Bailey and Charlie spend the day hiking, and Scott and Emily go skiing. Charlie internally berates himself for his suggestion about kissing practice, but he admits to himself that kissing her was addictive and that he only wants more.

As Bailey gets ready for dinner that evening, her mother comes to chat with her about Charlie. She is relieved to hear that they’ve only begun dating recently. Before they go to the restaurant, Charlie and Bailey share a heated kiss that annoys Scott but also makes them both feel disoriented. Charlie invites Bailey to go to a gold-mining ghost town with him tomorrow, but when Scott is disappointed that Bailey won’t go skiing tomorrow, she compromises, telling them that she’ll spend the morning with them and then head for the ghost town later with Charlie.

After dinner, they all go to an ice rink. Charlie and Bailey hang out while Emily and Scott go skating. Charlie uses the opportunity to pull Bailey aside and make out with her until they catch the attention of Emily and Scott. Though Bailey doesn’t glance back at them, Charlie assures her that they seem to be talking heatedly, likely about them.

That night, as they get ready for bed, Charlie tells Bailey that there’s nothing wrong with liking Scott because he is a nice guy. Bailey isn’t sure what to think about Charlie changing his entire philosophy on divorced parents dating. They bond over the fact that their fathers both live in Alaska and don’t see them often.

When Bailey gets emotional about missing her father, Charlie climbs onto the couch and holds her. She tells him that Nekesa pointed out that Bailey is the one who always initiates communication with her father. She decided to prove Nekesa wrong by waiting for him to reach out first, but four months have passed with no word from her father.

Charlie and Bailey share a genuine kiss, which turns heated quickly. They break apart when they hear Scott coming down the stairs for a glass of water, and Charlie is forced to rush back toward his couch-cushion mattress. When Scott goes back upstairs, instead of resuming the moment, Charlie asks to turn on the TV.

Charlie berates himself for kissing Bailey. Though he wanted to, he knows that nothing good can come of it. He’s been very careful to label her as a coworker—not even as a friend—but intends to fix it before a potential romantic entanglement ruins their current understanding.

The next morning, Bailey and Charlie opt to stay at the cafe next to the lift instead of skiing down with Scott and Emily. As Bailey orders them coffees, Charlie steps away to take a call. Bailey wonders if it is his mother or his ex-girlfriend Becca and feels jealous at the thought that it may be Becca.

When Charlie returns, he explains that his mother was thrilled when he told her that Bailey is “an uptight rule-follower” (287). Bailey is bothered when Charlie jokes about the previous night’s kiss as if it meant nothing. When she admits that she’s confused, he says, “[S]ometimes shit happens” (287), a response that annoys Bailey.

Charlie changes the subject and asks about Bailey’s current read, a historical romance, and suggests that they read it together. They take turns reading for a couple of hours; the ridiculous accents that Charlie chooses for the dialogue amuse Bailey. Eventually, they leave the cafe to go on a hike. Along the trail, they find a cat stuck high up in a tree. Charlie climbs up to rescue it and decides to adopt the kitten. At this moment, Bailey realizes that she has major feelings for Charlie.

At the end of the weekend, they drive back home. Bailey names Charlie’s cat Puffball. She can’t stop thinking about her newfound feelings for Charlie, but she has decided that she will not act on them because he doesn’t feel the same way. To put the idea to rest, Bailey suggests that they both begin dating other people. She suggests a double date with Eli and her friend Dana. When Charlie seems taken aback, Bailey hopes that it’s because he dislikes the idea of dating someone other than her, but she is crestfallen when he jokes that she’s been holding out on him by not mentioning her gorgeous, single friend.

Charlie drops Bailey off at home, leaving Puffball with her until he can get permission from his mother to have a cat. However, he calls Bailey soon after he gets home—his mother’s boyfriend has brought his kids over to the house, and he’s overwhelmed and angry.

Bailey sets Charlie up with Dana, he sets her up with Eli, and they all go bowling for their double date. Charlie isn’t enthused about the date after acknowledging, at least to himself, that he likes Bailey. While it hurt when she suggested the double date, it is also a wake-up call to shut down his feelings for Bailey before they ruin their friendship.

Throughout the date, Dana and Charlie have no chemistry, and neither do Bailey and Eli. In addition, both Bailey and Charlie become jealous, watching each other attempt to connect with their dates.

Eventually, it becomes clear that Dana and Eli are more into each other than Charlie and Bailey. When Eli offers to drop Dana off at the end of the night, Charlie and Bailey are left together. Charlie asks Bailey to their fall formal. He explains that his mother will be upset if he doesn’t go, and since there’s no one he’s into, if they go with each other, at least they’ll have fun.

Though Bailey knows that his nonchalance is setting her up for heartbreak, she agrees. They go shopping for a dress, and though Charlie teases her about the dress she picks out, he is clearly affected by the sight of Bailey in it. As she’s changing back into her regular clothes, Bailey receives a text from Zack, asking if she reset her Netflix password.

Bailey excitedly runs to Charlie to tell him about the text and asks him how she should respond. Charlie feels like he’s been gut punched at the news, but he coaches her on how to respond. He worries about what it will mean for their friendship if Bailey and Zach get back together.