Chapter Twelve: Massage, Vulnerability, and a New Deal

⚠️ 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

Tallulah helps Lissa practice lines from Romeo and Juliet for an upcoming class assignment. Lissa admits she wants to play Juliet and compares her divorced parents to the star-crossed lovers, hinting at a wish for reconciliation. The comment unsettles Tallulah, who remembers her own kiss with Burgess outside a club. When Burgess returns home from practice, he is clearly suffering from back pain but tries to hide it. Lissa tells him about the play, and after a distracted grunt, he deliberately offers a genuine compliment—that she would be good as Juliet. Lissa is thrilled. Later, Tallulah notices Burgess’s discomfort and impulsively begins massaging his back, despite knowing it crosses professional boundaries.

During the massage, Burgess admits he has not treated his chronic back injury because he fears being seen as weak and on the decline. Tallulah challenges his logic and persuades him to see a private doctor by making a deal: nightly massages in exchange for an appointment. As their physical closeness escalates, they almost kiss but are interrupted by Lissa calling from her room. Burgess takes over helping Lissa with her lines for the first time, showing a new willingness to engage as a father. Tallulah is left alone, aware that her feelings for him have deepened beyond professionalism.

Key Events

Lissa practices Romeo and Juliet lines with Tallulah and reveals her hope that her parents will reunite like the play’s lovers.
Burgess returns home with visible back pain but deflects questions about it.
Burgess tells Lissa she would be a good Juliet, which makes her joyful and marks a deliberate effort to be attentive.
Tallulah initiates an impromptu back massage, which quickly becomes intimate and revelatory.
Burgess confesses his refusal to treat his injury stems from a fear of appearing weak and losing his edge in hockey.
Tallulah bargains: nightly massages in exchange for Burgess seeing a private doctor.
The two nearly kiss but are interrupted by Lissa.
Burgess voluntarily takes over helping Lissa with her script, a first for their father-daughter dynamic.
Tallulah acknowledges her growing emotional and physical attraction to Burgess.

Character Development

Burgess shows a rare moment of vulnerability by admitting his fear of being seen as weak and his distrust of medical intervention. He also demonstrates growth in his parenting: he actively listens to Tallulah’s advice about showing support for Lissa and follows through by giving a meaningful compliment and then offering to help with the play. His willingness to make a deal with Tallulah—even if playful—indicates he values her influence.

Tallulah wrestles with her own boundaries. She knows the massage and the closeness are unprofessional, yet she cannot resist the connection. She also reveals her own need to “reach for more,” echoing Burgess’s struggle. Her bargain with him (massages for a doctor visit) shows her resourcefulness and deepening investment in his well-being beyond just her job.

Lissa is portrayed as perceptive and longing for a complete family. Her comparison of her parents to Romeo and Juliet reveals both her romantic idealism and her pain. Her reaction to her father’s compliment shows how much she craves his approval.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Romeo and Juliet runs as a motif throughout the chapter. Lissa directly likens her parents to the star-crossed couple, Tallulah feels like a “Rosaline” (the off-script side character) after kissing Burgess, and the interrupted kiss mirrors the play’s theme of forbidden love and timing. The play becomes a lens through which characters examine their own desires and obstacles.

The back massage symbolizes intimacy, trust, and vulnerability. Burgess allows Tallulah to see his physical pain, which he has hidden from everyone. In return, she uses touch not only to comfort but also to negotiate his health—blurring the line between caretaker and romantic partner.

Vulnerability versus strength is explored through Burgess’s fear that admitting his back injury will signal the end of his career. Tallulah counters by citing a baseball player (Pedro Martinez) who remained admired despite injuries, suggesting that strength includes accepting human weakness.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 12 is a turning point for the central relationship. The massage serves as the first prolonged physical intimacy between Tallulah and Burgess, and it leads to an emotional confession he has not shared with anyone else. Their near-kiss and the bargain they strike raise the stakes: Tallulah agrees to a routine of nightly contact, which will inevitably intensify their bond. Additionally, Burgess’s decision to step in and help Lissa with the play signals his growth as a father and his openness to change. For Lissa, the chapter deepens her hope for a parental reunion, which creates dramatic tension because the reader knows Tallulah and Burgess are developing romantic feelings for each other.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Burgess refuse to tell his team about his back injury?
He fears being perceived as weak and on the decline. He believes that once he starts treating injuries with shots and therapy, his body will “fall apart,” and he cannot bear the stigma of being a veteran held together by tape. His identity as a strong, reliable defender is tied to hiding any vulnerability.
What does Lissa’s comparison of her parents to Romeo and Juliet reveal about her hopes?
She believes her parents are “meant to be together” and that only bad timing kept them apart. The comparison shows her romanticized view of their marriage and her strong desire for them to reconcile, which sets up a potential conflict if she learns of Tallulah’s growing closeness with Burgess.
How does Tallulah use the massage as leverage, and what does it suggest about her feelings?
She offers nightly massages as a condition for Burgess to see a doctor, even though she knows the arrangement is unprofessional. The bargain reflects her deepening emotional investment—she wants him healthy—but it also reveals her own attraction and her willingness to bend rules to stay physically close to him.

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