Season 3, Episode 5 - Civil War
A new day in Cedar Cove sees bikers and joggers greeting each along the waterfront. In his office at Saget Development, Warren busies himself looking over documents. As he works, his door swings open and his ex-wife Kelly storms in to confront Warren about missing their divorce hearing. Kelly angrily accuses Warren of not being able to let her go. Warren balks at the charge and responds by demanding Kelly return her engagement ring. The ring belonged to Warren’s mother and, despite her attachment to it, Kelly hands it over. The sight of the ring gives Warren pause and he reflects on his mother and her passing. Kelly too is affected, noting how loving she was towards her and Warren. In the moment of pause Kelly admits that she still loves Warren, but not like a wife. Hearing her words seems to convince Warren that it’s over and he agrees to meet Kelly in court.
At her home, Grace tries desperately to stop Cliff from leaving. Since the breakup, Cliff has begun to move his belongings from Grace’s house and is preparing to move on. Grace is unwilling to accept the reality of the situation and tries to convince Cliff that everything was working before he proposed. Cliff responds by telling Grace that the situation was only working for her. He throws a bag of his belongings into his truck and prepares to leave.
Along the waterfront, Luke and Justine are out for a stroll. As they walk, Luke confronts Justine about her previous engagement to Warren, who Luke just learned is still married. Hearing that Warren is married reminds Justine why she left him, but Luke is still angry. Justine brushes off his concerns as no big deal but Luke can’t let go. She assures him that she has no feelings for Warren, but Luke is still upset that she did not confide in him.
Back at their new apartment, Linnette and Rebecca sit on the front porch sipping a cup of coffee. While there, they see their new neighbor Gloria getting in her car and driving away. At that moment Rebecca reveals that she saw Gloria’s driver’s license and the name on the card said Laura Moore. Linnette is appalled by Rebecca’s snooping but Rebecca insists it was just an accident. What’s more, Rebecca is now certain that something is not right about their new neighbor.
Later in the day, Jack and Alex take a walk through town after their AA meeting. Alex has been preoccupied with an upcoming party in Seattle. The party is for a close friend’s birthday, but it’s being held at Flanagan's, a bar that’s notorious for their generous drinks. Jack understands her reluctance and, since he’ll be in Seattle for work, offers to join Alex at the party for support. Alex thanks him for the offer, but insists that she would rather not create any more tension between him and Olivia. She again thanks Jack for the offer and tells him that she’ll be fine.
Later, Justine commiserates with Moon over her fight with Luke. True to form, Moon offers his unique brand of insight to assuage Justine’s concerns. As he moves on to bus the other tables, he hands a scrap of paper to the man sitting behind Justine. The paper contains the number for a fisherman looking for an extra crewman. The man thanks him and leaves. When Justine asks who the man is, Moon reveals that the man is on the run from his life. Specifically, Moons says the man has problems and thought it would be better to deal with them away from his wife and child. That afternoon the man shows up at Derek’s boat about the job lead and Luke is thrilled to see him. He turns out to be Matt, a friend Luke knows from his former life in the military.
Back in chambers, Paul stops by to thank Olivia for the dinner party the night before. He also wants to know if she can recommend an agent to help him find a new rental property. Paul confides that Bob’s been making not so subtle attempts to make him feel unwelcome. Olivia starts to explain that Jack and Bob are very good friends and that Bob can be over protective. As Olivia and Paul talk, Will enters and confronts his sister. Earlier in the day Olivia served Will with an injunction to prevent him from doing anything to their mother’s home. The siblings engage in a heated exchange that comes to an end when Olivia angrily tells Will that she will see him in court.
A short time later, Bob stops by the town manager’s office to see Grace. As they talk, Bob reveals that he and Peggy are about to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Grace is thrilled at the news and offers to throw them a huge party. Bob is flattered but he’s also concerned that Grace is denying the pain she feels over her breakup with Cliff. Grace shrugs off his concerns and insists that planning this party will be great for her. Unbeknownst to Grace, Bob and Peggy are hatching a scheme of their own to reunite Grace and Cliff.
