After much planning and a series of logistical meetings between Conner and Sam, the day of the proposal comes. Phoebe’s part in the plan is to ask Shani to hang out. At their meeting, Conner, Sam, and the children’s flash mob will appear. Phoebe just wants to read her advisor’s comments on her In Cold Blood chapter before she heads out to meet Phoebe. The comments aren’t positive. Dr. Nilsson calls her work “disjointed” and tells her that it isn’t the work of a doctoral-level scholar. Phoebe is crushed but knows that she must put on a brave face for her girls’ date with Shani, so she tries not to focus on the feedback. She and Shani meet up and head to the park, as planned. After they’ve been there for a few minutes, the music starts, and the children appear. Shani is delighted. As the kids sing and dance, they form a circle around Shani and Phoebe. Sam is there dancing with them. Then, Conner is standing right beside them. He proposes, and Shani screams out a heartfelt “yes.” Sam and Phoebe give them some space. Phoebe tells Sam what a good dancer he is, and he tells her that he’s falling for her. She’s stunned and doesn’t know what to say. He asks if she feels the same way, and she tells him that she’s incapable of that kind of love. He’s crushed but says he’s still glad that he met and fell in love with her. He just wishes she’d been more careful with his heart. He walks away, and she bursts into tears.

Phoebe struggles after her breakup with Sam. She’s supposed to revise her latest chapter but has little motivation. Lenore begins feel comfortable sitting in Phoebe’s lap, and she spends more time curled up with the cat than she does writing. On the day of her mock interview, she feels only dread. She pairs her new blazer with a professional-looking dress and heads out the door. She runs into Sam, and they greet each other awkwardly before he rushes off.

The mock interview goes well. The faculty members she meets with seem interested in her dissertation, and she shares her broader arguments about true crime as a genre. In addition, she notes how true crime speaks specifically to students: They’re at a time in their life dominated by both potential and uncertainty. Phoebe herself recalls not knowing what to feel sure about or afraid of. True crime, for her, offers a way to read about something that is obviously, concretely evil. Being able to label something definitively is helpful to her. The department doesn’t currently have a job but will be listing one soon, and they encourage her to apply.

The night before she returns to North Carolina, Phoebe gets together with Conner. First, she drives him to the Sunrise Slayer’s house. He reminds her that their father was just a bad guy, not a serial killer. However, Conner also points out that their father was afraid of his feelings and unable to truly love. Phoebe expresses her fears that she’ll turn out just like him, and Conner replies that she must learn to give in to and express her feelings. She sends Allison a text thanking her for her help and includes a note at the end expressing her love. Conner then takes her to the grocery store where their father fatally collapsed. She was avoiding it but finds the experience cathartic, thinking that maybe now she can let go.

The next morning, Phoebe is packed and ready to go except for her desk. She even has Lenore all set to travel. As she contemplates how to get her desk onto the top of the car, Sam offers to help. She tries to decline, but he rolls his eyes and insists. When they finish, he asks to say goodbye to Lenore. They go inside her dad’s house and find the cat. Phoebe tries to give Sam the guitar she found in her old bedroom, but he won’t take it. He doesn’t want to be reminded of her. They hug, and she leaves.

The semester begins at the end of August, and Phoebe is relieved to have so much to get done before her dissertation defense in October. She still has an entire chapter and many revisions to complete. She works as hard as she can and is surprised that everything goes well. Her free time, however, is less than ideal. She can’t sleep or stop thinking about Sam. She’s miserable. As her dissertation defense approaches, Dr. Nilsson encourages her to invite friends and family to attend. She decides to ask Conner, Shani, Allison, and Sam. She plans to drive down to Florida to ask Sam in person and then drive back up right before her defense. Conner thinks the plan is nuts, but Shani finds it romantic.

She arrives at Sam’s house in the middle of the night and rings the bell. He comes to the door sleepily, looking confused. She’s hurt when he tells her that he can’t hook up with her, but she takes a deep breath and explains that she isn’t there for a “booty call” but to tell him that she loves him, wants to try a real relationship with him, and wants him to come to her dissertation defense. He smiles and tells her that if his girlfriend is about to defend her dissertation, there’s no way he’d miss it. He adds that he planned to wait until the semester was over and then reach out to her again. Phoebe is thrilled and relieved.

Phoebe’s defense goes well, and afterward she moves in with Sam while looking for a job. Sam says that he’ll move anywhere, but she hopes that something opens up nearby and they can stay in Florida. She meets Sam’s family and genuinely likes everyone. Conner and Shani get married, and Phoebe tells Sam that maybe she can see getting married too, someday.