That night, an exhausted Zoey finds Gage alone at the bar at Rusty’s Fish Hook, looking sad. Using their code word, disco, she gets him to open up. Gage reveals Laura emotionally blackmailed him into representing Valerie and that he is questioning whether he has prioritized the wrong things in life. Zoey shares her own struggles: People, including her parents, have told her she is too hard to love. She explains that Opal identified her as neurodivergent, which led to a diagnosis and a new prescription, but she fears the treatment will not work and she will remain broken.

Gage correctly guesses the nature of Zoey’s diagnosis as ADHD, surprising her. He explains that he could identify the diagnosis because Zoey shares traits with his nephew Harry, who has ADHD. Gage goes on to describe the “shame spiral” Harry experienced before his treatment, and promises Zoey she too will improve now that she has a treatment plan. The term “shame spiral” resonates with Zoey. When she tries to leave, Gage stops her, confessing he feels better when she is around, and proposes they spend one night together with no strings attached. Zoey agrees.

Outside, Gage pins her against a wall and kisses her with unexpected urgency. He makes her ride in the back seat of his truck because she is too distracting. When she reveals she is not wearing underwear, he speeds toward home.

Gage and Zoey rush into his house and begin kissing in the mudroom. He lifts her onto the counter, removes her clothing, and performs oral sex on her. Zoey tells him she wants another orgasm with him inside her, so Gage carries her to his bedroom.

Zoey performs oral sex on him, and when Gage nears his limit, he flips her onto the bed and fumbles for condoms from the nightstand. Zoey briefly worries that having sex will make Gage abandon his life goals for her, but he tells her there is no point stopping as he is preoccupied with her anyway.

They have wild, energetic sex, moving across the bed and knocking over a lamp. Afterward, Zoey slow claps their performance. Gage worries she will leave, but she announces she wants water and snacks, signaling she plans to stay. He playfully takes the only remaining pillow for himself.

On Sunday morning, Zoey wakes up cuddling with Gage and panics, realizing she has broken her rule of never spending the night with a man. She quietly gathers her clothes, steals his hoodie, and attempts to sneak out. On the porch, she is startled by Pepe the donkey’s braying and falls down the steps, injuring her wrist. Pep Bishop, dropping off Gage’s dog Nana, discovers her. Zoey blurts out that she was not sneaking out after having sex. Gage runs outside in his boxer briefs, and Pep tells him to get dressed and take his sex partner to the doctor.

At the clinic, Zoey is diagnosed with a broken wrist. On the way out, Gage makes her hide behind a bush to avoid a well-known town gossip. Despite Zoey’s protests that breakfast violates one-night-stand rules, Gage takes her to a diner.

Over breakfast, Gage confronts her about trying to escape, correctly guessing she panicked because she felt vulnerable. Zoey admits she has not spent the night with anyone since her college boyfriend broke her heart. Gage proposes they continue having casual sex for stress relief, with no expectations. Zoey worries this is not sustainable for someone as responsible as Gage, but he insists it is what he needs right now.

On Monday morning, Zoey takes her first dose of ADHD medication. An hour later, she realizes she is remembering her schedule and tasks with unusual clarity, and she arrives at Hazel’s house in tears, overwhelmed by feeling “normal” for the first time. After recounting her weekend, she sits in on Hazel’s virtual interview with Shiloh, an editor from the online magazine Thrive. Shiloh announces the magazine’s entertainment division is coming to Story Lake for Reader Weekend, and Hazel is thrilled.

That afternoon, Zoey meets with the student marketing club at Story Lake High School. As the meeting progresses, her medication wears off and she experiences extreme lethargy. Before discussing promotional materials, she asks about the school’s Fighting Vampires mascot. The students explain it was chosen during the Twilight craze because Stephenie Meyer’s second cousin attended the school, replacing the previous mascot, the Story Lake Stinkweeds.

On Monday, Gage and his assistant Declan wait outside the courthouse for Valerie’s preliminary hearing. Valerie arrives with her anxious parents, has a panic attack, and says she should plead guilty. Gage calms her by explaining the procedure and reminding her they are doing this for Laura.

