than spreadsheets.
One by one, the new staff arrive: first Felice, the chef from Hialeah with a duffel bag and laundry; then Livvy, Garrett, and KJ Parkhurst—a lacrosse player who flunked out of Wake Forest. Parrish, Traci’s niece, arrives last, looking hungover and clutching a Red Bull. Traci gives a firm welcome, emphasizing equal cleaning duties, a ban on drugs and sexual harassment, and the importance of respect. She warns the men not to shirk their share, based on her own summer as a dorm resident.
After Traci leaves, KJ turns on the TV, breaking the awkward silence. Garrett introduces himself as the new headwaiter and questions Parrish about why she’s living “with the commonfolk.” Parrish bristles and retreats to her room. KJ reluctantly explains his grandfather is a golf member and his father made him take this job to “man up.” Livvy shares her background at community college and her plans. Felice warns everyone not to touch her kombucha.
Key Events
- Olivia leaves home: Livvy packs her car while Shannon watches stone-faced; she refuses a hug and won’t pretend to be happy about the Saint.
- Traci’s hands-on renovation: She personally installs bamboo blinds, irritating Charlie and Madelyn, but finds fulfillment in the creative project.
- Staff arrivals: Felice, Livvy, Garrett, KJ, and finally Parrish show up; Traci sets house rules about cleaning, drugs, and respect.
- Class and privilege tensions: Garrett immediately calls out Parrish for being Ric Eddings’ daughter and questions KJ about his grandfather’s membership and his own fall from grace.
- Parrish’s defensive stance: She shuts down Garrett’s questions and isolates herself in her room.
- KJ’s reluctant backstory: He reveals he flunked out of Wake Forest after a lacrosse injury and that this job is his father’s punishment.
- Felice’s territorial kitchen warning: She declares her kombucha off-limits and insists others clean up after themselves.
Character Development
Traci Eddings shows her perfectionism and need for hands-on control. The dorm project lets her express her creativity and connect with the staff in a way spreadsheets never could. Her lecture about equal chores suggests she remembers her own summer struggles at the Saint and is determined to prevent the same inequities for these young adults.
Olivia Grayson exhibits immaturity. She enjoys her mother’s distress, sings “lalalalala,” and dismisses Shannon’s genuine fear. Yet she also demonstrates ambition: she worked at BluePointe, got recruited by Traci, and has “plans” beyond community college.
Parrish Eddings arrives late and disheveled, immediately defensive when Garrett identifies her as Ric’s daughter. Her refusal to answer personal questions and her line about working only “this summer” hint at tension with her family and a provisional attitude toward the job.
KJ Parkhurst is ashamed of his failures. He admits he “fucked up” and that the job is his father’s idea of discipline. His broad build and preppy clothes contrast with his internal embarrassment.
Garrett emerges as a self-appointed leader. He’s been at the Saint for a decade, earned a promotion, and isn’t afraid to ask pointed questions about privilege.
Felice is no-nonsense and private. She comes from Hialeah, works hard, and minds her own business—but she’s already staking a claim over the kitchen.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Class and privilege: The dorm experiment forces rich family members (KJ, Parrish) to live alongside locals and career staff. Garrett’s questions about KJ’s grandfather and Parrish’s bluff house highlight the social divide.
Family obligation and escape: Livvy leaves a controlling mother; KJ is punished by his father; Parrish works reluctantly for her aunt. Each character’s relationship with family shapes their presence at the Saint.
Traci’s maternal authority: She mediates the dorm like a parent—setting rules, warning about drugs and harassment, and calling out expected male laziness. This parallels her own youth and positions her as a mentor.
The dorm itself: A symbol of Traci’s vision for the Saint’s rebirth. It’s “an expensive experiment” that only works if everyone respects each other.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 16 establishes the new staff dorm as a microcosm of the Saint’s larger tensions. By bringing together characters from vastly different backgrounds—locals, legacy members, failed athletes, reluctant nieces—Traci Eddings creates a pressure cooker where personal histories and class resentments will inevitably collide. The chapter also deepens Livvy’s backstory, showing the emotional distance between her and Shannon, a thread likely to resurface. Traci’s hands-on leadership style and her insistence on mutual respect set the tone for the summer and foreshadow conflicts over boundaries and ownership (like Felice’s kombucha). For readers, this chapter marks the moment the ensemble truly comes together—and begins to fracture.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Traci Eddings insist on handling the dorm renovation herself, despite Charlie and Madelyn’s objections?
Traci sees the dorm as a creative outlet that gives her more satisfaction than her usual spreadsheets and rack-card rates. She also wants to ensure the space reflects her values, as evidenced by her specific instructions for the bamboo blinds and her later lecture on shared cleaning duties—likely rooted in her own summer as a nineteen-year-old dorm resident.
2. How does Parrish’s entrance and response to Garrett reveal her attitude toward her family and this job?
Parrish arrives late, disheveled, and clutching a Red Bull, implying she’d rather be elsewhere. When Garrett asks why she’s living with “commonfolk,” she tersely confirms she’s Ric Eddings’ daughter but calls Garrett’s questions “none of your business.” Her announcement that she’s only working “this summer” suggests she views the job as a temporary imposition rather than a genuine commitment.
3. In what ways does Livvy’s departure from home mirror KJ’s situation?
Both characters are leaving family situations under pressure. Livvy’s mother Shannon is openly hostile to the Saint, while KJ’s father has forced him into the job as punishment for flunking out. Livvy reacts with childish defiance (fingers in ears), while KJ feels publicly humiliated (admitting he “fucked up”). Both are using the Saint as a fresh start, but their families’ disapproval shadows them.