With Grace at a garden party and Allegra out, Eddie decides to take Hope to dinner at the Summer House. During the meal, Hope thanks him, which moves Eddie because he often feels unappreciated by his family. He tries to ask Hope about Allegra’s behavior, but she tells him to ask Allegra directly. 

Hope then asks if he thinks it’s strange that Grace took Benton as her date to the party. Eddie dismisses her concern, reasoning that it makes sense for a gardener to attend a garden-club event. He briefly considers whether Grace might be retaliating for the rumor about him and Madeline but dismisses the possibility. Eddie’s spirits remain high, especially when Chief Kapenash sees him having a wholesome dinner with his daughter.

Hope is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call and her parents’ panicked voices. Grace is hysterical because Allegra is not home, and Eddie tells Hope that Allegra is in trouble and that he is going to the police station to get her.

The next morning, Hope receives a text from Brick, who accuses her of knowing about Allegra’s affair and failing to tell him. Brick then writes that he saw a photo of Allegra and Ian together in their underwear. Officer Brancato caught them and took the picture, then sent it to his sister Hollis who sent it to Brick.

Allegra, distraught, comes to Hope’s room and explains that Hollis circulated the photo widely and that Ian was arrested for cocaine possession. Eddie has grounded Allegra and confiscated her phone. Brick then sends the picture to Hope. In it, Allegra and Ian have a bottle of whiskey with them while Allegra smokes marijuana. Hope promptly deletes the photograph, then wonders about Brancato’s ethics. However, she reasons that people will only be concerned about Allegra and Ian’s illegal and dishonest actions. After Allegra falls asleep, Hope texts Brick on her behalf, asking him to forgive Allegra, but he responds, “[p]lease never contact me again” (266).

Eddie recalls being awakened by Chief Kapenash and feeling initial relief that the call was about Allegra rather than his own criminal activities. After picking up a hysterical Allegra from the station, he grounded her and took her phone. The next morning, Eddie feels too physically and emotionally unwell to go to work.

After waking up around noon, Eddie hears Grace crying outside to Benton that she is afraid of Allegra. Although Eddie questions this, he internally notes that he has “more influence” over Allegra than Grace and even he still finds her “intimidating” (235). Eddie steps onto the deck interrupts their lunch. Benton is polite and soon leaves for another job after expressing sympathy about Allegra. After a pleasant conversation about one of Benton’s wealthy clients, Eddie decides he likes him.

Trevor calls Madeline home where she finds Brick devastated by Allegra’s infidelity. Trevor shows her the photograph of Allegra and Ian, and Madeline hears Brick crying. She again reassures Trevor that the rumor about her and Eddie is false, and they share a moment of renewed connection. 

Grace calls, and Madeline answers. She is initially calm. However, when Grace mentions how upset Eddie is then says Benton’s name, Madeline becomes furious. She accuses Grace of letting Allegra “flaunt” her relationship with Ian at the dinner. Grace admits that she saw Ian and Allegra kissing but insists she was trying to stay out of it. Madeline angrily calls her a “cheater,” just like her daughter. Unleashing years of resentment over perceived slights, including Grace’s choice to attend Mass as a Eucharistic minister rather than come to the hospital after Madeline’s miscarriage, Madeline screams that she “want[s her] money back” before ending the call (243).

The island reacts rapidly to Allegra’s scandal. The photograph spreads rapidly through the high school after Officer Curren Brancato sends it to Hollis, who shares it with her classmates. 

Meanwhile, a different rumor circulates among the adults. At Dr. Andy’s office, Blond Sharon tells Janice that she saw Grace at a party with Benton and that Jean Burton thinks Grace is pregnant. Janice relays this to Dr. Andy, who calls his wife, Rachel. He begins to wonder if Madeline’s new novel is actually based on Grace and Benton rather than on a supposed affair between Madeline and Eddie. He prefers this possibility as he hopes to stay on good terms with Eddie, his landlord.

