Sonya plans a family barbecue for the first Saturday in August. Cleo insists on an elaborate menu. In her office, Cleo confesses to Sonya that she’s in love with Owen. Sonya admits she feels the same about Trey, though they have not yet said the words. They acknowledge they are both being careful and deliberate about their relationships.

Trey and Owen arrive with two custom-built benches for the front yard. As the group sits outside admiring the new furniture, the Gold Room window repeatedly slams open and shut, signaling Dobbs’s displeasure. Trey gives Sonya his grandfather’s old air pistol to defend herself against future attacks. Sonya is hesitant about having any kind of gun in the house, and Cleo, who has experience with air rifles, agrees to keep it stored in the turret closet.

That night, just before three in the morning, Sonya wakes with an urge to watch Dobbs’s nightly jump from the balcony. She and Trey observe the ritual, and Sonya wonders aloud if there is a way to kill Dobbs permanently. Trey realize that stopping Dobbs’s cyclical loop is crucial: They must not only find the rings but also prevent the curse from restarting. The next morning, Owen reports that Dobbs entered the gym during his workout but retreated when Jones growled at her.

Over the following days, Sonya attends Anna’s baby shower with Cleo, and the group continues searching the attic and ballroom for heirlooms from the past. The search turns up small treasures, including a handwritten guest list, a garden party menu, and an invitation from Owen (for whom the present-day Owen is named) and Moira Poole. Sonya creates labeled boxes for each bride and family group to preserve their belongings for future generations.

One day, Sonya feels pulled into the woods and steps through the mirror. She witnesses Owen proposing to Moira in the spring, on the exact spot where Dobbs murdered Arthur. Sonya interprets the vision as a sign that love can triumph over darkness.

On the Friday before the barbecue, Sonya and Cleo spend the day preparing. Sonya does a final check of her mother’s guest room, which she has decorated with items that belonged to Catherine. Looking out the kitchen window, she sees Jack playing fetch with Yoda in the yard. Cleo joins her, and both watch as Jack turns, grins, and waves at them before walking into the shed and disappearing. They take this as a sign of his trust and the growing light in the manor.

Winter arrives for a weekend stay, and the three women make peach ice cream for dessert under Cleo’s supervision. That night, Sonya wakes and hears the distant sounds of the manor’s ghosts but feels no pull to the mirror. She dreams of Marianne standing on the widow’s walk during a storm, waiting for her husband Hugh to return from sea.

The next morning, Winter tells Sonya she left a framed photo of Sonya’s father holding baby Sonya on her dresser as a gift for Clover, only to find it replaced by a small frame containing a preserved four-leaf clover, with her phone playing Alanis Morissette’s “Thank You” in response. Winter feels she has come to know Clover and is comforted by her presence.

The Doyle family arrives for the barbecue, along with Anna and Seth. During the meal, the group discusses the manor’s ghosts. To tease the skeptical Seth, Trey asks Clover for a tune, and she plays Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” (197). Sonya describes seeing Jack and outlines her plans for the manor, including creating a Poole history gallery in the Gold Room. After dinner, she leads a tour of the house. Corrine offers Sonya the wedding invitation from her late uncle Collin and his wife Johanna. Clover plays Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (201) in response. The party ends with everyone finding the kitchen spotless, as Molly has cleaned up after them.

The next morning, Sonya overhears Winter asking Trey and Owen to look out for her and Cleo, suggesting they consider moving in temporarily. When Sonya confronts them, Trey and Owen affirm they are fully committed to helping in every way. Before Winter leaves that afternoon, Sonya reassures her that she is happy and determined to win against Dobbs. Winter promises to return for both Thanksgiving and an extended Christmas visit.

The following week brings steady rain. Sonya decides to begin clearing out the ballroom to prepare for a possible holiday party. After opening the terrace doors to air out the space, she begins sorting through the furniture. Suddenly, both sets of doors slam shut, the lights go out, and Sonya finds herself trapped in near darkness. The temperature drops sharply.

White-draped furniture begins sliding across the floor to block her path. When Sonya tries to push through, a piece slams back hard enough to knock her backward and bruise her hip. A drape whips out and knocks her phone away. Dobbs’s voice whispers a threat, offering to spare Sonya if she leaves the manor. Sonya defiantly refuses.

A large display cabinet begins tipping toward her. Boxed in and unable to escape, Sonya plants her hands against it and pushes. As she struggles and loses ground, the spirit of Clover appears beside her in physical form, helping her push. Together, they manage to right the cabinet. Clover tells Sonya she is not alone, hugs her, professes her love, and then fades away. The lights come on, and the doors fly open. Cleo bursts in with the pets, explaining that a boy’s voice—she believes Jack’s—told her Sonya needed help, and then the locked doors opened for her.

Refusing to let Dobbs intimidate her, Sonya returns to sorting through the ballroom furniture. In the first drawer she opens, she finds a beaded necklace she recognizes from seeing it on Clover. She puts it on, accepting it as a gift. As the rain ends, she and Cleo go outside and see a double rainbow over the sea. When Trey and Owen arrive, Sonya recounts the encounter. Owen finds the details of Clover’s clothing significant, suggesting spirits make conscious choices about their appearance. Sonya theorizes that Dobbs cannot kill her directly and needs her to leave the manor by choice. Trey tells Sonya he will not try to convince her to leave, knowing it is her home.

The next morning, Molly lays out a pretty summer dress for Sonya to wear to the village. As Sonya leaves, she sees a shadow in her bedroom window and waves; the shadow waves back. At the giftshop in Poole’s Bay, Sonya meets Carrie and her son Hogan when they arrive to deliver handmade soaps and lotions from their family business, Bayside Lotions and Potions. Impressed by their products, Sonya buys several sets for Christmas gifts and gives Hogan her business card after he mentions their outdated website.

At the bookstore, Sonya delivers promotional materials to her clients Diana and Anita. While shopping, she receives a call from Sadie, Deuce’s assistant at the Doyle Law Offices: Ace wants to meet with her. When Sonya explains she’s in the village and has plans to meet Cleo for lunch, Sadie arranges for Ace to join them at the hotel’s upscale restaurant at one o’clock, warning Sonya not to be late.