At Moon’s, Justine and Cecilia sit down for a much needed talk. While Justine deals with her conflicting emotions towards Luke, Cecilia is facing an imminent divorce. Adding to her woes, Cecilia just learned she’s pregnant. With her plan in complete shambles, Cecilia is filled with fear. And what’s more, Cecilia needs a big favor from Justine. Luke is slated to be the guest of honor at the Naval Benefit and since Cecilia’s not up to making appearances, she needs Justine to fill in for her. Unfortunately, Justine and Luke are not on the best terms.
As Justine and Cecilia talk, Bob and Colin enter Moon’s. Thrilled that his dear friend is back, Bob is doing everything he can to convince Colin to stay. But Colin’s return isn’t joyful for everyone. Peggy’s nerves are rattled and Moon, who’s one of the few that knows what’s transpired, makes it crystal clear that he is less than thrilled to see Colin return to Cedar Cove.
And Jack, despite the long hours and his still undisclosed relapse, is invigorated by his new job at The Chronicle. And while Olivia is concerned for his wellbeing, she is also determined to support him in this new venture. As morning turns to afternoon, Jack hops the ferry for a meeting with his editor in Seattle. The meeting is a success and Jack learns that he’s going to be a permanent contributor at The Chronicle.
To celebrate, Jack and Jeri head to the local bar to grab a drink. As they sit down Jack orders two beers. The move takes Jeri by surprise, but Jack insists that he can handle drinking in moderation. He also reveals that he’s considering getting his own apartment in Seattle. Surprised, Jeri assumes that he and Olivia have broken up, but Jack insists that’s not the case. But Jack is also not planning on telling Olivia about his decision.
Back in Cedar Cove Eric and Rebecca sit down for an “emergency” conversation. Earlier, before leaving for Seattle, Shelly formally ended any semblance of a relationship between herself and Eric. Angry, Eric accuses Rebecca of sabotaging his relationship by leaving her dress in his bed. But in this argument, Eric is sorely outmatched. Rebecca responds to his accusations by pointing out that Shelly dumped him because she realized there only common thread is Adele. What’s more, Rebecca places the source of Eric’s personal problems solely on his shoulders.
Chastened, Eric returns to work. As he enters the office he notices a well dressed, but clearly agitated man. The man is unimpressed by Warren’s young associate and slings a series of short quips at Eric before introducing himself as Mr. Dick Turnbull, Warren’s partner from back east. Eric’s attempts to assert himself are quickly dispatched and Dick sends Eric to fetch him a cup of coffee. With his pride demolished, Eric can only shake his head and walk away.
Later, in his office, Warren and Dick engage in a heated conversation. It appears that a series of Warren’s other business partners have are now in FBI custody. Dick explains that his contacts at the bureau tell him that an inside man is giving the FBI information into Warren’s business dealings. Dick makes it clear that he’ll be watching both Warren and Eric. Before he leaves Dick makes an ominous threat, saying, “you know what we do with leaks, right?”
At the waterfront, Justine and Luke meet for their serious conversation. Still unable to accept her feelings about him, Justine again insists that they can only be friends. Justine says that with Luke in therapy and with her trying to find herself, remaining friends is what’s best for both of them. Insulted, Luke accuses Justine of blaming his PTSD and taking the easy way out. Luke angrily walks away leaving Justine to appreciate the sting of his words.
And on the other side of town Tony, the District Attorney, is hoping that a free lunch will convince Olivia to help grant him a very special favor. He’s been tasked with replacing the night court judge in Coopertown and is hoping that Olivia will take the job. But instead of jumping at the opportunity as he expects, Olivia hedges, saying she’s actually thinking about scaling back her time on the bench. With Jack busy with his new job and spending more time in Seattle, giving up a day or two on the bench will allow her to spend more time with him. The move comes as a surprise to Tony, but Olivia insists that she’s in love.