Down on the docks, Luke finally has a chance to catch up with his friend Matt. After Matt’s last deployment to Afghanistan, he found himself divorced and his ex-wife and daughter moved to North Carolina. The two agree to take the boat out the next morning. As Matt leaves, Justine shows up to continue her and Luke’s conversation about Warren. They realize they both have things to share about their past and that this hiccup isn’t bigger than their feelings for each other. Justine then asks Luke how he knows Matt and Luke tells her that he is a retired Navy Seal like him. As they talk, it becomes obvious that they’ve both heard different stories about Matt’s life– Moon’s version and Matt’s. Justine is convinced that Matt needs help, but Luke tells her he can handle his friend. The next day, Matt tells Luke that Derek offered him a job and he is excited. Luke asks what is his story- is he really divorced? Matt tells him that yes, he is.
Back in Seattle, Jack bumps into Alex on her way to her friend’s birthday party. Despite being on his way back to Cedar Cove, at the last moment, he decides to stay in town for lunch. It just so happens Jack chooses the bar where the party is being held. At the bar Alex and Jack sit together while her friends drink and celebrate. Looking for a distraction, the two decide to play a game of pool. Turns out that Jack plays a mean game of pool and his skills don’t go unnoticed by Alex.
In Cedar Cove, Cliff is loading a saddle into his truck when Peggy runs into him. She’s been trying to track him down all day so she can talk with him about Grace. Meanwhile, Bob shows up at the town hall to talk to Grace about throwing an anniversary party for Peggy. He tells Grace that while he thought Peggy would want a quiet anniversary, Peggy was in fact hoping for big celebration with their friends. Grace is excited to have a new project to hopefully keep her mind off of Cliff.
Later in the day, Rebecca meets up with her new neighbor Gloria to talk about what she saw on her driver’s license. When Rebecca confronts Gloria about her mysterious identity, Gloria pulls out her wallet and shows her license, which identifies her as Gloria Ashton. Rebecca is unmoved and insists that Gloria is lying about who she is. The two get into a heated argument and before storming off, Gloria tells Rebecca to back off and stay away from her stuff.
Across town, Will pulls into the driveway of his mom’s house and finds Olivia already there. After getting some sound advice from Paul, Olivia’s decided that it’s better for her and Will to talk out their differences like family. Will is still standoffish and sending signals that this fight is about more than the house. Olivia pleads with him to talk with her and work to find a common solution they both can tolerate.
At the Captain’s Galley, a waiter pours wine for Warren and Kelly. Facing the reality of his impending divorce, Warren hopes that a romantic gesture can stave off the inevitable. The pair relives old memories, but Kelly remains unmoved. As dinner ends and they make their way out of the restaurant, Warren tells Kelly that he still loves her. Kelly doesn’t doubt Warren’s love but she insists that he needs to let her go. Back at his office Warren finds an envelope with the divorce papers inside. Attached to the documents is a note from Kelly, “If you still love me, you’ll sign these.”
At the Thyme & Tide, Grace hurriedly puts the final finishing touches on Peggy’s surprise anniversary party. Despite all of her best-laid plans, Peggy arrives early, spoiling Grace’s surprise. But, as Grace tries to pull Peggy away, Bob speaks up from across the room. He tells her that the surprise is for her and, as he does, Cliff appears from behind the door. Cliff first apologizes for his earlier proposal. As he walks towards her he tells her he want wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He then drops to his knees and presents Grace with the ring. Stunned, Grace asks if he really still wants her. Cliff doesn’t hesitate. “I never stopped.” The ring slides on Graces finger and she exclaims, “I’m engaged.”
Back at the Captain’s Galley, Paul and Olivia are enjoying a late night dinner. Olivia had planned on meeting Jack for dinner but his adventures in Seattle delayed him. Unbeknownst to Olivia, Jack, along with Alex, is hurrying to the restaurant for his date with Olivia. As he enters the restaurant he tells Alex that he hadn’t heard from Olivia and is starting to get worried. Just then, Alex spots Olivia sitting at a table across the room. As she does, Olivia and Jack’s eyes meet. As Paul turns around from the table with Olivia, Jack suddenly realizes that Olivia didn’t cancel the date; she instead went to dinner with Paul.