On Tuesday, July 1, Alice wakes to thunder and texts from her twins siblings, Luca and Lavinia, sent after 2 a.m., canceling their trip for her birthday due to work and money. Disappointed but indulgent, Alice transfers them $500. She reflects on the gray, rainy morning at the cottage, the muted lake, and the party supplies she had planned for a tacky, fun “Sweet Thirty-Three.”

Alice recalls her seventeenth birthday, when she felt aimless watching the yellow boat and received a camera from Nan that set her on her path. Her mother, Michelle “Meesh” Everly (now going by Meesh Dale), calls to sing “Happy Birthday,” continuing a tradition. They reminisce about family birthdays and the twins’ infamous cake incident; Alice admits missing her and confirms she and Nan will be together.

Seeking to clear her gloom after the call, Alice takes a slow, misty walk down Bare Rock Lane, passes a driveway marked Florek, and follows a stream into the forest until a snapped twig sends her hastening back while loudly singing “Dancing Queen.” The walk gives her clarity: she will bake her own cake so she and Nan can enjoy it that night and for breakfast the next day.

Alice goes to the packed grocery store, open despite Canada Day. While choosing between Funfetti and devil’s food cake mixes, Charlie Florek approaches, teasing that it is sad to bake one’s own birthday cake. He is casual and flirtatious, joking about sleeping naked and bantering about party plans after learning the twins canceled.

When Alice says the party is off, Charlie pushes back, saying three people is enough and implying he can make an evening lively with even two. He takes the mixes from her hands, insisting she not bake her own cake, and declares that he will bake it. Their playful challenge escalates—Alice doubts his ability, and Charlie promises to bake a cake “so good you’ll be ruined for all other cakes.”

As he leaves, Alice asks why he is doing this. Charlie answers that he loves defying expectations and suggests Alice has many of them, confirming he will see her that night to bake her birthday cake.