Alison, the local teen who helps out at the library, is waiting at Grace’s while her mom is at work. The usually outgoing and engaged teen seems distracted and preoccupied with her phone. While Grace senses something is wrong, she also understands that teenagers are prone to unusual behavior. When Grace tries to get her to open up, Alison immediately bolts from the house, leaving her cellphone on the counter. Grace picks up the phone and sees a string of horrific messages targeting the young girl. It turns out that the bullying isn’t just limited to texting. Someone took a picture of Alison changing and is now spreading the image online and throughout the school. Infuriated, Grace turns to Olivia for help.
Waiting for the next ferry at the docks, Shelly runs into Jack. She tells him she and Eric broke up. She also reveals that she lied when she told Eric she had met someone else. She hoped the news would force him to let her go. She insists that Eric and Jack can see Adele whenever they want, with one caveat. Jack is only allowed to see his granddaughter when he’s not drinking. Stunned, Jack gives her a perplexed look. Shelly, having grown up with an alcoholic father, immediately recognizes the signs. She promises not to tell Eric, but insists that Jack get himself together.
In front if the Thyme & Tide Peggy’s gardening is interrupted by when Colin surprises her from behind. Colin presents her with flowers and tries to make nice. He insists that what happened between them will stay that way and smugly says that he doesn’t blame her for what happened between them years ago. Incensed Peggy throws the flowers back at him. As she does Moon comes along on his bike asking if everything is okay. Moon’s timing couldn’t have been better as Peggy is practically frozen with fear.
Outside Warren’s office Rebecca arrives early for their scheduled late lunch. Inside Warren and Tyler are having a very tense conversation. Tyler exclaims that Dick and his partners mean business and he wants out of his shady dealings with Warren. Doing his best to calm him, Warren points to documents signed by Eric. The documents place Eric at the center of Warren’s nefarious dealings and give Warren and Tyler a readymade alibi. Rebecca immediately heads to Eric’s house to warn him. She tries to explain that the documents put Eric in serious trouble, but Eric refuses to listen. Now, his overconfidence may leave him blind to the schemes that surround him.
At the courthouse, Alison stops by to get her phone from Grace. She immediately realizes that Grace has seen the texts and that Olivia is also aware. The women try to talk to convince Alison to take legal action against her bullies, but Alison insists that this is just high school. She begs them to let the matter go and leaves. But, while Olivia’s hands are legally tied, Grace refuses to let the matter go. She tells Alison’s mom and reports the incident to the school. When she finds out, Alison explodes at Grace saying she made the situation infinitely worse. Alison storms off and demands that Grace stay out of her life.
As night falls Luke, in his dress uniform, arrives to escort Justine to the Navy fundraiser. Despite their earlier disagreement, the two head off and enjoy a wonderful evening together. At the end of the night, as Luke escorts Justine to the door, she reveals that she was accepted into graduate school. Luke is the first to hear the news and gives Justine a big hug. She invites Luke in for a cup of coffee. But, as she turns the light on, Seth is standing in the living room waiting for her.
Meanwhile, at Jack’s house, after not seeing each other for most of the day, Olivia and he finally gets a chance to spend some time together. Although they were supposed to meet earlier in the day, Jack feigned a cold and blew Olivia off. Feeling revitalized again, he is now ready to spend some time with her. It’s now that Olivia reveals that she’d like to start traveling with Jack to Seattle so they can be together more often. Jack hesitates, causing Olivia to ask if he doesn’t want her in Seattle with him. Jack pauses, his silence speaking volumes.
And Eric, needing some fresh air, decides to take a walk by the boathouses. As he does, a black car pulls up and stops just behind him. As Eric slowly approaches the car the window rolls down revealing Dick Turnbull sitting in the driver seat. Dick forcefully instructs Eric to get in saying they need to talk. Eric hesitates forcing Dick to threaten him, saying “don’t make me repeat myself kid.” Eric quietly sits into the passenger seat and the car drives off into the darkness.