The next day, Leonard wears his nicest outfit to work, hoping that he looks “normal.” He sees the woman with the cherry-red hair, but she looks rushed, so he doesn’t speak to her. He takes note of where her desk is, intending to speak with her later. He misses her, however, and has an awkward conversation with two of her coworkers. He is sure that they think he is bizarre, but he does learn that the red-haired woman’s name is Shelley.

Paul is on his way to the hospital to run an errand for his mother. He is supposed to take a tin of sweets to the nurses from his mother’s volunteer shifts. On the way, he notices that the tin is long out of date. He takes it to the store where he thinks it was purchased and complains loudly. When a salesman offers to swap the tin out with a new one, Paul asks instead to speak with a manager. The manager opens the tin and finds it full of sewing supplies. Sheepishly, Paul returns home to find his mother looking for her sewing kit.

On Saturday morning, Grace wakes up early in spite of her late night and wonders how to spend her weekend. She is tired, but she has a lot to do. Her fiancé, Andrew, is in Amsterdam on business, so, wanting company, she calls her parents. They make plans for her to stop over later. She then texts Andrew, secretly hoping that he is busy; he texts back that he is on a museum tour and will talk to her later. Grace, who loves Andrew but feels pressure to act “in love” now that they are engaged, is relieved.

Helen and Paul drive to the hospital for Helen’s volunteer shift. They bring the actual tin of sweets to the nurses and chat with a few patients. Helen and Paul spend the most time with Barbara, an elderly woman awaiting a scan. Helen and Barbara get along well and trade stories of their lives. Afterward, Helen and Paul return home to find Grace already there. The family enjoys a meal together and then watches television. Grace is so happy in the company of her parents and brother that she decides to spend the night. She calls Andrew from her childhood bedroom, finally excited to speak to him.

Leonard arrives at work and exchanges an awkward wave with Shelley. By the time he gets to his desk, there is a Post-It note from her asking if he needs advice about fire safety. Leonard wonders if, since Shelley is the fire warden for their floor, this is a sincere work request. It also, he muses, might be flirtation. He cannot tell. He struggles to talk to women and is often unsure of how to make the leap from friendly chatter to asking someone out. He decides against approaching Shelley’s desk again without a plan. Instead, he purposefully locks himself out of his computer and walks over to the desk of tech support specialist Greg, who sits near Shelley. While Greg resets Leonard’s password, Leonard talks to Shelley. She asks him to autograph one of his books for her son, Patrick, who loves them. Leonard steels himself and, rather awkwardly, asks Shelley to lunch. She says yes.

At lunch, Leonard and Shelley share about themselves. Leonard tells Shelley that his mother recently died, and she expresses sincere condolences. Leonard learns that Shelley is almost 28 and that her son is seven. His father is not in the picture. She dropped out of arts college but still enjoys drawing. The two get along well and make plans to have dinner that Thursday.

Grace feels tired. Wedding planning is not that different from her actual work, but at work, she has emotional distance. She feels as though she has been working at two jobs, one of them quite stressful, for a long time. She just wants to return to the quiet of her life with Andrew. On the day that he is set to return from Amsterdam, she reflects on their relationship. Andrew comes from a good family and went to a good school. Like Grace, he has been professionally successful. He is also kind. Still, she wonders if he is too conventional for her: He likes pubs and rugby, and his opinions on everything from politics to music are safe. Yet the two get along well and often joke and laugh together. Each had a string of monogamous relationships before meeting, but neither had truly connected with any of their previous partners. Grace knows that she is lucky to have Andrew.

Andrew is completely smitten with Grace. She is, he often thinks, the most interesting woman he has ever met. When he returns from Amsterdam, the two share Japanese takeout in anticipation of their upcoming honeymoon in Tokyo. Grace would like her parents to take a real vacation, so Andrew suggests hosting Paul at their house when they are gone to alleviate their anxiety. Grace pushes back against this idea, arguing that Paul should be able to fend for himself and that it is time for him to start being more independent.

Paul wakes up stiff and aching from yesterday’s Judo class. He reluctantly accompanies his mother to the hospital for another volunteering shift but doesn’t want to listen to her and Barbara again. He finds another woman, whose nameplate identifies her as Mrs. Hawthorn, and sits silently by her bed for 20 minutes. Eventually, she picks up his hand and gives it a squeeze. He is grateful that she doesn’t want to talk.

When he returns home, he calls Leonard about that evening’s board-game selection. However, Leonard had forgotten about their plans and is planning to see Shelley instead. Paul is hurt but downplays it, declining to reschedule. He will see Leonard this weekend at the ceremony for the Chamber of Commerce’s contest winners: Paul’s sign-off is one of the finalists. Leonard enthusiastically agrees. Paul reflects that both his sister and Leonard have paired off and are leaving him behind.

Leonard feels bad for letting Paul down and resolves not to let his burgeoning romance with Shelley impact their friendship. After accidentally applying what turns out to be women’s perfume to his face, Leonard heads to the restaurant that he selected for his date with Shelley. He arrives nearly 30 minutes early. He has to use the bathroom, so he ducks into a McDonalds. They will not allow him to use the restroom without first making a purchase, so he buys a Happy Meal. Shelley, who also arrives early, sees him through the window. He bumbles through an explanation, relieved that Shelley finds his predicament amusing. They head next door to the restaurant.

The meal goes well, and Leonard shares his book project with Shelley. He has decided to write a book about an ancient Roman child that is factually accurate but engaging to young readers. Shelley thinks the idea is fabulous; she and Patrick often create illustrations based on his children’s encyclopedias. She left art school when she got pregnant and Patrick’s father left her. Leonard honestly tells Shelley how much he likes her and how beautiful he thinks she is. Shelley is charmed by Leonard’s openness, and the two kiss before she leaves to go home.