PJ calls the police, and the fire department discovers that due to the broken water heater in the pool, the hotel was flooded with carbon monoxide, killing everyone inside. PJ recalls how Pancakes wanted to go outside, forcing PJ to open the window, which is what saved their lives. Sophie credits her dad with saving everyone, and hearing her words fills his heart with joy. PJ remembers that his license suspension is over, and he feels like it’s a sign that his life is starting over.

They stop at Cracker Barrel to eat, but PJ asks to stay in the car and to borrow Sophie’s phone. PJ wants to drive the vehicle, but he can sense Pancakes telling him not to. Sophie’s phone rings. Belinda Bell leaves a message for Sophie to call her since she is PJ’s emergency contact. Belinda is concerned because the children aren’t in school. PJ deletes the voicemail. When Sophie returns to the car with the kids, they bring PJ beignets, and he cries over their kindness.

Now in Arkansas, they stop for coffee and to visit a handbag museum. Luna doesn’t want to go to the museum, so PJ gives her his credit card to buy a gift. Inside the museum, PJ sees a purse that reminds him of his mother. Back in the car, PJ tells the kids the story of how his brother Chip, their grandfather, shot him during the war in Vietnam, causing him to return home after only three weeks. Chip always hated PJ because PJ is the reason their mom left and didn’t raise Chip. He later set her house on fire, severely burning her. After returning home from Vietnam, PJ met and married Ivy. He says the divorce wasn’t his idea, though he admits it was his fault. However, the divorce led him back to Michelle Cobb, whom he describes as “the best thing that will ever happen” (228). This angers Sophie, as she feels PJ doesn’t give Ivy enough credit for all she does for him, despite no longer being his wife. When Ollie defends PJ, Sophie tells him to “shut up,” and he goes quiet, pretending not to be hurt. Sophie instantly regrets her outburst.

They arrive in Texas and stay at a motel just two hours away from Sugar Land. Pancakes jumps from the car and runs off. PJ falls asleep in the room, and Luna handcuffs him to the cot with cuffs she stole from the police officer at the last motel. She doesn’t want him to run away again. Sophie is upset that there isn’t a gym with a treadmill so she can run. Running has always been her escape. The kids ask for a bedtime story, but Sophie says it’s PJ who tells the stories. She hasn’t told anyone the reason she lost her job, so she tells them the story.

After college, Sophie accepted a job with Diamond Greeting Cards as the assistant to the CEO, Alan Diamond. When Alan died unexpectedly, Alan’s son, Wyatt, took over the company and didn’t run it well. Wyatt’s ineptitude, coupled with the increasing popularity of digital greeting cards, meant the company was losing money and needed to make cuts. However, Sophie was getting good at writing cards, and her job wasn’t in jeopardy. Before the staff meeting where he would announce the layoffs, Wyatt led the employees through a team-building activity in which they wrote down their biggest fears and placed them in a bowl. Sophie wrote, “This is it […]” meaning she feared that this was all there was in life. The paper was designed to disintegrate when lit on fire, which Wyatt intended as a symbolic act. However, when he lit the bowl, it was too full and exploded, igniting a flame that caught him on fire, as well as a cardboard stand behind him. Wyat survived, but the building burned down.

The kids like the story, and Luna feels closer to Sophie knowing that she, too, has endured hardship. Luna confides in Sophie about what happened with her grandfather before he died by suicide. Sophie responds with kindness and empathy, assuring Luna that nothing was her fault and that it was the adults’ responsibility to protect the children in their care. Luna believes that meeting Mark Stackpole is going to change their lives. Sophie says that meeting Mark might not change much, but that Luna can’t lose hope that her life can still be good, and she promises that she and PJ will protect and help them no matter what happens. She gives each child the bracelet she wears on her wrist to cover her scars. Sophie asks about Pancakes, and Luna thinks the cat is sleeping near PJ. Luna asks Sophie to sleep with them. Though Sophie is physically uncomfortable, she finds the kids snuggling next to her “weirdly wonderful.”

Ollie doesn’t want to go to Sugar Land because he doesn’t want to live with Mark Stackpole. While everyone is asleep, he unlocks PJ’s handcuffs and whispers “beer” into his ear. PJ wakes up and desperately wants a drink. He leaves and takes Sophie’s marijuana gummies. He goes to the front desk and asks the attendant, Destiny, where the nearest bar is, but it’s nine miles away. PJ pays her $200 to drive him to the bar. Pancakes emerges from under the desk, and Destiny asks if the cat can stay with her overnight. Destiny has terminal cancer and says she won’t live long enough to see her daughter graduate from high school. PJ recalls how he ruined Sophie’s graduation by being so intoxicated that he wet his pants. He mourns never seeing Kate graduate. PJ writes Destiny a check for $1,000 for a graduation gift for her daughter. Destiny drops him off at the local bar.

PJ tells the people at the bar his life story, including his experience as a lottery winner who lost almost all his money. Another man at the bar offers empathy and suggests PJ try AA because talking about his pain is the only way to heal from it. PJ trusts the man and tells him the story of his worst regret: When Sophie was 12, Ivy went away on a trip, and he was caring for Sophie. He drank 18 beers and passed out. Sophie was pretending to walk on a tightrope and fell into a window, shattering the glass and cutting both her wrists. The neighbor called the ambulance, and when they saw Sophie’s wrists, they assumed she was self-harming. They required Sophie to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and a 24-hour lockup. PJ never forgave himself for putting her through that.

The man at the bar shares that he killed his wife while driving under the influence of alcohol. He attempted to die by suicide at the motel where PJ was staying. He explains that many people take their lives at that hotel. PJ resolves that he is going to get sober again so he can care for Sophie, Ollie, and Luna. He drinks only one beer and then walks back to the motel.