Laura arrives unexpectedly to show support, then Pep and Frank Bishop appear, shocked to discover Gage is representing Valerie. Before they can confront him, the district attorney, Tarini, pulls Gage aside and accuses him of conflict of interest, reminding him he spent two years pushing for these exact charges. She warns that Valerie will pay for any mistakes he makes and uninvites him from the friend group’s social events.

In the courtroom, as Valerie trembles at the defense table, Laura reaches over the railing from the gallery and takes her hand. The judge, district attorney, and Gage’s parents all witness the gesture.

On Monday evening, Gage arrives at Zoey’s apartment with salads. He shares an ADHD tip his assistant researched, which is that Zoey should keep perishables in the main shelves of her fridge so she is reminded to consume them in time. As they dig into the salads, Zoey tells him the trip is actually useful. Gage recounts his disastrous day, including his parents discovering he is representing Valerie. Zoey describes her emotional day with the medication, Hazel’s interview, and the energy crash when it wore off.

They are flirting about continuing their sexual relationship when Pep knocks on the door, having tracked Gage on her phone. She announces a mandatory family meeting and insists Zoey must attend because Gage came to her after a hard day, making her family.

At the Bishop farmhouse, they find Cam and Levi yelling at Laura. When the three brothers start a shoving match that nearly topples a China cabinet, Pep yells “Corners!” and sends all four adult children to stand in separate corners of the kitchen. From their corners, the siblings argue, and Laura defends Valerie and asks her brothers for grace. When Cam asks why Zoey is present, Pep announces to everyone that Gage and Zoey are having sex, which enrages Cam.

Zoey escapes outside with Frank, who tells her Gage smiles more easily around her and that he thinks she is good for him. Gage joins them after his mother ends the argument. He suggests they try their arrangement again now that everyone knows.

On Tuesday afternoon, Zoey and Harry man an informational table during Story Lake’s Ultimate Bingo draft. Rump Roast, the town pig, is selecting team captains. When he approaches Zoey, the crowd cheers—she has been chosen. Zoey tries to refuse, but Gage says it is an honor she cannot turn down, noting the only way out is to kill the pig and substitute another animal. Zoey refuses, and Gage offers to teach her the rules.

A school bus from Dominion arrives carrying Nina Vampic, Dominion’s mayor and Gage’s ex-girlfriend, with four shirtless men. Nina announces a competing event scheduled for the same weekend as Reader Weekend, and her team litters the park with coupons from a T-shirt cannon. Levi threatens to fine Nina for littering, and Zoey throws a baked potato that splatters Nina’s face, aggravating her broken wrist. Goose the eagle swoops over the departing bus, terrifying Nina. Shortly after, Felicity calls to say she has heard what happened and will build the Reader Weekend website for free.

On Friday evening, Gage, Cam, and Levi finish building a koi pond in Gage’s backyard. Gage admits to his brothers that he would rather have more sex with Zoey than pursue his goals of marriage and children. Levi mentions he helped Gage’s client, Audrey, remove her ex-partner from their home, noting the ex seemed drunk and angry when he came by; there were fist-sized holes in the drywall, suggesting he had been violent with Audrey and her children. Gage resolves to discuss a restraining order with Audrey again.

The brothers release four rescued koi into the pond and discuss Valerie’s case. Gage admits he now sees her as a human being who has also suffered losses. The conversation shifts to Mother’s Day, and the brothers admit they just have Gage send their mother flowers each year.

Harry and Wes arrive and rebuke their uncles for the low-effort gift, reminding them Pet adopted them from foster care. Harry asks how Gage landed Zoey, noting they seem like opposites. When Gage possessively declares he will be the one in the family to date Zoey, the boys advise him to do something for Zoey that she does not want to do for herself—to prove he is more than a “hot koi daddy” (324). Gage receives a text from Zoey about a leaking sink and triumphantly tells his brothers he has a date.