Two months after the story’s fallout fractured the friend group, Augusta and Fran run into each other at the beach and reconcile. Fran discloses that her father lost $60,000 gambling on top of $40,000 in existing debt, with the bank threatening foreclosure, and that she and her brothers have already paid down $25,000 to keep him afloat. She also confesses that while on a work conference trip to Hawaii, she met a man named Cal; she has kept hidden photos of them that she can’t bring herself to delete. Fran apologizes for having told Caroline about Colin and Eben’s past history, and Augusta forgives her.

At home, Augusta’s babysitter, Zoey, mentions that her own parents rebuilt their marriage after infidelity, which nudges Augusta toward a more open approach with Colin. Wanting to understand him better, Augusta suggests that they watch pornography together; the experiment is uncomfortable, and they agree instead to simply talk honestly about what they each want.

Shortly afterward, the family discovers that the children brought home lice from summer camp. When Colin arrives to pick up the kids and finds Augusta in the middle of the ordeal, he stays to help and rubs his head against hers, telling her, “If my family has lice, I want it too” (296). The unglamorous act of picking through each other’s hair strikes Augusta as a kind of intimacy that leaves no room for secrets, and she feels that they have finally moved past what divided them.

Bailey goes on a date with Mac and sleeps with him, having told Van that she was meeting old sorority sisters for drinks. Mac informs her afterward that he has a girlfriend and that they have an open arrangement, though this doesn’t faze Bailey. 

Back at Budweiser Manor, tensions between Bailey and Van increase until a sustained argument over her eating Swedish Fish on an exercise bike escalates into a fight. Bailey lists specific incompatibilities, including his attitude toward her lifestyle, family, and choices, and tells him plainly that she doesn’t believe he actually likes her. A brief flashback to their first kiss in high school reveals that immediately after it happened, Bailey told Van not to tell anyone. After the argument, Van moves out of Budweiser Manor, and the two agree to amicably co-parent Dylan.

The friend group reconvenes to help Eben and Max set up their new house for their recently adopted baby. During a game of “Truth or Dare,” everyone agrees to reveal the hidden photo folders on their phones. Van’s secret album turns out to contain only photographs of his moles, which he monitors for a dermatologist. When Fran declines to participate, RJ takes her phone himself and finds pictures of her with an unidentified man.

On the drive home, Fran tells RJ the truth about her emotional connection with Cal in Hawaii. The confession sparks a major argument about their relationship, with Fran confronting RJ about his drinking, immaturity, and lack of financial partnership. Back home, they play a game of “H-O-R-S-E” in the driveway, making bets on their shots to renegotiate the terms of their partnership. RJ agrees to stop drinking and take over the children’s appointments. For the final shot, RJ makes an easy layup and tells Fran that if she misses the same shot, she has to marry him. She deliberately drops the ball rather than shooting, accepting his proposal.

Fran then holds a family meeting where she informs her parents and brothers that RJ will lend them $75,000 to clear their debts. The loan is conditional: Her father and brothers must delete their betting apps, and her parents must curb their lavish spending. Her father shows Fran a Zen garden and meditation labyrinth he built in the yard to help control his impulses. Fran’s son London then returns from a Pokémon-card convention, where a dealer offered $4,000 for one of his rare cards.

With her marriage stabilized, Augusta decides that her new approach to Colin will involve asking him direct questions, rather than anxious inferring his actions. She and Eben finally have an honest conversation. Both apologize for the years of distance between them. Eben explains that he had stayed quiet out of respect for Colin’s privacy and also admits to struggling with jealousy over how easily Augusta had children while he and Max faced challenges with surrogacy and adoption. He reassures her that he hasn’t had romantic feelings for Colin since they were 17.

Eben and Max have now adopted a baby girl named Issa. The whole friend group gathers for a Halloween event at Russell Orchards. Bailey tells Augusta and Fran that she and Van are managing co-parenthood smoothly and that she thinks Van misses Caroline. Fran acknowledges that Caroline’s story, though hurtful, ultimately forced them all to address their issues. Bailey also mentions that she has been on two dates with a movie producer she recently met, Ned Clark, though Augusta’s advice is to let him down easy. While watching her family and friends together, Augusta feels a deep sense of gratitude and joy.

A year later, Caroline appears at the Newburyport Book Festival to promote her debut novel. Ned, who handled the cancellation of her original contract and became her literary agent in the process, is now her friend. Rather than an expansion of her previous short story about Greenhead, the book that Caroline published is a satirical roman à clef about her own life and the publishing world. During the post-reading question-and-answer session, she thinks about the apology letters she sent to the Greenhead group and the Christmas card she received, signed by both Augusta and Colin.

She briefly mistakes someone in the audience for Van but realizes that he isn’t there. After the event, she walks to her car and finds a white paper bag sitting on the roof. Inside is a jelly donut.