Alice and Charlie climb to the deck where Nan teases them for making out publicly. Inside, Nan places a speaker call to Heather, who loops in their father, revealing an "intervention" to push Alice to attend her upcoming gallery opening. Alice, alarmed with Charlie present, tries to send him away, but Nan asks him to stay, saying he might help.

Heather and their father praise the opportunity and apply pressure, framing attendance as essential and offering help for public speaking. Nan suggests Alice is avoiding leaving because of Nan’s health, which Alice denies. The tone becomes coercive, and Alice shuts down. When Nan asks Charlie’s opinion, Charlie ends the call himself, saying it is time to stop, which shocks and impresses Alice.

Alice confronts Nan for staging the call, saying she is a grown woman and asking why Nan cannot support her as she has supported Nan. Nan flinches, and Alice leaves for the boathouse needing space. After a short interval, Charlie finds Alice crying, holds her, and quietly reassures her. To cheer her up, he proposes making "bad art," leading them to do blind contour portraits of each other and laugh together.

As rain falls, Charlie invites Alice to talk about the confrontation. Alice admits she dislikes the chosen photograph and would rather ignore the show than face it, feeling disconnected from her work despite professional improvement. Charlie validates her integrity and asks why she cannot withdraw; she confesses loyalty to the curator Elyse and the honor of inclusion. He urges her to rebalance and act in alignment with herself.

The conversation turns to Charlie’s work. He admits he often dislikes his trading job but stays for the money and the competence it affords, addressing childhood memories of financial stress. He says he took a sabbatical because he needed a break. When pressed, he shares that time with Alice and Nan has given him the ordinary summer he envied growing up, and he asks if he matters to Alice; she says yes, and he says he feels lucky.

Alice tells Charlie he has brought fun and comfort back into her life. Charlie promises to attend her gallery opening if she decides to go and be her anchor during the speech. Their flirting escalates, and although Charlie declines sex, they engage in intimate touching, culminating in Alice climaxing with Charlie’s help. Afterward, they cuddle, banter about his spa-like scent, and he affectionately tells her he sees her not as a cautious "turtle" but as a unique "Pegasus-unicorn."