Facing foreclosure on two unfinished spec houses, Eddie goes to his business rival, Glenn Daley, to sell the properties. Eddie asks for $1 million, but Glenn, who is surprisingly knowledgeable about Eddie’s finances, counters with a much lower offer. 

During the negotiation, Eddie notices a notepad from a hotel in Santa Barbara on Glenn’s desk and realizes that Barbie is sleeping with Glenn. His specific fear is that Barbie has already told Glenn about his possible future real estate deals and may have also disclosed the prostitution operation on Low Beach Road. Eddie and Glenn eventually agree on a sale price of $700,000. Although the amount will not solve all his financial problems, Eddie considers the deal a necessary step and a small victory.

Grace grows anxious as Benton becomes increasingly distant. Meanwhile, she remains estranged from Madeline and misses her support. Benton reveals that he heard a rumor that Madeline is writing a scandalous novel about a woman having an affair with her contractor, which people believe is based on them. Grace falsely denies telling Madeline about their relationship.

Feeling pressured, Grace tells Benton she is ready to leave Eddie. Benton seems pleased but quickly redirects their focus to preparing her garden for an upcoming photoshoot. After he leaves, Grace calls Madeline and leaves an angry voicemail warning her that the rumor “had better not be true” (256).

Madeline spends the week comforting her heartbroken son, Brick. While at the beach with Brick and his friend Parker Marz, Parker reveals he saw Allegra with Ian months earlier, confirming the affair was not a one-time mistake.

Undeterred by Grace’s angry voicemail, Madeline continues to work on her new novel and vows to finish it unless Eddie repays their investment. Later, she receives a call from Rachel, with the latest gossip: Jean Burton thinks Grace is pregnant by her gardener. Despite her anger at Grace, Madeline instinctively defends her friend, telling Rachel the rumor is false and to “[m]ind [her] own business” (260).

Eddie informs Barbie that he is taking over the scheduling of the prostitution operation, and she agrees without protest. He then calls the next client, Bugsy Greer, and raises the price to $12,000 a night, planning to keep the extra $2,000 for himself. Bugsy agrees and offers to pay for the entire stay in advance.

Shortly after, Eddie receives a voicemail from Madeline. She threatens legal action if he does not repay his $50,000 debt within ten days. Confident the sale of his properties will provide the money, Eddie calls home. Grace tells him that she is taking the girls to lunch and that Allegra seems genuinely remorseful.

In the days following her public humiliation, Allegra is devastated. Brick ends their relationship permanently, and her former friends, led by Hollis, bombard her with cruel messages. Hope comforts her, and they spend time together in Hope’s room. Allegra also begins reading Lolita, a copy Benton had given Hope.

During the second week, Allegra secures a volunteer position at the Weezie Library for Children, and her behavior seems to change. Grace rewards her with a mother-daughter lunch at a fancy restaurant, where Allegra is uncharacteristically polite and engaged. Their lunch is interrupted by their English teacher, Mrs. Kraft, who brings up the rumor about Madeline’s scandalous new book. Grace curtly informs her that she and Madeline are no longer speaking. Allegra then politely dismisses the teacher, shielding her mother from further questions.

After a period of heat and rain during which Benton is distant and preoccupied, his passion for Grace returns in time for the Boston Globe photoshoot of her garden. Writer Clara Teasdale and photographer Big George arrive 45 minutes early to the photoshoot. As the driver leads them around the back of the house, Bernie sees Grace and Benton emerging from the garden shed together after having sex. 

Grace and Benton quickly compose themselves, and the shoot proceeds successfully. The garden is magnificent, and the atmosphere becomes festive during a champagne lunch Grace prepared. The photoshoot feels playful and intimate, including a photograph of Grace feeding Benton a strawberry. When Clara asks how Benton found Grace, he gazes at her lovingly and replies, “[s]he found me” (280), as the photographer captures the moment.