After volunteering at Our Daily Bread, Tanner walks to Bill's Body Shop, reflecting on his growing feelings for Kaitlyn. He recalls how the regular volunteers at the soup kitchen noticed his connection to Kaitlyn and exchanged knowing looks. He acknowledges that showing up unannounced was risky and that he should have texted her beforehand, but admits he didn't want to risk her telling him not to come. At the body shop, the insurance adjuster and owner go over the repair plan for Tanner's car, and Tanner receives a rental silver Chevrolet Impala.

While eating at a sub shop, Tanner is confronted by Casey, Kaitlyn's seventeen-year-old daughter. Casey questions him directly about his intentions with her mother, asking about his dating history, his longest relationship, and his plans to leave town. Tanner is honest with her, admitting his longest relationship lasted about a year and that he doesn't intend to hurt Kaitlyn. Casey remains protective but undecided about whether she approves. Later, Tanner resolves to let Kaitlyn make the next move and turns his attention to his search for his biological father, spending the afternoon calling and visiting Johnsons in Asheboro. Most calls go unanswered, and none of the people he reaches match his father.

Kaitlyn eventually texts Tanner, explaining that Casey suggested he come to dinner on Wednesday night. Tanner recognizes this as Casey wanting to chaperone and assess him. He accepts. Over the following days, Tanner continues his methodical door-to-door search, crossing names off his list but finding no match. He learns his car repairs will take two to three weeks. On Wednesday evening, Tanner arrives at Kaitlyn's home with wine and a Jenga game. He is greeted warmly by Mitch and observes Kaitlyn's tastefully decorated home. In the kitchen, Kaitlyn prepares roasted chicken while they talk. Tanner opens up about searching for his biological father, explaining his grandmother's deathbed revelation. Kaitlyn gently raises difficult possibilities—that his father might not remember his mother, might have a new family, or might not be someone Tanner would want to know.

Casey joins the scene, playfully but pointedly keeping an eye on Tanner. At dinner, the family conversation flows easily, with stories about school, Frisbee, Mitch's wood carvings, and Kaitlyn's most unusual medical diagnosis—a case of diffuse lepromatous leprosy. After dinner, they play Frisbee outside and then Jenga, with lively trash talk and laughter. Once the children go upstairs, Tanner and Kaitlyn sit on the porch drinking wine. Tanner shares in depth about his military career—enlisting young, the post-9/11 sense of purpose, his time in Delta Force, and his growing disillusionment as the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan shifted. He describes the addictive intensity of combat and the difficulty veterans face readjusting to civilian life, and how guilt led him to USAID work.

Kaitlyn reciprocates by describing her divorce from George, who left her for a Pilates instructor named Amber just before her fortieth birthday. She explains how George used custody as leverage, leaving her financially diminished but with primary custody. She also shares the constant guilt of being a working mother. They discuss Casey's threat to move in with George. As the evening ends, Kaitlyn tells Tanner she can't see him again because he'll be leaving soon, and falling for him would hurt her. Tanner accepts this, but as he walks to his car, they share a passionate kiss. Moved by the moment, Kaitlyn reverses her decision and agrees to go to dinner with him the following night.