Engagements
Night passes to day and there is still no word from Rebecca. Worried, Justine and Linnette discuss their next move. As they talk an exhausted Rebecca walks through the front door. She explains that she pulled an all-nighter before driving to a neighboring county to deliver a motion. On the way back she was feeling tired so she stopped for a quick nap. When she woke up she realized she’d overslept, her phone was dead and she missed two other court appearances. After hearing the story Justine and Linnette try to talk to Rebecca about her grueling work schedule but she’s not in the mood and walks off to her bedroom.
Meanwhile at Moon’s, Jack and Olivia discuss Jack’s new job. While the job is a great opportunity, David has made it perfectly clear that he expects Jack to move to Seattle. Conflicted over wanting the job and wanting to maintain his relationship with Olivia, Jack asks Olivia again if he has her support for the new job. Olivia tells him she fully supports him and insists that they will find a way to make time for each other.
Later that day, Paul drops into Olivia’s chambers to update her on the Rebecca situation. As they talk Paul’s phone rings. He tells Olivia that it’s Alex, and Olivia deduces that their date went well. She starts to pry for information when Paul immediately shuts down, saying that he doesn’t want to talk about it. Olivia is confused, and an awkward silence ensues. Paul leaves to get ready for court leaving Olivia even more perplexed at his hesitance to discuss his date with Alex.
In the late afternoon, Corrie and Roy walk along the waterfront holding hands. Corrie’s upset that she and Roy haven’t heard back from the adoption agency regarding the whereabouts of their daughter. Corrie also knows that today is their daughter’s 28th birthday. They are both sad that they have not connected with her and Corrie wants Roy to try and find her. Roy tells her they need to be patient and let their daughter reach out to them when she is ready.
At Saget Development, Buck is reviewing a proposal with Alex when Warren walks in on them. He wants to talk to Buck about a real estate deal and Buck casually tells him to leave it on his desk. Warren complies far too easily, and Alex suspects that he’s up to something. She later confronts him, accuses him of running a scam and wants to know if he will tell Buck or if she will.
Down at the docks, Luke and Justine walk and have a conversation about the future. Justine confesses that she’s struggling to wrap her head around the idea that Luke never wants children. Luke is very upfront saying he will never be that guy “driving around in a minivan.” He kisses Justine, but she still looks dismayed at his stance on having a family.
Back in town, Olivia confronts Will about his total lack of personal responsibility. Will wants things to improve between them, and Olivia offers to start over with a clean slate. She tells Will he can stay as long as she never has to see him in his boxers.
Paul is already waiting when Rebecca shows up at the courthouse. He is obviously unhappy and tells her that they need to have a serious conversation at the end of the day. Later at their meeting Rebecca pleads for her job, saying that the absences won’t happen again. But Paul is focused on the bigger problem and accuses her of being more focused on having his job. She argues that she is the best ADA he has and the most hardworking. Paul does not object but he still suspends her and instructs her to use the break to get herself focused.
Down at the waterfront Gloria approaches Linnette. She tells Linnette that she wants to be her friend and that she does not know why Rebecca has it out for her. Gloria just wants to talk and offers Linnette a ride. Linnette considers the offer for a moment before hurrying away.
In Seattle, Jack arrives for his first day of his new job. As he enters the building David approaches him. He wants Jack’s opinion on Eddie, one of the young staff writers. David is thrilled when Jack says likes him because he wants Jack to make Eddie his number two. Jack was hoping to find his own assistant but it is clear that David has already decided. Jack then pitches a hot new story on the security breaches at a local prison. David loves the story and tells Jack to pass the story on to Eddie. Jack immediately objects, saying he’s in charge and he assigns the stories. David wants him to shift focus and start looking at the bigger picture including sales and the bottom line. The disagreement gets Jack and his boss off to a rocky start.
Outside Moon’s Olivia offers Paul a latte as a peace offering from their talk earlier. The two broach the subject of Paul’s date with Alex, and Paul reveals that the conversation touched a raw nerve. Things went well with Alex but he is just not ready for the idea of dating, marriage, or another divorce. Olivia understands how hard it is to jump back into dating. Paul confides that his divorce really crushed him. Olivia tries to encourage him to move forward and open his heart, but Paul is resolute. Paul didn’t want his marriage to end and the experience convinced him that not everyone gets to have love in their life. Olivia is visibly pained for her friend.
