Angie acknowledges that she has been avoiding thoughts of the divorce. When Mira suggests that Angie still loves Conlan, Angie is adamant that some things, even love, come to an end. Meanwhile, Lauren buys a couple of pregnancy tests. As Angie works relentlessly to avoid thinking about Conlan, Lauren becomes stoic. One evening, Angie senses that something is wrong, but when she makes small talk, Lauren is uncharacteristically gruff. Outside, they walk, get hot chocolate, and sit on a bench. Eventually, Lauren admits that she is upset about David, but when Angie assumes her sadness is about going to different colleges, Lauren does not correct her. Lauren then abruptly cuts the conversation short and leaves. Angie realizes that she was trying so hard to solve Lauren’s problems that she did not actually listen.

Date night at DeSaria’s draws many customers. When Angie reflects on the restaurant’s success, she wonders when things went wrong with Conlan. Angie admits to Mira how much she misses him, and her sister suggests that he still loves Angie. Another day, Angie tells her mother that she might call Conlan, but Maria advises her to talk to him in person. Angie is afraid, and her mother tells her father that Angie is being a coward. Despite the harshness of the words, Angie feels loved.

Meanwhile, Lauren skips school to go to Planned Parenthood for an additional pregnancy test. Inside the examination room, she admits that once she and David did not use a condom. Although Lauren wants the pregnancy test to be inaccurate, she knows the truth. Back home, Lauren hears her mother’s boyfriend, Jake, talking about leaving town. Her mother will not go until Lauren graduates, but he cannot wait. Once he leaves, Lauren shares her news, and her mother slaps her. When Lauren asks for help, her mother refuses and tells her to get an abortion.

Lauren senses a gulf opening between her and her classmates. When she asks David if they can talk, he shares that he got into Stanford. She tries to be enthusiastic but can only worry about the pregnancy. Later, Angie invites Lauren to Thanksgiving at Maria’s house. On the morning of the holiday, Lauren assumes that everyone will think less of her when they find out about the baby. She asks her mother to go with her to the DeSarias, but she refuses, so Lauren takes the bus across town, thinking of family and willing herself not to worry about the baby.

At the DeSarias, Lauren enters a chaotic scene and makes her way to the kitchen, where she is swept into meal preparations. Lauren is awed by the amount of food. Mira asks Lauren about college applications and reveals how proud Angie is of her. When Lauren learns that Mira delayed college because she got pregnant, she is crestfallen. Later, she talks with Angie about love. When Lauren asks if Angie’s husband stopped loving her, Angie responds that love is complicated and then diverts the conversation to Lauren and David. Based on Lauren’s response, Angie guesses that her concerns are more serious than college. Lauren also says that things are bad between her and her mother, but when Angie tries to empathize, Lauren insists that Angie cannot relate.

When Angie realizes that Conlan never said he stopped loving her, hope blossoms within her. The next morning, she drives to Conlan’s office in Seattle. He waves her in, immediately informing her that he has an urgent meeting but also apologizing and almost touching her shoulder. When he leaves, Angie sinks into a chair as Diane, Conlan’s colleague, scolds her about ignoring Conlan’s pain; she reveals that he came to the office twice to cry. As Angie races away, Diane tells her to leave Conlan alone.

That night, Angie is flooded with memories. Once, Conlan bought her an expensive dress, but she rebuffed his intimacy because it was not the right time of the month to conceive. Another time, in a swanky San Francisco bar, Angie was so preoccupied with the cost of the drinks that she ruined a romantic evening and then cried again about having children. Angie blames herself for their divorce.

Across town, Lauren ponders her conversation with Angie, hoping to find answers to her problems. On Sunday night, David waits for her after work with a bouquet of roses. Her breath catches as she remembers that he loves her. When he talks of Stanford, though, Lauren feels alone again.

Angie dreams of a girl on a playground and of Conlan coaching baseball. She wakes gasping for air. Angie cannot get out of bed until her mother and sisters arrive to take her to church. During mass, Angie senses that she has shifted “suddenly back into place” (184). Afterward, she goes to a playground and sobs. When Mira races toward her, Angie admits, to her own surprise, that she is okay.

Meanwhile, Lauren visits David. When he immediately senses that something is wrong, she reminds him about the night they did not use a condom. As the realization hits, he suggests an abortion, and she admits that it would solve their problem. When David offers to pay for it and to go with her, Lauren agrees but feels like she is drowning. They drive to Vancouver so that no one will see them. In the waiting room, Lauren reads a pamphlet. She realizes that she can survive the physical effects of an abortion but is not sure she can live with the decision. Eventually, Lauren is led to an exam room. However, tears flood her eyes, and she refuses the procedure. Later, back at David’s house, he dully suggests that they get married. When Lauren cries about the pregnancy, Mrs. Haynes walks in.

Facing David’s parents, Lauren feels like everything is her fault. When Mr. Haynes proposes an abortion, Lauren confesses that she could not do it. David suggests marriage, but his father says they are too young. Mrs. Haynes mentions adoption, and David becomes hopeful. As Mr. Haynes leaves to contact someone who can help, Lauren feels defeated. Mrs. Haynes insists on driving Lauren home. When David gets out of the car, his mother locks the doors and reminds Lauren of his bright future, which will vanish if they marry and have the baby. She offers to talk at any time, however, which Lauren appreciates.

Back at Lauren’s apartment, Lauren’s mother cries not because of Lauren’s situation but because her own boyfriend plans to leave. When Lauren reveals that she did not get an abortion, her mother is furious and offers to take Lauren back to the clinic. She refuses, and her mother storms out. The following morning, Lauren wakes to music blasting and an unusually clean apartment. Then, she hears a motorcycle outside and sees her mother wave goodbye as she spots a note on the table.

When Lauren does not show up for work, Angie worries. She declines her mother’s offer to have wine together, because she is getting a Christmas tree, but when she realizes that this is her mother’s first Christmas alone, Angie suggests that they have a special day together. At the Christmas Shoppe, Angie thinks of Conlan. At home, she is struggling with the tree when, suddenly, car lights shine on her. It is Conlan. Once they get settled inside, Angie confesses that she misses him. She shares that she is doing better, but Conlan admits that she broke his heart.