It is 14 miles back to the motel, and after walking a long way, PJ’s feet begin to hurt. He eats one of the gummies and becomes disoriented, forgetting which way he came. He sees a light and mistakes it for the motel sign, but it’s the approaching headlights of a car driven by the man at the bar. He hits PJ and knocks him into the ditch.

“Day 5: Saturday”

The next morning, the kids realize that both PJ and Pancakes are missing. They find a note under the door from Destiny explaining that she has Pancakes and that PJ went to the bar. Ollie is pleased that his plan to derail their trip to Sugar Land was successful, but Luna is upset. They retrieve Pancakes from Destiny, who gives them directions to the bar. Sophie drives them to the bar, which is closed. Sophie says they must return to the motel to report PJ missing. On the way back, Pancakes jumps out of the window. They stop, and Luna catches the cat, who leads her to PJ. His head is bleeding, but he is otherwise okay. The crash threw him into the bush, but killed the driver. Sophie wants to take him to the hospital, but PJ insists they go to Sugar Land. He is willing to risk his life if it means Luna gets the chance to have her questions about her father answered. Secretly, Sophie is relieved that her father is alive, though she can’t identify why.

They arrive at the soap opera meet-and-greet. PJ’s head hurts, so he stays in the car with Pancakes. PJ is sad thinking that he might lose the kids to Mark. He sees the kids as “[…] his final shot at a new life” (273). Luna approaches the greeting table and tells the ladies running it that she’s there to meet her father, Mark Stackpole, and has brought a paternity test for him to take to prove that he is her father. The ladies think this is a reality television stunt, but they direct Luna to the tent labeled “Hunks,” where the male soap opera stars are signing autographs. PJ takes Pancakes for a walk. They see a large alligator on display named T. Boone Pickens, after the famed Texas business magnate. When it looks hungrily at Pancakes, PJ scoops him up and yells at the gator to go away.

The kids wait in line to meet Mark. When their time comes, Luna introduces herself, and once she tells him her mother’s maiden name, Mark recognizes Luna as the girl who keeps sending him letters about being her father. Mark asks them to step aside, promising to speak with them after he greets all his fans. While they wait, the kids watch the other actors entertain the fans. The alligator walks into the tent, and Mark’s wife, Christine, feeds it beef sticks to pacify it. Luna thinks Christine will be a good stepmother to them, but Ollie worries that she and Mark will make him live in the closet.

Sophie and the kids return to the car and tell PJ about meeting Mark. Mark’s tour bus pulls up next to the Volvo, and Mark, Christine, and their lawyer approach them. Mark explains that he will take the paternity test as long as they sign papers that release him from all responsibility, as well as sign a non-disclosure agreement. He has children with other women and calls what happened with Luna’s mother a “mistake.” PJ is excited about the idea of Mark paying him $5,000 a month to raise the children, but the fact that Mark won’t recognize her crushes Luna. She spits in Mark’s face and runs away. PJ signs the papers, and Mark swabs his mouth for the test, which will take a week for results. Sophie chides Mark for his treatment of Luna. She turns on PJ, asking him about his intentions to force the kids on Ivy when she returns from Alaska. PJ can’t deny his plans, and Sophie calls him an “asshole.” When they arrive at the car, they discover that Ollie and Luna have run away and taken Pancakes with them.

PJ and Sophie frantically search the property for the kids. PJ fears they might have taken the bus. He pays a local teenager $200 to help them search. Worried for the kids, Sophie realizes that she loves them. PJ doesn’t want to call the police to report them missing because he fears Belinda will remove the kids from his care.

A police officer sees PJ giving the teenager money and assumes he’s a drug dealer. He pulls them over and asks to search the car. The officer finds the cat’s litter box and Abe Lincoln’s arm from the wax museum. When the officer runs the tag, he realizes the car belongs to Fred. He calls Fred, who says PJ took the car, but tells him not to arrest them. Sophie calls Fred, but he doesn’t answer and texts that they are in Minnesota and that he doesn’t want to deal with the issue right now. The officer impounds the car, and Sophie and PJ must take the bus. PJ blames himself for everything that’s happened.

Sophie tries to calm herself by thinking of happy memories from childhood. She isn’t religious but sometimes prays to Kate, so she asks Kate to help them find Ollie and Luna. PJ realizes that the ring he brought for Michelle Cobb is missing. He didn’t buy a ring but took Ivy’s old engagement ring. This disgusts Sophie, but PJ argues that she’s getting another engagement ring. They begin arguing, and the bus driver makes them get off at the mall because they are cursing. The boy they paid to help them texts Sophie that he saw a boy matching Ollie’s description at a trampoline park near the mall.

PJ and Sophie search the mall for the children. PJ spots Ollie standing near the mall waterfall, holding Pancakes over the edge. Luna is below, trying to stop him from dropping the cat. Luna tried to convince Ollie that PJ didn’t love them and that they had to run away to Mexico. Ollie doesn’t want to run away and threatens to throw the cat over the railing if Luna doesn’t promise they can keep living with PJ.

PJ calmly tries to get Ollie to put down the cat, but Ollie refuses. PJ apologizes for the mistakes he’s made, especially leaving them at night. He admits that he has wasted most of his money and that he hasn’t been the caregiver they deserve. However, he loves them and pledges to work harder to make better choices. Ollie apologizes to Pancakes and brings him back to safety. Luna collapses into Sophie’s arms in tears, saying she needs a mom. Sophie can’t be Luna’s mom, but she promises to protect her and Ollie.