On the morning of the day of the talent show, Tess packs all her good-luck charms and heads downstairs. She’s startled to learn that her mother invited Natalie to attend the performance, and the caseworker expresses her happiness that Aaron is “joining in and becoming a part of things” on the island (156). Mrs. Brooks shares with Natalie that Aaron has been short-tempered with her lately, which Mrs. Brooks sees as a positive sign that the boy trusts her more now.

Tess asks Libby to keep Natalie busy at the talent show so that she won’t notice Ms. Spinney if the other woman comes. Then, she touches her blue sea glass and wishes, “Please let this all work out” (156).

At the parish hall, Tess looks for Ms. Spinney in the audience but doesn’t see her. She fears that Aaron will be even more determined to run away and see his mother if the woman doesn’t come. The girl’s worries mount when she sees Eben in the crowd. She feels nervous as she and Jenna begin to sing, but she tries to regain the confidence she felt when she was singing with Reverend Beal. Suddenly, she notices Ms. Spinney at the back of the hall.

Tess feels so shocked and frightened when she realizes that Ms. Spinney is there that Jenna has to guide her offstage before her actions raise suspicion. Aaron is the last person to perform, and he grins when he spots his mother in the audience. He plays with more spirit than Tess has ever heard from him, astonishing the audience.

At the end, his mother cries and is the first to give him a standing ovation. Eben stays seated. Mr. Moody congratulates Aaron on his performance, and Mr. Phipps announces that an aquarium in Texas has purchased the blue lobster that Tess caught. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks proudly accept their fellow islanders’ compliments about their talented family. Eben mocks, “Aaron’s not your family […] He’s an orphan” (165). Libby declares that Aaron’s mother is present and points to Ms. Spinney. Realizing what she’s done, the five-year-old apologizes to Tess. As Aaron hurries toward his mother, Mr. Brooks looks at Tess, who is certain she’s in trouble.

The Brooks, the Spinneys, and Natalie gather in the Brooks’s kitchen. Inviting Ms. Spinney to the talent show without the caseworker’s authorization goes against the rules. Ms. Spinney praises Aaron’s musical abilities and tells him that she still has his old toys. He challenges her decision to keep them instead of sending them to him when he moved in with his grandmother.

Ms. Spinney says that not having her son with her is difficult for her, but he accuses her of not trying to become sober so that she can regain custody. She’s unable to describe any of his interests because she hasn’t truly known him for years. Aaron describes how his five-year-old self called 911 when she became unresponsive after drinking: “I tried to get you help, and look what happened! They punished me for it!” (171). He runs to his room.

Ms. Spinney says that she shouldn’t have come, but Mrs. Brooks insists that Aaron deserves answers. Together, Ms. Spinney, Mrs. Brooks, and Natalie go to Aaron’s room. When Mr. Brooks asks Tess to explain herself, she tearfully shares her hope that her foster brother would want to stay with them if his idealized image of his mother were dispelled. She asks if Natalie will relocate Aaron.

Mr. Brooks answers that Tess and Aaron both need to accept that some things are outside of their control and to focus on cultivating intrinsic happiness, even when things don’t turn out the way they want. Mr. Brooks and his daughter listen as Aaron plays a beautiful jazz song on his trumpet. A neighbor asks Mr. Brooks if everything is all right. He answers, “Not yet […] But I hope it will be” (173).

After his mother leaves, Aaron stays in his room. Natalie says that she won’t recommend a new placement for him unless he asks for one. The next morning, Aaron heads to the wharf with Tess and Mr. Brooks but is subdued. Tess goes into Phipps’s Gas and Groceries and scoops her blue lobster into a bucket, much to the surprise of Mr. Phipps, Aaron, and Mr. Brooks.

Reverend Beal offers to hire Aaron as the church organist. Sensing his “longing” to say yes, Tess advocates for her foster brother by saying that the parish hall piano needs tuning. Aaron’s decision to become the church organist gives Tess hope that he wants to stay. When he answers that the school can remain open this way, she urges him to stay because he “can belong in more than one place, and one of [his] places is with [them]” (178). Aaron smiles and carries the heavy bucket for her.

Aboard the Tess Libby, Tess happily imagines Aaron playing Christmas carols at the island holiday party. She sees Amy’s old house and resolves to write to her again because she wants to hold onto their friendship, even if she is more invested in it than Amy is. She no longer feels guilty for her friendship with Jenna.

Tess cuts the rubber bands off the blue lobster’s claws and hands the crustacean to Aaron so that he can release it. Next, she drops her entire collection of lucky charms into the sea. Although she feels a sense of loss, she knows that she is ready to let go of them. Tess explains that they released the lobster in a different spot than where she caught it but that it “can be a home for him, if he’ll let it be” (184).

Aaron says that he’d like to bring some flowers to the unknown sailor on Dead Man’s Island once her skiff is ready, and she agrees. Mr. Brooks allows Tess to drive the boat for the very first time, saying that it’s an important skill for a fisherman to develop. When some of the fishermen tease Tess about her driving over the radio, Aaron teases back, threatening to use his new position as organist to extend church services if they make fun of his foster sister. Feeling as though her “heart [is] near to bursting” (186), Tess sends the boat racing toward the horizon.