Attorney and contractor Gage Bishop, the brother of Hazel’s fiancé Cam, drives through Story Lake when he spots a movement in the road, swerves, and bumps into Zoey. As Zoey falls, Gage rushes out of his car to check on her. When he discovers she is fine save for some bruises, Gage angrily scolds Zoe for running into traffic. The narrative reveals that Gage’s seemingly over-the-top reaction is linked to his family’s trauma over a past accident caused by a careless driver. Gage finds Zoey attractive, but has decided to stay away from her because her life seems too chaotic to him. Meanwhile, Hazel arrives and explains that Zoey was not being careless; she panicked because Goose startled her.

A contrite Gage offers to drive them to the bookstore. In the truck, Zoey takes care to sit away from Nana, Gage’s rescue golden retriever, since she is wart of animals. Zoey’s quip that Gage should not be so serious since “nobody died” creates heavy silence, as someone did die in the Bishop family’s recent past. Zoey recognizes her mistake and asks Hazel to step out of the car so she can apologize to Gage. Gage accepts Zoey’s apology and admits he overreacted himself. Zoe explains the condo situation to him.

At Inside Stories bookstore, an elderly man on a mobility scooter nearly hits Zoey. Gage pulls her to safety, and the physical contact triggers a spark of attraction in Zoey that she attributes to her spell of prolonged celibacy.

After Gage leaves, Zoey discusses Hazel’s preorder numbers with bookstore owner Chevy, expressing her goal of achieving bestseller status for her friend. Darius Oglethorpe, Story Lake’s teenage mayor, arrives with an apology coupon for the Goose incident and offers Zoey a part-time job as town publicist to help Story Lake compete with rival town Dominion. Motivated by financial need, Zoey accepts and receives a contract to review.

At a Bishop Brothers Construction site, Gage finds his brothers Cam and Levi arguing. When he mentions rescuing Zoey, they tease him about parallels to how Cam met Hazel. Later, Levi, the police chief of the town, tells Gage he knows that running into Zoey reminded Gage of their sister Laura’s accident, which left her in a wheelchair and killed her husband, Miller.

Gage rushes to his law office for a meeting, during which he considers renting the upstairs apartment to Zoey to help her out, though he recognizes this as problematic, given that he has decided not to pursue her romantically. The chapter ends with a group text among the Bishop siblings and Hazel discussing rumors about Laura’s new personal trainer.

Zoey arrives late to a Story Lake town meeting at Pushing Up Daisies Funeral Home. She sits next to Gage, who reminds her she needs him to review her publicist contract. A former council member who tried to sabotage Story Lake by planning to merge it with Dominion, complains about a fishing ordinance violation and is promptly pelted with baked potatoes—a local punishment custom.

When Zoey presents her publicist plan, a technical error displays her vacation photos, including one of her in a thong bikini, instead of her slides. She improvises an effective pitch for making Story Lake more accessible to tourists, which the council unanimously approves. Gage compliments both her presentation and her appearance.

After the meeting, Hazel reveals that the driver responsible for Laura’s accident and Miller’s death has been charged.

Gage channels his anger about the criminal charges by demolishing walls in the apartment above his law office. When Cam and Levi arrive, Gage reveals he is renovating it for Zoey. Cam forbids it, accusing Gage of pursuing Hazel’s best friend. Gage admits he wants marriage and settling down, making Zoey unsuitable, since Zoey openly says she is not interested in a long-term relationship. Cam and Levi tell Gage he is confused about his feelings for Zoey: on the one hand, he says she is unsuitable, and on the other hand, he spends a lot of time thinking about her. Levi teasingly points out that Gage fell off a roof when he first saw Zoey.

The argument devolves into a three-way wrestling match during which Gage gets a carpet tack in his rear. Afterward, the brothers work together on the apartment and discuss the insufficient charges against the driver who caused Laura’s accident: the driver faces only a three-year minimum sentence. Hazel arrives and prods the Bishop brothers into visiting Laura.

Zoey visits Laura’s house with wine. Laura allows her in but forbids questions about her well-being. When Gage, Cam, Levi, and Hazel arrive, Laura expertly thwarts her teenage twins’ plan to sneak out to an underage bonfire.

When the group orders pizza, Gage volunteers to accompany Zoey for the pick-up. In his truck, he asks about her skepticism toward animal, given her fear of Goose and wariness around Nana. Zoey shares a traumatic childhood story: her mother deliberately let a Pomeranian bite her to prove she was too irresponsible for a dog. Gage sympathetically squeezes her hand. They acknowledge their mutual unsuitability as romantic partners, and Zoey explains that her current goal is professional vindication, not relationships.

At Angelo’s restaurant to pick up the pizza, Gage asks Zoey about her unusual necklace. Zoey tells him the necklace is shaped like a disco ball; she likes broken, sparkly things because the pieces create something beautiful together. Zoey also establishes “Disco” as their safe word for frank honesty. Gage uses it immediately, admitting his anger that the driver’s potential three-year minimum feels inadequate compared to what the family lost. Zoey gives him a comforting, platonic hug.

Zoey shares her idea for a Reader Weekend in Story Lake to celebrate Hazel’s book launch. Gage calls it genius. On the drive back, they must restrain Nana from the pizzas. At Laura’s house, Gage secretly places a dime by the baseboard before announcing Zoey’s Reader Weekend idea to the family, much to her annoyance.

Zoey arrives at Hazel’s creative writing class to find Hazel on the floor with writer’s block. After Zoey suggests finding new real-life inspiration, Hazel correctly intuits that Zoey has developed feelings for Gage. Zoey reluctantly admits it, mentioning they held hands last summer before he turned cold. Levi overhears part of the exchange.

During the class, Levi reads a compelling dark excerpt, and Opal—an older woman with a walker—reads a vivid fantasy passage that draws a strong response from the group. Watching Gage work outside through the window, Zoey wonders why she is drawn to him instead of Levi, who is more her usual type.

After class, Zoey chases Opal down and introduces herself as a literary agent, but Opal brusquely rejects the offer. Defeated, Zoey returns to Hazel and agrees to share details about Gage in exchange for Hazel doing her laundry.