The chapter opens the morning after Tanner and Kaitlyn's kiss, with Casey teasing her mother about it from her bedroom window. Kaitlyn examines herself in the mirror, feeling self-conscious about the changes in her body, yet buoyed by Tanner calling her beautiful. She contemplates the significance of what she considers a third date and the physical intimacy it might entail, while grappling with the fact that she hasn't slept with anyone new in nearly two decades and that Tanner has no long-term future in Asheboro.

The next day, Kaitlyn prepares for their evening out. Casey helps her with her hair and makeup, offering genuine encouragement and reminding Kaitlyn of her worth—her intelligence, her kindness, and her beauty. Casey also arranges to call Kaitlyn an hour into the date as an "out" if things go poorly. Tanner arrives at six-thirty in a blazer and black slacks, surprising everyone with a limousine in the driveway, which delights both Casey and Mitch.

During the limo ride, Tanner and Kaitlyn share champagne, peanut M&M's, and deep conversation. Tanner reveals his grandfather's difficult upbringing as a biracial man in 1950s Alabama, his grandmother's fierce defiance of her family to marry him, and their eventual move to Europe. He describes his grandfather's quiet, principled nature and his grandmother's eccentricity with canaries. Kaitlyn reflects on how Tanner's complicated family history makes him unlike anyone she's known.

The limo takes them to a grand mountain home in Sophia that Tanner rented for the evening, complete with a chef-prepared dinner, wine, and a roaring fire. Kaitlyn is given the option of a restaurant backup in Greensboro, but she chooses to stay. Casey calls with the planned "out," but Kaitlyn signals that she's fine. After tender moments by the fire, Tanner and Kaitlyn give in to their mutual desire and make love twice. Afterward, Kaitlyn notices scars on Tanner's body from his military service, which he briefly explains but prefers not to discuss in detail.

Over dinner, their conversation turns to Tanner's romantic past—two near-relationships that didn't work out, and a Covid-era fling in Hawaii. He then reveals that his car parts will take three to four weeks, extending his stay, but also mentions plans to visit families in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota, and to tour the Black Hills. When Kaitlyn asks about his Cameroon plans, Tanner casually reveals he doesn't start work until September despite flying out in June, and then discloses that he is wealthy from early Apple stock investments and doesn't need to work at all.

This revelation devastates Kaitlyn. She realizes that Tanner could choose to stay in Asheboro or anywhere else, yet he is choosing to leave for a job he barely understands, in a country he mainly associates with leisure activities like soccer and national parks. She confronts him, asking why he's going to Cameroon if not out of financial necessity or deep commitment to humanitarian work. Tanner struggles to answer, admitting he took the job partly because his dying grandmother worried he was drifting. Kaitlyn tells him he's not who she thought he was and that she can see no reason to continue their relationship. She leaves in the limo, crying in the rain. At home, Casey perceptively reads the situation, makes her mother cocoa, and offers quiet comfort. Kaitlyn goes to bed and cries, knowing the relationship ended before it truly began.