At her house, Grace casually gives Maryellen stamps for Grace’s shower invitations. Maryellen is surprised since she sent digital invitations. Grace a little put off at that idea since “email invitations can’t be pressed into a scrapbook.” Grace offers to prepare the invitations herself but Maryellen objects again; she and Olivia are supposed to be doing all the preparations. Grace won’t take no for an answer and says she’ll create an invitation that everyone will remember.
At the courthouse Will goes to see Olivia to test their clean slate. In front of the courthouse Olivia sees that the front of her car is smashed. Will borrowed her car because he was out of gas and apparently had a small accident. He tells her he will fix the situation, bring it in for repair and get her a rental car. Olivia is disappointed but accepts Will’s plan to make it right.
Later in the day Jack goes to see Olivia to talk about his first day as the new chief editor. He confides that David does not want him to be a reporter anymore and instead wants Jack to focus on the nuts and bolts of the job. Jack knows he can run the paper and still be a reporter at the same time and Olivia urges him to write the story.
After a busy day, Olivia takes a break down by the water, where she meets up with Paul. Olivia disagrees with how is handling the situation with Rebecca, but it is not her place to tell him how to run his office. Olivia wants to know if Paul lived with his ex-wife before they were married and Paul reveals they did not. She then reveals the details behind her difficulties with Jack, specifically about his lying.
At Saget Development, Buck informs Warren that he’s turning down his proposal. Warren is visibly surprised that his dad did not take the deal and asks Alex if she warned Buck. The game continues between father and son. Later Warren gives Buck a proposal for his half of Charlotte’s house. Buck is impressed and thinks Warren is starting to come around. In reality, Warren is continuing his manipulations in hopes of getting control of his company back. Alex can see the writing on the wall but feels the situation between the two is hopeless.
At Moon’s, Grace is busy interfering in the plans for her shower. Moon is wise to her game and calls Grace out. She makes him promise not to tell Olivia and Maryellen what she’s been up to. Later, when Olivia and Maryellen are the café, Moon promptly asks how the shower planning is going. Olivia and Maryellen are immediately suspicious and want to know how he knows about the shower. They both agree that Grace always has to have her nose in everything! But this time Olivia has a new surprise up her sleeve – something Grace will never expect.
Later that evening Rebecca returns home where Justine and Linnette are waiting for her. The roommates are concerned and want to know what is going on. Rebecca stomps past them and says nothing about her suspension.
Back in Seattle David and Jack sit down together at the coffee shop for a talk. Jack pointedly if David read his piece on the prison. David read the article and has a serious problem with it. He feels Jack undermined his authority and now the two are at an impasse. Jack disagrees and stands by his decision to write the piece and run the paper as well.
Olivia is out with her bike when Paul spots her. They walk back to the courthouse together and Olivia tells him that Will crashed her car. She also wants to know what Paul’s decided to do about Alex. Paul deflects and instead asks why it matters to Olivia. She tells him it is because she cares for him as a friend and she doesn’t want him to close off his heart and spend his life alone because he got hurt. Paul is touched. Olivia gets a phone call and immediately looks alarmed. She finds Will at Moon’s and tells him that the people whose car he hit have contacted her. He is surprised because he left a note with his name and number. It seems there are two stories about the accident, and because Will left the scene and did not handle the situation properly, Olivia is now at fault.
Luke finds Justine down at the waterfront and they talk about why Luke does not want to have children. He says the world is a harsh place and that he does not want to bring another person into a world full of wars. Justine tells him that she understands and that and that at least for now, what they have is enough. Luke is worried that the future she wants is something he can’t give her. Justine then surprises Luke by telling him she loves him.
Back in Seattle, David and Jack meet for one final confrontation. Jack presents David with two pieces of paper. One is his resignation and the other is a story pitch. Jack then tells David that in order to stay in this job he needs to make the decisions about the writers. He promises to work hard to make sure the paper thrives and won’t let David down. David thinks it over before agreeing to Jack’s terms.
It is time for Grace’s shower and Olivia presents her with a gift. Cliff is on a boat pulling up where the two will share a sunset cruise and dinner. Grace is thrilled and Olivia is happy that she was able to surprise her friend.
After the shower, Jack meets Olivia at her house so he can share the news about his meeting with David. He also tells her that he is going to need to spend a lot more time in Seattle. He is conflicted because he feels that he and Olivia are finally in a good place again and the job will keep him away more than he would like. Olivia suggests a solution- she thinks they should move in together. She tells Jack that she loves him and she wants them to have a fighting chance. Jack is thrilled until the question arises, “Your place or mine?”